You've heard lots about the Canton Festival of the Arts in the past month. It's the highlight of the year for the Cherokee Arts Center and it's our main fundraiser. It's divided into five sections. 1. The Artist Market - there were 70 fine arts and fine crafts booths. (No junk) Pat Gold is the warrior goddess who pulls the Artist Market together and makes it run as smooth as french silk pie. This section is juried and the "Best in Show" vendor/booth wins $1000.00, congratulations to Allen Quandee for his exceptional wood works, Allen is also a fabulous photographer. Laura and Fred Ellis, on the Arts Center Board were vendors in the Artist Market selling their beautiful pottery. 2. The Children's Experience - kids have an opportunity to paint on a 20 foot mural with the guidance and help of Scott McIntyre. He's an artistic genius. I say this because, he is, and he makes sure each child feels special about what they've contributed to the mural. 3. The Literary Celebration - Thank you Carmen Tanner Slaughter for your energy, and dedication to bring quality authors, storytellers and theatrical performances to the festival. I was only able to attend one panel discussion where I met author Peter Farris and I am extremely eager to start his book, Last Call for the Living. Returning author, Grant Jerkins gave much insight into writing and the 'noir' genre. I was fascinated to hear them talk about how they nurture their ideas and how these ideas surface and become a book. 4. Serenity Gardens - I co-chair this section with Cindy Brooks. If you know either or both of us you might be wondering how in the world do those two crazies organize and manage something called Serenity anything????? Serenity Gardens promotes green living, repurposing materials, natural handmade beauty products, and plants, both ornamental and edible. The Cherokee Bee Club always comes with a beehive and demonstrates how to care for a hive and harvest the honey. Plus, they bring honey to sell. Thank you Cindy for being “not so serene”. 5. Last but certainly not least is the food vendor area, which includes the beer and wine tent. What would a festival be without funnel cakes or corn dogs? Nothing. Will Carlan is the foodie that chooses the cuisine and arranges for visitors to be able to relax before/during and after shopping with a snack and a beverage. There was live music too. TJ Cochran made sure that we had some great local musical talent to listen to while shopping and eating. Dyanna Fincher Diggs took care of seeing that the vendors were treated to a hearty breakfast Saturday and Sunday morning. I heard lots of vendors talking about what a wonderful, special touch it was to be able to grab a biscuit and some grits to start their day off right. ***All of this is coordinated and managed by Amy Oldt. She is pure magic, to pull all of this together, help the vendors acquaint themselves with the festival site, arrange for volunteers AND make sure all of the separate areas are running smoothly. I am in awe of her for sure.
It takes so much from so many people to pull this amazing event together. We have a dedicated board of directors. Jennifer Dunn and Kim Bates worked tirelessly on advertising, social media and sponsorships. Farris Yawn sold books for the visiting authors. Thank you Richard Kemp and Jack Fincher for the logistics and making sure we had the equipment (tents, tables and chairs) that we needed. Camille Wehs, you are THE tech wizard and the warrior to get things done by the city. Board members Clay, Phoebe, Pat, and Sue, and our Executive Director, Mary Akers; volunteers, Janet, Cindy, Ashi, Mary, Bill, Jeff, Nate, Cory, John, Ethan, Betty, Kathy, Judy, Dennis, Matt, Cat, Will from Savannah, (please forgive me if I've left someone out, it was not intentional) and everyone else mentioned above pitched in when and wherever they were needed. All of this was done in preparation for roughly 10,000 visitors. It's a huge undertaking but one done with alacrity and love. I think it's also a bonding experience, I feel closer to my fellow board members and I may even miss the weekly meetings we've been having since February. (ok-maybe not) but I will hold the memories and the festival close to my heart always.
I wanted to share with you just what's been going on with me and so there you have it. Canton Festival of the Arts.
