BIDDEFORD — If it was feathery, furry, slimy or scaly, it appeared in chalk drawings on the sidewalks of downtown Biddeford Saturday.
The annual Chalk on the Walk festival is a chance for the young and not-so-young to tweak their imaginations to create images that appear only fleeting on the concrete and asphalt but live on in photos and in memories.
It drew hundreds downtown to Main Street ”“ and that’s the point: Come downtown, hear music, create art, enjoy the day.
Hosted by the Heart of Biddeford, the festival has expanded over time and on Saturday people could hear live music in a couple of places ”“ adjacent to City Hall and further down Main Street at Mechanics Park, where various performances by teen bands rocked on.
A puppet show was presented at City Square Stage, as well as a performance by the Pete Kilpatrick Band, and more than 40 vendors took part in the festivities.
Back at Mechanics Park, a costumed cast of the Academy of Developing Artists of Maine was put on Tiny Thumbelina.
Then, of course, is the chalk, and the art. Chalk on the Walk is an event where writing on the sidewalk is not only okay ”“ it’s encouraged and celebrated.
Emma Bouthillette, who spends her weekends working with Art Van, bringing art to young people in some of Biddeford’s neighborhoods, added some touches to her chalk mural of two mice with a wedge of cheese. Usually she plans her drawing beforehand, but this year, Bouthillette decided last minute that mice would feature in her piece ”“ keeping in mind the “feathery, furry, slimy, scaly theme.”
On another corner, Tyler Bergeron, a part-time social worker who also works for a company that makes natural art supplies for kids, eschewed the prescribed theme, choosing instead to create a collage of Biddeford’s downtown landmarks ”“ a red brick mill, the spire on City Hall and the familiar green Alex’s Pizza sign.
And a contingent of kids from Biddeford Middle School drew ”“ not surprisingly ”“ a tiger in the jungle for their art piece. It was in keeping with the theme ”“ and of course, this is Biddeford, where on the sports fields, Tigers rule.
For Zina Lambert of Saco, who dropped by to see what was happening, it was a fun time ”“ and the sunshine only added to the pleasure of the early fall day.
“I’m out and about. Taking full advantage of the weather and seeing what local artists are doing,” she said.
Kirsten Moorhead had some help from her mother, Stephanie Moorhead, in her creation that sported a frog playing a fiddle, a bird holding a songsheet and a mouse with maracas.
Both said it was nice to see so many folks out downtown.
Kirsten Moorhead said she lives in Portland, but works in downtown Biddeford every day, At Oak Point Associates.
“This is my Main Street,” she said.
— Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 or
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