STREETS OF DOWNTOWN CARY TO COME ALIVE WITH
LAZY DAZE ARTS & CRAFTS FESTIVAL

Music, arts and crafts, concessions, civic groups come together in Town government’s largest event

CARY , NC – Mark your calendars and plan on spending August 23, 2008 , from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in downtown Cary celebrating the Town’s 32^nd annual Lazy Daze Arts & Crafts Festival.  At 8:45 a.m. the Cary Town Council will officially open the Festival during which more than 100 artists’ booths will line the downtown streets, each showcasing and selling unique handmade products.  Exceptional arts and crafts, food and drink concessions, children’s activities at the Kid’s World stage, and entertainment for all ages on multiple stages throughout the day await the more than 60,000 Festival-goers expected to attend.

“The Town of Cary ’s Lazy Daze Arts & Crafts Festival is a must-see-and-be,” said Joy Ennis, festival coordinator. “The artisanry is varied and impressive, the entertainment great fun, and the food and drink plentiful.  There’s plenty of reasons why about 60,000 people will participate in Lazy Daze this year, an event recognized as one of the South’s premier festivals.  Whether you have never been to Lazy Dave, have attended every year, or something in between, we look forward to having you with us in downtown Cary on August 23.”

New for the 2008 Festival, Cary ’s Town Hall Campus will house the Cary Visual Art Temporary Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit. The opening of the show is planned so that those attending Lazy Daze will have the opportunity to view the art works, which will then be on display through June 2009.  Guided tours and activities at the exhibit location will be ongoing during the Festival.  

Wellness World will also make its first appearance this year.  This exhibit will host artist guild demonstrations by the Cary Clay Cooperative, North Carolina Gourd Society and Colored Pencil Society of America.  The Physical Fitness Expo, within Wellness World, will host booths and displays geared to helping you learn how to get and stay in great physical shape, and when you visit the Wellness World stage you will learn new ways to stay fit and well. 

And at the Hands on History exposition, located at the corner of Academy Street and Kildaire Farm Road , participants will enjoy old-fashioned games, hot dogs, lemonade, and ice cream, make a corn husk doll and learn about Cary of yore. While there, get your picture taken with the Lazy Daze Lazy Man.

The day’s entertainment will be changing constantly at three stages.  Amazing Spaces Stage (located in front of Fidelity Bank), Old Cary Elementary School Stage (located in front of Old Cary Elementary School ) and Bright Horizon’s Kid’s World Stage (located in Kid’s World – corner of Park and Academy Streets) will host entertainment that includes cloggers, live music, clowns, magic and more.  Roving entertainment will be provided by the Interactive Theater of Jef, the Harmonettes and the Shadow Players Stage Combat Group.

Featured Festival artist and North Carolina native, Ann Harwell, will be on-site at booth #C300, at the corner of Chatham and Academy Streets, where Festival-goers can purchase for $10 a copy of the official Lazy Daze poster, created by Harwell.  The poster features a quilt made by Harwell, who since 1999 has been making quilts at Artspace in an open studio in Raleigh 's historic City Market.

Avoid the traffic and take one of the free shuttles running every 15 minutes from Sears at Cary Town Center Mall to Cary Elementary School .  The first bus leaves Sears at 8:30 a.m. and the last bus leaves Cary Elementary at 5:30 p.m.   Cary Towne Center Mall is located at the corner of Maynard Road and Walnut Street .  Free parking is available at the Cary Town Hall Parking Deck – just an easy two-block walk to the Festival.  The deck is located on Wilkinson Avenue between Cary Town Hall and the Herbert C. Young Community Center .

Lazy Daze proceeds are returned to the community in the form of grants to local non-profits whose projects add to the Town’s quality of life.  Since its inception, the Lazy Daze Grants Program has re-invested more than $415,000 in the local community in the form of grants.

In case of rain, Lazy Daze Arts and Crafts Festival will take place on August 24 from 1-7 p.m. , also in downtown Cary .

For more information, including the complete entertainment schedule, visit Lazy Daze Arts & Crafts Festival at www.townofcary.org or call (919) 469-4061.

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