Street Corner Symphony performs at San Luis Obispo Farmers' Market, November 11, 1999 Photo: Roberta Howell

The Street Corner Symphony: San Luis Obispo Farmers' Market

In 1983 the Downtown Association of San Luis Obispo began arranging for special activities and entertainment on Higuera Street on Thursday evenings in an effort to attract crowds and boost the sales of local merchants. At these officially-designated "Thursday Night Activities," farmers were invited to come to sell their produce -- and thus began the San Luis Obispo Farmers' Market. Growing in popularity and becoming a year-round event, the Farmers' Market started to attract street musicians, exemplified by such groups as the Street Corner Symphony. The Street Corner Symphony is a five-member capella, doo-wop group, founded in 1993 at California State University. Their repertoire spans four decades of music and represents the interests and tastes of California Central Coast residents, both young and old. The Street Corner Symphony succeeds in projecting the liveliness and sense of community of the Farmers' Market as it was meant to be. Project documentation includes a report tracing the history of the group and their involvement in the Farmers' Market, the photographs of Robert Howell, a professional Central Coast photographer for the past 25 years, and audio recordings of the group produced by Greg Schifano, a professional sound recordist.

Originally submitted by: Lois Capps, Representative (22nd District).

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