C'ville, our best days are ahead of us
Charlottesville hasn’t had a good rap in the media these days, for reasons both well-deserved and to some extent unfair.
My family set out on a warm spring Sunday to put the hand-wringing behind us and enjoy a beautiful day at the park.
The IX Art Park is the perfect place to drink in the sunlight and soft breezes of spring.
We couldn’t have had more fun – the weather was perfect and the art was expectantly quirky yet sublime. A modest festival was wrapping up as we arrived. There was a lovely vibe; a stunning blend of free and focused individuals with infants slung across their chests with vibrant-colored fabric tied in some beautiful ancient African technique. A group of percussionists filed into a van reminiscent of the Mystery Machine from the Scooby Doo cartoon.
Then, we met a groundhog who lives under the piano steps. This is the part where I literally forgot to take a picture – blogger woes! I did, however, get great shots of my daughter on the piano steps, getting her fashion model on, making mama proud.
My boys wrenched free from their too-cool selves just long enough to run and play like children. It was magical to see them dive into the wonder of the place, unrestricted by the judging eyes of their peers.
Hubby, however, was in a mood so he sat at a picnic table and listened to jazz. He laughed out loud at the “Mr. Angry Face” picture I took of him. I’ll just share the park bench pic instead, it’s much cheerier.
Funny, we’ve lived in C-ville over a year and never made it to IX Park before this trip. We had a blast and plan to return often to check out the various festivals and events throughout the summer. It’s a great place to forget about the world for a few hours and have a lovely picnic in the park with the people who matter most in your life.
The IX Art Park is located in Charlottesville, Virginia. Admission is free and the park is open 7 days a week. Large-scale events and concerts are offered throughout the year and activities such as yoga and capoeria are mainstays on the spring/summer calendar. There is a restaurant and additional space to rent for parties. Go to the IX Art Park website for more details and a list of events.
This post was written before the deadly Unite the Rigth rally in Charlottesville, Virginia August 11-12, 2017. The terrible events of that hate-filled day are imbedded in our hearts forever.
Please consider making a donation to The Heather Heyer Foundation.
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