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I sat down at midnight on Wednesday night the 5^th of June to write down my thoughts before the 2013 Columbus Arts Festival began – though this entry may have been filed away for me to look back on years from now – I thought it was worth sharing since so much of it rang true…

Its midnight…35 Hours before we open the doors at the 2013 Columbus Arts Festival.  A mere 2100 minutes before the first of what will be more than 400,000 patrons passes through our gates to enjoy the 52^nd annual Columbus Arts Festival.

I check the countdown clock daily, it reminds me how fast the time passes between the closing of one year’s festival and the opening of the next.  I stopped to ponder though, and realized that a festival year really is close to a thousand years all rolled up into a nice tight 365 day package.

We have more than 280 artists who have spent an entire year creating the art that is shown and sold in their booths – hoping that their work will catch the eyes of our patrons and find its way into their homes. Tens of thousands of hours are spent throughout this short year by these talented artists creating pieces for patrons to enjoy for the rest of their lives.

There are hundreds of performers who will grace our three stages, who have spent an entire year in recording and dance studios, in theaters and in front of their bedroom mirrors practicing and honing their skills so that they are the best that they can be when they perform at the festival. They work very hard all year long so that perhaps they can give their audience a moment of happiness while watching their performance.

Hundreds of food vendors create new recipes and perfect those that have been handed down to them from generations of cooks so that they can see the smiles on their customers’ faces when they take that first bite of their delicious creations.

More than 300 volunteers have spent their year being devoted to the notion of giving their time so that others can enjoy all of the wonderful events that Columbus has to offer.

The countless electricians, tent professionals, cleaners, police officers, production workers and other vendors who help us put this event on; spend the year perfecting their skills and services as well.

Hundreds of people who work for our sponsors have spent the year earning profits that they then share with us so that we can afford to pay the nearly half a million dollars in costs that the festival generates.

And most important to me are the more than 60 members of the Arts Festival Coordinating Committee who have each spent the year creating and implementing new ideas that make the Festival one of the finest in the country. This wonderful group of people gives a great deal of time throughout the year with the sole purpose of putting on a wonderful event for our artists, our patrons and all who enjoy the three days of the festival each year.

Yes, it’s midnight and many of those committee members are out on the streets preparing for the arrival of the artists early in the morning, and I praise them for their dedication. Tomorrow, it will most likely rain and they will be out there smiling and happy, knowing that at 11:00 on Friday morning – when the sun once again shines on the beautiful Columbus Riverfront – their year of work will all be paid back by the smiles on the faces of everyone who comes to the festival.

It did rain on Thursday, in fact at times it poured! I saw all of the dedicated Artists, Vendors, Police Officers, Electricians and of course, our happy group of Committee members with big smiles on their faces, making the last preparations for the 2013 Columbus Arts Festival. It rained all night, and through the final set up on Friday morning the sky was still spitting on Columbus.

At 10:45 AM – just 15 minutes before our Festival officially opened, the clouds parted and the sun broke through as if to say thank you to all of the people who worked so hard preparing for The Columbus Arts Festival – a thousand years in the making.

I will add my thank you to that of Mother Nature – The Columbus Arts Festival was by all accounts one of the best ever – To those artists who joined us this year - thank you for being a part of it.

I wish you all the greatest success throughout the year!