Art in the Park, sponsored by the Arts Council of Wayne County, moved to Herman Park this year. Last year’s tornado dropped a big tree in the middle of the park we had used in previous years. The Starlight Dance Band played in the bandstand, providing music for the hula hoopers to dance to.

Girls in new balloon hats play with hula hoops

I like the new location! It’s flat! No pond! People who carry hoops to outdoor gigs will understand–no hauling hoops back up the hill when people drop them. No worrying about hoops rolling into the pond. (It only happened once, but I had to wait two hours for the hoop to drift within reach of the edge of the pond.)

Girls work on multiple hoops, and the big hoop, at Art in the Park

Herman Park drew a good crowd. Incidentally, it is the site of my first “professional” gig, when I took hoops to the BRAC Celebration party (Seymour Johnson AFB was NOT closed…) in 2005. Lots of people hooped then, and the organizers gave me one of the unclaimed door prizes for working so hard to help people have fun.

People playing with hoops at Art in the Park, Goldsboro NC

Plans are afoot to move sponsorship to Goldsboro Parks & Rec, and then repeat this event every first Sunday throughout the summer. We’re already booked for June, but plan on being there in July and following. Stop by!

Boys hooping at Art in the Park

Look at the Parks and Rec summer camp schedule, too, to see if hooping becomes a part of the program! Too soon to tell if this will be a hoop-making workshop, or simply hoops to play with in the course of the day’s activities.