As a result of a tragedy, the arts have blossomed in Frederick County. The flood of 1976 devasted downtown Frederick, and in particular, the Weinberg Center for the Arts. The city’s mayor convened a group of business and conmmunity leaders to help restore that facility to prominence. That group became the nucleus of the Frederick Arts Council. Since its inception in 1976, the Frederick Arts Council has played a major role in the renaissance of Frederick as a city of culture and artistic ambiance. The Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center, the Weinberg Center for the Arts, and the Frederick Festival of the Arts all had early associations with the Arts Council and have matured to become cultural cornerstones of the county.