Fairfield's First Friday Art Walk

At first glance, the town square to-do looks like every other small-town carnival.
A blues band pumps out tunes from the gazebo. Girl Scouts paint faces at a booth nearby. Kids are blowing bubbles, crafters are selling quilts, and community groups -the Lions, the Kiwanis, the Jaycees - are all here, serving up Sloppy Joes and ice cream and hefty slices of apple pie.

Unlike many festivals, however, Fairfield's First Friday Art Walks don't fade away from the calendar when the first leaves start to fall. The southeast Iowa town of 10,000 hosts thousands of visitors the first Friday of every month, come rain or shine or snow, for a party that reflects not only the community's Main Street charm but its unique mix of artists, health seekers and spiritual immigrants. The overall effect looks like something Norman Rockwell might have painted if he'd spent some time in the Peace Corps.

One vendor, for example, sells handwoven bags from Colombia. Someone else serves glasses of a cucumber-flavored potion called Binghimon Kukuumba Lime Juice near a tent where Deborah Williamson grills organic walnut burgers.

"That's what it's all about: experiencing the best of the community," said Williamson, who last year opened the organic, vegetarian restaurant Small Planet just off the square.

Art galleries, coffee shops, spas and more
On any given day, visitors to Fairfield can stroll through dozens of thriving art galleries, book stores and coffee shops. They can eat their fill at any of the vegetarian cafes scattered throughout downtown or stroll through the impressive Fairfield Arts and Convention Center that locals opened last year across from the Jefferson County Courthouse. Nearby in Vedic City, visitors can tour the spas, organic greenhouses and spiritually designed homes where the followers of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi practice Transcendental Meditation.

There's plenty to see any time of the year, but, said Williamson, "You gotta come on First Fridays. It's more fun than any other time."

The event began without a lot of fanfare in October 2002 when a group called ArtLife Society rounded up a few artists and gallery owners to promote local talent. There was a good crowd, but few predicted how the project would grow.