Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, August 6, 1995 TAG: 9508070055
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BRIAN KELLEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
Steppin' Out, Blacksburg's annual street festival, became a swelter fest Saturday under bright, sunny skies as thousands of people wandered from booth to booth, checking out crafts, art, food and music on the event's final day.
At 1:41 p.m., the National Bank of Blacksburg's trusty time-and-temperature sign on South Main Street showed 94 degrees.
Just ask Chris Kappas, owner of Souvlaki, a landmark eatery at Draper Road and College Avenue. As a brass band played on the nearby stage, Kappas stood behind a steamy grill outside his restaurant, making shish kebab. "This is the hottest Steppin' Out I've seen," he said. All that sweat pays off, though. "It gives downtown a boost."
The summer heat oppressed but didn't overwhelm - a breeze whisked down College Avenue from time to time. Still, standing beneath a shade tree on Virginia Tech's Henderson Lawn, Lynchburg resident and former Hokie Susan Kidd summed up her family's feelings: "We're all melting."
Her precocious son, Caleb, took full advantage of a nearby ``Kids' Thirst Station'' that featured free lemonade and Dum-Dum lollipops. After two servings of lemonade, Caleb wrote his age - 4 - into a reporter's notebook just so we got it right; he'll make a fine editor someday.
Meanwhile, Maisie Weinschenk, 4, a visitor from Wisconsin, showed off her temporary tattoos: tiny globes on the top of her hands. Betsy Webb-Shlager was one of the Blacksburg Junior Woman's Club volunteers applying the tattoos and providing other child-oriented services, such as a stop where kids could make "noodle necklaces" of dry pasta. Her helpful hint to parents of tattooed kids: Use Scotch tape to pull off the images.
Steppin' Out, sponsored by the Downtown Merchants Association, literally takes over Blacksburg: Major roads are closed; traffic is rerouted. It's all done just a few weeks before the wave of Virginia Tech students returns, so families with little children seem to outnumber the mass of loud, late-teens-to-twentysomethings who normally rule Blacksburg's streets.
Not that young scholars weren't in evidence. One overhead conversation included the words "the Ptolemaic view of the universe." And a lone student sat on a blanket below Henderson Hall, gazing at the crowd, a massive pharmacology textbook beside him.
Children flocked to the Blacksburg Volunteer Fire Department's "Sparky" the fire dog stand, next to the department's ladder truck. Parents could give a $1 donation to have their child's photo taken with the fire canine. Sparky is a volunteer who bravely dons a large Dalmatian dog-head costume, complete with a full fire jacket and helmet. It had to be hot in there.
Not to worry, assured Lt. Mike Gorley. Sparky was wearing an ice pack underneath all that gear, to prevent overheating. Still, it's a rite of Fire Department passage. "We usually put our new guys in there," Gorley said, laughing.
Sparky and the U.S. Forest Service's Smokey the Bear should be proud though: they're tougher than McGruff the Crime Dog. The Police Department mascot took the day off because of a shortage of Explorer Scouts to don the costume, explained crime prevention Sgt. Jerry A. Bowyer Jr. The sergeant reported this Steppin' Out resembled the previous 10 he's attended: no crime to prevent, with most everyone keeping the peace, having a good time.
Aside from the usual craft-booth suspects - featuring wares you'll one day come across while moving and mutter, "Now why, exactly, did I buy this?" - Steppin' Out had some stalls with high charm and silliness factors.
Carrie Jubb and Charlotte Hicks sold handmade felt hats that looked as if they'd sprung from the pages of Dr. Seuss' ``The Cat in the Hat.'' They had the traditional red-and-white style in stock, but they also sold an orange-and-maroon model. It was the Support-The-Hokies-Relive-Your-Childhood hat, they explained.
Pat Fenton ran the Sandsational Sand Art stand, one of two places where children could pour vibrantly colored sand into bottles to make their own bright keepsake.
"It gives me that chance to interact with children at a different level," explained Fenton, who teaches at Christiansburg Primary School. And the favorite color: "definitely pink."
Allison Fleischhauer, 4, nodded vigorously in agreement, though a minute later the Roanoker seemed more fascinated by the cobalt blue sand.
Her father, Jeff, noted that Blacksburg, despite the heat, had better luck than the Star City this year. "One good thing about this festival: It didn't rain as it did on Roanoke's Festival in the Park, Fleischhauer said. "So you all are blessed."
by CNB