Large crowds milled about the booths of 100 artists and food selections from Deerfield restaurants in what many described as perfect weather Saturday on the opening day of the Deerfield Festival of Fine Arts just west of Jewett Park.

“I ordered the weather,” Deerfield Mayor Harriet Rosenthal said as she browsed the event for several hours with family members. The festival continues today from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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Rosenthal wasn’t the only person raving about the art, crowd and weather. “It’s lovely, the crowds are great and it’s a carnival atmosphere,” Rob Fish of Deerfield said.

Some people were there to do some serious shopping like Pete and Marcy Caron of Riverwoods. They found what they wanted.

“We were looking for some pottery for your mother’s birthday,” Pete Caron said to Marcy of his mother-in-law. “We found what we were looking for.” They too raved about the weather.

Penelope Osio-Brown of Elmhurst, one of the exhibitors who paints in acrylics, was happy with the show. This is her fourth annual Deerfield show and the start of her season of participating in different art fairs.

“There’s a lot of energy from all the people here,” Osio-Brown said. “I saw a lot of my customers. It’s nice to get started so close to home.”

For Lauren Beth Gash of Highland Park and her husband, Greg Garmisa, the weather was on the top of their list of the day’s highlights as well as the enthusiasm displayed for the artist’s work.

“It’s a really beautiful day,” Gash said. “It’s great to see so many people out supporting the arts and showing their appreciation of the artists’ creations.”

“It makes us proud to live on the North Shore,” Garmisa added.

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