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Local artist Mitch Hendrix of Maverick Bead Studios has been setting up shop at the Westcott Street Cultural Fair for the past seven years. At his tent this year, Hendrix hung colorful perler bead art of all shapes and sizes. He has crafted a wide variety of characters and objects from popular video games such as Super Mario, Pokémon and Minecraft.

“I’ve always had an artistic flare, and Westcott Street has always accepted it,” Hendrix said. “They encourage you to break out and do what you love to do. We all support each other.”

The 30th Annual Westcott Street Cultural Fair took place Sunday afternoon. Every September, the Westcott neighborhood shuts down the street to traffic and celebrates diversity within the community. New York Governor Kathy Hochul even made an appearance in the parade Sunday, marching down the center of Westcott Street to kick off the afternoon.

Paul Oakley, a Syracuse resident, has been coming to the fair for the past decade to enjoy the vendors, delicious food and diverse music scene. The fair included six separate stages, and performances from various bands and dance groups such as the Ukrainian Vocal Ensemble Kalyna or La Familia Salsa Co. occurred every 15 minutes.

“They have so many different kinds of musicians, not just one type,” Oakley said. “They’ve got a little bit of everything.”

Small businesses from around the area also showcased and sold their products in pop-up tents that lined the street while the smell of sausages, eggrolls, gyro, and more lingered around the numerous food stands.

A number of volunteers helped organize the fair by setting and cleaning up, staffing the barricades and interacting with the kids.

Shaila Cuellar, a junior bioengineering major at SU who attended and volunteered for the first time this year, drew chalk hopscotch and other fun designs for the young kids to play with.

“I enjoy interacting with the children, and at the same time, being able to go around and see all the stands,” she said. “We have little street fairs (where I live) too, so this reminds me of home.”

Above all else, Oakley enjoys being able to come together with his community in one place. Seeing all the cultures that shape Westcott makes the festival something to look forward to, he said.

“You see a lot of people you don’t see anywhere else,” Oakley said. “It’s a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon.”

Published on September 26, 2022 at 11:09 pm