Take Main Street Manayunk for a spin this fall

If you missed Manayunk's Eco-Arts Festival last September, or even if you were there, here's your chance to step up your game this year and be a star of the show. Well, one of the stars, anyway. OK, a featured supporting player.

The annual celebration (this is the second - last year it drew 30,000 attendees) brings together eco-minded artists, green businesses and environmentally-oriented community groups for a free event on Main Street, sharing resources and education about green and healthy living.

A press release promises that

This year's event promised to be bigger, better, and greener with several exciting developments in the works! As always, there will be vegan and vegetarian dining options, on-site recycling and composting, and easy accessibility from public transit (with plenty of parking available as well).

It's no secret that part of the idea is showcasing Manayunk as an eco-friendly community, as the release continues:

A hub for sustainable, eco-conscious living, Manayunk has the feel of a small, riverside town, just outside the bustling city. The area features dozens of locally owned and operated businesses, restaurants dedicated to sustainability, new LEED certified residences, a heavily trafficked towpath, and a convenient waterfront location.

OK, that's all fine and good, but here's the real scoop: They're putting out "a call to eco-inventors/innovators who may be able to showcase at our event for free."

Does it run on air, does it run on sunlight, does it run on water? Is it made from recycled auto parts or entirely of rotary phones? Contact mvidauri@manayunk.org to see if your eco-project is a fit to showcase at our festival. No idea is too crazy!

Wanting to know exactly "how crazy" is not "too crazy," I talked to Jane R. Lipton, Executive Director of the Manayunk Development Corporation, who went into more specifics:

We're looking for interesting exhibits for our show.   Scientific types who are working on green technology, DIY'ers who have interesting inventions or whirligigs that they would like to show off.  I would love to find someone who would be interested in building me a human powered "spin art" machine for us to have fun with at the festival.

Human-powered spin art! How hard can that be? Come on folks, if Philly has the young, fresh talent to create cool technology like the West Philly Hybrid X Car, someone out there oughta be able to work this out and bring it to reality before September. You can learn more about the festival and how to be a vendor or sponsor at this link.

See you in September!