CITY HOPING TO GO TO “POT” WITH TOURISM INITIATIVE

Downtown Development Association president Brad Guth displays a fiberglass pot during his budget presentation at Lincolnton City Hall last weekend.

By Jon Mayhew

Members of the Downtown Development Association of Lincolnton hope city officials will throw $10,000 at a tourism initiative that would enable downtown Lincolnton to go to “pot.”

The initiative is called “Pots on Parade” and would involve 10 fiberglass jugs shaped as faces according to DDA director Brad Guth.

“It’s interesting,” Guth said. “Communities that has done events like this have drawn a lot of people and have generated a lot of money.”

Guth cites several examples, including Lexington, KY, which has horses; Chicago has cows and Lexington, NC, has pigs.

“The face jugs will be created by using different clays and glazes to make features that clearly mime human features such as teeth and eyeballs,” said Guth. “Local artists from across the county will be selected based on a criteria established by the DDA.”

Local businesses, meantime, will be solicited to sponsor the jugs to provide an honorarium to the artists. The jugs will be displayed on a corner or prominent public place in downtown Lincolnton for public viewing.

At the end of the event, the DDA will host an auction, where the jugs will go to the highest bidder.
Proceeds will go to the next year’s “Pots on Parade” as well as the Catawba Valley Pottery Center.

First, however, Guth said he needs to get the funding.

“I realize that it may not be a high priority for the city,” said Guth. “However, with this type of public art event, it’s a genuine phenomenon that has enormous drawing power.”

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