College of the Desert Street Fair

For locals and visitors to our desert, one of the more popular weekly attractions is the College of the Desert Street Fair. It features a broad range of items for sale, from established businesses, individuals or entrepreneurs with nifty gadgets. Cousin Peg was planning to go on Saturday so I asked to tag along. She had clearly been a number of times, and knew to get there before 8 am while it was still empty. After a quick overview of the map, we made our way through the rows and rows of tented vendors, selling their wares. I like open-air markets. The rows of tall, majestic date palm trees soared overhead, framing the street fair against the morning blue sky. I suppose its sort of a high-class swap meet. It's all new merchandise, and all the vendors have their tax licenses clearly posted. Many accept charge cards too, which makes it handy. Several of the vendors recognized cousin Peg, which indicated that either the same ones are there each weekend, or Peg sure does a lot of shopping. Probably both. (Jennifer, you'll have to weigh in on that). There is plenty of food to eat, and things to interest men, women and children alike, To tempt and tantalize you I thought I'd show a few photos to give you an idea of the type of stuff at the street fair:

above: Woven baskets, Oriental rugs & paintings

above: live musicians, harpist and pan flute. Each selling copies of their CDs.

above: Belly Dancer tops, and Bob's Belts

above: fresh produce: fruits, vegetables, and locally grown dates and strawberries too.

above: Garden water fountains and golf carts

above: Textiles (pillows, tablecloths, napkins) and garlic pressers

above: Mirrors, wall hangings and all kinds of original art.

So if you are wondering if there is stuff to do in the Palm Springs area, fear not. Take it from The Palm Springs Savant. The College of the Desert Street Fair is worth the trip. Just remember to go early before its too crowded, or too hot!
-Rick Rockhill