After a slow start, Sundays On Telegraph, a new weekly event launched in June that sees a stretch of Berkeley’s most famous street closed to traffic for a day, saw an uptick on July 7.
Bill Newton, who took some of the photographs shown here, said he saw a nice turnout when he dropped by yesterday. “A nice friendly crowd with probably 12-15 vendors, a couple of musical groups playing and some wonderful jugglers and unicycle basketball players!” he wrote.
The first few Sundays On Telegraph drew small numbers, as reported by Berkeleyside. Local merchants and organizers said cloudy, and even rainy, weather may have been partly responsible for the initial minimal visitor turnout. Janet Klein, who serves as coordinator and liaison between the Telegraph Business Improvement District and the office of Mayor Tom Bates, said last week it was a “work in progress.”
SoTelegraph closes off two blocks of Telegraph Avenue, from Durant Avenue to Haste Street from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. every Sunday. It runs through September 27. There are street vendors, music, and other activities on offer. The initiative is an attempt by the City of Berkeley, and Mayor Tom Bates in particular, to revamp the area as a cultural destination — one of many ideas that have been proposed over the years — particularly during the time of year when most Cal students have left town.
Related:
Sundays on Telegraph start slow but show potential (6.28.13)
Wooing larger stores may be key to Telegraph’s success (05.24.13)
Tackling Telegraph Avenue: Is this time different? (03.01.13)
Can Berkeley’s Telegraph Avenue get it mojo back? (04.18.12)
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