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Wooster Jazz Festival - 2010
Today my husband and I traveled to Wooster for their Jazz Festival. This is our 3rd year and it never disappoints. With the threat of rain in the air, we were determined to get out and go enjoy the event no matter what and lucky for us, the rain stayed away.
Almost 100 artists were expected, but there were noticeably less than that this year. Unfortunately, many probably opted out due to the weather - they also missed out. We saw many familiar faces from other art shows and events we frequent. It is nice to recognize them and to BE recognized by these talented artists.
The music this year was spectacular. This event, without fail, showcases some of the best local jazz artists. Paul and I sat on a park bench and listened to The Ken Weaver Quartet. Then we headed down the street to Tulipan, a Hungarian pastry and coffee shop where we enjoyed a honeycake dipped in a chocolate-rum glaze and rolled in coconut flakes, an obligatory piece of Baklava and coffee. We strolled through a new store - Today’s Kitchen Store, and then to The Urban Cottage, a very cute consignment boutique and then up to The Wooster Gift Corner, one of the city’s oldest downtown retailers. We sat outside on a park bench and listened to the rest of the Ken Weaver Quartet’s set. We were hoping they would have CD’s for sale, but no such luck. The music then transitioned to Jack Shantz and Jazz Unit. We moved park benches and sat people watching. We especially enjoyed this boy who was probably about 10 years old making the most spectacular balloon animals I’ve ever seen. People seemed compelled to join us on the park bench - I got a kick out of two older women on the prowl for a good man. ”Go ask him to dance!” one friend said to the other…”There’s just never any good men at these things!” the other chimed in.
By this time, we were hungry. We headed down to Broken Rocks Cafe & Bakery. Our waitress could have easily been Uma Thurman’s twin sister. Her resemblance was quite uncanny. Paul swears our hostess looked like Jennifer Garner, but I didn’t see the resemblance. I enjoyed a nice smoked turkey sandwich with roasted red peppers, scallions and black pepper cream cheese on house bread. Paul got the Crabcake Po-Boy Sandwich. I really love this restaurant - it has a great atmosphere, nice artwork and a hip urban feel. Always a good time.
After lunch, we decided to head for home. On our way out, we spotted what appeared from a distance to be a very large bear laying ahead of us. Turns out, it was a man with his two purebred Newfoundland dogs. The female was 150 pounds and the male 170 pounds. Both were such docile, sweet animals. Very majestic looking dogs and stunning to see in person - my first time. I can honestly say I have never seen a dog so big in my life. A Great Dane may be bigger in height, but these dogs were huge. I could not believe the size of the feet. Unfortunately, we forgot the camera and our cell phones today, so no pictures. They sure drew a large crowd though. Very stunning to see them in person. It was a lovely day out with my husband. Good thing I took pictures last year so I have some to add to this post! I need to get the camera back in my purse so I don’t keep forgetting it.
