As music fans funnel into the town of Abita Springs for this year’s Busker Festival, it won’t be just the sounds of New Orleans area street music that set the scene.
Beyond the cadences tickling the eardrums of visitors, the grounds of the festival have been meticulously prepped, adding a backdrop most wouldn’t necessarily notice — unless it wasn’t done.
Weeks prior to the event, volunteer Cindy Davenport, alongside others from Keep Abita Beautiful and the Garden Club, have been tending to the grounds of the Abita Springs Trailhead Park where the event will take place. Davenport, now a passionate gardener, has been weeding, putting down mulch, trimming and making sure planters outside the facility are filled with fresh spring flowers. She was also among those who scoured the area, making sure every little piece of trash or abandoned cigarette butt were removed as the grounds were tidied for the event.
“Everyone has been to Disney World, and they know just how clean it is, and that is kind of how Abita is,” Davenport said. “People are always commenting on how lovely the plants are, and that’s because the Garden Club puts a lot of effort into maintaining them.”
Busker Festival, hosted by the Abita Springs Opry, will take place from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. April 12 outside the Abita Trailhead Museum on Main Street. Admission is free and will feature six acts from a variety of different street music performers. The event will run in tandem with the museum’s “En Plein Air” Art Show. Works from the show will be on display and available for purchase from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. during the festival.
As for Davenport, she will also be in attendance, working behind the scenes, picking up any new litter and emptying trash cans during the event. She insisted the weekend will be a “light duty” event because volunteers will be able to enjoy the festival. Being a part of community events is a special feeling, she said, and one she will particularly enjoy during Busker Festival.
“I can stand back behind the crowd enjoying the music with them but also knowing I played a part, along with my fellow volunteers, to make all this happen for them,” she said.
Davenport has been involved with Keep Abita Beautiful and the Garden Club since moving to the area five years ago. She started with KAB and was instantly drawn in by the people involved.
“They were so dynamic, so passionate about being involved in the community and doing things for the community, and I thought, ‘I want to hang around with these people,’” Davenport said.
And she dove in from there. She got involved with KAB cleanups and eventually the garden club, as much of the membership has some overlap. While she wasn’t an avid gardener prior, she learned so much from mentors in the club it became something she truly enjoysd.
“The passion and the mentoring I got and continue to get from the members just really sparked something in me to where I really literally dug in deep,” she said.
Now, she’s the corresponding secretary for the Garden Club and board member for KAB. The two groups work diligently behind the scenes prepping areas for many of the town’s events.
Outside of her volunteer work, Davenport is mother to her son, daughter-in-law and “fairy dogmother” to a granddog golden retriever. She’s been married to her husband for 35 years, and she loves “piddling around” with a good craft.
It’s always about the people, she said. Whether she’s at home with her family or out in the community, it’s the people who energize every experience, she said.
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