Chestnut Hill celebrates autumn and the arts [gallery]

The annual Chestnut Hill Fall For The Arts Festival swooped down upon Chestnut Hill this weekend filling Germantown Avenue with a vibrant gathering that marked the beginning of a new season. 

 

The weather was ideal fall weather — bright with crisp air. The streets remained crowded all afternoon and into the early evening. 

The festival spanned from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and lined Germantown Avenue between Rex and Willow Grove avenues with hundreds of visitors, and more than 150 artists and vendors from around the region and as far as New Mexico.

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“This is a really reputable fair and it’s really geared towards the arts,” said Anne-Marie Gincley, a 10-year Mt. Airy resident, who makes simple, rustic and elegant made-to-order ceramics.

Along the Avenue, youngsters launched into a moon bounce parked in a driveway. Others spent time getting their faces painted or painting pumpkins, among the scores of tables that transformed Germantown Avenue into a crowded outdoor market.

Vendors ranged in everything from artists with watercolor, oil and other paintings, to adirondack chairs, to craftspeople selling unique plates or other trinkets with hand-painted designs. There was etchings and photography and pottery and sculpture too, as well as plant and flower vendors. 

As visitors strolled down Germantown Avenue, music played outside McNally’s Tavern just before Rex Avenue. There was Verbal Elements, an R&B band with a few women singing in front of the band. Later, Mike Metallia and Midnight Shift played the blues.

The festival is a bed of local artists and eateries too, with all the treats of a carnival like funnel cake and kettle corn. There was even a harp player, too. And of course, craft beer.

It’s one of two festivals that transform Germantown Avenue in Chestnut Hill this month. Oct. 17-18 the annual Harry Potter Festival brings scavenger hunts, wizard chess, parades and more to the Avenue.

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