I remember back in the day at Boca magazine, we would always have a booth at all the art shows. In those days, Meet Me Downtown was at Mizner Park and we’d sell hundreds of subscriptions to the magazine in a weekend. (And we’d invariably be next to the guy selling wind chimes made out of old silverware.) At first the art shows were a little bit of a novelty but after a few years, I started hating them. People drifting by looking for anything free, the ubiquitous Peruvian flute-playing people, the psychedelic wind socks, wading bird yard sculptures made out of recycled tires.
So it’s a little weird that I love the Delray Affair so much. You would think it’s the last thing I’d want to do, between the guy selling BBQ rub, the Jack Rogers sandals knock-off folks, and those people who have a whole booth dedicated to creepy lifelike baby dolls. But I love it. I never miss it. And the next one is next weekend, April 5 through April 7, stretching from Swinton to the Intracoastal with more than 800 vendors, beer trucks, food, patchouli-scented candles and more.
So I am there. I even know my do-not-miss stops: the soap people, every jewelry booth, the guy with the lobster trap picture frames, the Man of Steam for a hot dog at the Rotary booth, Vince Canning Shoes, the lady with the little stained glass window thing-ys, Vic & Angelo’s for a meatball, and I can go on and on. Oh, I miss the glads and I’m heartsick they do not sell them anymore as all the farms are gone, but I can console myself with any number of other diversions.
And I will.
Come celebrate the winding down of the season and check out the 51st Delray Affair. It is the granddaddy of all art shows, and the one still dearest to my heart—I’ll see you there!