The J.B. White’s water tower atop the building on Broad Street is scheduled to get a makeover thanks to something called Project Happy Water.
Artist Leonard Porkchop Zimmerman Jr. had the idea to bring a smile to downtown Augusta, and several friends created a non-profit organization to renovate the tower and paint it happy.
“We are super, super excited about this,” said Carmen Bindues, one of the board members.
More than 300 people attended Thursday’s High Water reception at the 600 Broad building to kick off the Project Happy Water fundraiser.
Nineteen local artists donated works, which were part of a silent auction to help raise funds for the project.
Porkchop said he was grateful for the generosity of all the artists because the event couldn’t have happened without them.
Francie Klopotic was one of the artists involved in the project. Klopotic, who is also The Augusta Press Night Beat columnist, said she was honored to be part. The self-taught artist painted a portrait of Porkchop in front of a water tower.
All the paintings had a water tower theme.
The 600 Broad building was packed as guests bid on the art and enjoyed the refreshments.
Steven Deitch was among those attending the reception. He said he remembered the early days of Porkchop’s “Happy” campaign. Deitch was a server in a downtown restaurant and Porkchop would sketch there.
“It’s such a joy to see this,” he said.
The reception at 600 Broad was the first of several fundraisers that will be taking place. Other events include a special kayak trip along the Savannah River during a lunar eclipse with Two Dudes and A Boat; also, there will be an event at Art on Broad.
To learn more about Project Happy Water, visit projecthappywater.com.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the managing editor of The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com
