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Rain on Main, the popular painted rain barrel contest and online auction presented by Carmel Utilities, Carmel Department of Storm Water Management and the Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District, kicks off Friday, Aug. 12 with a display of 20 decorated barrels in the Carmel Arts & Design District. The barrels will be prominently featured along Main Street through the following week before they are relocated to the Carmel Farmers Market.
The artistic barrel designs will be judged on opening weekend by an independent panel of judges and the first, second and third place artists will receive cash prizes. There will also be a People’s Choice award based on individual barrel likes on the Rain on Main Facebook page from noon on Friday, Aug. 12 until 10 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 20.
On Saturday, Aug. 20, the barrels will be on display at the Carmel Farmers Market before finding new homes with the highest bidders in the online silent auction.
Individuals can place and bid and register for the auction by texting RAIN to 88793 or visiting RainOnMain.com. The auction begins at noon on Aug. 12 and concludes at 11 a.m. on Aug. 20 at the market. Net proceeds from the auction will fund water education signage in Carmel Clay Parks, some of which have already been installed in Founders Park located at 116th Street and Hazel Dell Parkway. The People’s Choice award winner will be announced live at the market at 10:45 a.m., just before the online auction concludes.
Rain on Main is made possible in part thanks to the sponsorship of Greenscape Geeks, a landscape architecture and landscaping company that specializes in sustainable and eco-friendly landscape design, installation and maintenance. The event is also supported by Tom Wood Collision Center, Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes and White’s Ace Hardware, in addition to the following Rain on Main Barrel Sponsors: 2023 Carmel Marathon, Actors Theatre of Indiana, All Things Carmel, Bazbeaux Pizza, Calico Counseling, Carmel Clay Public Library Foundation, Carmel Education Foundation, The Carrie Holle Group, Feinstein’s at Hotel Carmichael, The Great Frame Up, Indiana Artisan Gifts and Gallery, MEG & Associates, Moody Eyes, Papa Fattoush Restaurant, Purple Ink, LLC, Ranj Puthran Allstate Insurance Agency and RPM Technologies, LLC.
The use of rain barrels to recycle rainwater for water conservation and gardening purposes is growing in popularity across the United States. Carmel Utilities and all the generous sponsors hope that through the Rain on Main artistic creations of painted barrels, more homeowners will add a barrel to their yard.
Rain barrels sit under gutter downspouts to collect and store rainwater from roofs that would otherwise be lost to runoff and diverted to storm drains, streams and rivers. The collected water can then be used to water plants in the landscape instead of using treated water which saves water and energy. Additionally, Carmel residents who install a rain barrel are eligible to apply for a $50 rebate per barrel from the City’s Storm Water Utility.
More information about Rain on Main and the rain barrel rebate can be found at RainOnMain.com or Facebook.com/RainOnMain.