Small People Have Big Fun at 'Alberrito Streets'

Published Sept. 29, 2013, 7:31 p.m.; updated Sept. 30, 1:23 p.m.

The ones having the most fun at the big "Alberrito Streets" block party on the Albany and El Cerrito border Sunday seemed to be those whose ages are single digits.

There were kids chasing soap bubbles, jumping rope, hula hooping, gliding on scooters, taking rides in a pedicab and riding little bikes over very little "mountains."

Kids lined up to get their faces painted, while others played chess or indulged their artistic urges at the 4Cats Arts Studio table.

It was the third annual Alberrito Streets event, whose name is a combination of the two host cities, Albany and El Cerrito. The wide thoroughfare that is called Key Route in Albany and Ashbury Avenue in El Cerrito was closed to traffic between Brighton Avenue and A Street.

It wasn't enough for Nate Sherry of El Cerrito to simply walk on the tight rope, which was actually a kind of narrow band suspended about a foot off the ground, which can seem high when you're 3-1/2 years old. Once he got to the middle, he wanted to jump up and down on it, as if it were a 2-inch-wide trampoline.

Nathaniel Ricketts, also of El Cerrito (who's "almost three," Mom said), found enjoyment walking on a long platform that tilted back and forth like a broad see-saw. He enjoyed it so much, he did it again, and again, and again – you probably get the picture.

Not that adults didn't have fun too. Many of them biked, tossed frisbees and balls, and tried their hand – or hips – at hula hoop.

One of the most popular attractions was the WhipOut! food truck, and if you lived near the event you could hear the live music from the Albany-based band, Rye Wit, and the El Cerrito band, UVTraveler.

One of the main attractions, the Albany-vs.-El Cerrito tug-of-war, was delayed due to a problem with the rope. But it got resolved, and the result was – a tie.

For more photos from the event, see Peggy McQuaid's blog post, "Albany Local Week - the Grand Finale."

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