‘Chalk it Up’ to Bring the Best Local Artists to Blossomfest

By Joe Bachman
WISCONSIN RAPIDS — Blossomfest will have its very own ‘Walk of Fame’; however, it’s more like a ‘Chalk of Fame’.
The fourth annual ‘Chalk it Up’ event held on June 15 will see the best in local area artists with a unique flare for chalk art. What started as a sideline to the former ‘Art Walk’, the popularity of the Chalk Art portion of the event grew into its own — and it’s been growing ever since.
“It’s grown double in attendance every year,” said event coordinator and Owner of Pamela’s Studio Pam DeBoer. “It’s really neat for something for the community to do of all ages.”
‘Chalk it Up’ has partnered with another Blossomfest event, ‘Cinema Under the Stars’, where the theme of the chalk event is related to the movie shown that night. However, artists do not have to follow the theme to participate, and this turns the sidewalk on W. Grand Ave. between 2nd and 3rd Ave. South into a vibrant display of color and character.
“We’ve seen a lot of things from Cranberry Guy to the Minions dressed as Marvel Comic Superheroes,” said DeBoer. “You’ll get little kids who come in and draw like they would on a chalkboard, and then you have those people who bring water which makes it more of a paint consistency, so they actually paint with the chalk.”
As the event continues to grow, the sky is the limit and the hopeful implementation of teams is encouraged and looked at something as a future prospect.
“We’d really like it to evolve into teams — where we try to add something new and have teams from the Choir Club, Assumption, or the Lincoln High School football team,” said DeBoer. “We’re working towards working that in and making it a bigger event.”
Admission for ‘Chalk it Up’ is free, and will be held on W. Grand Ave. between 2nd and 3rd Ave. South at 5:30 p.m. For more information, check out their Facebook page by clicking here.