Retirement community Galloway Ridge at Fearrington is hosting the first ever Goat Parade to benefit the Robert and Pearl Seymour Center in Chapel Hill and the Chatham County Council on Aging.
Ten painted goats were presented to the community during Festifall on Sunday. They will be placed around Orange County before being auctioned off Nov. 14.
This week, staff writer Tiffany Watkins visited the Chapel Hill and Orange County Visitors Bureau, which currently houses a goat called Dogwoods and Diplomas.
The idea behind the name Dogwoods and Diplomas combines the town’s beauty, especially when the flowers are starting to bloom, with the prominent association the town shares with the University.
“This goat makes a lot of sense for us because we’ve got the dogwoods painted on the back of our building, and of course the diplomas are for UNC”, said Susan Rice, the coordinator for the visitors center.
Marlene Barbera, sales director for visitors bureau, said though the goat arrived on Monday, the visitors bureau has already gotten great feedback.
Barbera said Diny Rahimtoola, the artist who created Dogwoods and Diplomas, was able to come by earlier in the week and loved the display of her goat.
The Chapel Hill Art Gallery, a supporter of local artists, is a sponsor of the Dogwoods and Diplomas goat. The goat features the gallery's logo on one side and the Old Well on the other.
Rice said the goats are going to be relocated frequently and rotated through the various locations.
“They’re going to move around,” Rice said. “We’re going to have this one for two weeks, then somebody else is going to have it for two weeks and in about six weeks or so they’re going to have the big auction at Fearrington.”
Rice said anyone is welcome to come by, take pictures and learn more about the cause. Maps of the goats' locations are also available at each site.
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