Springfield will
take on a Middle Eastern accent Saturday.
Two groups are joining to create what they intend to become an
annual fall event, called the Autumn Souk. The souk , which
means "street fair," is set for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. behind First Union
Bank at Sixth and Main streets.
"We intend for this to become a huge annual event," said Louise
DeSpain, one of the organizers. "It will be like a big Middle
Eastern bazaar, with lots of booths for vendors and lots of
entertainment. This should be a lot of fun for people of all ages."
The event is being put on by the Springfield Improvement
Association and Woman's Club and the Springfield Preservation &
Revitalization Council.
In keeping with the souk theme, the event will feature mostly
Middle Eastern-style dancing, but also African dance and clogging.
There will be music by guitarist Goliath Flores. Admission is $1,
and pony rides will be an additional $1. There will also be
face-painting and clowns.
In addition to food booths, more than 40 vendors will sell
antiques, jewelry, glass collectibles, metal work, pictures,
paintings and a variety of "white elephant" items.
DeSpain said the idea for the event sprang from "the infectious
positivity that's currently pervasive in historic Springfield."
Festivals, she said, bring the community together and show off the
area's revitalization, just as they do with traditional events such
as Springfield's spring tour of homes and the December holiday
tours.
She said Springfield is also celebrating several impending
improvement projects that will transform the historic neighborhood
into "a beautiful doorstep to downtown" as the city prepares to host
the Super Bowl in 2005. Those projects include a complete makeover
for the downtown stretch of Main Street with new, decorative
facades, antique-style lighting, landscaping and other improvements.
"This is a very exciting time for us in Springfield," DeSpain
said. "We can't wait to see the first shovel of dirt fly when they
start the Main Street project -- even though it'll mean noise and
inconvenience and everything else. When it's complete, it's going to
be wonderful for us and the city."
For information about the Autumn Souk, call DeSpain at
358-0495.
Staff writer John Carter can be reached at 359-4539 or via
e-mail at jcarter
jacksonville.com.