mary&parrish events

With just eleven weeks to move, plan and coordinate this festival, and ten of those almost gone, we have what looks to be a fantastic event on our hands. It has been wonderful working with the Durham Arts Council staff to build a team for the upcoming event. Due to the site change, every detail is different this year for the 32nd annual event. Re-designing the two-day arts festival is the sort of challenge that allows us to enjoy our careers. The TV commercials are running, the event guide will come out in the Herald Sun next Wednesday, and MIX 101.5 is gearing up to do some give-aways next week. A full line-up and event info can be found on the Durham Arts Council’s website. The event still needs another 60 or so volunteers to help run the event but we have a week left to recruit. For those philanthropists out there who support the arts, please sign up to volunteer!

I graduated from Leadership Triangle in 2003. On August 16, Parrish and I sponsored/ helped out with the Annual Reception featuring new Board Chair Jim Goodman at the American Tobacco Complex. Good to see alumni- especially women!- running for office. I would like to work with them on event-fundraising strategies using my experience as Senator Janet Cowell’s ’04 Campaign Manager. Other tidbits: It looks like the United Way is getting ready to launch their annual campaign and could use some assistance in drumming up support. Finally, I spoke with Al from Rails to Trails (the Santa Clause of the bike paths) who is pushing for the Rails WITH Trails concept for the track that runs near downtown Durham. He pointed me to a lovely section of the American Tobacco Trail on HWY 751 just south of HWY 64 in Eastern Wake County for a nice seven-mile bike ride.

The “theme” I set for the gospel day of BIMBE was Muses. Just in case the Mighty Gospel Inspirations couldn’t inspire the theme, I had my Muses Parade mardi-gras beads hanging from our tent.

The first day had an eclectic line-up and a diverse audience. A huge thank you goes out to Ricardo Granillo of Carnavalito who stepped in to play the blues with Cool John Ferguson when their bassist was called away for a last minute emergency.

The gospel day brought a devout worshipping crowd and the dancing was limited to arms waving in the air. The Mighty Gospel Inspirations were fantastic. Chuck Davis, whose African American Dance Ensemble performed the opening ceremony the day before, made sure to be in attendance for Sunday’s Inspirations.

Parrish and I are very pleased that the outdoor movies were successful (when it didn’t rain) and that they are over. Great movies this summer: The Incredibles, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (Classic), Bend it Like Beckham, and Hitch. Each movie was preceded by a local DJ whose music seemed to fit in with the theme of the movie: DJ Sleazy McQueen, DJ Marco, DJ Turbanator, and DJ KrazeRock. Free popcorn, free tea.

The 15 x 20 foot screen was a never-ending nightmare. The screen basically served as a sail for any wind gusts over 5 mph, and would be ruined in 5 minutes of rain. During Hitch, the wind gusted to 12 mph and while we readied the tarps and tightened the ropes to secure the screen, we also set two people on each side of the screen for the last hour just to make sure there would be no surprise lift-offs.

Good evening for the audience, crazy times for us.

We had one of the best events last week when the weather was nice (a bit too hot, but dry for NC standards) and Cool John Ferguson came out to play the blues. A quick survey noted that most of the folks heard about the show through the Chapel Hill News. Dave Hart featured the show and the man on the front cover of the Weekend section. The lights worked, the sound was great, and the crowd of 300 or more danced the night away. Ron Stutts, of WCHL 1360 AM and our evening’s MC, was completely moved by the last song and gave Cool John a big hug before sending the crowd home.

I know and respect Ricardo Granillo of Carnavalito and Cool John Ferguson, but I’m looking forward to meeting the 15 or so other bands that I’ve been talking to for the Bimbe Cultural Festival. It’s always fun to work with someone over email/phone/mail and fax and then get to meet them in person. In fact, this is one of the first memories I have of large-event planning: putting a name to a face. Most importantly, I can’t wait for their show.

Centerfest, the largest arts festival in Durham, NC, is moving from the 5 points downtown area to the edgy warehouse-looking W. Main Street. Flanked by Brightleaf Square and Downtown Durham, this move is a blessing from an events manager’s perspective. Perpendicular traffic pattern and wide streets, large red brick walls that “secure” the perimeter, and the historical Liggett Myers overpasses (for lack of better word and there surely is a word to describe them) make for a perfect setting for a 2005 Durham arts festival.