Every once in a while, we get a strong reminder of why we call Carrboro home. Sunday was one of those days.
Of all the public events held in our town, the Carrboro Music Festival is the one that defines us best. Music, art, food, lots of people, and did we say music? In every nook and cranny there was music to be found.
Loud, soft, rock, jazz, folk, prog, ethnic – you name it and you could hear it in Carrboro Sunday. Well, maybe no classical, but that’s OK for this one day.
The streets were crowded with music lovers of all ages, and, for once, the Weaver Street construction didn’t matter. Pedestrian traffic is the order of the day at the Music Festival, and the chalk drawings on East Weaver Street showed that the next generation of Carrboro artists are not exactly waiting in the wings.
Twenty-five venues, from Looking Glass Café on the west end to Jessee’s Coffee in the east, drew crowds that ebbed and flowed along with the music. Local bands were mixed with groups from, well, other places. There is music outside of Carrboro, you know. Just maybe not last Sunday.
The economic impact of the Carrboro Music Festival can’t be minimized either. Drinks were poured, food served and goods purchased, all in large quantities it seemed. It was a real shot in the arm for our restaurants and merchants. The Music Festival is a great example of what happens when we draw folks downtown. And boy, did we draw them.
Organizers Gerry Williams and Kim Andrews, along with the Carrboro Recreation & Parks Department and a host of volunteers, are all to be congratulated on a job well done. Sure, the good weather played a big part in the success of this year’s festival, but these folks always put on a great show rain or shine. Last year proved that.
And as dusk turned to night, one particular sight caught our eye – a dancer atop the hood of an old car next to the Carrboroland stage, twirling flaming orbs to the melodic shoegaze of Free Electric State. It had to be the Carrboro Music Festival.