More than 40,000 attend opening day

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., April 8 /PRNewswire/ -- In a city where huge crowds typically signal a Jaguars game or a Monster Truck rally, 40,000 people showed up under a Jacksonville bridge Saturday, April 4 for the opening of a free outdoor marketplace featuring local art, fresh produce and live entertainment. The crowds shattered all attendance projections. Designed to provide regional artists and farmers with a viable marketplace, the Riverside Arts Market included painters, bakers, sculptors, farmers, potters, herb gardeners, wood carvers, jewelers, weavers and more. Guests were entertained by live bands, magicians and other street performers. All entertainers participated at their own expense; artists paid a $36 booth fee. Many artists sold out before noon.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090408/FL96464 )

"In today's challenging economy, it's never been more important for our community to come together and support one another," said Doug Coleman, chairman of the RAM organizing committee. "Like everywhere, foreclosure and unemployment rates are surging, yet here the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well."

"We were blown away by the attendance on opening day," said Market Director Tony Allegretti. "Clearly, we've touched on something that is not only important to our local artists, but also our community at large. People here seem eager to move beyond the stagnant economy and create something vibrant where they can help support themselves. This is Jacksonville's own homegrown stimulus package."

Kathy Stark was one of more than 160 vendors at the market. "I was so busy talking to people in my booth all day I just about lost my voice, but selling six paintings was worth it! The huge turnout suggests this is filling a need for something that's outdoor, cultural and fun, but for the artists, it's more than that -- it's a real lifeline."

"This is an exciting day for our city," said Jacksonville Mayor John Peyton. "It is a great example of the type of public-private partnership that will have a lasting, positive impact on our city. The market provides a dramatic downtown venue to showcase our talented local artists."

The Riverside Arts Market overlooks the St. Johns River and was the brainchild of Jacksonville resident Dr. Wayne Wood. "Public markets can act as leading economic indicators--no corporate boardroom decisions are required, just entrepreneurs who see a chance to reinvent themselves. These markets represent the hope, determination and initiative that still make this country a creative vibrant place of opportunity," says Wood.

About the Riverside Arts Market:

Organized by Riverside Avondale Preservation (RAP), a neighborhood non-profit, and supported by the City of Jacksonville, Florida, numerous local and state agencies, and many private sponsors, the market has been more than 16 years in the making. The market provides a dependable weekly riverfront marketplace for artists. The attractive market site includes space for 160 vendors, a performance stage with seating for 300, and ample free parking and restrooms, all under the canopy of the Fuller Warren Bridge, which carries Interstate 95 over the St. Johns River in downtown Jacksonville. For more information, visit www.riversideartsmarket.com.

SOURCE Riverside Arts Market