A Message from Luis Purón, Executive Director
Dear Members,
It is hard to believe that three weeks ago, we were celebrating the 4th of July in style. The Art Auction Gala, honoring Sherol and Steve Russell was attended by 570 patrons. The energy under the tent was electric. It had been two years since we had done the grand event, and I must admit I felt out of practice. It takes a good 3 months of commitment and focus to pull off the Auction correctly. I have to say I really missed it.
The Gala was a fitting launch to the 53rd Annual Rockport Art Festival, presented by Salemi’s Ace Hardware. The blockbuster event was executed to perfection thanks to record setting funding from sponsors, the Staff and Board’s hard work, thousands of volunteer labor hours, and the dedication of two Chairmen- Karen Ernst and John Kidwell. They have worked together on this event since 2018.
Typically July events raise 60% of our annual operating budget, which cover us through the first quarter of the following year. Did we meet our goal? Yes! We are still in the process of reconciling the accounting entries. We do know that we set records in two areas: live auction proceeds and tickets sold at the gates.
The weekend’s theme was “Proud to be an American.” We can also be proud to live in a community where spirit is everything. Together we delivered tourism and economic development that will be talked about for month’s to come. Sales tax being a key indicator of success in the above rubrics, I believe you’ll be seeing records broken there as well.
Soon we will start planning for next year’s Art Festival.
Until then - Laissez les bons temps rouler…
Yours,
Luis Purón
Executive Director