A large crowd came out to Erieau’s Art on the Boulevard on Saturday, with more than 100 vendors lining the lakeside village.
The annual event, which had been sidelined for two years due to the pandemic, offered visitors a chance to purchase art pieces, clothing, household goods and many other items.
Mary Lynn Pickering, event co-ordinator, said organizers and participants were eager to return.
“It feels fantastic. The committee is super-excited. The artists are super-excited. The shoppers,” she said. “Everyone is just really thrilled.”
Pickering said the event scaled back the number of vendors somewhat in order to make more greenspace available within the boulevard, due to the number of people expected.
She added that Saturday’s co-operative weather was a bonus and that crowds were close to what they were pre-pandemic in 2019.
“We could not have ordered up a better day,” she said. “Temperature-wise and wind-wise. Sometimes we have some trouble with the wind.”
Pickering admitted there is always “some element of worry” with planning events, given the on-again, off-again public health restrictions related to gatherings during the past two years.
However, in April the organizers made the decision to go ahead.
She said organizers are already thinking about next year’s event, noting that interested participants should keep their eyes out in February for further details online.