Rain on Main, a painted rain barrel contest presented by Carmel Utilities, Carmel Department of Storm Water Management and the Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District, is returning to the Carmel Arts & Design District and will debut at the Meet Me on Main event on Saturday, Aug. 8. The barrels will remain on Main Street through the following week where they will be easy for everyone to enjoy while practicing physical distancing.
On Saturday, Aug. 15, the barrels will be relocated to the Carmel Farmers Market where they will be auctioned off to the highest bidders via an online silent auction. Unlike previous years, water information tents will not be present this year to reduce physical gatherings. The barrels will also be spread out over a wider area to allow for safe viewing.
The electronic silent auction opens at noon on Friday, Aug. 7 and will conclude at 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 15. Individuals can register for the auction by texting RAIN to 88793. Net proceeds from the auction will be used to fund water education signage in Carmel Clay Parks, some of which have been installed in Founders Park located at 116th Street and Hazel Dell Parkway.
The barrels will be judged by artists but there will also be a People’s Choice selection based on votes from the public via Facebook likes on the Rain on Main page. The voting takes place from noon on Friday, Aug. 7 until noon on Friday, Aug. 14.
Rain on Main is possible due to sponsorship by 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 Carmel businesses Touch’N Go Collision, White’s Ace Hardware and Sherwin-Williams Automotive.
In addition to the main and in-kind sponsors, support can be shown by being an individual barrel sponsor. Barrel sponsorships are $100 each and details can be found on the Rain on Main webpage in the sponsorship section. A few individual barrel sponsorship opportunities are still available for 2020.
Rain Barrels continue to grow in popularity across the country; beautifully painted rain barrels increase their desirability and encourage water conservation by using recycled rainwater. 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 for a $50 cost share per barrel from the City’s Storm Water Utility.
More information about Rain on Main can be found at RainOnMain.com or Facebook.com/RainOnMain.