5/12/2012:

     Bridgeport Day    

Bicycle-powered floats. Mobile
sculptures. Origami architecture, marching bands, hot dogs, and dance
performances. Everything was welcome but flame-throwers and ketchup. Lion VS Gorilla partnered with
Version12 Fest to create the First Annual Bridgeport Day.
Bridgeport Day was a celebration of the diverse communities that make up the
neighborhood, and was a fun, relaxed day where neighbors could meet, talk,
mingle, and celebrate the community. 

As part of
the event, there was a Bridgeport Day Community Parade that winded down Morgan
Street from the Zhou B Arts Center (35th St.) to Benton House (31st St.),
followed by the Bridgeport Day Block Party. There was everything from a kimchee
deathmatch battle (aka kimchee cook-off) to 12 pop-up operas with artisanal ice
cream pairings to Bridgeport history storytelling to musical performances to a
three-legged race, because running is better when someone else is tied to your
leg. There was even a petting zoo with a real live sloth!

26lab: Bobby Zylstra 

 4 Star Brass Band 

 501st Midwest Legion of The Star Wars Fan Club 

 Alexander DeGraaf / Pastel Art Gallery 

 Archeworks: Maria Elena Hewett + Grant
Penfield Haugen 

 The Benito Juarez Academy Marching Band 

 Benton House 

 Jon Bollo 

 Bridgeport Citizens Group 

 The Bridgeport Hurricanes Youth Cheerleading Squad 

 (Squad sponsored by Snoop Dog/Lion) 

 The Bridgeporter.com 

 Belonio Family Talents 

 Chew Heart 

 Conclusionary Practices 

 Core Projects Chicago 

 Enoch Donuts 

 Face painting 

 First Trinity Church 

 High Concept Labs 

 Fellowship House 

 Johny with the Hot Dog Cart (this guy Johny
has a hot dog cart) 

 Kimchee Cookoff with Xavier 

 Chris Knowlton 

 Korean Polish BBQ 

 George Larson 

 Ludus Lovestyle 

 Mask-making (craft party whaaat?) 

 Victoria Martinez 

 Catie Olson 

 Parka the Hutt (just Google it, seriously.) 

 Peanut Gallery 

 People Made 

 PETTING ZOO! (did we already mention SLOTHS?!) 

 Puffs of Doom (sweet and savory artisanal puffs) 

 Plywood Face Cutout Thing (you know.) 

 Softball in the park 

 Sweet Ape (artisanal ice cream by Alisha Norris Jones) 

 Maureen Sullivan 

 Basia Toczydlowska 

 UnOpera (curated by Blake Russell) 

Yollocalli + Nicole Marroquin