FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 19, 2019
GET MESSY! AT CHATHAM ARTS COUNCIL’S 17TH ANNUAL CLYDEFEST
Celebrate Local Folk Artist Clyde Jones, Experience an Old-School Kids’ Carnival, and Create Some Art Along the Way
Bynum, NC – Art, games, performances, food, fun, and critters! What do these things have in common? They’re all part of the Chatham Arts Council’s 17th annual ClydeFEST, a family-friendly, old-school kids’ carnival celebrating folk artist Clyde Jones, known locally as the “critter artist.” This year’s event, sponsored by The Jester Group at Baird, will take place on Saturday, April 6 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Bynum Ball Park, where the young and the old will come together in the name of art.
“It’s the antidote to the screen stare,” explained Cheryl Chamblee, Executive Director of the Chatham Arts Council. “ClydeFEST is one day a year where we have the privilege of witnessing the enthusiasm of nearly 2,000 children and their grown-ups as they roam from games to life-size bubbles to jump roping to arts and crafts projects.”
Attendees are encouraged to let their inner artists out, whether painting Jones’ cedar “critter” cutouts in Critterville, sporting colorful painted faces, admiring local artists and live performances, or exhibiting hidden hula hooping skills on the field. Several local food trucks will be serving up their finest to satisfy appetites amidst the full day of activities. And ClydeFEST wouldn’t be ClydeFEST without auctioning original artwork by Clyde Jones – providing a rare chance to own a piece of art by this Chatham County legend.
ClydeFEST has been a notable part of Chatham County for nearly twenty years and its essence is woven into the fabric of the Chatham Arts Council. “Our mission is to invest in artists and educate kids through the arts,” expressed Taylor Hobbs, Chatham Arts Council Board President. “ClydeFEST is an interactive event that allows us to share the arts with our entire community,” Hobbs went on to say. “We have the opportunity to encourage young children to be creative while they’re experiencing various types of art throughout the day. It’s truly unique.”
ClydeFEST is a celebration of community. Chatham Arts Council is grateful to the more than 35 local businesses partnering in this event, including generous sponsorships by The Jester Group at Baird; Opus Financial Advisors; Hobbs Architects; R.E. and E.F. Crane Foundation; Carolina Brewery; Dorrie Casey and Archie Purcell; The Bartlett-Dasher and Vega Families in memory of artist and one-time Chatham resident, Enrique Vega; Briar Chapel Friends and Neighbors; Brookwood Farms; Cheek Electric; Deep River Mercantile; Monteith; John and Elizabeth Bonitz; gh designs; Chatham Homes Realty; Rosemary House/Kindred Folk Art Gallery; 97.9 The Hill WCHL and Chapelboro.com; Bynum Front Porch; the Olinger Family; and Sanford Contractors, Inc. In addition, 20 nonprofits and upwards of 100 volunteers are coming together to make ClydeFEST a success. Chatham Arts Council is still accepting volunteers for ClydeFEST at www.chathamartscouncil.org/clydefest-volunteer-registration/.
ClydeFEST 2019 Event Details
ClydeFEST is held at the Bynum Ball Park just south of Chapel Hill/Carrboro towards Pittsboro. Admission is $5 for ages 3 to 11, $9 for ages 12 and up; children under 2 are FREE. In case of inclement weather, the event will be held on Sunday, April 7 from 12 to 5 p.m. Advance tickets can be purchased online: https://www.chathamartscouncil.org/buy-clydefest-tickets/.
The Sky Blue Express Bus will be ferrying people to and from the event, courtesy of the Carolina Brewery. Attendees can park at the Carolina Brewery in Pittsboro and take the bus to Bynum. The bus will leave on the half hour from Pittsboro and on the hour from Bynum from 10:30 am until around 4:30.
Throughout the day, there will be performances by many talented groups, including: folk singer Daniel Ayers, Bouncing Bulldogs, Clapping Hands Ukulele Group, Tommy Edwards/Carolina Lightnin’, puppeteer Jeghetto, Sister’s Voices, and Takiri Dance Troupe.
ABOUT THE CHATHAM ARTS COUNCIL
The Chatham Arts Council nurtures creative thinkers in Chatham County. We do this in two ways: we invest in artists and we educate kids through the arts. In its thirty-sixth year as a nonprofit arts agency, Chatham Arts Council’s flagship programs include Meet This Artist, Go See This, Grassroots Arts Grants, and the Chatham Artists-in-Schools Initiative – serving more than 2,500 children this year. Chatham Arts Council is proud to partner with the NC Arts Council, the Durham Arts Council, Chatham County Schools, and numerous Chatham arts organizations, human resource nonprofits, and local businesses. For more information, visit www.chathamartscouncil.org.
CONTACT: For more information, or to set up an interview, please contact April Starling, Marketing/Public Relations Leader of the Chatham Arts Council, april@chathamartscouncil.org or 917.544.0608.
NOTE: Feel free to publish partially or in its entirety, with or without a byline. The article was written by April Starling, Marketing/Public Relations Leader, Chatham Arts Council.
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