Chalk the Walk will have a full roster of 160 artists this year in uptown Mount Vernon when it returns Saturday, May 6 and Sunday, May 7.
Mount Vernon parks and recreation director Matt Siders presented that information at a Community Development Group retails promotion lunch this week.
“We topped out at 150 artists and were able to add an extra 10 artists this year,” Siders said. “We’re starting a waitlist at the moment as well.”
The festival in uptown Mount Vernon also has several food vendors the committee will be bringing to the community.
Food vendor locations will also be shifted a little this year. With a developer looking to take acquisition of the old Mount Vernon Fire Department building, it will not be usable by Chalk the Walk this year. That means food vendors will be set up along Third Avenue and the east of Hwy. 1 for the festival.
This year’s community artwork piece will be Van Gogh’s “Artist Bedroom at Arles.”
The committee is also working on a recreation of the bedroom in the painting to allow people to photograph themselves in the piece as an interactive portion of the festival.
Joe Jennison and Chris Childers saw something similar at an art exhibit in Chicago and brought it back to the community, saying it would be something fun to add.
“I’m amazed by the talent and kind people who serve on that committee who not only saw that as something we could do, but actually are working to make that something that can happen,” Childers said.
Installation of that piece uptown will happen Friday evening, after some road closures for the festival have been concluded. The room will be installed at the top entrance for Mount Vernon City Hall, which should make it something that can be seen by the KCRG weather camera that will help promote the activity.
Main roads will begin being closed for the festival early Saturday morning, but signage and reminders not to park downtown will be made Friday evening beginning at 5 p.m. Closures will stretch on First Street from Hwy. 1 to Third Avenue and First Street from Hwy. 1 to A Avenue.
Benches, which have been used in the old fire station, will be relocated to the First Street Community Center lawn and areas to the east of Hwy. 1 this year.
Musical entertainment will have a stage in uptown Mount Vernon. Siders noted that the festival has the largest number of volunteers they’ve had in years, but there’s always room for any more volunteers who want to work a shift.
The Mount Vernon clean-up day is also slated to happen Saturday, April 29, to help prepare the uptown city blocks for the Chalk the Walk festival.
Volunteers are asked to report to the City of Mount Vernon by 8 a.m. to get assigned to areas of uptown that need to be cleaned up ahead of the festival. Coffee, donuts and other snacks will also be available.
“With the number of volunteers who show up to the event, we usually make quick work out of cleaning up the uptown streets and are done before noon,” said Mount Vernon-Lisbon community development group director Joe Jennison.
Attendees are encouraged to bring their own gloves, brooms and rakes to aid in the clean-up, but if they do not have some of those materials, that shouldn’t deter anyone from helping.
Community Clean-up day The Mount Vernon clean-up day is also slated to happen Saturday, April 29, to help prepare the uptown city blocks for the Chalk the Walk festival. Volunteers are asked to report to the City of Mount Vernon by 8 a.m. to get assigned to areas of uptown that need to be cleaned up ahead of the festival. Coffee, donuts and other snacks will also be available. “With the number of volunteers who show up to the event, we usually make quick work out of cleaning up the uptown streets and are done before noon,” said Mount Vernon-Lisbon community development group director Joe Jennison. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own gloves, brooms and rakes to aid in the clean-up, but if they do not have some of those materials, that shouldn’t deter anyone from helping.