waterloo, i love you

this past saturday, we headed to the waterloo arts district for their 8th annual waterloo arts fest.  this is the first time we went, and i was thoroughly impressed!  not only were there a great mix of talented visual and performing artists to see, but there were also plenty of opportunities for attendees (adults and children alike) to participate in making and experiencing various forms of art.

we came early to accomodate our kiddies' nap schedules, though taking a glance at the schedule of events i could have easily stayed to the very end (karaoke, a dance-off and music and dance extravaganza?  how cool would that be.  oh wait...those are the kids' events).  we stopped by salty not sweet drop off some more merchandise and pick up our very own anderson varejao (sadly, he is too tall for our basement so we have to lie him down). we then came across a sand area for the kids to play in, and both gibson and emma enjoyed some time there.

 we then headed to the basement of the beachland and checked out this way out vintage shoppe.  though small, they have some great vintage pieces that are reasonably priced.  making our way up to the main ballroom, we checked out the rock and roll flea market and fell in love with a vintage bar stool and a children's argyle sweater.

continuing our stroll, we took a rest at a coloring station for the kids, then found the kid's area stage where they had some exciting storytelling involving some children participation.  emma was enthralled by the lady telling the stories, and couldn't take her eyes off even for a moment to help decorate her handmade hat.

meanwhile, gibson enjoyed pushing around a grocery cart at the "grocery store" and making mommy run, glide and twirl through strips of brightly decorated hanging fabric.

and of course, there was the lure of the record shop, so we stopped by blue arrow for my dear husband.  i was quite taken with their floor.  it was covered in old vinyl covers.

despite the heat, waterloo was full of people enjoying all the things the festival had to offer.  i can only imagine how awesome it will be next year.