South Perry Street Fair set for Saturday

The South Perry Parade was one of the smallest parades in town, but it was also one of the most loved. Its participants were proud neighborhood kids on decorated bikes, families and dogs, and toddlers riding in wagons next to the occasional local politician running for office. And every year, onlookers cheered like it was the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade.

This year’s South Perry Street Fair on Saturday will not feature a street parade. It’s been replaced by a youth parade through Grant Park.

“We didn’t have the money in the budget to insure the parade,” said Ian Sullivan, one of the street fair organizers. “The parade was always free and we wanted to keep it that way. It would be several hundred dollars to insure it.”

It’s the 13th annual event put on by the South Perry Business and Neighborhood Association. This year, Pedals2People and Odyssey Youth Center are the two neighborhood nonprofits benefiting from proceeds generated by the fair.

“There will be about 50 vendors in the park,” Sullivan said.

The youth parade will begin at Grant Elementary School’s playground.

“We are very broadly describing youth,” Sullivan said. “We will take any youth. We just want as many people as possible and we wanted to have some sort of parade.”

Live music by the Grant Elementary Drummers and Dancers, the Spokane Buddhist Temple’s Taiko Drummers and local rock band The Blisterz is scheduled throughout the day.

Almost all the South Perry businesses have something going on during the Street Fair. South Perry Pizza has three bands scheduled to perform on the patio, starting Saturday at 5 p.m.

Veda Lux, is celebrating its second anniversary during the street fair. The funky fashion store will be open all day, and is sponsoring that evening’s free outdoor movie – “The NeverEnding Story” – at The Shop.

“I guess we’ve tried to keep it pretty simple this year,” Sullivan said. “This is going to be an amazing and very cool summer event.”