So this will be my first, but certainly not the last, entry about the Lower Town Arts and Music Festival...
I have agreed, though no power on earth can reveal to me why, to be one of the Co-Directors of this years Festival here in Paducah, KY... Don't get me wrong- this is going to be a truly great little festival- one that I'll be proud to say happened in the town that I live in- I just didn't really need another full-time occupation this year!
I have to say at this point, that a lot of the heavy lifting has been done: we have lined up a great list of community partners and corporate sponsors, the Artists have been juried and the logo is designed (see above- thanks David L.)... in fact, I just designed the Information Volunteer's T-Shirt, below, to be printed on bright yellow so that they can be our (wait for it) yellow pages...
Now, I am looking deep into the site plan of our neighborhood and working with Stef, (my other Co-Director) to make all of the parts into a harmonious whole...
All the little triangles are chatting amiably with one another and I have a sneaking suspicion that this will all work out!
You know what the biggest challenge has been so far? Making the emotional transition with folks who have been here much longer than I have, from the way the Festival has been run to the way we are doing it this year.
People tell me they have not been happy.
They tell me that they have not been treated well.
My job has been, (so many different times in the past month), to walk folks through the plan, the players, the strategies and the finesse for this year and the next few years.
People are a bit skeptical- and I have gained a real appreciation for that... but the best politics are the politics of community growth and healing- those are the only ones that I can personally make time for!
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