VERO BEACH — Those who say there is nothing to do in Vero Beach should have visited the Cultural Council of Indian River County’s inaugural Celebrate the Arts Festival held in and around Riverside Park Saturday.
Another 150 people had attended the quarterly Art of Networking event at Riverside Theatre the evening before to kick off the festival and get a first glimpse of the Cultural Council’s 2013-14 Arts and Cultural Event Guide.
A steady stream of visitors ambled along oak shaded paths all throughout Saturday, showing their support for the ever increasing number of cultural entities which make this community so special.
“We have so many great groups here today,” said volunteer Liz Mayo, an artist and owner of Artfully Managed.
One of the many perks of membership in the Cultural Council was the opportunity to host a booth at the festival; an option 100 members took advantage of.
“This was a dream; a collaborative effort,” said Cultural Council board chairman Barbara Hoffman.
She credited Jon Moses, managing director of Riverside Theatre, with creating the vision, and a multitude of volunteers for making that dream a reality.
“The thing I’m most excited about is the enthusiastic reception from our members,” she added.
“That makes it really special. Another thing I’m very pleased about is that this is a true community event for the people who live here all year long. And as the turnout shows, they’re really proud of their community.”
“The idea was to have a really good event for the Cultural Council to own, that in itself was in support of all the cultural groups, and that would serve as a benefit for being a member of the Cultural Council,” explained Moses.
There was a full diversity of booths, from the Papa Joe’s Puppet Show eliciting spontaneous giggles from an enthralled audience of little ones, to an entire section of 14th Avenue galleries, where various artists demonstrated their creative process.
One of the louder booths belonged to the Atlantic Classical Orchestra, with its instrument “petting zoo.”
“We’ve had a lot of kids making a lot of noise,” laughed Luis Gomez-Imbert, ACO’s principal double bassist as children pounded on the timpani.
“We’re hoping for more kids to make more noise. They can bang with reckless abandon.”
Over on the large outdoor stage, Mark Wygonik, board president of the Vero Beach Theatre Guild, coordinated and emceed numerous performances, played to an appreciative audience sitting in the shade of the majestic oak trees.
“We’ve got a really nice variety; it’s a good mix,” he said. “I think it’s great for the first year.”
Vero’s cultural scene has exploded in recent years, thanks in large part to an influx of accomplished and talented artists who have said that what drew them, aside from the natural paradise, was the Vero Beach Museum of Art.
On Saturday, the museum opened its doors to the community, affording some relief from the heat of the day, and presenting its diverse offerings.
Visitors were able to walk through the various galleries, including the final days of the exhibit by the famed Highwaymen.
The Highwaymen paintings mesmerized guests, who excitedly pointed out familiar local landmarks immortalized on canvas.
Docents led tours through the cool marble halls, and children were encouraged to create crafts under the guidance of museum instructors.
Several presentations were offered on various subjects and the museum gift shop was doing a brisk business.
“It is always inspiring to come to our museum,” said Diane Conway.
“The Highwaymen Exhibit is so amazing, especially because we live right here in this beauty.”
Conway and her husband Bill moved from Connecticut one year ago. The couple was showing Angela and Greg Speck, friends from Connecticut who moved here just one month ago, what Vero Beach had to offer in terms of culture.
Coming from the northeast, the Specks were experiencing a positive culture shock.
“We’ve picked up brochures from everyone,” said Greg Speck.
“There is not going to be a lack of things to do in the coming months. I’ve been so pleasantly surprised at the people who are working at the booths. They have been so friendly and helpful. It is such a treasure, right here in our own backyard. And parking is so convenient; not like up north.”
Other transplants and snowbirds have said they were equally attracted to the area by what Riverside Theatre’s producing artistic director Allen Cornell says is America’s largest and most successful small town professional theater.
Riverside Theatre issued a backstage pass Saturday, 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.
More than 100 young people, ages 5 to 17 were given the opportunity to experience the thrill of actually performing on the Waxlax Stage, as 51 acts competed in the Treasure Coast Parenting Magazine’s second annual Talent Show.
“There’s no audition, no fees. Kids just come and do their thing. It’s wonderful,” said publisher Kara Ferraro, adding that even those who didn’t win trophies would leave with a certificate and a ribbon.
“I think everyone deserves a prize for just getting up there.”
And the really lucky ones had a chance to be chosen by Riverside scouts to perform in an upcoming production.
