There was the gentleman in the blue polo shirt for instance. There was the woman in the pink blouse and another man in a bright yellow T-shirt.

At the Diner en Blanc in Dufresne Plaza on Friday afternoon, there was enough white that it caught the eye. White shirts, white pants, white hats. Most tables were covered with white cloth and the white napkins were right at home.

If you were just passing through, it could be startling.

At about 6 p.m., a young man emerged from an alley with his young daughter in tow. The man, who was wearing an off-white T-shirt, stopped in his tracks, trying to find meaning in the sea of white that filled the plaza.

His daughter got it right away.

“You’re wearing white, daddy,” she said. “That means we can stay.”

“I don’t think so,” he said. “Let’s go.”

And they made a beeline for the uncomplicated colors of Park Street.

The Diner en Blanc was part of the Art Walk Lewiston Auburn, during which downtown businesses open their doors and entertainers perform from makeshift stages.

For the event– in case you haven’t figured this out – diners traditionally wear white and nibble on food they bring themselves.

Many enjoyed glasses of wine with cheese. There was bread on just about every table and except for one gaudy bucket of KFC on one table, most of the food came from local, privately-owned shops.

Marita Toussaint and her party were enjoying a platter of food that included cheese, berries, grapes, kielbasa, salami and peppers.

“We picked it up at Forage Market on our way over,” Toussaint said. “I’ve lived here all my life but this is the first time I’ve been down here to eat. It’s very different.”

In front of her, four children gathered around a wooden crate, eating bread with a greenish spread. The kids wore white. So did Toussaint – white shirt and white shorts she scrounged up just before heading to the plaza.

“It wasn’t easy,” Toussaint said. “I didn’t decide to come here until two or three hours ago.”

From Park Street, the view of the plaza was impressive. All that white and all the elegance of wine and cheese where there is normally just brick and pigeons.

Two young men started into the plaza on the stairs from Park Street. They wore backward baseball caps and sleeveless shirts which showed off their tattoos.

“What’s all this about?” one of them asked, stopping on the stairs.

“No idea,” said the other, quickly changing his course. “Let’s just go around.”

It was a good time out there in Dufresne Plaza right up until about 7:30 p.m. when a quick moving storm brought driving rain to the area. Dozens of diners scrambled for cover, the consolation being that white clothes don’t bleed.

Fortunately, as a backup plan, organizers reserved a hall at the Public Library in case of just such an occurrence.

It was all part of Art Walk Lewiston Auburn and more of a similar nature is planned. Once each month between May and September, the group will turn the downtowns of Lewiston and Auburn into art districts.

For more information, visit http://www.artwalklewistonauburn.com