Inaugural Idaho Falls Sidewalk Chalk Festival set for Saturday - East Idaho News
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Inaugural Idaho Falls Sidewalk Chalk Festival set for Saturday

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IDAHO FALLS — Chalk artists will transform the sidewalks in front of the Idaho Falls Public Library into works of art during the Idaho Falls Sidewalk Chalk Festival.

The festival, which is set for this Saturday, July 16 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. will feature work from dozens of artists, all depicting the theme “What Makes You Uniquely You.” Artists of all ages will be featured, with some competing for cash prizes.

Kyle Peterson, a spokesman and organizer for the event, said that all the available sidewalk squares have sold out.

“We have individual 30 artists and 10 families,” Peterson told EastIdahoNews.com. “It was decided to have a kind of ‘no limitation’ feel, especially since this is the first sidewalk chalk festival for Idaho Falls. It seems like a lot of (the artists) are going to feature their favorites, like anime characters and some expressions of music. I think one talked about doing a floral pattern.”

Peterson said that the event is already generating a lot of interest online and they are bracing for a lot of people to show up on the day.

“The reach for the event on social media has now passed 10,000 people,” he said. “This morning, we had 877 responses to the event, so 877 responses are showing interest or are attending. I’ve been tracking events for the last two months. I haven’t seen any event have 800 people interested in the event.”

The high number of people showing interest in Chalk Fest is good news for Chalk Fest’s sponsor, RiverWest Dental, and the small businesses who joined in to help stage the event, including Soda Tsunami and Winnie & Mo’s Bookshop. Peterson says the whole purpose of Chalk Fest is to get families together with local businesses, strengthening the community and providing an experience through which relationships can be fostered.

“I think this is definitely going to be a large event for the summer, a very happy, feel-good event,” Peterson said. “It’s been cool to see these small companies come together and help promote the event, getting enough attention that we’ve been broadcasted all the way out to Utah.”

Peterson says that based on the amount of response and the excitement that Chalk Fest 2022 has already generated, he believes the event will continue to grow throughout the coming years. However, no matter how big Chalk Fest gets, the idea at the heart of the event will stay the same.

“The reason (RiverWest Dental) is doing this is that we’re here to restore your smile and maintain your smile but this is an opportunity for us to give people a reason to smile,” he said.

The inaugural Idaho Falls Sidewalk Chalk Festival happens this Saturday, July 16, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Idaho Falls Public Library. Click here for more information.

2022 chalk fest sponsors
Courtesy Kyle Peterson

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