Festival for the Eno - 2011

One of the highlights of Durham's year is the annual Festival for the Eno which runs for three days every Fourth of July weekend. It's a fundraiser and awareness device for the preservation of the Eno river, which flows through Durham and Orange counties for much of it's length. Every year there is a new T-shirt design, and you can pick up reprints of the previous years (except some of the best designs, like the luna moth, or the four skinks, which people treasure). We bought quite a few today, since we have missed the last few years. It's always so hot that we can't go often or stay for long. A wild array of music is played on three stages across the park and artisans and environmental groups have set up booths along the many walk-ways. Though tens of thousands attend, the event is a model of green planning, with over 90% of the trash being composted or recycled. Many people gather at the concrete bridge and shallows to wade, rent kayaks and canoes, and see some of the wildlife up close. It's a congenial, thoughtful, colorful event.

Today's visit seemed really short to me, though, since I spent the majority of it on this sketch of the Grove stage. I recall the music of two musical groups while I drew. I love the cool green of the place, the informality of the crowd that gathers and changes over time, and the painting and old tobacco barn that serve as the backdrops of the stage. Before I knew it, the rest of the family was collecting me to leave.

When I started the sketch (ink and watercolor on cold press paper - 9 x 12 inches) it was less crowded. Early Sunday is a quiet time. It was more crowded (and a less attractive compoosition) when I left and took this photo for additional reference.