By Angela Hatton
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkms/local-wkms-904306.mp3
Paducah, KY – Close to twelve thousand people visited the LowerTown Arts and Music Festival in Paducah this past weekend. For seven years, representatives from the city have been lead organizers. This year, the local artists in LowerTown took control, promising a festival that focused on regional artists, food, and music. Organizers hoped the regional focus would keep the money generated from the festival in the region too. Angela Hatton visited LowerTown to see how that plan turned out.
Visitors at the LowerTown Arts and Music Festival heard bands, sampled food, and watched art demonstrations. Some found themselves talking to huckster pirates.
As part of the entertainment, the Renaissance St. Louis Theatre group performed skits on the balconies of LowerTown's historic homes.
The performers are an exception to the regional rule. Most of the participants didn't have to travel as far. Paducah artist John Romang and his collaborator Joshua Connelly spent Saturday painting a 12 foot long, and four and a half feet high mural.
"I'm working on the left-hand side which is going to be a giant crow, which will eventually turn into a bunch of women apparently. We're kind of working we have different styles, then usually it works really well when we put them together."
Romang says they decided to do the piece during the festival as a promotion for their upcoming gallery exhibition in July.
Students and teachers from the culinary arts program at West Kentucky Community and Technical College also used the festival for self-promotion. The group gave out free food they prepared on site.
This is the first time anyone from the culinary arts program has participated in the LowerTown festival. It's one of many changes this year. Organizers also touted the event as the greenest festival in Paducah. Recycling stations dotted the street corners, and instead of information brochures, volunteers wore bright yellow t-shirts with questions marks and answered queries. Megan Green says a lot of people just wanted to know where to get water.
"Y'know I think the only thing they could have maybe kind of expanded on a little bit was just letting people know where stuff is. I mean, they have some signage, but I think it's a little confusing to people exactly where the food area is in relation to the kids area, or stuff like that."
Some complained about the lack of seating on which to enjoy a drink or a pulled pork sandwich. Saturday night's musical entertainment ended abruptly when band Bawn in the Mash wasn't allowed to play past 10 PM.
Painter Stefanie Graves and Ceramic-maker Michael Terra co-directed this year's festival. They took over from the Paducah Renaissance Alliance.
"Because of the political aspects of transition, you really had about a hundred days to pull everything you see out here together."
Terra says next year he and Graves will have much more time to pull everything together. Even with the hitches, this year's festival was as well, if not better attended than in years past. First time attendee Angie Overby says the festival received more promotion on local media outlets.
"I've heard about it before, but just didn't really know everything. Then they started talking about how they had the sculptors and the painters and everybody set up. And . . . makes a difference."
A long-time attendee and student at the University of Louisville says the festival was more spread out this year, and he liked the multiple performance stages. But he misses some of the old style.
"I was kind of disappointed that they didn't have as bigger acts, y'know, they were all more local smaller groups. Y'know, having a big band would be like a big funk band or something, y'know . . but it will be good. I know it will be good either way."
Michael Terra says the regional focus is good for Paducah's economy because the money made at the festival will be spent locally. Terra says LowerTown has received national press from The New York Times because very few festivals limit themselves to regional artists.
"I think we might be at the leading edge of a wave, because every region has something to offer that's different, and I think we're kind of breaking new ground here and I think other cities will follow."
Statistics for the festival haven't been finalized, but Terra says conservative preliminary estimates show vendors made two hundred thousand dollars in the three days they were in LowerTown. Terra says that doesn't include the businesses and other attractions outside the three square blocks provided for the event. He predicts the overall economic impact was closer to five hundred thousand dollars.