Temescal Street Fair 2011 in Oakland

I haven't had a chance to get out to many street fairs this summer because of my recent travels, but I couldn't skip the annual Temescal Street Fair because it's one of the neighborhoods near my Oakland home.

I actually lucked out because the street fair was originally scheduled for early June when I was in Honolulu for my niece's graduation. But the fair got rained out and it was postponed till today, and I almost forgot about it. Luckily I went to the Temescal farmers' market this morning and on my way home I noticed the street closure from 45th to 51st Streets.

So I returned in the afternoon to check out the fair, which seems to have gotten bigger over the years. There were a lot more activities for the kids (it really is a big family affair) and with the growth in restaurants on Telegraph Avenue, there were a lot more interesting food booths at the fair.

Guerrilla Grub is a street cart that was almost selling out of its sloppy Joe's (including a vegan version) when I got there in the late afternoon. I like the T-shirt.

The booth with the longest line was, of course, Lanesplitter's Pizza, which were selling slices and beer.

They were just grabbing slices from boxes of pre-made pizzas.

Colorful paella from Barlata, which was selling it for $5 a plate. What a deal.

You can't have a fair without cotton candy, which was being sold from a table in front of the Mixing Bowl.

Even Bakesale Betty and its signature iron board tables were out in full force. And that's a big deal because it's normally closed on Sundays. But I'm sure they couldn't resist feeding the crowds its fried chicken sandwiches and strawberry shortcakes.