Whew! We made it. Is anyone else excited as me that it’s finally Friday!? This was a rough week for me. I haven’t been sleeping well, the work is piling up and I nearly had a meltdown over laundry. All I want to do right now is sink into a giant tub of hot water, turn the lights out and listen to sweet music. The reality of that dream is that there’s no way I’d sit in my tub right now. It’s disgusting. So instead, I’m joining my friend Annie tonight to help her celebrate her 30th birthday! We’re going to The Triple Doorfor a cabaret/burlesque show followed by dancing and drinks at Tia Lou’s. I’m signed up to be her official photographer and I hope to capture all the fun details of her big night out – especially since she may need help remembering some of the details after all the festivities she has planned 
.
Anyway, I thought today would be a perfect time to share pictures from the Fremont Summer Solstice Parade we went to last weekend. This is an annual parade like no other.
“Now in its 38th year, Fremont Fair returns to celebrate the Summer Solstice and the best of our community:
art, spirit, sharing, celebration and working together to help each other. During Fair weekend,
people from all walks of life come together to shop, eat, drink, perform, smile, dance, run, converse,
debate, groove and parade.”
The weekend is filled with all kinds of street performers, funky art, and of course, the naked bicycle riders! Hundreds of cyclists show up each year; most of them decorated in artful body paint. It’s perhaps the highlight of the whole event as they kick off the parade route and wish the town a happy summer solstice.
All silliness aside, the Fremont Fair benefits a great cause. Solid Ground is a community project that brings awareness to poverty, prejudiceand neglect. They feed our community, build low-income housing, provide assistance to seniors and people living with disabilities, and provide skill building opportunities to help people in our community grow and achieve their goals. It’s a really great event that brings the whole community together to celebrate and raise money for this amazing organization.
We arrived early to claim a good seat on the side of the road and were entertained for the hour that preceded the event by bubble blowers and sidewalk chalk artists.
And then, they came in droves. Hundred and hundreds of naked cyclists rode by as the crowds cheered and clapped and giggled. I was really impressed by some of the creative body paint.
Then came the floats and street performers. There was a “love” group that gave away free hugs and encouraged hugging your neighbors. It was a big hit.
No traditional marching bands here! Everything in Fremont is a little funky.
You can click on the images to view them larger. This float below was really creative with what I can only describe as “junk art”. Very cool.
If you have a minute I highly recommend checking out the slide show. There you can see lots more naked cyclists, street performers and funky floats. I hope you have a fantastic weekend!
