Festival Ins and Outs

posted by blair on 8th, 2010

The events taking place everywhere in Lake County over the next few months are impressive in their turnouts, guests and activities to take part in.

One event that has continued to increase in size of participants and attendees is the Mount Dora Art Festival, an event I visited for the first time this year. I was able to enjoy the festival as a attendee walking around the enormous art festival landscape and as part of a booth for English Communications (a sponsor of the event).

Although I’m not much of an art enthusiast, I became one for a day during the festival on Saturday. Visiting booth after booth and hearing about where the artist got their inspiration as well as just seeing how they transferred the idea in their head to the canvas, metal or platform was amazing.

One woman I spoke with, Rosemarie Brown, had been trying for the past 25 years to be part of the festival and this year’s festival marked her first time ever to be a participant. Her metal and glass jewelry and stained glass artwork made her booth a trip under the sea, only brightened by her obvious excitement at being part of the nationally-recognized art festival.

Another booth had artwork that would become three dimensional once you held the booth’s 3-D opera glasses to your eyes. Before what was a unique picture of a school of fish or boat sailing the ocean was brought to life before your eyes with color value and lines.

Sunday marked my time getting a glimpse at what the artists experienced during the weekend, watching the crowds of people coming to look at their booth and ask questions.

I didn’t have any work to show people, unless you count the magazines and two framed covers, but I got to describe my “art” in the way of talking about the magazine and what I did for the magazine.

What was most rewarding of my time there was hearing many people expressing their love of our magazine and how they think we all do a great job. Especially during these trying times, it helps to hear we are still putting out a great product people enjoy!

However, nothing could top my time at the festival weekend than getting to meet Cindy Williams, Shirley of Laverne & Shirley (One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Sclemeel, schlemazel, hasenfeffer incorporated.)

I will remember her most as the dreamy-eyed high school girl, Laurie Henderson, in the George Lucas classic American Graffiti. I made sure to tell Ms. Williams when I met her that one of my favorite movies has always been Graffiti, which seemed to surprise her coming from a young person.

She and her manager then went on to tell us about their trips to several car shows around the nation and how the film’s cast still are favorite guests at the show. Ms. Williams mentioned that they would soon be making a stop up in Dollywood and how she was looking forward to riding the roller coasters.

Cindy Williams a roller-coaster enthusiast?!? Only in Mount Dora would you find out that sort of information.

I also was able to get a picture taken with Ms. Williams and my mom, which you can view on our web site today, and she wished me a Happy Birthday and sweetly patted me on the back. She still seemed the personable person that her famous characters conveyed on screen. You can etch that in my brain under “Memories that Will Last Forever.”

If you have never gone to the festival, make it a point to go next February. You don’t have to be an art enthusiast to appreciate what all a person can do with art.