15th Annual A La Carte and Art This Weekend Promises to be Bigger and Better than Ever

As the blanket of fog and dark clouds that has hung over Mountain View all week finally moves on to some other unfortunate city, organizers of the 15^th Annual A La Carte and Art festival are excited to welcome back the sun and get started setting up for this weekend’s festivities.

Mountain View’s Central Business Association (CBA) and the crew from Miramar Events, which has been organizing A La Carte and Art for nearly all of its 15 years, say the famous Castro Street festival promises to be even bigger and better this year, with expanded events and activities such as the Kids’ Tons of Fun Zone, the “A La Car and Art” classic car show and new sponsorship of the live music lineup by classic rock station KFOX.

Tim Beeman of Miramar Events said everyone from Miramar and the CBA is very excited about this year’s festival, and said a record number of artists and food vendors have purchased booths to display and sell their wares this year. This is good news, since all proceeds from the festival go to the CBA, which works to promote economic growth for downtown Mountain View businesses.

“We’re very optimistic. We’ve had a great buildup and planning process to the event,” Beeman said earlier this week. “We have more arts and crafts exhibitors than we’ve had in many years—we have well over 200 this year.”

Beeman said, longtime favorite features of the festival will be returning this year, as well as several newly-expanded features.

For the little ones with boundless energy, the Kids’ Tons of Fun Zone promises to deliver a multitude of amusements, including a massive, 24-foot climbing wall; inflatable slides and bounce-houses; a remote-controlled NASCAR race track; face painting and temporary tattoos; bubble art; balloon artists and police and fire department displays. All of these activities are available to enjoy for nominal fees.

Beeman said, the number and types of classic and vintage cars on display for A La Car and Art has grown considerably this year as well.

“We’ve partnered with a number of new and different car clubs, to host the show each day. There will be close to 50 cars on display each day, and the cars each day will be different,” he said, describing the hot rods, muscle cars, sleek sports cars and tricked-out low-riders festival-goers will get to check out.

And then, of course, there’s the food, beer and wine. Beeman said A La Carte and Art will welcome a number of new, gourmet food purveyors for this year’s event. Some of the offerings will include gourmet sausages, teriyaki chicken and pork kabobs, veggie wraps, tamales, tacos, made-to-order crepes, souvlakis, meatballs, dolmas, smoked bratwurst with sauerkraut, crab cakes, fish and chips, corn on the cob, spiced chicken, beef and pork satays, jumbo hot dogs, burgers, corn dogs, kettle corn, funnel cake, shaved ice and smoothies. For those looking for a nice alcoholic drink to cap off your weekend, vendors will be ready and waiting to pour you a glass from their selection of premium wines, micro-brewed beers, refreshing margaritas and even mojitos.

In addition to the food vendors, there will also be a farmer’s market located within the festival, selling everything from strawberries, cherries and apricots to organic produce, asparagus, flavored almonds, pistachios, walnuts, and honey.

Beeman said, with the rise of the “green movement” in Mountain View, organizers have begun focusing on new directions as far as booking vendors.

“We have a bigger focus on organic and healthy foods,” he said. “We’re also expanding our efforts to recycle as much as possible at the event, that’s been a big focus over the past three to four years.”

If it’s the music that draws you to A La Carte and Art, Beeman said, you’re in for a treat this year. For the first time, classic rock radio station KFOX is a major sponsor, and representatives helped book many of the Bay Area’s best classic rock bands for this year’s live music lineup.

“We have just a phenomenal music lineup this year, with bands like the Groove Kings, Cocktail Monkeys and the Megatones,” he said, naming just a few of the 12 bands scheduled to perform. “There’s literally music on every corner, so there’s a great flavorful mix, just walking around the festival.”

Overall, Beeman said, the 15^th Annual A La Carte and Art promises to be a great event, no matter your age or tastes. It’s the perfect event to help kick off art and wine festival season in the Bay Area.

“These events have become a huge part of our lifestyle in the Bay Area. They’re an important part of our culture and lifestyle, so I think everyone really looks forward to the start of festival season,” he said. “Plus, one of the real beauties of events like these is that they’re all free admission, so you spend as you wish to spend, but there’s a lot of free activities like the music, and you can just stroll around and enjoy the downtown. So it can be a great free event for families to go to, which is nice in these challenging economic times. It’s a nice, free, leisure activity for people.”

The 15^th Annual A La Carte and Art festival takes place along Castro Street, between Church Street and Evelyn Avenue in downtown Mountain View, this Saturday and Sunday, May 21 and 22, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days. Admission and parking in downtown are both free. Caltrain also has a stop very close to the festival. For more information, call call 650-964-3395 or visit http://www.miramarevents.com/alacarte.