Balloons float above the Broadway Street Fair in 2011.

On Sept. 8, Broadway Ave. will host its 29th annual street fair. During this one-day event, merchants on Broadway will sell their eclectic goods at bargain prices.

“Quite often you’ll find the best deals are saved for the street fairs,” Sarah Marchildon, executive director of the Broadway Business Improvement District said.

The event kicks off with a pancake breakfast starting at 8 a.m. The meal will be served at the Grace Westminster United Church. Pancakes will be served until 11 a.m. and a variety of food vendors will be set up on the street after the breakfast.

Of course, the Broadway street fair has more to offer than pancakes and bargains. The street fair celebrates the arts community that is especially prominent in the area. There will be live music, dance performances, art and craft displays and street performances.

One of the main attractions this year will be a celebrity pie toss. Festival attendees can pay for the chance to toss a pie in the face of a local celebrity in order to support the Big Brothers and Big Sisters program. Celebrities attached to the event include Gregger from Magic 98.3, Kevin Stanfield, Global’s weather specialist and councillor Charlie Clark.

The event is family friendly. There will be plenty of things to keep all age groups entertained. In the kids’ kingdom there will be face painting, clowns, petting zoos and an inflatable castle.

Local musicians including Veronique Poulin, We Were Lovers, Jeans Boots, Young Benjamins, and Slow Down, Molasses will be performing.

The Broadway Improvement District, which hosts the event, is known for its contributions to the area beginning when the corporation lobbied City Hall for money to refurbish the street. They have also contributed to developing Broadway’s unique, nostalgic feel, designed to distinguish Broadway from other areas of the city.

The fair, which takes place between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., has been a staple of the community for years.

“We enjoy the street fair and it’s a great opportunity to promote Broadway,” Shelly Woloshyn, owner of the Broadway Café, said.

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Photo: Chris Hendrickson