Photograph by R.W. Bradford
Janet Gundrum grills a polish sausage at the booth run by the Sertoma Club of Sunnyvale.
A scorching sun didn't keep the crowds away from Sunnyvale's 22nd annual Art and Wine Festival June 1 and 2.
Folks came by the thousands to enjoy entertainment by performers like the Blossom Hill Cloggers, who tap-danced on the Frances Stage, and the Sunnyvale All-Stars, a band that had people's toes tapping and bodies moving at the Mathilda Stage.
Nor did the heat, which climbed into the 90s, stop people from partaking of the arts and wines promised in the event's title. Sipping their chardonnay, festival-goers strolled through hundreds of vendors' booths, checking out jewelry, clothing and fine arts and crafts. About two dozen community groups and organizations served up a wide variety of food at the festival.
While an attendance tally for the weekend event wasn't yet available, the festival has attracted around 150,000 in recent years.
Revelers consumed about 7,000 glasses of beer and 4,000 glasses of wine, raising around $61,000 in gross receipts. The money will benefit local nonprofit groups.
Judging by the number of smiling faces seen, most who attended the festival were glad they braved the high mercury to spend a day in the sun.
This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, June 5, 1996.
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