Mount Pleasant’s Campus Park will cap an action-packed summer with a new gathering for kids of all ages to brighten its paved paths with chalk drawings.
Chalk the Walk on Saturday, August 23rd will open Campus Park as an enormous canvas where adults and kids can grab a bundle of chalk and let their imaginations run free. Enjoy Mount Pleasant and the Racine Arts Council partnered to organize this new event that will last from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
All of Campus Park’s paved paths will be fair game. Attendees are encouraged to bring chalk, but chalk will also be provided. This free gathering is intended for all ages, and skill levels ranging from stick figures to fine art.
All of the chalk artists, amateur to expert, attending the event are encouraged to share their masterpieces through social media by tagging the Village’s Facebook and Instagram accounts. The Village will post pictures it receives throughout the day to create a digital chalk art gallery.
Chalk the Walk is among several summer events in Campus Park organized by the Village of Mount Pleasant Tourism Commission, also called Enjoy Mount Pleasant. Its other events include four free Sounds at Sunset concerts, which has shows coming up on July 29 with Betsy Ade & the Well-Known Strangers, and August 19 with Dancing Queen: An ABBA Salute.
“Chalk art is for everyone, so we invite the entire community to Campus Park to share in the fun and creativity on August 23rd,” said Village of Mount Pleasant Tourism Manager Matt Prochaska.
RedKhlover Creamery will serve up its handcrafted frozen treats, and The Inclusive Bean will offer coffee and pastries for purchase.
Local artists and educators Caiti Rose and Marybeth Zuhlke will offer pointers and display their skills by crafting their own chalk masterpieces. Zuhlke’s artistic career dates to the mid-1960s when she did caricatures on the San Antonio River Walk while attending college. As her career progressed, she taught at Cardinal Stritch University and Our Lady of Grace Academy in Racine, supervised student teachers at University of Wisconsin-Parkside, and held workshops for Kenosha Unified School District.
Rose is a local artist and founder of Sharktopia who uses her illustrations to spread awareness for ocean life and conservation. She works with the nonprofit educational organization Sharks4Kids and is also a board member of Spectrum School of the Arts and Gallery in Racine.
Chalk the Walk is a free, public event, and Campus Park’s playgrounds and splashpad will be open. Parking is available on-site at 8500 Campus Drive, and nearby at Mount Pleasant Village Hall and surrounding streets. No carry-in beer, wine or liquor, glass containers, or dogs are permitted.
Stay in the loop on Chalk the Walk and other Mount Pleasant events by visiting the Village of Mount Pleasant’s Facebook page.