Crowds Love 15th Annual A La Carte and Art Festival

The weather was perfect for a successful 15th Annual A La Carte and Art festival on Saturday and Sunday on downtown Castro Street. Sunny, in the mid-60s, with a light breeze, people came from all over the Bay Area in large crowds on both days to enjoy the official start to the art and wine festival season.

"We had a tremendous turnout both days," said Tim Beeman of Miramar Events, which has helped Mountain View's Central Business Association organize the event for nearly all of its 15 years. "The attendance was outstanding. It was great to see people out enjoying themselves and having a good time. So from an event standpoint, it was a huge success."

Beeman said it would be tough to pinpoint which feature of the festival was the most popular this year. He said different types of people seemed to be drawn to different activities.

"People loved the arts and crafts; there were a lot of fans of the music we had that came out for that; there were a lot of families coming to enjoy the family activities," he said. "And some people came just to stroll and have a glass of wine or beer."

Tim and Nancy Solis of Mountain View brought their 4-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son to play in the bounce houses, and then they all looked at the fine art.

"The Kids Zone is just fantastic," said Nancy. "After they bounced for so long, they got nice and tired and were happy just to be pushed around in their strollers with a snack, while my husband and I could have a chance to look at all the artists' booths."

Tanya Morris of Sunnyvale decided to make it a "girls day out" to enjoy a few glasses of wine and listen to the live bands with her friends.

"The weather is so nice, we're having a great time listening to the bands and just walking around, looking at all the booths," she said. "There are so many beautiful things to look at; there are a lot of great artists here this year."

Beeman said a big part of what makes A La Carte and Art so great is the location—downtown Mountain View.

"Even without such a great festival going on, Mountain View is a lively, vibrant downtown just to stroll around and enjoy."