Evanston’s annual Sidewalk Sale came alive again this past weekend with a multitude of community activities along with some exceptional deals.
Families headed to Fountain Square Saturday to enjoy a live DJ and a variety of activities, including corn hole, Jenga, face painting and henna.
Hosted by Downtown Evanston and the Main-Dempster Mile, the event was part of the City’s Sidewalk Sale, which ran from July 22 to July 25. Local businesses throughout Evanston set up racks on their storefronts, boasting great sales and engaging with the community.
At Dempster and Chicago Plaza, near the intersection of Dempster Street and Chicago Avenue, residents perused tables and boxes filled with trinkets and home goods.
Alongside Saturday’s activities, children’s book author Dahlia Richards set up a tent where she presented and sold her books “Amoya’s Big Move,” published in 2018, and “Amoya’s Accent,” published last month. Richards said she bonded with residents over her books, which highlight the challenges of moving to a new country and speaking with an accent. One woman she spoke with bought a copy of “Amoya’s Accent” for her Chinese grandmother, who struggled to communicate when she first moved to the U.S. because people didn’t understand her accent.
Visitors could also win prizes at a spin-to-win station run by Annie Coakley, Director of Downtown Evanston. Prizes included fans, glasses, bags and Evanston gift cards, an initiative that Downtown Evanston created and that 65 local businesses participate in.
Resident Lindsay Slomiany attended the event with her family after receiving an email from her children’s former District 65 preschool teacher, who ran a face painting stand at Fountain Square. Slomiany’s children never had the chance to say goodbye to their teacher after school went remote a year and a half ago, so the event was a great opportunity to meet up. The children also had their faces and arms painted. “We always like a festival,” said Slomiany.
The four-day-long event also included a Sidewalk Chalk Art Contest, in which artists created works outside of local businesses. The winners were Takoda Taylor, Edelle Buchko and Joe Taylor. Their art can be seen outside of Beck’s Book Store, Comix Revolution and Blick Art Materials.