by Tess Reiss, Festival Director

Sun, rain, sun. Tents, umbrellas, and ponchos mushroomed all over the street as fest-goers, vendors, and musicians scrambled to keep the 27th Annual Locust St. Festival going despite the rain. About 775 runners took off under sunny skies for the Beer Run, and by the time they crossed the Finish Line the weather had turned. Sonya Jongsma Knauss, Riverwest Currents editor, was the first woman across the line, beating the rain and finishing in the top 15. The magnetic high energy of the Drum Circle sponsored by Milwaukee Public Theatre kept people smiling, drumming, and dancing in the street throughout a series of showers. Lakefront Brewery creatively set up their own version of Miller Park – complete with leaky roof – under the cozy canopies they had strung together where the beer flowed and the music played on. Woodland Pattern had a steady stream of people coming in to view the photo exhibit, to meet Tom Tolan, the author of Riverwest: A Community History, and to have their books signed. Over 100 books were sold. Priced at just $10, the book is still available at Woodland Pattern and the Riverwest Co-op. Festival organizers and a dozen volunteers had fliered cars and homes along the Beer Run route to warn folks not to park on the designated “No Parking” side of the street. On festival morning, DPW was out in full force issuing tickets and towing cars. A total of 51 cars were towed. On the plus side, we believe that a number of abandoned cars were removed in the process. Many thanks to all the volunteers who worked at the fest and to everyone who hung in til the sun came out. The street was full to the end, proving that it’s still the Best Fest in Riverwest regardless of the weather. See you all again next year! Riverwest Currents – Volume 2 – Issue 7 – July 2003
by Tess Reiss, Festival Director