Our troop arrived in high spirits for the Art Fest campout on the afternoon of October 5th. We weren’t only going to be camping; we were going to be helping professional artists set up their art tents for the festival the following morning.
We pitched our tent, christened the “party” tent because it was big enough for all of us, and after a dinner of spaghetti, and a quick tag game with the boys troop, we went to bed, preparing ourselves for the hard work that lay ahead.
We woke up early to the world submerged in darkness, and ate a quick breakfast of bagels and donuts. We broke camp quickly, and carried our belongings to our cars, the sun barely peeking above the clouds. We had to clear the campsite before the artists arrived, because it would then become the field that the festival was going to be settled on. The weather was warm yet carried a sharp chill to it, and we walked quickly to keep warm. An area at the corner of the parking lot was designated soley to distrubiting rolling carts to scouts, and we all lined up to retrieve one. Each pair of scouts would be directed to an artist’s car, and would safely store the artwork in the cart. The scouts would push it down the sidewalks towards the field where the festival would be held. It was fun meeting different artists, finding fascination and awe in the simplest of creations, seeking wonder in the most complex.
Artists and creators of all kinds of art streamed through the areas. As we watched people set up, we glimpsed beautiful scupltures of different animals made from birch wood, simple shapes and drawings made from sea glass, paintings of a variety of subjects, jewely from shells and gems, and a range of other mediums and types of creation. We spent a few hours setting up, not only organiizing the artists’ booths, but as well setting the tables with tableclothes, and assembling the photo booth area, with stacks of straw and colorful, plump pumpkins. Through the few hours of work we did, we were each able to help three or four artists, creating a complete, set up festival when people arrived and the festival began.
As people began filtering in to enjoy the artwork, many scouts stayed to explore with their parents. We spilled through the crowds of people, enjoying and basking in the beauty of the artwork, inspriation and wonder filling us, and the triumphance when we recognized a booth that we had helped the artist set up.