Saturday, August 09, 2008

Burning River Fest 2008 - recap



It was a glorious day for Burning River Fest 2008. Not quite 80 degrees, sunny but with some clouds to offer a little relief and a steady breeze off the lake made it possible to bike down to the West Bank of the Flats and partake in some food and festivities.

Free bike valet and tune up were part of the impetus of not taking the train or bus and the only regret was the big hill getting up out of the flats. Other than that Cleveland can be pretty dang flat.

The exhibits were good, the food was amazing some of the discussions that I was able to visit made the whole thing worthwhile. All in all it was a pretty nice way to spend a Saturday.

We left a little early so chances are the end of the day may be rained out for those that stuck around until it closed, but I can think of far worse ways to spend a Saturday. I suppose if I were to suggest any sort of changes, it would be to involve the local design community (AIA Cleveland was there, but I mean other designers as well) for workshops and discussions so that visitors can see the process of smart design instead of just the end result. Sometimes understanding the process can make all the difference.

2 comments:

  1. I think that some things could have been a little different. The information that the booths had was great; however, I think the people who need the information the most don't really have access to it at the Burning River Fest. $12 is a lot to pay for someone who is having to choose between feeding their kids and putting gas in their car. Lower income individuals need to know how to lower energy costs and how to use food and fuels more efficiently. I think the ideas that the organizations had to offer were great, but their message needs to be spread farther than the crowd who will pay $12 admission. These organizations should get together and offer a FREE festival/gathering to make sure the info gets to the people who need it to survive.

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  2. I agree with anonymous regarding price--$12 is a little pricey for anyone to attend a "festival," and though I did think the whole thing was pretty awesome in terms of exhibitors and food, I can imagine the only people who attended were either those who had the dough or those who were there volunteering.

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