– Photos by Michael Merline

By Tiffani M. Westbrook

Despite the inklings of a downpour, the annual fluff festival drew a huge crowd. The gray sky did not break the spirit of the festive, who flocked to Union Square this Saturday in celebration of Fluff.  That’s right, for those of you who don’t know, Archibald Query of Somerville invented Marshmallow Fluff back in 1917, so in honor of his tasty invention the Union Square Main Streets organization brought back the seventies.

The swanky retro entertainment lineup, equipped with dj and fashion show, had the crowd dancing in the street. The crowd got into the spirit with costumes and hair dos imitating either fluff or the seventies disco era. Select local vendors purveyed some fluff related treats as well as their own house specials.

Among them was the Somerville High School’s music department. The department, consisting of Band, Chorus and Orchestra, used the Fluff Festival as a platform to raise money and awareness for their school’s music program. Carrying signs and breaking out into impromptu dance circles brought attention to their $2 Fluffernutter sandwiches, as well as support for student activities, field trips and transportation.

Andrew Blickenderfer, the program’s orchestra director, pointed out that the school’s mission statement encourages the students to participate in community and said that, “The High School is very lucky to have been picked as one of the vendors for this year’s Fluff Festival.”

Co-Director of the music program Beverly Mosey said, “Somerville has some of the most talented students and it is because Somerville supports the arts. The music program is very fortunate to have the support of the community.”

Many speculated that this was by far the largest crowd for this festival to date. With the success of the Fluff Festival 2011, it may already be time to prepare for next year.