A celebration of urban living

The close-knit community of Abell, named for the longtime owners of The Sun and located near Oakenshawe, Waverly and Charles Village, celebrated itself and the virtues of city life at its annual Abell Street Fair on Sept. 18.

The fair in the 3100 block of Abell Avenue, co-sponsored by Johns Hopkins University and The Wine Source, included an all-you-could-eat crab feast, a children's parade, a silent auction, local artists and vendors, and performances by musical acts from the neighborhood.

The fair is designed as the community's biggest fundraiser of the year and as a celebration of urban living, according to the Abell Improvement Association's website, http://www.abellimprovement.org.

This year's fair was notable because it was held on the community's 100th anniversary year and was promoted as the centennial edition, "packing a century's worth of fun into a single afternoon."

On June 21, the community celebrated the centennial with a gourmet outdoor dinner in the Abell Open Space, a community grassy plot at East 32nd Street and Abell Avenue.