A commenter on this Festival in the Park, 1964 post sparked my curiosity:
We both remarked how the logo has not changed in 50 years so I dug into the archives for some history.
*This is by no means a complete list of Jack Pentes' works, just a quick hit!*
1964 ad in the Charlotte News
The Festival in the Park logo - a double-orbed tree with multi-colored leaves, paired with the festival's name scrawled in black - hasn't been altered since Charlotte artist Jack Pentes designed it for the first fest in 1964. Pentes graduated from Central High in the late '40s, started sign painting and went on to greater things, including the Festival in the Park logo.
More Pentes works:
- Nixon Brothers Steak House murals
- Esso building mural
- 'North Carolina National Bank barricade'
- backdrops in store windows
- one-man shows at the Public Library
- Conceived and built a cookie house displayed at Park Center in 1959. 'The house stood 15 feet high, complete with roof top, door, windows and window boxes, and a marshmallow cookie chimney. All were bedecked with 60 varieties of cookies in almost as many sizes, shapes and textures.' It was part of a 'well-known cookie company's products at a grocers' convention' in Charlotte.
- Conceived The Land of Oz theme park based on “The Wizard of Oz” which opened atop Beech Mountain in 1970. The park closed in 1980.
Pentes was also a member of Carolina Clowns, and enjoyed taking part in the Carrousel Parades. In 1956 he was asked to appear as Bobo the Clown on WBTV's 'Big Bill's Clubhouse', a role he played for a year.
He and his wife, Ruth, owned Pentes Artworks Gallery off South Boulevard. They still reside in Charlotte.
Jack Pentes died this week. Hope the Observer will do an extended look at his life and work. He was involved in so many of facets of the region from the Charlottetown Mall animatronic displays, Tweetsie Railroad, Festival in the Park and The Land of Oz. He had most of his business success with his PlayPort soft play company (kids play areas at Burger King etc.) and they were imitated by a bazillion companies. He could make everything an adventure!
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