Ode to Lake City’s revitalization and annual art fest

On Saturday, April 28, my wife, JoAnne, and I drove to Lake City, to partake in the ArtFields Art Festival 2015. After a day of walking, talking, eating, and gazing at wondrous paintings and sculptures I was exhausted and exhilarated.

Great to be in a South Carolina country town that has glorified its image, reused old and historic buildings, invested in a unique streetscapes, horticulturally and environmentally embellished Lake City, and raised the cultural heritage of South Carolina country living. Wow. As you can tell it was a day well-spent in the country.

The entire Lake City community has stepped forward and in three years embraced a unique cultural festival, 35-plus competition artwork venues, four concerts on the “Green,” and “ticked” art classes and tours. Over $100,000 in cash prizes were awarded to the largest field of art entrants, over 1,000 judged art works. The attending public voted for their favorite works of art.

Lake City, as you might surmise, has a beautiful, landscaped lake and arboretum for visitors to peruse.

I was born in a small, very small, not even a town, in West Virginia, Pettyville. Pettyville had a country feel, abundant gardens, horse and cow pastures, and a general store. Lake City was a stop on the main railroad line and a shipping point for tobacco, strawberries and field crops. Tobacco and train storage warehouses still abound, renovated, the R.O.B. building an art warehouse.

Lake City’s downtown stores along with their streetscape, a village green, and many eateries exist today. A small-town atmosphere is strong and vibrant in Lake City. What really amazed me was the cleanliness, openness, and safe feeling for the visiting families. Car and truck traffic moved slowly, children could run ahead on the sidewalks, and people were watching out for each other, a comforting feeling.

Anyway we had fun. We walked our feet off. The air was fresh, the sky blue, and the scattered rain clouds moved overhead without dampening our country spirits. Besides, I could reminisce and remember my childhood days.

This story was originally published May 10, 2015 at 2:15 PM with the headline "Ode to Lake City’s revitalization and annual art fest."