Plans under way for event that will fill city’s downtown

What started 52 years ago as a small sale of antiques and collectibles to raise money for maintenance of historic St. Paul’s Episcopal Church has grown into a full-sized street fair — and one of the city’s biggest events.

Plans already are under way for this year’s Benicia Peddlers Fair, which will fill First Street and attract thousands of shoppers to the downtown shopping district Aug. 8.

Jeff Jarvis, fair committee chairperson, said between 20,000 and 30,000 may attend the event, which still keeps its emphasis on antiques, vintage items and collectibles.

The fair sometimes has had trouble bringing in antique dealers, Jarvis said — not because they aren’t willing to show up, but because they, too, face competition from such Internet outlets as eBay.

“We really try hard to solicit antiques and collectibles first, and they come out every year with their great stuff — furniture, Bakelite collectibles, old Disney collectibles and jewelry. We have a lot of returning vendors,” he said.

“We see a lot of jewelry,” he added, some of which will be antique and others refurbished or reworked, especially old silverware that has been converted to jewelry. “We have a cross-section of items.”

Jarvis described the Peddlers Fair as “an all-day family event that may begin with a visit to a food vendor or a stop at one of the cafés on First Street.”

After that, shoppers begin browsing among the antiques, collectibles and fine arts on display at vendors’ tables along First Street.

Many stop at the Children’s Art Activity Corner, a designated spot in the 700 block of First Street where children can go from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. to participate in such arts and crafts as drawing, painting and paper and wood crafts under their parents’ supervision.

“There are some small projects they can do,” Jarvis said. The children will need to be accompanied by an adult who must sign a participation release, he said.

Another popular stop is near St. Paul’s, where antique appraiser Steve Yvaska, a San Francisco Bay Area writer, will estimate the value of items browsers have brought for him to see. Each person can get one free appraisal between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., Jarvis said.

Once again this year, St. Paul’s parishioners will sell food items in their Great American Bake Sale. Fairgoers can buy gourmet pies, cakes, cookies, brownies, breakfast muffins and other goodies that have been baked by members of the church. “All proceeds will go to Share Our Strength, a program which is attacking the problem of children’s hunger in the United States,” Jarvis said.

Commemorative glasses, etched with the church’s distinctive bell tower, also will be offered for sale. Volunteers from St. Paul’s will give tours of the church throughout the day, Jarvis said.

Jarvis said the fair has maintained its popularity and longevity because of the consistent high quality of vendors’ items, and because people have become loyal to the event.

“People come year in, year out, and residents of Benicia have been very supportive,” he said.

Like many festivals, the fair saw a dip during the recent recession, but attendance and vending both have improved in the past three years, boosted by “the quality and variety of what you can find.”

Preparation for the all-day fair begins at 1 a.m., when Jarvis will arrive on First Street to get ready for the street’s closure and vendors’ arrivals. In the past, he has arrived to find some anxious vendors already waiting in line.

“It’s always fascinating to watch the deserted street fill up with booths as the sun comes up,” he said.

Volunteers usually get there before most of the vendors, and will help get First Street closed by at 2 a.m.

Neighbors know ahead of time about street closures, Jarvis said. “We have to mail letters to residents,” he said. The Friday before the fair, volunteers would have visited downtown businesses to give a follow-up reminder to each company.

Jarvis described the early hours as the fair components start coming together, saying, “2 a.m. — that’s where the worlds collide. It’s very entertaining.

“As the vendors arrive, they line First Street from St. Paul’s Church on the corner of J Street all the way down to the waterfront.”

To help shoppers and browsers find their way through the fair, volunteers at every corner will direct them to specific vendors. They’ll also have radios so they can remain in contact with the fair’s information booth, Jarvis said.

He said fair attendees also will shop at downtown businesses and take in the city waterfront. At the end of the day, they’ll have dinner at one of the local restaurants.

Meanwhile, Valero Benicia Refinery is providing a first-aid tent and a place where tired visitors might take a break or seek help.

Benicia Peddlers Fair is organized by St. Paul’s Historic Trust, which was formed in 1970 to raise money to preserve the church, a historic California landmark.

Jarvis said the fair will benefit the Benicia community as well, because 10 percent of fair proceeds are donated to a variety of local outreach programs.

First Street will be closed Aug. 8 to through traffic during the fair and its setup and takedown.

North-to-south vendor traffic will be allowed during setup from 2-7:30 a.m. Aug. 8, and south to north for takedown from 5-8 p.m. that day. Otherwise, no motor traffic will be allowed on First Street from B to J streets during fair hours.

The Benicia Peddlers Fair opens at 8 a.m. Aug. 8 along First Street from B to J streets. It concludes at 5 p.m.

Those interested may visit www.beniciapeddlersfair.org or call 707-745-8680.