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Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer
Luck of the Irish: Marilyn Periandri threw on a pair of shamrock glasses and joined the hardy souls who braved the rainy weather to enjoy the food and music at Campbell's St. Patrick's Day Festival.
Irish spirit shines through cloudy start to St. Patrick's Day Festival
A 30,000 projected attendance drops to 3,000 due to weather
By Adam Taggart
There was plenty to wet your whistle, as well as your hat and your shoes, at this year's St. Patrick's Day Festival held in historic downtown Campbell March 17.
A deluge of rain greeted revelers intrepid enough to show up when the festival began at 10 am. But the soggy weather couldn't dampen the spirit of those who did.
All along Campbell Avenue, from Harrison to Third Avenue, the streets were lined with booths of vendors offering everything from handmade jewelry to orchids and apple streudel. Live music from several bandstands filled the air. And traditional Irish foodstuffs including corned beef, steamed cabbage, Irish coffee - and, of course, beer - were never farther than a few steps away.
Campbell has always known how to put on a good party for St. Patrick's Day, and this year was no exception. Sponsored by The Downtown Campbell Business Association, the day has become one of cultural celebration that brings the community together with local merchants, artisans and entertainers.
Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer
Irish Smiles and Spirits: Katie Bloom's Irish Pub overflows with patrons, despite the rainy weather, on St. Patrick's Day in Campbell. Dan Carlson, wearing a shamrock top hat, drove up from Morgan Hill to partake in the festivities in and around the St. Patrick's Day Festival on Campbell Avenue.
In fact, this year's event was markedly bigger in scope than those of the past. For the first time, the business association hired a professional promotions company, Giant Creative Services, to organize and manage the event.
Promoted heavily in the local print and radio media, this year's celebration was expected to attract more than three times the audience of 10,000 seen in 2001. Of course, that was before Mother Nature decided to crash the party.
"It's a little heartbreaking," said Chris Esparza, the chief event coordinator for Giant Creative, as he watched rivulets of rainwater course down the street between the booths and food stalls. "They've been predicting rain every day for weeks and it's been beautiful. It's a shame that today happens to be the day they were finally right."
Esparza and his team were busy preparing the event for months. They recruited many more street vendors than in years past. They assembled a lineup of musical groups to play everything from blues to Afro-latin & ska music. And they planned new attractions such as a Pot-O'-Gold drawing for $1,000 and a Kids Fun Zone.
Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer
Shamrock Delight: Natassia Powers, 6, colors shamrocks while dad, Kevin, holds an umbrella to keep the rain off of her artwork at the Campbell St. Patrick's Day Festival.
All the rain, though, threatened to undermine much of their hard efforts.
Organizers found themselves in an eleventh-hour frenzy to secure adequate protection from the elements for many of the vendors and artisans. Several smaller vendors unable to procure protection ended up canceling at the last minute. The Kids Fun Zone, most of its activities dependent on good weather, hadn't even been set up.
As a result, attendance in the first few hours of the event was sparse, at best. Those who did brave the weather quickly migrated into the nearby coffee shops for shelter and warmth. Several of the bands wondered if they still needed to show up.
In wet clothes since midnight the night before, Esparza somehow managed to address the situation with humor.
Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer
Irish Dancing: Dancers from the Golden Greene School of Irish Dancers put their best feet forward at the St. Patrick's Day Festival in Campbell.
"Next year," he claimed, "Our mascot for this event is going to be a leprechaun in a little green life-preserver, beer in hand, floating down the street between the booths."
While disappointed that the rain was affecting early turnout for the event, many of the local merchants and street vendors remained optimistic that there would be enough members of the community with "true Irish spirit" to show and make the event a success.
"No doubt, this will be our busiest day of the year by far," said Aidan Mackay, owner of Katie Bloom's Irish Pub & Restaurant, over a breakfast of Irish bangers.
"Rain or shine, we'll have live music (Celtic Soul) out front and we'll have beer. The folks will come."
Irish Dancing: A dancer from the Golden Greene School of Irish Dancers put her best foot forward at the St. Patrick's Day Festival in Campbell.
Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer
Down the street at the Orchard Valley coffeehouse, families dressed in green warmed themselves by the fire and talked about how unique and special they thought the event was. Many hoped the weather would clear so they could wander through the festivities with their children.
"This has historically not been promoted as a 'bring the family' event," said local resident Julie Tindell. "As a parent, I think the new efforts to provide activities for kids is a good idea and should be better communicated to the community for next year's festival."
Beneath the awnings of Orchard Valley, a gathering of local firefighters and police officers joked and listened to the Hot Town Jubilee playing hot jazz classics from the '20s, '30s and '40s. Standing atop a bandstand near the historic Gaslight Theater and dressed in nappy suits and fedoras, the band gave the street an aura of timelessness. Since the first St. Patrick's Day festival in America took place in New York City in 1762, good music, drink, food, and merriment have been hallmarks of the celebration.
By midday the skies had cleared and the street was filled with brilliant sunshine.
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Campbell, California
