Published: March 27, 2008 08:22 pm            

Let's All Go to the Park

By Nikki Sumrow

Guest Columnist

Imagine standing outside on a spring day. The temperature is perfect. The smell of delectable food fills the air. The swinging sounds of jazz music lift your soul. The sound of children laughing warms your heart. An eclectic mix of artwork greets your eyes. It is an experience for the senses. It is Art in the Park.

The annual festival makes its sixth appearance in Orange this Saturday, March 29. It all takes place in Stark Park from 9 AM to 6 PM, and admission is free. This Orange in Bloom highlight is not one to miss, for it is one of those perfect events that allows you to enjoy the outdoors, the arts, and each other.

I've been to festivals in cities large and small, and each was a completely different experience. I grew up in a small town that held an annual arts festival, and I eagerly I anticipated it each year. I always enjoyed visiting with the numerous artists about their works on display. I enjoyed eating as much food as I could, because there was always something about eating food at a festival that made it taste so much better. I enjoyed the music, the arts and crafts, the people, everything. I enjoyed it so much that I still go back each year to experience it.

Since moving to a larger city, I've been to numerous festivals, expecting each to be like the festival back home. I've yet to find one I enjoy half as much. Sure, the food is there. The music is there. Even the art is there. But one thing isn't: the people.

Case in point: Last year I went home to attend my beloved arts festival, and as I walked around with my family (who still lives there), I noticed what was missing from my big-city festivals. We rarely took more than ten steps without some member of my family running into a co-worker, a neighbor, an old friend, or even a casual acquaintance. They took the time to greet each other. Everyone smiled and appeared genuinely happy to stop and visit. They asked about each other's family members by name. That has never happened to me at any of my big-city festivals, and I realized that is the one thing I truly loved the most about the arts festival as I was growing up. In Orange, you have this community spirit.

Art in the Park also offers numerous cultural activities for you to enjoy: a variety of fascinating art displays, Grammy-nominated artist Marcia Ball and more exciting musicians, tasty food, arts and crafts for the kids, free tours at the Stark Museum of Art, discounted mini-tours at The W.H. Stark House, tours of Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center, and much more. This is all part of that “World Class Culture” that has come to represent Orange, but the “Small Town Charm” is what sets the city apart from others boasting their cultural activities. Many places have only one or the other, but Orange has both. This Saturday is a perfect time to celebrate that. I hope you will walk away with the same fond memories I have of my experiences growing up. In Orange, I have no doubt that you will.

        

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