The Hessler Street Fair is set up to benefit the non-profit Hessler Neighborhood Association (HNA). The HNA uses funds from the Street Fairs to preserve and restore one of the last remaining residential areas in the University Circle section of Cleveland. The Hessler Street Fair Committee is a collection of volunteers crazy enough to try and pull a fair this size off each year while still holding down full-time jobs.
The 2008 Hessler Street Fair will be held Saturday, May 17 and Sunday, May 18. The fair is held, rain or shine. Hours are from noon until dark (approximately 8:00 PM) each day.
Since we don't charge people admission to the fair, we don't know exactly how many people come each year. From vendor sales though, we estimate that between 10,000 and 15,000 people visit the fair each year. Judging from the crowds we see on the street, that's probably a good guess.
You can contact the Hessler Street Fair Committee at
Hessler Street Fair CommitteeThe Hessler Street Fair is know both for being a LARGE (but well-behaved) weekend-long party and for having a number of quality artists and craftsmen on hand with their own works for sale. We also have mixed into this melange a number of professional and non-professional food vendors, some book sellers, and a dozen or so non-profit organizations. If you fall within one of these categories and would enjoy participating, then you should probably consider filling out an application.
We are accepting vendor applications now. Please contact us and we will mail an application to you.
Deciding who will become a vendor is a fairly subjective process, unfortunately. These are some of the guidelines we follow:
We will allocate a space approximately 10 feet by 10 feet for each vendor (slightly less for our non-profit vendors). All exhibitors are responsible for bringing their own display. As in previous years, if you wish you can rent a table and/or chairs through us if you don't want to bring your own.
No. Well, don't count on it anyway. While we hire security people for during the fair, we do not have overnight security and we cannot be responsible for anything you leave overnight. Please plan accordingly.
All food vendors need a permit from the City of Cleveland. Each vendor is responsible for seeing that their own permits are in order. Also a reminder - any food vendor with an open flame must also get a flame permit from the City Fire Prevention Bureau.
Applications for temporary Food Hander and Food Vendor Licenses can be picked up at
The Division of Assessments and LicensesWe strongly recommend that all vendors selling food items contact the Department of Public Health directly to obtain an up-to-date copy of their Food Vendor Guidelines, which summarizes their rules for the handling and storage of food. We will handle notifying the Department of Public Health about the event, so you can safely ignore that section. The Department of Public Health can be contacted at
City of Cleveland, Department of Public HealthFinally, any food vendor with an open flame must also get an open flame permit from the City Fire Prevention Bureau. They can be contacted at
City of ClevelandIn 1999 the fee for a "Food Vendor" permit was $20.00, for a "Food Handler" permit the fee was $25.00, and for a "Permit for the storing, handling, sales or use of hazardous substances / open flame permit" the fee was $15.00. The city generally reviews their permit fees each March, and at least some of these prices have changed by a few dollars. Please contact the city for current permit fees.
The inspector from the city Department of Public Health stops by both days of the fair and checks for permits from all the food vendors. In short, yes, you really do need a permit.
Food vendors are not allowed to sell beverages (including slushies). The Hessler Neighborhood Association has the cold beverage concession each year and will once again be selling lemonaid and pop at the Fair. We will also make arrangements to have coffee and other hot beverages sold at the Fair. The Fair is run as a fund-raiser for the HNA and since it isn't possible to charge admission, this is how we do it.
The Hessler Street Fair is officially an alcohol-free event. We do not sell beer/wine/etc., nor may any of our vendors (we aren't insured for it). Sorry. There are several watering holes in University Circle and we would tend to encourage those desiring alcohol to drink to patronize these local establishments.
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Last updated: Tue Mar 6 00:11:22 2001