Time to celebrate - Rocket Field has a new look! The city of Watkinsville is inviting young and old to a party in the park on Saturday evening, October 14, from 5 to 8:00 pm.
Called “Rock ‘n Art at the Park,” everybody is welcome at this free event. Like the city’s logo announces, this is the way we “come, connect, and create” - through art, music, and food. Art is the centerpiece of the event. The event’s organizers commissioned a local artist to create five large murals, and the public is invited to grab a brush and a cup of paint to finish coloring the 4 X 4 foot scenes. The murals symbolize what our community offers: small, locally-owned businesses; industry, art, nature, community and hospitality.
In addition to art, music from the Splitz band will rock the field. This local band offers a mix of classic Motown, seventies funk and disco, and contemporary rhythm and blues - party music for youngsters to seniors. The band’s songs range from oldies, like the Temptations, Marvin Gaye, and Stevie Wonder, to the Gap Band and Boyz II Men.
Where there’s fun, there’s bound to be food. Local eateries, including Chops & Hops, Mama Nings, Doughbys, Farm 441, and more, will be selling snacks and meals. There’ll also be a beer and wine tent for adult refreshments with products from South Main Brewing.
“Rock ‘n Art in the Park” is made possible by a grant from the Georgia Council for the Arts. Three representatives from Watkinsville - Christine Tucker, Chair of the Downtown Development Organization; Jeff Campbell, City Council member; and Wendy Cooper, the former OCAF Director - attended a spring workshop in Thomasville, GA, as part of the council’s “More than Murals” project. The three learned how art can boost economic development by activating city spaces. At the end of the workshop, each participating city received an $8,000 grant to plan an event which would bring their community together through a partnership between local business and the arts.
With the final stage of the Rocket Field renovation in sight, the timing was perfect for “Rock ‘n Art in the Park” to kick off Watkinsville’s new/historic facility. The ball field now has homeplate restored to its original location, and is in pristine condition for play. In addition, the field sports a new scorer’s box/concession stand/restroom structure, built-in bleachers, stage/bandstand, pétanque courts, scoreboard, net climber, (to be installed by Thanksgiving) and LED lighting. These improvements were made possible by the generous donation of Oconee County resident Kelly Mahoney as well as funds from the city. Value Added Concepts, LLC, did the work. Trinity Health Care/St. Mary’s Hospital donated money for the new scoreboard.
Frances Byrd, the artist who designed the five murals, had the community in mind when she