Hello, Alameda. This is the Island City Beat, and we're here at the Tuesday Farmers Market with Eve De Ley and Michael Town who love to make fools of themselves. So they're looking pretty pretty foolish, Eve particularly is looking pretty foolish. Michael is attempting to look foolish. And, they're part of the West End Arts Entertainment District and are here to encourage Alamedans to join them when all the serious Christmas stuff is over next Saturday.
Laura Thomas:So what's going to happen next Saturday? The twenty seventh.
Michael Towne:Yeah. On Saturday, December 27, in the afternoon, we're gonna have the parade of fools up and down Webster Street, a few blocks between Lincoln And Taylor Avenue. And then we're also gonna have fools delight festival at the Webster Park that is put on by WABA, the park I mean. But all of this is a fundraiser for West End Arts District, which I'm on the board of.
Laura Thomas:Okay. So is the street gonna be closed for that?
Michael Towne:No. It's gonna be a fun festive regular Saturday afternoon with
Eve De Ley:From 3 three to 6PM.
Michael Towne:From three to 6PM with all the extra delight of fools walking up and down the street and then the festival itself.
Laura Thomas:Okay. So so do you encourage people to look as foolish as possible? Or what do you excuse me. What what what what qualifies as as being foolish or being something fools would do?
Eve De Ley:Hmmm .. Well, that could be a very deep and philosophical question. Perhaps Michael would have more to say on that. But in terms of dressing, I say dress colorfully or dress all in black, black and white, you know, like what your cup of tea is. But then we will have costuming some as part of the crafting. So you wanna get there right at three because for, like, about forty five minutes, we'll have time to do some rough making of roughs and tutus and, and some cone hats that we embellish, and it will all be, from upcycled materials.
Eve De Ley:And we're busy working on those kits right now. It's gonna be a lot of fun.
Laura Thomas:Fabulous.
Eve De Ley:So even if you didn't have lots of decoration, it's gonna be ..
Laura Thomas:Even if you don't think you're particularly creative, you could come with part, you know, some some oddly colored clothes or something you would never normally wear in public or something you thought was great twenty years ago.
Eve De Ley:Just so we know it's good for all ages.
Laura Thomas:All ages. And then you people from the West End Arts District will help kind of embellish and and carry off a particular whacked out character.
Eve De Ley:So there'll be fun costuming and foolish things we do, and so we're hoping to have some upcycle instruments to play simple things. And then you wanna talk about some of the different activities that will happen when people get back at the festival?
Michael Towne:Yeah. We have lots of fun activities.
Eve De Ley:So it's gonna start with doing some upcycle crafting to, like, get us, like, in some accessories that will be adding to the foolishness for those who are interested in doing that. It's not a requirement. Then we have the parade, which is gonna be fabulous, fun, and whimsy down the Webster Street and back. And then we're going to have, a festival. And at the festival, we have many, many ideas, hopefully, many of which will happen.
Eve De Ley:So because fools, you never know where the spirit's going to draw us. But some things will be a fabulous warm up activity to get us in the spirit at the parade, and then some we're hoping for some improv games from some clown teachers that are coming. And there's going to be a fabulous raffle. There's some great fun prizes getting gathered up. And then you wanna ..
Laura Thomas:The Funny Walk contest.
Michael Towne:And then there is going to be the Funny Walk contest as part of the march of moolah to raise money for West End Arts District. And we're gonna have funny money where you can donate money and we'll give you fake fun money to tip everyone who you know, whoever you think has the best funny walk.
Laura Thomas:Is that it?
Michael Towne:And we're gonna have popcorn and lots of other fun things as well. Well I just want to add the one important point that everyone is welcome and it's really about the joy and creating a sense of community and play and laughter. So even if you don't like dressing up everyone is encouraged to come out to just experience the joy and fun within them and within us all as Alamedans. So I think that's an important point, right? Because some people are comfortable looking delightful like Eve and other people like to be a little more modest and all is everyone is welcome.
Laura Thomas:Absolutely, that goes yeah I guess that goes without saying you're foolish your foolish nature can come out in very many fun different ways.
Michael Towne:Absolutely.
Laura Thomas:So again when does the parade where does it begin at which end?
Michael Towne:We're starting the festival around 03:00. And so if people want to create their own little costumes from upcycled materials, they can do that. The parade is gonna start around 04:00 or actually we were saying 04:17 because that's the right time to start a fool's parade after all, right? 04:17
Laura Thomas:No, you have to explain that one to me because I guess I'm We're not in on
Michael Towne:being a little random.
Laura Thomas:Okay, I see. I see. You're just going, okay.
Michael Towne:We're fools, right? We're fools, We're raising our inner foolishness.
Laura Thomas:So so the other activities afterwards are?
Michael Towne:So we're up and down Webster for roughly an hour and then after that we're going back to the festival area at the Webster Park and we will have a lot of foolish and fun antics at that moment.
Laura Thomas:So when say Webster Park, what are you referring to? Because I'm not sure I know what you mean.
Michael Towne:It's at the corner of Taylor Avenue and Webster Street.
Laura Thomas:So that was the Healing Garden?
Michael Towne:Yes. It's had many different names in its iteration throughout the years. So it is currently called the Webster Park.
Laura Thomas:Okay. Thank you for that. Yeah. Because I don't know that everybody can keep up with these changes, you know?
Michael Towne:It's true. It's all true.
Laura Thomas:Okay. So you said this was a a fundraiser for the West End Arts District.
Michael Towne:That's exactly right. Yeah. Which is a great organization that is doing a lot of things that help the West End in particular be all the more of an arts focused district. So we have hosted now for years the Blues Brews and barbecue. We put on Fiesta Alameda at the point.
Michael Towne:We sponsored the mural that's on the side of Ceron Kitchen, the restaurant here on Webster. We've done aerial dance on the point. We have done a photography exhibit. We've been doing a lot of work related to environmental concerns and rising tides. And we have ambitious plans related to that specifically that topic for 2026.
Laura Thomas:We need to hear more about that some other time maybe.
Michael Towne:We'd love to talk about that.
Laura Thomas:So are the two of you artists?
Michael Towne:Absolutely.
Laura Thomas:Okay. Why don't you talk a little bit about your art, Michael?
Michael Towne:Well, I am one of those artists that is a jack of all arts and a master of none of them, except maybe gardening. I express myself mostly in my visual and creative outlet through gardening. You'll have to come see my garden.
Laura Thomas:Oh, really? Okay. No. I love gardens.
Eve De Lay:It truly is.
Laura Thomas:I love gardens. Okay. How about you, Eve?
Eve De Ley:Well, my partner, Logan De Ley, and myself do a lot of arts together and individually. And, one of the things we're part of is a local organization called Upcycle Alameda, which is on meetup. And so we have a lot of, activities, upcycle sewing and anything upcycled arts or finishing things. And then we've done, we've been in the Sonoma trash and fashion show a bunch of times making wild outfits out of ridiculous things. Like, last year's was baskets and, blinds, and and and that one almost did us in.
Eve De Ley:We had pull out all our foolishness to survive the, that challenge.
Laura Thomas:But do have a you don't have a store or any place where people can see your your work?
Eve De Ley:No. We're always looking like, we would love to have some of our our costumes from the trash and fashion in some empty storefront or something, you know, at some point. That would be wonderful that ever manifested.
Laura Thomas:That would be something that'd be great if the city supported those sort of things.
Eve De Ley:I know. Yeah. Made use of some of the empty storefront.
Laura Thomas:How can people support the West End Arts District?
Michael Towne:Well, we do have a website. And then we're also just about to put up a Facebook events page for the parade of fools and the festival as well. So there are many ways obviously just Googling or any of those search engines West End Arts District. We'll get you to that web page and there's a whole beautiful history of all the work that we have done and what we're hoping to do for 2026. And then it'll also lead you to the giving site for this, the end of year campaign itself.
Laura Thomas:Right No.
Eve De Ley:And the parade of fools is under there. People wanna donate to support our team specifically that's for the West End Arts District.
Laura Thomas:Okay. Very good.
Michael Towne:We're also hoping that this will be our first annual parade of fools. & Fools Delight Festival.
Laura Thomas:Well do you think this is a, this is a good time or is it always a good time to to to stay foolish?
Eve De Ley:I think it's always good time to bring out our foolishness and let it come out.
Laura Thomas:Were you thinking that it was good post Christmas or was that just coincidental?
Michael Towne:No, that was intentional. Yeah. You know, it's that at least for me, it's that thing where after the the bulk of the holiday season is over and you have sort of that let down.
Laura Thomas:Yeah.
Michael Towne:It's still sort of an unusual time but you're reentering back into some semblance of I don't know the real world and it's such a chaotic world at times that sometimes you just have to embrace that within yourself and laugh at it all.
Laura Thomas:Right. And maybe the magic that that gets released is still is still hovering.
Michael Towne:Absolutely. It's special and spiritual time of year. And so it's worth, I think, finding that inner joy and helping to take it outwards into the community.
Laura Thomas:I couldn't have said it better, Michael. Really?
Michael Towne:Thank you.
Laura Thomas:Okay. Well, I think we're going to sign off soon and hope that everybody shows up next Saturday in the late no.
Eve De Ley:Three to six.
Laura Thomas:Excuse me. Not next Saturday. No. It will be next Saturday when we put this up. Excuse me, everybody.
Michael Towne:It'll be
Laura Thomas:Next Saturday, the late afternoon post Christmas.
Michael Towne:December 27, Saturday afternoon. That's right. Come around 3:00 to Taylor Avenue and Webster Street and join in the fun.
Laura Thomas:Yeah. Everybody should do that. Thank you, Eve, and thank you, Michael.
Eve De Ley:Thank you so much.
Laura Thomas:And we'll sign off Island City Beat. And I'm Laura Thomas. This is the Island City Beat, and we'll see you next time.
Michael Towne:Thanks so much, Laura.
Eve De Ley:Thank you so much.
Laura Thomas:You're welcome.