Matt Gentry | The Roanoke Times

Festival-goers walk past hand-carved wooden art from the Philippines being sold by Irene Deguzman of Easley, S.C.; Springfield resident Kathleen Moore examines metal wind spinners.

BLACKSBURG -- Mike Buchanan didn't know how many chicken shish kebabs he would sell at Steppin' Out this year.

But his prep cook Lois Dowdy knew she had assembled at least 1,200 for Friday.

"I been cutting chicken forever, it seems like," she said.

This makes Dowdy's 22nd year working in the Souvlaki kitchen during Steppin' Out. On a normal day, she arrives at 8:30 a.m. and leaves by 4 p.m.

But during Blacksburg's biggest outdoor festival, the 72-year-old cook will work until after 10 p.m. both nights.

The restaurant, which sits in the heart of downtown on Draper Road and College Avenue, was packed by 11:30 a.m. Friday. And people were quickly queuing up at the sidewalk stand, too.

That's why Steppin' Out was created 26 years ago by downtown merchants. It was meant to bring shoppers into town in the summer, a traditionally slow time for businesses.

"It's a big event for us," Buchanan said.

It's also good for arts and crafts vendors who come from across the country to sell their wares.

Heather and Victor Egidio have set up their tents in Blacksburg for the third time this year. They continue to sell Heather Egidio's photographs from across Europe, for which her husband builds frames from antique materials he salvages.

An African of Portuguese descent, Egidio makes the frames "because he can't stand the way Americans waste things," his wife said.

This year they also have a new product, which they developed while living on the West Coast of Africa.

Egidio was living there, and his future wife was a chef on a private yacht sailing around Africa. She quit in the middle of the trip to be with him.

But soon after, she started to worry. How would she live without Target and other modern amenities?

"You adapt," Egidio told her.

He wanted to give her an example, so he fashioned a table out of a bamboo stake and a piece of driftwood, and the couple drank wine over it while looking out over the sea.

"That was my first night living there as an African queen," Heather Egidio said, laughing.

Now they live off the Georgia coast and produce a stylized version of that first table called Banana Beach Tables.

Made with PVC pipe and wooden tops carved into palm tree and fish shapes, the tables are light and portable and can be stuck in the ground nearly anywhere.

They were a big hit with Blacksburg resident Kelly Sadello.

"We're leaving tonight for the beach. This is perfect for us," she said.

"That's the first table we've ever sold," Heather Egidio said after sharing a celebratory kiss with her husband.

The sale was particularly sweet because her husband lost part of his forefinger to the table-saw blade while making the first batch.

"It makes working difficult. You wouldn't believe," he said.

But you don't have to be headed to the coast to enjoy a newly purchased beach table. Cabo Fish Taco is holding its annual two-day Beach Party this weekend where it could come in handy.

While not officially part of Steppin' Out, the restaurant sits only a block away from the festival.

It took 20 tons of sand and several strong young men to make the "beach." But by lunchtime Friday, people were playing bocce ball and darts and grooving to the disc jockey's beat. Live bands would be performing later.

The portable bar featured two kinds of beer, which helped keep everybody cool.

The Cabo Beach Party will go on today with bands starting at 8 p.m. A schedule is available at www.boogieburg.com.

Steppin' Out continues from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. today in downtown Blacksburg with live music, food, and arts and crafts vendors. For a full schedule, visit downtownblacksburg.com