It's all about the art and music, people

Art and music - that, along with a great drink in your one hand (caffeine or otherwise), and cupcake in the other was the exactly what last night's Block Party was primarily about. Aside from meeting the very talented etching artist, Joey Katzer at Happy Delusions and viewing the new art installation at Liberty Cafe, my favorite art presence were the chalk drawings on our South Third Street boardwalk. Anyone could drop down and join in - and surprisingly, many did, like Samantha Goetz-Granquist pictured above.

The family artwork of 4 generations turned Liberty Cafe into something that felt like a art salon of old. So many canvases were hung that the work covers nearly floor to ceiling. The ambiance created is colorful, vibrant and inspiring. The above painting is just one of many that caught my attention last night. Mark Arnold Remington, the impetus behind this family congregation of art, said that about 200 hundred people came through the door last night and he couldn't have had more fun if he tried.

Joey Katzer here with her copper plate etchings. A self professed shy and retiring individual, having a show at Happy Delusions for Joey was quite a stretch. Her work is of an incredibly high caliber and one can only hope that she will grace us with her presence more often. Check our her Flickr photostream here and marvel at her detail. Joey's work has a permanent site in Mary's store, but the full complement of her work will remain up throughout the weekend.

I thought that these mini Common Ground cupcakes with the DTR/I heart Renton buttons on them were the best idea yet in promoting our dear little main drag. Still hearing people question those "in the know" about the meaning of "DTR". How long is this gonna take? Acronyms, we Americans usually eat this stuff up! Get with the program already, Renton! If you have a DTR button, help out by wearing it proudly and giving people the "look" when they query what it means. That will teach them not to make our downtown part of their weekly rounds!

And the MUSIC - well, DC's Bar & Grill hosted DJ Nich Sullivan of the soon to open Tyrannosaurus Records for the later part of the night and he had things rockin'. DJ Phil Anthony was over at Liberty Cafe and I recommend him highly. If you happened to miss this month's event. stay tuned and catch up with the fun next time around. Why go outside the zip code when you can hang right here and have fun?