COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado — The hot temperatures Saturday didn't prevent people from spending time outside at the Southeast Armed Services YMCA for the first-ever Chalk It Up! Festival. The YMCA teamed up with the staff from the Southeast Express to create the community event.
Participants were asked to create jungle-themed sidewalk chalk art. Prizes were awarded to artists competing in a variety of age groups. Two professional chalk artists judged the final pieces.
"Art, in general, isn't promoted as much as we'd like," explained Alina Hecht, an advertising account executive with Southeast Express.
"So with chalk art, it's just, when you think of summer you think chalk, you think bubbles, you think pools stuff like that so it's kind of a good way to get kids and the community engaged with the arts but also make it a fun summer event for people."
There was more to the event than just the chalk art. Several local food trucks were on-hand to feed the hungry artists, and local non-profit groups set up tents to meet with teh community.
_____
Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching.
