If you enjoy spending time in unique, local communities, then go ahead and mark your calendars right now because on the third Thursday evening of every month in 2011, the boutiques, galleries, restaurants, and service businesses host a night of fun.  It doesn’t matter if you don’t live in San Marco – Affair in the Square is for everyone.  It’s all about ‘going local’ and that means enjoying the neighborhood and its unique and diverse ambiance, eateries, boutiques, and galleries.

The Affair in the Square is San Marco’s way of giving back to its friends and neighbors, and each month more and more people are coming out for the wine and cheese and mini desserts, wandering from place to place – stopping when something strikes their (most merchants are open late for ‘Affair’) fancy or they’re ready for another sip of wine and a passport ‘stamp’. Last Thursday, seventeen of the local merchants had snacks, and wine tastings.

Sarah Marie Johnston of Bistro AIX was on  hand to tell the guests about the wine Bistro AIX was pouring, and at each location, they were able to sample some of the finest wines available in San Marco’s restaurants and clubs, places like Taverna and The Grotto. Guests picked up their ‘passports’ and had them ‘validated’ at each of the locations.

Validated passports were  collected and a prize winner of a San Marco shopping spree drawn at the end of the evening. Affair on the Square is great fun for everyone, and it’s not just for adults.  The talented Pink Ivy face painters are always on hand to delight the little ones with beautiful creations.  Kids’ fantasies come true as their faces are transformed into an animal, a fairy, or a superhero.

Balloons and mini-desserts are always winners with the younger crowd. And if you think face painting is just for the kids, you’d be wrong, as two lovely young ladies were spotted, sporting some  sparkly ‘grown-up’ facial art, compliments of Pink Ivy, too.

From 6:00 – 9:00pm, DJ Quinn spun  tunes live from the gazebo in Balis Park,  heard all around the Square.   There’s always music or entertainment in Balis Park during Affair in the Square, and  with the white Chinese lanterns  strung from the trees on ‘Affair’ Thursdays, it  makes makes the evening so festive.  Each month, there’s something different happening,  too.

This time,  The Performer’s Academy teamed with San Marco Magazine for a Model Search; their table was busy with people interested in being featured modeling for one of San Marco’s many businesses.  Watch for the Spring issue and see if anyone you know is gracing the pages!

SMART Gallery not only showed their featured exhibition ‘Resolutions’,  but brought out their  Photo Booth To Go.  They gave any guest who wanted one a complimentary photo booth  fun shoot,  with a strip of four prints, developed on the spot.  There were a lot of people in the gallery, looking at the beautiful art and watching  as the Booth’s live video screen displayed their friends having great fun posing for pictures from behind the black curtain that enclosed them.  Both modern, and old-school at the same time!  Guests who played walked away with some mighty cute mini-prints as a souvenir.

It seemed that every open establishment had guests inside, and Thursday ‘Affair’ nights always have that sort of relaxed, pre-weekend vibe.

By the time the festivities wound down; the music ended and some of the shops began to close their doors,  people were still on the sidewalk enjoying the mild January evening, or grabbing a bite to eat.

San Marco Bookstore still open and a group of friends were chatting outside the shop.  It was another fun ‘Affair on the Square’; the first of 2011.  Make this year about ‘going local’ and we’ll see you on February 17 … when Affair on the Square is back again.