Allied Arts is Chattanooga's official arts funding agency and raises up to $2 million each year to help support the city's major arts organizations. Allied Arts Director, Dan Bowers, considers the city his palette; since joining the nationally recognized organization in 2007, he has made some remarkable changes.
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The morning sky was bright and clear as Hilary McHone and Rick Baker joined hands on Lover’s Leap. Surrounded by curious onlookers in a city they had never visited, the two finally tied the knot in exactly the way they wanted. After driving cross-country from Los Angeles, McHone, 35, and Baker, 38, had a small ceremony at Rock City on July 14, 2009. “I think a lot of people get caught up in what other people want for their wedding,” McHone says. “This was very much ours, and everyone is still able to share it in a different way.” A bright green Ford Fiesta made their journey across the U.S. possible. McHone is one of 100 participants chosen to be agents in the Ford Fiesta Movement. The agents test-drive a Ford Fiesta for six months in preparation for its U.S.debut in 2010. The fuel-efficient car is currently available in many countries in Europe, South America, and Asia. McHone has logged over 20,000 miles on the car since April, with gas and insurance compliments of Ford. The two decided on Chattanooga for the wedding, since it seemed nice and they had never been here. They stayed at the Mayor's Mansion Inn, and after the wedding at Rock City, the two went hang-gliding below Lookout Mountain before continuing on to Dollywood. “Rick and I had planned on eloping anyway,” McHone says. “But this gave us a great opportunity to use the car, and have the time, and it’s a little less expensive for us. It’s great.” Family, friends, and interested audiences can follow their journey on Twitter, Blogspot, YouTube, and Flickr. “The whole Fiesta thing is like a social media experiment,” Baker says. “And we are an example of a social media experiment, of bringing people together in a very real way. We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for Flickr, which seems crazy.” The two met on the photography-sharing site Flickr. McHone is a photographer, and Baker an artist, and they began taking an interest in each other’s art -- and in each other. Social media also played a part in their wedding. They collaborated with designers for the wedding dress, bouquet, and boutonniere via the online handmade marketplace Etsy. McHone wore a green dress, her favorite color, and also the color of the Fiesta.
“It brought it home that this is not what it’s about,” Baker says. “It’s not the suit, it’s not the place, it’s not anything else.” “It’s that we’re getting married,” McHone adds. “And that is what’s important.” Websites to visit: Hilary McHone, Fiesta Movement: http://www.fiestamovement.com/agent41 Hilary and Rick’s blog: http://hilaryandrickgethitched.blogspot.com |
Rock City Wedding
The two suffered a few mishaps on their way across country. The car broke down in Flagstaff, and a rental car sufficed while a new car was shipped from Europe. While driving through New Mexico, they discovered Baker’s suit was still hanging in the hotel in Arizona. But the misfortune was only temporary. Ford arranged for a new Fiesta from Germany to meet them in Chattanooga, and Baker’s suit arrived by FedEx just as the two were walking out the door to the wedding.
