Category Archives: Art

Main Street, Ft. Worth Arts Festival

Every April, you can anticipate going to the Fort Worth Main Street Arts Festival. Don’t be surprised, but you will not be the only one attending this event. Artists come from all over the country to display some of their work and its fascinating. Jewelry, paintings, photographs, metal sculptures and live performers will all be found throughout the area. You will also find local booths promoting various Fort Worth organizations. There is definitely something for everyone.

The festival is free – and there is plenty of free parking in the area so it makes for great afternoon entertainment. Mid-April in Fort Worth is just the kind of weather you are looking for to be able to get out and check out some great creativity (70’s and sunny!). Bring your kids (there was a children’s entertainment stage) but not your pets (they are not permitted). The booths are centrally located on Main Street, everything is one central location so it makes it easy not to get lost and to stay in the general mix of things. Do expect there to be a lot of people. The only downside was we found ourselves walking more on the sidewalks out of people’s way (so we wouldn’t be popped by strollers, even though we did) – it made it a little difficult to try to get to some of the booths. This should be expected for an event like this, just an FYI.

Food and beverages are available however you will need tickets to purchase. There was a wide array of options, including alcoholic beverages. Ticket booths can be found throughout the area.

Here are a few photos that I took from yesterday’s event so you can try to get a feel of what to look forward to next year.  
One end of the street you will find yourself facing the Tarrant County Courthouse.
The heads move on all these guys! The kids were loving it (and me too)!
 
 
 
 Children’s Stage.
 Tarrant County Convention Center behind one of the stages at the end of the street. 
Main Stage
(You can also check out free, live performances in Bass Hall.)
 I LOVE trucks and I absolutely LOVED this photo. Gorgeous!
 Check out these leather binded, handcrafted books. (Jourals and photo albums.) I tried to get myself one but they were out of the small ones. Beautiful! (And very popular!)
 Chimes.
 One of the live entertainers. The hole in his instrument is his tip jar. 
 This was completely woven. I can’t imagine how long it took to make these. Beautiful, vibrant colors.
 

Don’t leave without getting a free hug! It was a great one!
 **I tried to include links to artists pages when I could grab a card to take. If you find yourself listed on this page and would like me to include a link to your personal site, please let me know!**

Art In the Square, Southlake, Texas

I’m a sucker for arts festivals. There’s something about the creativity of these artists and the envy that I have for them. If only I could create such beautiful pieces of art (maybe someday, I’m keeping my hopes alive).

Art In The Square is an annual, three day arts festival hosted by the Southlake Women’s Club. The festival is held in the Southlake Town Square, which in itself is one of my favorite places to shop and walk around. The Square has a central green in front of the Southlake Court House, surrounded by shops (local and chain).

Last year, I attended Art In The Square and it was great! You will find national and local artists, events for children, live entertainment and of course a food court.

Here are some photos from last years event!

Admission: Free
For More Info: http://www.artinthesquare.com/

Antique Alley, Texas

Every year in April and September, rain or shine, you can travel along Farm Road 4 between Maypearl, Grandview and Cleburne you can expect nothing but sales. That’s right – its a 25 mile stretch full of steals and deals!

If you love pondering through items, what some may consider junk you consider gold, this is going to be the trip for you. This area is full of Texans who have been living in this area for generations, including many farmers and ranchers. Coming across some great antiques would not be a surprise so be sure to get out there bright and early!

I would suggest starting off in either Cleburne or Maypearl and head towards the other. Last year we decided to give this much talked about event a try. Half the fun is checking out the scenery along Farm Road 4 – its gorgeous! (Be sure to bring your camera!) You will want to park and walk around in each town. There’s lots to see!

We started off in Maypearl, a tiny little Texas town that I fell in love with the minute we got there. Love, love, love! The “Main Street” was lined with individuals, families and businesses with miscellaneous items to sell from antiques, to dishware, to yard items. We also ran into a few fund raising groups selling baked items and of course Girl Scout cookies (makes it hard to say no).
Soon enough you will find yourself heading west towards Grandview. Another small town, however slightly larger than Maypearl. Here we found a few shops open, typical “Texas” and antique shops. Again, the street lined with small tents. We found some baked goods – pies, breads, cookies and cakes. 
The last stop is Cleburne, the largest of the three towns. There will be a ton to look thru. Don’t be surprised that along the way you will run into tons of other stops. Families will be having lawn sales. Between Grandview and Cleburne there will be a large and very busy flea market area. You’ll know you are getting close when the traffic starts to pile up. Don’t be alarmed, you can either park and check it out or keep on trucking thru. The area is pretty large so if you are after treasure hunting, I’d suggest stopping. We didn’t stop to check this out but if you do – let me know how it is! I’m sure there is gold to be found in this area.
Don’t be surprised to run into some traffic along the way – you aren’t the only one out there looking for items or just perusing. It’s almost like a treasure hunt! The culture you come across along the way in incredible – straight up Texas! If you find your stomach growling from hunger – no worries there is everything from BBQ (we are in Texas afterall) to sausage on a stick. You won’t go hungry around these parts!

Antique Alley is known for growing larger each year so if you attend one event, its expected that you will find something new the next time. Driving around and checking out the scenery is half the fun of the trip. During April, you will see the wildflowers out in the fields, which you can’t help but admire. Antique Alley it makes for a great day.

I apologize for not having more pictures of the actual sales. Feel free to post comments / pictures if you attend!

For More Info: http://www.antiquealleytexas.com/