Piccolo finishes with flourish

Lounging on a table cloth in the grass and armed with a cooler of goodies, the Holland family was determined to spend Saturday evening enjoying fresh air and global music in Hampton Park to catch the Piccolo Spoleto Finale.

As 3-year-old Ellison Holland jumped up and down in anticipation of going back into the bounce house, her mother, Dorothy, who was relieved the rumors of rain were false, relayed a list of events the mother and daughter have caught.

Besides the finale, she and Ellison attended the Velveteen Rabbit Ballet, readings at the library, the art show at Marion Square (twice), and she and her daughter's favorite, the Seed and Feed Marching Abominable Band.

"It helps her become a well-rounded child," said Ellison's mother.

Sitting on a picnic table under the cool shade of moss-covered trees, Sheryl Whittaker, who has not been able to attend Piccolo Spoleto or Spoleto events due to work, said she brought her two sons, Terry, 14, and Justin, 9, because she wanted to catch the The Daniel Island School Taiko Drum Group performance, and because it is free.

About 125,000 to 150,000 people attended Piccolo Spoleto this year. And despite the recession, the festival exceeded the ticket sales goal, said Ellen Dressler Moryl, the city's Cultural Affairs director.

"The crowds came out this year, and they enjoyed the festival," Moryl said. "You see so many big smiles of these people when they exit a performance."

Among the globally inspired performances that took the stage near the Hampton Park pond was a Taiko Drums performance put on by seven kids in black karate uniforms, and hip hop performances by middle schoolers involved in the Carolina Studios after-school program.