Llano Earth Art Festival features first rock-stacking championship
The Llano Earth Art Festival and rock-stacking championship is March 13-15 at Grenwelge Park in Llano. Photo courtesy of Llano Earth Art Festival
JARED FIELDS • PICAYUNE STAFF
LLANO — Tex Toler believes Llano has found a sport like no other that the city can use to draw people to the area from around the world. It’s a sport innate to human nature that might be the only one not to use velocity.
The sport? Rock stacking.
“This is the opposite; you don’t want velocity, you want inertia,” said Toler, the Main Street Llano manager.
After months of planning, Llano is ready to host its first-ever Llano Earth Art Fest & National Rock Stacking Competition on March 13-15 at Grenwelge Park, located east of the Texas 16 bridge on the south bank of the Llano River.
Rock balancing and earth art has grown in popularity along creeks and rivers and has an online community of artists.
“I’d been seeing rock stacks and rock balances in town, and I stumbled upon a picture on Pinterest,” said Binky Morgan, committee chair for the event. “I thought Llano was just perfect for this because there’s just such amazing geological formations.”
The committee reached out to perhaps the most well-known rock-balancing artist, Michael Grab, to invite him to attend. He agreed, and since then, other artists, performers and fans of all types of earth art have asked to participate.
“People want to see him. It’s a rare opportunity,” Morgan said.
Grab just performed for world leaders in Switzerland and has traveled extensively to demonstrate his skills. His website, www.gravityglue.com, showcases his unbelievable creations.
“It grew into this huge thing we never expected. We were enthralled at who wants to be a part of it. We’re thrilled,” Morgan said about the event.
The rock-stacking competition will have five categories: height, balance/defy gravity, artistic/freestyle, arches and a junior division (for ages 13 and younger) that is a height-only category.
The event is mostly free. Camping, a competition entry fee and a Sunday showing of a movie at the LanTex Theater are the only activities that cost money.
“Live music, children’s activities, performance art, fire dancers, belly dancing, there’s someone who paints to music, themed camps, sandcastle guys,” Morgan listed. “Tons of activities and workshops.”
Go to www.llanoearthartfest.org to see a full schedule of events.
jared@thepicayune.com