The old neighborhood never looked better. And the way things are going, the best is yet to come.

It was a glorious day for the second Wood Street Neighborhood Fair Sunday as scores of people turned out in perfect late-summer weather conditions at the former Kaiser Complex parking lot for an afternoon filled with activities and fun for everyone. Included were vendor and flea market tables, live music, children’s games and crafts, and tasty food from Common Pub & Grille.

A community get-together with something for people of all ages, the event was hosted by Wood Street Works, and co-sponsored by Mosaico and Common Pub & Grille.
Among the many vendors on the premises were Karl’s Kustom Wood Works, East Bay Food Pantry Thrift Store, T3 Jewelry, Gifts & Antiques, Lipsense by Senegence, JAG Designs, AT&T Get Wireless Now, and Art Collaborative, among others.

Included on the menu were sausage & peppers, hot dogs, hamburgers, pulled pork, pizza, caramel apples, cotton candy and popcorn. For the children, there was SLIME, face painting, rock painting, terrarium making, corn hole, and fishing games.  
Featured musical entertainment included performances by CDBGs, Dagwood, and MEASE.

The East Bay Food Pantry had many of its best thrift store items for sale as well as back-to-school items. Jewelry, woodworks, artworks, gifts, antiques and flea market tables also caught the eye of those in attendance.

“This is the first time we’ve been here,” said Alan Palumbo, who with his wife, Barbara, and son, Sean, manned the Sand Art booth. “It’s a beautiful day and we should do very well.”

Courtney Poissant, head chef at Common Pub & Grille and co-sponsor of the fair, was very pleased by Sunday’s turnout.

“Things went really well,” she said. “I couldn’t be more ecstatic. Everyone here has really stepped up.”

Mosaico Executive Director Diana Campbell echoed the same sentiments.

“It was a great day for us, demonstrating the way the community can come out to support themselves,” she noted. “Not all the results are in yet, but we made about $3.000 toward our $10,000 goal. As you know, we are raising money to provide a match for a 2017 Main Streets Streetscape grant that we have been granted, along with the town of Bristol. Courtney Poissant of the Common Pub and I have been planning since last year's event, which raised funds for the new fence in front of the Bristol Industrial Park and seed funds for the Wood Street Improvement fund. The fund was started by Mosaico and the local businesses, self-promoted as ‘Wood Street Works,’ to help with improvements to the neighborhood.”

Ms. Campbell continued, “For today, I felt that we had a great day for our guests. Everyone I spoke with reported that they had a wonderful time. The vendors reported that they were very happy with the amount of sales that they made. Everyone — vendors, food, ticket, and children's area — all reported to be busy for the entire afternoon. We didn't have as many people as we did last year, but the people who attended this year enjoyed everything that we had to offer.  I was very pleased with the number of families who came out.”

Plans are already underway to make the fair an annual event each summer.

“Overall, we are very pleased with the results of the day,” Ms. Campbell said. “For next year, we will try to reach out further into the community to bring in more people.”