FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 7, 2022
IT’S BACK! IT’S WILD! IT’S FREE!
IT’S CHATHAM ARTS COUNCIL’S 20TH ANNUAL CLYDEFEST
Bynum, NC – For the first time since 2019, ClydeFEST returns to Bynum! And it’s our 20th anniversary! The Chatham Arts Council is bringing the county’s favorite family-friendly, old-school kids’ carnival back in its full form. Art, games, music, food, critters! They’re all coming back, and this year, for the first time ever – ADMISSION IS FREE! With the help of our 20th anniversary sponsor, The Jester Group at Baird, we’re making all the fun, all the excitement, all the mess absolutely free to kids of all ages. Save the date to set your inner artist free! April 30th from 11 a.m.–4 p.m at the Bynum Ball Field at Earl Thompson Park.
“We’ve been dreaming of free access to ClydeFEST for so many years, and to be able to bring this to our community as we celebrate ClydeFEST’s 20th anniversary is a real joy,” explains Cheryl Chamblee, Artistic Director of the Chatham Arts Council. “It feels just right at a time when all our kids have been staring at screens more than ever. ClydeFEST is a glorious break from that glazed-over screen-staring feeling–a chance to witness the delight of nearly 2,000 children and their grown-ups, roaming from games to life-sized bubbles to making art and art and more art.”
From the young to the young-at-heart, all are encouraged to get messy! Stop by Critterville to paint one of Clyde’s iconic critter cut-outs, and then become the canvas at the Covid-safe arm painting booth! There will be hula hooping, balloon animals, live music, dancing, and a whole bunch of stops where kids can make tiny folk-art-inspired projects of their own. Paperhand Puppet Intervention will lead a mini-parade with giant puppets, and performers on the Chatham Homes Realty stage will include Takiri Folclor Latino, Pittsboro Youth Theater, Bouncing Bulldogs, Carolina Lightnin’, Chatham Dance Connection, Sisters Voices, and more – all emceed by local legend, Pam Smith. Several local food trucks will be serving up their own works of culinary art.
A silent auction for a Clyde Jones original work of art will be held at the festival! Many long-term Pittsboro residents will remember the iconic Jones umbrellas displayed in the old Pittsboro General Store, and the ClydeFEST auction is the only chance to take one home. Additionally, you’ll have a chance to participate in an interactive art creation with long-time Jones friend and local artist, Peter Loose. This 20th Anniversary commemorative piece will also be available for auction.
More than 100 volunteers and 20 community booths are coming together to make the ClydeFEST magic happen. Volunteers can still register at https://www.chathamartscouncil.org/clydefest-volunteer-registration/ . In addition to community volunteers, the Chatham Arts Council is partnering with more than 30 local businesses who believe in the power of art, including generous sponsorships from The Jester Group at Baird, Chatham Homes Realty, Cheek Electric, Bynum Front Porch, and Triangle Custom Printing.
ClydeFEST 20th Anniversary Event Details
ClydeFEST is held at the Bynum Ball Field in Earl Thompson Park just south of Chapel Hill/Carrboro towards Pittsboro. Admission is FREE for kids of all ages. In case of inclement weather, the event will be held on Sunday, May 1 from 12 to 5 p.m.
The Sky Blue Express Bus will be ferrying people to and from the event, courtesy of the Carolina Brewery. Attendees can park in the Carolina Brewery/Lowe’s parking lots 120 Lowes Drive 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.
For more information about ClydeFEST or to schedule an interview, contact Andrea Akin, Marketing + Public Relations Leader for the Chatham Arts Council, andrea@chathamartscouncil.org or 919.548.5762.
About 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 fortieth year as a nonprofit arts agency, Chatham Arts Council’s flagship programs include Meet This Artist, Go See This, artist grants, and the Arts for Resilient Kids Initiative – serving more than 4,500 children this year. Chatham Arts Council is proud to partner with the North Carolina Arts Council, Durham Arts Council, Orange County Arts Commission, United Arts Council of Raleigh & Wake County, Chatham County Schools, and numerous Chatham arts organizations, human resource nonprofits, and local businesses. For more information, visit www.ChathamArtsCouncil.org.
