VERO BEACH — Torrential week-long rainstorms might have muddied Riverside Park, creating huge watery ponds where vendors were to have pitched tents for the Cultural Council of Indian River County’s second annual Celebrate the Arts Festival. But, as with any great performance, the show must go on. And so it did.
“It’s been awesome; people have just been streaming in,” said raffle organizer Amy Selby. Each of the show’s generous vendors donated a great gift for use as a raffle or silent auction item. “It was slow early, but the sun popped up and people came out in droves. There are so many neat vendors and artists.”
“We learned a lot for the next year in terms of rain. It’s a learning experience; each year is going to be different. At least it wasn’t a hurricane,” said the ever-positive Mark Wygonik, who coordinated the all-day lineup of performances on the main stage.
Unfortunately, most people opted to listen from afar, unwilling to brave the water-logged grass fronting the stage.
“But the performances have been great,” added Wygonik. “The schools have been very solid; well-rehearsed and ready to go. Very professional. Opus [the Storm Grove and Oslo Middle School Orchestra] was amazing; they opened at 10 a.m. with 40 string instruments.”
Other performances included those by Cloudwalker Karate, Hula and Capoeira groups, the Academy for the Performing Arts, Vero Beach Capoeira Abada, the Vero Beach High School Performing Arts Center, the Indian River Charter High School, Just Me 2, and the Vero Beach Theatre Guild.
“Jon Moses [managing director of Riverside Theatre] did our park layout and on Wednesday we got a call from the Recreation Department that the park was flooded,” said Barbara Hoffman, Cultural Council executive director, adding that when his Plan B also became flooded, they were forced to improvise.
“We did the best we could do,” said Hoffman, adding that despite all the obstacles, the comments she heard from vendors and visitors alike was nothing but positive.
On either side of the park, the Vero Beach Museum of Art and Riverside Theatre both opened their doors to the community, affording dry ground and welcomed relief from the sultry heat.
By 1 p.m. close to 600 people had already visited the Museum, where an army of volunteers were on hand to greet and assist them.
Visitors were granted a last glimpse of the wonderful Walter Wick exhibit, which was closing the next day. Families with little ones in tow headed off to the Kidz ArtShop, to create their own object d’art – origami boats in a bottle. Another option was an origami frog that jumped.
“That’s the best part,” grinned Museum docent Betsy Marshall.
Others were eager to see the two newly opened exhibits.
“Carol Brown Goldberg opened last Saturday, and Kinetic Sculpture, small and really far out pieces, just opened today,” said docent Lisa Bright.
Adorable 10-year-old actresses Katie Harmody and Alison Niederpruern, dressed respectively as Alice and the White Rabbit, greeted visitors to Riverside Theatre. The pair was hoping to tempt an audience to Riverside Children’s Theatre’s upcoming Storybrook Adventures – Halloween in Wonderland.
And over on the main stage, Riverside Theatre issued a backstage pass, giving visitors a rare glimpse of the magic that occurs behind the curtain, where production teams plan, cast, design and rehearse long before the house lights dim and the stage lights come up.
Celebrate the Arts attendees were also given a copy of the 2014-15 Arts and Cultural Guide. To get yours, visit the Cultural Council offices on 14th Avenue in downtown Vero Beach.
