By Patrick Connolly

In between vines, trees and vegetables, the third annual Viva la Vinal Festival was a placid refuge from the heat and crowded city streets Friday.

Over 100 people, many of them families with small children, attended the free musical event held on Vinal Avenue at the Somerville Community Growing Center, a shady, quarter-acre sanctuary in the midst of road construction and cramped apartments buildings.

Audrey Ryan, a musician and volunteer at the Community Growing Center, founded the festival in 2006.

“I lived on the street and thought this was a beautiful spot,” Ryan said.

Vinal Avenue, pronounced like the material records are made of, is located four blocks from Union Square, next to Nunziato Field.

“There are a lot of people that live around here who have kids,” Ryan said. “All the music is all-ages-friendly.”

The organizers sold sandwiches and snacks for a suggested donation, while some families came prepared with picnics. Children ran through the garden, cooled off in a small, plastic swimming pool and tossed flying discs while the eclectic musical acts played. At one point, even a juggler rode around on a unicycle.

‚ÄúThis is how communities should be: a place where people can go, with entertainment that’s inexpensive and you can bring food if you want,‚Äù said Candy Leonard, a board member of Friends of the Community Growing Center.

In the light of the crescent moon, with most children gone home, the garden transformed into romantic backdrop. Couples sat on the stone amphitheater, watching musicians perform behind a living room lamp and Christmas lights.

“This is an area where people like to walk around, so people can discover it and call their friends. This is what a healthy community does,” Leonard said. “It makes you optimistic about the future.”