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Robust coverage for the Spa City’s so-called Arts and Blues Fest still couldn’t turn out a crowd tantamount to Caroline Street Block Party, the raucous event the milquetoast street crawl replaced. That didn’t prevent some sponsors from hyping up the event that basically denudes the traditional atmosphere of Saratoga’s own Bourbon Street.

The Saratogian, the same newspaper that editorialized the Block Party into nonexistence and then sponsored the new event, posted what appears to be a photo of the normal afternoon street traffic on Caroline Street. The beneath caption reads “Caroline Street was loaded with people Sunday afternoon.”

True, this could be a misprint. Perhaps they meant to say “people were loaded on Caroline Street Sunday afternoon,” which would make a hell of a lot more sense on any given day. Or maybe they’re just banking on the fact that people will read the caption and article, but ignore the picture.

Either way, the arts and snooze fest were about as popular as always, which is basically not very much so at all. True, there were a few more people on the street than your standard Sunday afternoon; the Times Union claims “hundreds” of people were there. But in comparison to other street festivals of similar ilk –even winter’s Chowderfest –the turnout was paltry to say the least. This is nothing new for the Caroline Street Association’s annual event, which has limped through the city for seven consecutive years now.

Several years ago, organizers tried to steal a bit of Chowderfest’s thunder by throwing a chili cook-off among the street’s restaurants. After three or so years, the competition has yet to draw the crowds or entries that its winter doppelganger does each year.

So what bedevils this event every year? Well, first and foremost, it’s difficult to appeal to the soulless masses of the white-bred 50-something tourist culture with the lure of raspy soulful blues. Perhaps an Arts and Michael Bolton Fest might be more of a draw. After all, he’s probably looking for work anyway.

For blues, however, having free-flowing booze is almost a prerequisite, especially if it’s being played on a city block with no less than eight bars. But boozing is one element the organizers don’t seem to keen on bringing to the event. They seem to think they can repetitiously call something a “bluesfest” and eventually have the masses buy into believing it. It’s the same tired package every year as the downtown businesses trudge between Skidmore graduation and the fast times after Independence Day.

For organizers, the arts and blues fest is a perfect fit: a lazy tourist magnet to draw some of the sloppy seconds from the Elvis Fest in Lake George. For longtime residents, however, it’s a constant reminder of the vibrancy that is increasingly lacking in gentrified Saratoga Springs.