Stroller etiquette: A summertime guide to maneuvering at street fairs, farmers markets, parks.

Byline: Angela Hill

Showdown at the rabbit corral, also known as the small animal exhibit at the Alameda County Fair: On a midweek outing, people with kids in strollers faced off with people without kids in strollers.

Tension filled the air, or maybe that was the general bunny bouquet, as at least 18 single strollers _ a few "jogger" styles, half a dozen double-wide sedans and a couple of front-back models _ weaved through the narrow rows of cages. They barely dodged passersby, some of whom glared and turned up their noses, but that could have been bunny-related, too.

The groups merged, closer and closer. A clash was inevitable. Even the Netherland Dwarfs were getting twitchy. Who would prevail?

Fortunately, common sense did. The non-stroller people politely moved aside, and the stroller people said "thank you," and everybody went on to the rest of their lives and to, no doubt, find funnel cakes and deep-fried python kebobs.

Most often, such close encounters between the stroller-set and the stroller-free are harmonious. Yet with summer activities in full swing at crowded farmers markets, street fairs and amusement parks, the twain often meet …