West of the construction site for the new Ryan Field, Central Street in Evanston is defined by a vibrant and charming strip of independent businesses that could pass for the main street of a small town.

The businesses on Central Street offer up everything from cuisines of the world, fashionable clothing, books, toys, games, plants, dance classes and hand-ground spices. But a day on Central Street does typically not involve mimes, puppeteers, poets with typewriters strapped to their bodies, or the mayor of Evanston himself juggling fire.

On Saturday, it will.

The first-ever Central Street Busker Fest is set for Saturday, Sept. 20, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. "Busker" may not be a word in especially common usage, but Central Street Evanston executive director Angela Shaffer said it is a practice that goes back to antiquity.

"Busking is a time-honored tradition that takes place around the world. It is the act of performing in public and for a tip or some kind of donation," Shaffer said. "So a lot of people don't know what a busker is, but we are bringing the art back."

CBS News Chicago got a preview of the Busker Fest on Thursday morning — with UniKyle (Kyle Campbell) juggling on his unicycle, mime and clown performer Tim The Mime, singer-songwriter Jeff Libman with copies of his album "Distant Land," Mayor Daniel Biss juggling fire, and Lisa Marie Farver — who will type you up a poem if you offer her just one word.

She did so for both Dana Kozlov and Jackie Kostek, who suggested the words "tolerance" and "vibrance," respectively:

Tolerance.

The push and pull

has tugged us

apart.

Can heartstrings stitch

that which has been severed?

Vibrance.

What radiates resonates

As the light

hits water

With the thud of all of us.

Shaffer said she was inspired to organize Busker Fest after discovering a similar event in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

"I have a background in the performing arts, and what I decided to do was capture a little bit of what Fort Wayne, Indiana did, bring my love of the performing arts out to the Central Street business district," she said. "But also, it's a great way to connect our businesses with the community through the arts."

Busker Fest on Saturday will feature a main stage at Independence Park, 2627 Stewart Ave. Five-time Grammy-nominated children's musician Justin Roberts will take the stage at 2 p.m., followed by a ballet performance with Béa Rashid and an open-level hip-hop class with Irfan Qurashi from Dance Center Evanston at 3:15 p.m. Mayor Biss juggles fire on the main stage at 3:45 p.m., and La Tosca Chicago — a mambo combo that Evanston Roundtable says "blends Italian, French, manouche jazz, and classical music" — closes the day at 4:30 p.m.

Parking lot and street performances will take place on Central Street at Stewart Avenue, and a kids' zone with live music, face painting, balloon twisting, screen printing, and other activities will be set up at Central Street and Lincolnwood Drive.

Along Central Street, from Gallery 1925 at Prairie Avenue west to Hartrey Avenue, all different buskers will be setting up shop. In addition to Libman, Tim The Mime, and Farver with her typewriter, the array will include 9-year-old Irish fiddler August Brown-Brandt, indie folk singer-songwriter Caro Granner, living statue Gregg Steigmeyer, puppeteer Sarah Haley, and a tarot card reading and hand massage station, among other performers and attractions.

After the festival ends, live music will continue at Great Harvest Bread Co., 2126 Central St., with Filomena Achille, and at Ten Mile House Restaurant, 1700 Central St., with eclectic Americana band Late Breaking News.

The event is free for all, but visitors are urged to bring money for tips for the buskers.