Putting on The Strut

The folks in East Atlanta Village are very proud that our neighborhood was picked as the third hottest neighborhood in the entire country.  One of the reasons it’s so hot is because of the way the community bonds together. Yes, it’s got it’s problems like any urban area but it is also pretty close knit and wonderfully supportive.  This neighborhood holds several events each year that raise awareness and funds for the various community non-profit organizations.

One of those events is The East Atlanta Strut. Which is also one of my favorite fall festivals.  It’s only a mile from my studio, tons of fun and I get to visit with friends and neighbors.  I rarely feels like work and the patrons are extremely supportive. One year it started raining as soon as I got my booth set up and didn’t let up until about 4 or 5 in the afternoon.  Many of the other venders packed up and left as soon as it stopped raining but I stayed, people came out and bought.  Many of them were very grateful that I suffered through the rain and stayed open so they could enjoy the art. They wanted to support the artists that support the neighborhood.

So when I learned that The Strut was starting to struggle I knew I had to help.  I offered to volunteer some of my time and I also attended a meeting of other interested parties and the festival committee.  It was quite a learning experience and seems like it will continue to be so.  I was a big part of the planing committee for another show a few years ago so I don’t think I’m going to be tremendously surprised by how much goes into putting on a show but I do expect that this will have a number of differences since it’s a street festival.  I hope to share some of those insights with you, I hope you’re interested.

One thing that I love about this festival is that they are mostly concerned with being something positive for the neighborhood.  If the show only breaks even but good people from outside of East Atlanta Village think about dinning, shopping or especially moving here than it’s fulfilled a goal.  To me that’s nicer than a for profit event, don’t you think?

Check out the gallery page - Future Relics Gallery by Lori Buff