Collegiate Times

7.31 centerpiece

For 28 years, the Steppin' Out festival has marked the beginning of August and the beginning of fall. Music — exotic, sweet, or rowdy — fills the vendor-lined downtown streets. Food from restaurants will keep you full of energy to enjoy the friendly camaraderie of a crowd that's a meshing of local and student populations.

Steppin' Out actually began as a western-themed festival called Deadwood Days. Leslie Hager-Smith, director of Downtown Merchants of Blacksburg, said that the goal of the festival was two-fold: community building and to drive commerce when receipts were flat. Back then, Tech was on a quarter system and students were particularly absent during this time.

"Now, it's become part of the fabric of town life," Hager-Smith said.

This year Steppin' Out will return Aug. 1 and Aug. 2 (Friday and Saturday) with its old events and some new ones to boot.

Over 150 artists and crafts people will have booths featuring their wares - furniture, toys, pottery, glassware and other creations - for low prices.

You needn't pay a cent at the festival if you don't want to, though. Admission is free; the parking meters can - believe it or not - be ignored; and the BT will be running fare free to get you there.

What revenue the festival does generate will go right back into the town. Although this year's proceeds have not yet been earmarked, the funds have historically been used on playgrounds, paving, the street lampposts and other various projects that aim to keep the town a pleasant place.

Local restaurants, including most found in downtown, will be offering their usual treats while you listen to the music and events provided at three different stages. You can find the Main Stage at the intersection of Draper Road and College Avenue, the Acoustic Stage in the Post Office's parking lot, and the Community Stage on the corner of Draper Road and Jackson Street.

The Main Stage will offer all types of music, from the jazz of Mood Swing to the concert music of the Blacksburg Community Band. The Acoustic Stage, which has been expanded from previous years, will be geared more toward local country and folk music, although one band, Al-Hawanim, is described as "a dynamic ensemble of women playing Middle Eastern music on qanun (78-stringed zither), 'ud (11-stringed lute), violin and percussion." The Community Stage will have chemistry and music school demonstrations on Friday, while Saturday will bring you several martial arts exhibitions, ballroom dancing, a performance by Virginia Techniques Gymnastics, and even some belly dancing by Hill & Veil, Sulalita and Mandara belly dancing troupes.

New to Steppin' Out this year will be the Reunion Square, located behind Starbucks, where both Tech and Blacksburg High School reunions are planned. The children's activities this year will have a going-green theme; they can decorate re-usable shopping bags and listen to stories following the environmental theme. Everybody loves story time.

For those who appreciate adventure (or shiny objects), there will be a gem mine where the kids can splash around and have fun. Don't worry, though, I'm sure they'll let you participate if you ask nicely.

The event Web site says, "Bring your friends. Bring your family. Don't bring your dog," which seems like a joke, but it isn't. This year, if you bring your dog, the police will direct you toward the new Canine Corral, where your dog can stay till you come get it. For the rest of us, that means we won't have to worry about a sneaky little doggy grabbin' that gyro out of our hand.

If you feel like getting a little more involved, events coordinator Laureen Blakemore is looking for volunteers to booth-sit for vendors who want to take a break. Who knows, maybe you'll make some new friends. And there is the yearly Draper Mile Run, which occurs 6:15 p.m. on Friday night.