When you attend the Utah Arts Festival, you can either plan ahead, or let the moment happen.
For an hour Thursday evening, I opted to pinball from one venue to the next, just to see what I might happen upon. In that single hour, here's what I experienced:
• I heard slam-poet Jesse Parent deliver his famed ode to Girl Scout cookies (which he also performed last year, but it's always worth a listen), during the first round of the slam poetry tourney.
• I heard James McMurtry perform his brand of Texas-style folk-rock.
• I heard local band Spell Talk run through their mic check.
* I heard the Salt Lake Symphony play the theme from "The Bridge on the River Kwai."
• I saw a painting depicting Charlie Brown and Snoopy trying to outrun zombie Linus, Lucy, Schroeder and pals.
• I resisted buying cheesecake on a kabob skewer.
• I didn't resist a free trial-size container of chocolate-chip yogurt from the Chobani truck.
• I looked out over Library Square at sunset, as happy people walked from music venue to artists' booths to food vendors -- and had a good time on a warm summer's evening.
There are three more days to experience all that the Utah Arts Festival has to offer. Put on some sunscreen, stay hydrated, and enjoy.
