Summer Kicks Off with the Waterfront Festival

I do not often have posts with pictures of children because I do not often take photos of children. Adults in public I consider fair game to be photographed (as does the law) but I generally refrain from shooting children unless the parent(s) are right there to observe. This past weekend was the first of four public music festivals, and being on the East Side was totally kid-friendly and well attended by hoards of happy children.



The venue is a waterfront park that is long and narrow. It is bounded on one long edge by Lake Monona and a quiet road on the other. There is a large playground area that is sort of fenced off (more of a visual barrier than an actual physical one) for the festival so the kids are somewhat contained in their play.



I love kid energy, and found myself drawn over and over to the play area. It was so much fun to see scores of kids playing and watch all the happy faces, and the occasional tearful one.



There were hundreds of adults there too, listening to free music, drinking beer, and eating a wide array of foods from local restaurants. Perhaps a dozen vendors had booths set up selling wears that seemed appropriate for the expected audience. There was also a busy booth collecting signatures (pledges only at this time) to recall our amazingly radical Governor. Here is a shot of the venue. Way at the opposite end you can see the large stage for the bands.



Once the weather cooperated on Sunday afternoon, the festival really became a fun event, and I saw a lot of people enjoying the day. Summer is officially kicked off!

There is a small SLIDE SHOW with all the images from the day. Enjoy!