Arts on the Green turned into music in the gym Saturday evening after thunderstorms and heavy rain soaked Ball State University's campus.
Despite the weather, about 1,200 people showed up at the Quad expecting an art and music festival, but they found that the festival had been moved into Ball Gymnasium. The art vendors were canceled because there wasn't enough room in Ball Gymnasium, according to Elissa McDonald, executive director of the Muncie Symphony Orchestra.
McDonald has been organizing this event for five years and was surprised that the turnout was so large. Last year, 3500 people attended the festival. "To fit 1,200 people in this gym, it's amazing," McDonald said.
Many people sat outside on the Quad and ate their packed picnic lunches, despite the heat and the looming rain. "I wish it would have been outside," Jack Kelley, an attendee, said. "We like the outdoors."
Although the art show was canceled, there were a variety of booths and activities at the festival, and many activities were geared toward family fun. Children made model airplanes, got their face painted, painted recycled flowerpots and even sang karaoke. Many of the booths were also interactive exhibits.
One of the children's exhibits was a flowerpot booth sponsored by Full Circle Arts Co-op. Kids could paint a recycled flowerpot with any design and take it home to watch the plant grow.
Angie Vanderluit, member of the board of directors of Full Circle and a Ball State student, said, "I really like to see kids encouraged to be creative."
Mary Ogle, treasurer of the Full Circle board of directors, said that the donations collected at this event would contribute to a fund to keep free events, like this one, going.
Other booths at the festival were provided by Cardinal Greenway, Muncie Public Library, Cornerstone Center for the Arts, Second Harvest Food Bank, National Model Aviation Museum, BSU Museum of Art and Indiana Public Radio.
The Muncie Public Library booth promoted usage of the library and reading. Emily Hartfield, youth librarian at the Maring-Hunt branch, passed out booklets that promoted books that will be released this summer. She also told onlookers about the library's summer reading program, which runs June 1 through July 1.
For Kelley, the festival is a tradition and a sort of reunion. Kelley said that he and his family have been attending this festival for 20 years.
"We have been coming to this festival since our daughter was a baby and she's a senior at Ball State now," Kelley said.
For many people like Kelley, the festival is about catching up with old friends.
"We love coming here and seeing people we haven't see in a long time," Kelley said.
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