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Source: Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn.儲存倉Aug. 30--As Thursdays on First & Third wound to a close Thursday, the weekly summer street festival was on pace to shatter previous attendance records.That's no surprise to Pannekoeken owner Tasos Psomas. Business at his booth on the Peace Plaza has been brisk all summer."It's been a really good year for us," she said. "Philly cheese steak (sales) have been fabulous. They are delicious, and we've been selling them like crazy."So just how good a year has it been? The total numbers for the festival's 12-week run haven't been crunched yet, but the festival's June 13 event attracted a record-breaking estimated 40,000 visitors in one day, said Rochester Downtown Alliance Executive Jon Eckhoff. He chalks up this year's success to several factors."We've had excellent weather. I think the market is more mature; the vendors know what they're doing," he said. "But more important than any of that, I think the citizens and visitors have just embraced it and make it what it is."The festival has come a long way since its humble beginnings 10 years ago. Back then, it had 25 vendors. This year's festival boasted 125 vendors, and 48 different bands performed.To get a more accurate tally of how many people are turning out, the Rochester Downtown Alliance has invested in a bi-directional counter that is installed on a speaker in the Peace Plaza. It keeps track of the number of people that walk past it, Eckhoff said.Vendors interviewed said they are not surprised to hear turnout is up. Mary Zimmer, who owns "Pierced Wood" wi迷你倉價錢h her husband, has been selling her homemade wood pictures since the festival's early days. As Thursdays on First & Third has grown, she and her husband have had to start working on their wares seven months ahead of time to build up enough of a supply."It's been terrific; it really has," she said. "We have a lot of fun because what we have fits into suitcases easy. So, it's so much fun to see things that are made in the basement (of a house) in Austin, Minn., go all over the world."The festival also has given a boost to some businesses looking to get established. Downtown Kitchen opened last fall on Third Street Southwest. The restaurant's sous chef, Matt Robertson, said brisk lunch sales at Thursdays on First & Third helped inspire the restaurant to begin opening for lunch a couple of weeks ago."This confirmed the amount of people coming out during the day. It also gave us a chance to get our name out there. We've been able to hand out menus," he said.Despite the event's popularity, Eckhoff said there are no plans to extend the festival's schedule. He said it's limited, three-month run keeps it special and ensures people don't get tired of it. He started hearing this year some Mayo Clinic patients have begun scheduling their appointments for Thursdays so they can check out the festival."People thought Rochester was boring, and it turns out we weren't all along," Eckhoff said. "We just needed something to do."Copyright: ___ (c)2013 the Post-Bulletin Visit the Post-Bulletin at .postbulletin.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉