City starts to 'do Westobou'

The inaugural Westobou Festival opened Thursday night with a little British Invasion and some quiet meditation.

The 10-day festival officially kicked off in front of a packed Augusta Common. Eyeing the grassy expanse anxiously as crowds began to filter in, Kathi Dimmock, managing director of the festival, said there were equal parts nerves and anticipation as the event finally began.

"Last night it felt like a child waiting for Santa Claus to come," she said. "That's what it is like when you have been working on something as long as we have been working on this. I mean, the trustees (of the Porter Fleming Foundation, the presenting organization) have been talking about this day since 2005."

The festival will feature more than 200 performances, but began with only two. Local Beatles tribute act Number 9 kicked off the event with a two-hour set of Fab Four classics. The band's set was followed by the official unveiling of Slow Dancing , a large scale photography/instillation/dance work presented by the Augusta Ballet. Seated in the dark and facing a triptych of 25 dancers moving in super slow motion, the crowd quickly went from raucous to reflective.

Augusta Mayor Deke Copenhaver addressed the crowd before the entertainment began. Encouraging Augusta to "do Westobou," he said the festival was just the sort of event Augusta required to silence its naysayers.

"So many people say there's nothing to do in Augusta," he said. "I wish they were here tonight. I wish they could see this, because we have 10 days of things to do in Augusta."

Ms. Dimmock, who has spent 18 months planning and preparing for Westobou, said enjoying the event is exactly what she plans on doing. She said she sees her work as mostly done.

"I might have to tweak," she said with a laugh. "But next week I know I'll be asking myself what I should be doing. The answer is enjoying the events we have scheduled."

Reach Steven Uhles at (706) 823-3626 or steven.uhles@augustachronicle.com.