after being rained out last month, tomorrow’s Wall Street festival is a nice start to the street to the all star street festival weekend Norwalk is having. In its second year;
About 70 businesses will participate in the festival, designed to draw attention to redevelopment efforts for the historic heart of Norwalk and attractions already there.
The event - originally scheduled for last month but postponed because of weather -is organized by the Silk Touch, a Main Street shop owned by Danna DiElsi.
DiElsi called the neighborhood a “forgotten area,” often overshadowed by SoNo. For a long time, Norwalk hasn’t had the sort of downtown found in other cities, she said, but that will change in the next few years with new stores and housing.
“It’s going to be totally different,” DiElsi said.
By some accounts, the neighborhood’s business climate already is improving.
“Walk through it,” said Tad Diesel, the city’s director of marketing and business development. “You’ve got life in the restaurants. You’ve got more merchants. . . . You’ve got the art gallery.”
The large number of businesses participating in tomorrow’s festival - there were 15 last year - reflects optimism about the neighborhood’s future, Diesel said.
Overshadowed by SoNo? Them dars fightin’ words. So on Saturday, SoNo kicks off its own street festival otherwise known as the SoNo Arts festival. In its 31st year the two day event will feature :
2007 SoNo Arts Celebration
Schedule of Performers
Saturday, August 4th
WaMu Main Stage (Washington and Water Streets)
The Twinkies,  11 am
Mill River Band,  12:30 am
Mission On Mars,  2 pm
Robert Ross Band,  3:30 pm
PJ Pacifico,  5 pm
Rolla,  6:30 pm
Dar Williams,  8 pm
Otis and the Hurricanes,  10 pm
North Main Street Stage
RheiC,  12:00 pm
Feel Theory,  1:00 pm
Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams,  2:00 pm
Enter the Haggis,  3:00 pm
Fro,  4:00 pm
Cosmic Jibaros,  5:00 pm
Dance Stage
Dre Towey & Little Loomis,  11:30am
Bernier Dance,  1 pm
Synthesis Dance Project, NYC,  2 pm
Jazzart,  3 pm
Sukuki School of Music,  4 pm
Synthesis Dance Project, NYC,  5 pm
Under the Railroad Tressel
Randy Orwig, The Living Statue,  all day
Children’s Art Playground
Workshops all day
Infinite Roots,  1pm
2007 SoNo Arts Celebration
Schedule of Performers
Sunday, August 5th
WaMu Main Stage (Washington and Water Streets)
Rob Suhoza Band,  11:30 am
Mystic Bowie and the Pallbearers,  1 pm
Puppet Parade with Infinite Roots,  3 pm
Graham Parker,  4 pm
North Main Street Stage
Hoe,  12 pm
Manchado,  1 pm
Chuch,  2 pm
The Darian Cunning Band,  3 pm
Larissa DeLorenzo,  4 pm
Dance Stage
Jazzworx Dance Center,  12 noon
Under the Railroad Tressel
Randy Orwig, The Living Statue,  all day
Children’s Art Playground
Workshops all day
So get out of your air conditioned hovels, and walk around Norwalk.
source Advocate, Wall Street festival to show off, celebrate Norwalk revitalization, By Matt Breslow, August 1 2007
