Hidden Treasures at the Street Fair

One of my favorite things about Tucson is the 4th Avenue Street Fair that comes to Tucson every spring. It is fun to walk down 4th Avenue and browse the tents full of fresh, fun, and funky arts, crafts, and goods for sale. It's always a good time with friends!


The 4th Street Fair is free entertainment! Plus, you get the chance to be outside as spring hits and catch a bit of a tan. It's kind of like a big treasure hunt, and provides hours of fun and entertainment for free (that is, if you pack your own food & water). And don't forget the people-watching.

Ashley and I bring some cash for food, the kind of greasy fair food that really only tastes good when it is sold out of a stall window, you know, fry bread, kettle corn and pulled-pork sandwiches!


Oh yeah, and we look for one or two unique items to bring home.

This year, I stumbled upon two new vendors that were my favorite at this year's street fair, both for totally different reasons:

• Black Canyon Restorations
  Black Canyon Restorations, in their own words, "try to salvage as much material as possible before it goes to the landfill. We use old windows, molding, glass, hardware, stove parts, bed frames, barn wood, railings and many other materials that are incorporated into the design and assembly of our products." Reduce, reuse, recycle, and look good doing it!
  
  Perfect! Black Canyon Restorations has artsy, unique pieces that we just fell in love with!Plus, they were reasonably priced! We bought a shelf to display my small collection of tea cups and saucers. I loved that the hooks were made from old silverware. It's unique, fun, and okay, it did make me feel a little heroic to support such a creative and environmental effort.

• Golden Designs
  With an event like the 4th Avenue Street Fair, there is a plethora of tie dye. It lured me in as I got lost in all the music and art. But after browsing through a number of tents exploding with tie dye, I finally found a vendor who tie dyed on clothing made in the U.S.A. Sold! I came out proudly with a tank top that was made in the U.S.A. and dyed by a small business owner!

We mark that off as a good day with a couple fun treasures!