Missing You …
Today is kinda weird for us. After all, today is Labor Day – better known in these parts as Yard Art Day.
Normally, we would be setting up our Yard Art displays, and with excitement, getting into our cars to travel throughout the area to see all the great examples of creativity all our fellow YADists show off every year.
But this year is different. This year, we decided to put Yard Art Day on hiatus while we took a much-needed rest and better solidify our future plans.
It wasn’t an easy decision – and we especially feel it today. But it was necessary.
We started Yard Art Day in 2012, the day before the 2012 Democratic Convention here in Charlotte. People said we were nuts to have it at the same time. “Nobody will do it. No one will go out and see it. Everyone will be focused on the Convention,” we were told.
That’s when we saw our first Yard Art Day miracle.
People did put up Yard Art displays. A lot of them. A lot of you! People did come out to see all the displays and performances. In droves!
Over the following years, we saw a lot of great art and a lot of great stories. Individuals who rediscovered their passion for creativity, like the woman who signed up for watercolor classes the day after reading about Yard Art Day in the newspaper – and then worked on a YAD project with her children – or the children who asked their parents to cancel their beach trip so they could participate in Yard Art Day. Individuals who made personal statements with their art .. political statements with their art .. or were just freakin’ funny with their art.
We knew Yard Art Day meant a lot to a lot of people – and that continues to be a source of great joy to us. However, we really didn’t realize how important it was to many until this year when we put it on hiatus.
Seems a number of you will be displaying yard art anyway. Kristina Thoennes has some awesome Pokeman art on display. Jim Martin has informed us he and a few of his friends will be displaying this year. If any of you are also keeping the Yard Art Day spirit alive, please post on our Yard Art Day Facebook Group!
We cannot tell you how much that means to us.
So .. the big question. Will we be doing Yard Art Day in 2019? You bet your sweet creative posteriors we are!
Keep those thinking caps on. Start your planning. Yard Art Day is only 363 days away!
Keep an eye on the YAD Facebook Page for updates, and we’ll see you on September 2, 2019!
Deborah Triplett
Tom Petaccia