Umbrellas cover downtown Waynesburg
The Greene County Courthouse sidewalk has been transformed into a colorful art experience, called “Umbrellas Over Rain Day.”
“We’re trying to bring Rain Day back a bit,” said Rain Day special events coordinator Athena Bowman. “This year we have a lot going on.”
Hughie’s Event Production Services of Pittsburgh created the installation, which features around 100 brightly colored umbrellas, which will be suspended on metal frames until July 30. The company is also doing sound for Monday’s Rain Day Festival.
“When I reached out to (Joe Walsh, production coordinator for Hughie’s), he was very enthusiastic to take it on,” Bowman said. “It is our first time working with them and doing a project like this.”
On July 19, Hughie’s set up the display. The umbrellas hang 15-16 feet in the air and are “colorful, bright, neon colors,” Bowman said. Each are red, green, yellow or blue.
On July 20, there was a kickoff ceremony on the courthouse steps. Guests enjoyed free games and caricatures by Jeff Harris and were able to purchase food from 5 Kidz Kandy while listening to music by DJ Lucien. Rain Day merchandise was also available for purchase, while there were opprotunities to take selfies under the umbrella sky and enter a 50/50 raffle for a chance to win Rain Day items.
Guest speakers at tomorrow’s ceremony, along with Walsh, were Waynesburg Borough Mayor Brian Tanner, State Rep. Pam Snyder, County Commissioner Blair Zimmerman and representatives from two sponsors of the installation: Three Rivers Royalty and WVU Medicine. Three Rivers Royalty is also one of 33 sponsors for this year’s Rain Day Festival.
“We are so excited to be able to make the umbrella sky concept possible. The creativity this kind of project allows is not only challenging, but it’s fun,” Walsh said. “You don’t often get a chance to paint the sky with color.”
The Umbrellas Over Rain Day was inspired by a similar installation at the Three Rivers Art Festival and a single umbrella Judge Farley Toothman had hanging in the alley near the courthouse. Bowman said as soon as she saw both she knew she had to make it happen for Rain Day.
According to a news release from the Waynesburg Borough office, similar art displays have appeared in only half a dozen cities around the world: Lisbon, Paris, San Juan, Pittsburgh, Pensacola and Coral Gables.
“I’m really excited about the Umbrellas Over Rain Day Sky Project. Umbrellas are so appropriate for our festival,” said Waynesburg Mayor Brian Tanner in the news release.
In addition to this installation, county office buildings and businesses around the borough are displaying umbrellas painted by students at Beth-Center High School. To fund this project, the Fayette cultural trust partnered with the Marianna Outdoorsmen Association, which received a public Art and Restoration grant from the Benedum Foundation.
These umbrellas are displayed in the following locations in downtown Waynesburg: Waynesburg Borough Office, Greene County Tourist Promotion Agency, Greene County Economic & Development Office and Ben McMillen’s Photography.
After August 6, the students’ umbrellas will be on permanent display at Marianna Outdoorsmen Association building in Clarksville.
Bowman found the painted umbrella project after someone tagged the Rain Day Festival in a Facebook post.
“We’re just all collaborating together, it’s good,” Bowman said.
For more information on Rain Day, visit raindayfestival.com.