Wow--it was a ton of work to put together the first annual Huss Future Festival, but what a wonderful event! The day began with a soaking downpour and predictions of severe thunderstorms barreling toward us across the Midwest, but the parking lot filled up and the skies cleared and for all eight hours we were open, the hallways were abuzz with people.
The day's events included...
- A giant rummage sale in the gym that combined items leftover at the school with donated rummage
- A room with individual rummage vendors who donated 10% of their sales to the school project
- Two rooms of art vendors who also donated 10%
- A history room set up like a lovely old living room that served as a center of information for people with connections to Huss
- A mini-farmer's market and informational table for the Triple Ripple Community Garden
- A coffeehouse with fair trade coffee and tea, live music and a bake sale
- A self-guided tour that used several creative art installations to help people see possibilities, including miniatures and painted windows
- Duke's Ping Pong Challenge, which consisted of my grandpa facing challengers for various wagers
We ended the day completely exhausted, but with so many reasons to be grateful. So many donors and volunteers (including our interns) helped make the day possible through their generous giving and creative skills. So many friends and family members came from out of town to show their support and experience the day. So many neighbors showed up and offered stories, photos and kind, encouraging words.
All in, we had around 350 people come through the doors and took in about $1,500. The numbers themselves are impressive, but beyond that, we really feel like the event successfully conveyed the vision and potential for the space. It was alive!
For more visuals, stories and audio recordings of Huss Future Festival 2010...