ESCONDIDO -- Although she is not an artist, 83-year-old Louise Hoy Cook puts paint brush to canvas every year to try and capture the spirit of the city's Grape Day Festival and Parade.

Undeterred by her lack of training or practice, she participates in the Escondido Historical Society's annual, free contest to turn a two-sided white canvas banner into an illustration of the city's annual community festival and parade, this year set for Sept. 6.

"I have participated for the last three years just to see if I really could do it," she said of the banner painting. "I never was an artist. I always did things like needlework and quilting instead."

The Escondido Society just put out its yearly call for anybody, artist or not, to come down to its office at 321 N. Broadway and enter the free contest. Entry will put every participant in a drawing for a $100 prize.

"We started the banner contest to get the arts more involved," said Wendy Barker, the executive director of the Escondido Historical Society, as she unpacked a box of old banners at the society's office in Grape Day Park Tuesday. "We hang all of the banners around the park during the event."

Barker pointed out that the finished banners range from precise oil paintings of grape vines and wine bottles to more casual scenic pictures complete with fake flowers and leaves attached or fine needlework and fringe. One banner, adhering to a space theme, was lined with purple bulbs posing as grape bunches.

Only about six to 12 people turn in completed banners each year, and Barker said the deadline for this year's banners is Sept. 3. All banners must be returned to the Historical Society or the Artists Gallery, 121 W. Grand Ave. in downtown Escondido.

The finished banners are displayed on poles held by local Girl Scouts marching in the Grape Day Parade, and then kept for decorations in future events, Barker said.

Escondido's Grape Day Festival dates back to 1908, when Escondido was the county's center for wine production and the event was used to promote the town, Barker said.

As the event grew it also endured long hiatuses. For example it was put on hold between 1941 and 1945 during World War II and in 1947 because of a major flu epidemic, according to Barker. It was resurrected by the historical society in 1996 and has been growing ever since. This year it is set to include grape stomping, games, craft vendors and a wine garden, she added.

The banners can illustrate the Grape Day festivities or can focus on the event's annual theme. This year, the theme is "Grape Day Goes to the Movies," in honor of a 16-screen movie theater now under construction in downtown Escondido. The city's first large movie theater, as well as the only movie theater in this city of 134,000 people, is set to open in November.

"With the theater opening up soon, we wanted to go with a movie theme," Barker said. "We also plan to hand out movie posters during the festival."

The movie theme got Cook thinking, and researching, she said Tuesday. An avid old movie fan, she decided to make her banner a history of movies.

"I am putting more work in this one than I should," she said. "I am starting with the silent movies and bringing the history forward to the new theater."

She said she has enjoyed researching the look of the old and new theaters and hopes the banner can also be used to show those younger than she how movies, as well as Escondido, have grown through the years.

"I am probably one of the few people around here who remembers going to silent movies," she said chuckling. "So I guess it's good that I can do this."

For more information, contact the Escondido Historical Society at (760) 743-4382.

Contact staff writer Erin Massey at (760) 740-5416 or emassey@nctimes.com.

8/20/03