NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 16, 2000

CARY TO HOLD 24^th ANNUAL
LAZY DAZE ARTS & CRAFTS FESTIVAL

CARY, NC--The 24^th annual Lazy Daze Arts & Crafts Festival will be held in downtown Cary on Saturday, August 26, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Co-sponsored by the Town of Cary, BB&T, The Cary News and WPTF-AM, the festival features some of the very best artists from all over the country. This year, exhibitors from 17 different states from New York to Louisiana will be participating in this juried show which is one of the largest in the Southeast. Proceeds from Lazy Daze are contributed to local non-profit organizations that work to make Cary a better place to live.

"Lazy Daze has something of interest for everyone," said Mary Barry, director of Cary’s Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Resources Department. "From food and art to music and dance, Lazy Daze is Cary’s premier celebration of our community and our culture."

Three stages of live entertainment add lots of excitement and fun to the festival. The Cary High School Band and the Cary Town Band kick off the festivities on Saturday morning and Sweet Potato Pie Bluegrass and the Harmonettes will rove throughout the festival area. The Main Stage at Fidelity Plaza will host a variety of music from the bluesy sounds of The Wilder Brothers to the country kick of The Pearsall Brothers to the beach sounds of the Band of Oz. A second stage located at the Post Office parking lot has been programmed with entertainment that suits the "Kid’s World" area – magicians, mimes, clowns, singers, storytellers and puppets. The third stage at Park Street features dancers of all ages and styles.

In addition to the numerous artisans, Lazy Daze hosts over 50 non-profit groups from Cary and Wake County. Half of these groups will set up concession booths providing festivalgoers with a variety of foods. Other groups will distribute educational information and gadget give-aways about their group or offer opportunities to exchange donations for raffle tickets for fund-raising items.

With tens of thousands of festival-goers the norm, the easiest way to get to and from the festival is to take one of the FREE shuttle buses, which will be provided every 15 minutes from Cary Towne Center to the downtown event. Two areas of the mall have been designated for parking for the festival -- at Dillard’s and in the lower lot of Sears. The first shuttle departs at 8:30 AM; the last shuttle leaves Cary Elementary at 5:30 PM.

In the event of rain, the festival will be held on Sunday, August 27^th from noon to 7:00 PM. This weather decision and subsequent announcement will be made before 8:00 AM on Saturday if the event is delayed.

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