Monroe's Open Air Market draws hundreds to downtown street festival
Hundreds showed up for the ninth annual Open Air Market in downtown Monroe during the weekend.
Live music performed in front of the Monroe County Courthouse was enjoyed by visitors as the community gathered to shop, eat and catch up with each other.
Barbecue, corn dogs and elephant ears were all consumed gleefully on the block of First Street between Washington Street and Monroe Street, one of several closed for the day. Monroe resident Karole Matthews said, elephant ear in hand, that she had fun attending for the first time.
“I think it is so nice to see families out. It’s a beautiful day [with] plenty to do,” Matthews said. She added that her favorite part was “enjoying walking around with my husband and seeing people that we haven’t seen in a while to stop and chat with them.”
Lines of shoppers went from booth to booth, selling artwork, baked goods, honey and hand-made products products. Among them was Lily Self, a Monroe resident selling crocheted products.
“I usually crochet them in different bunches because I like to match them off of shows and characters I like. So I crochet them in bunches at a time so I don’t get stuck in one area,” Self said.
Washington Street was packed with beautifully restored muscle cars, vintage pickup trucks and even a pickup truck that was made from scratch out of the shell of a 1968 Volkswagen Beatle and various other parts found by the owner. Carleton resident Clayton Wamca said that it took about two years for him to accumulate the parts and about a year of working with some friends to put the car together.
“It was the cheapest cab that I figured I could get for the money,” Wamca said. “I’ve had help from friends, putting the cab on and off the chassis. … This is a lot of fun. … As we speak, I am going to build another one with a V8.”
The bed of the truck was made out of old salvaged boards, and he choose a swan from his girlfriend’s rock garden as the hood ornament. An old wine bottle is used to hold the windshield washer fluid.
“It’s great to be here in downtown Monroe out and about. I think people are having a great time. I want to say thanks to the Downtown Monroe Business Network for their coordination to bring this together. That is what it takes to bring this sort of thing together. It is just great, not only to see everyone down here – the vendors, the car show, the food vendors – and there’s not a corner that you can’t find entertainment at,” Monroe Mayor Robert Clark said. “My favorite part is the old cars – people come out for that kind of nostalgia – and the other part is seeing people enjoying downtown Monroe.”
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Monroe's Open Air Market draws hundreds to downtown festival
