Chalk & Cheese Festival Returns, August 14th!

Platteville, WI – Chalk & Cheese Festival returns to Platteville’s City Park on Saturday, August 14th, 2021. This family-friendly event is hosted by PATH (Platteville Arts Trails History) and the Rountree Gallery, and sponsored by the Platteville Community Fund, Emmi Roth, Inspiring Community, Edward Jones - Bob Hundhausen, Shullsburg Creamery, Southwest Health, Platteville Public Library, Wisconsin Properties Realty, and the Grant County Dairy Promoters with in-kind contributions from Community First Bank and the Driftless Market.  

Chalk & Cheese Fest will again welcome five professional chalk artists. Jamie and Craig Rogers, Shelley Heath, Jessica Kopecky and John Soukup will work on their drawing throughout the day.

Chalk & Cheese is also open to artists of all ages and abilities. Community members and visitors who would like to create a chalk drawing can register starting at 8 a.m. at City Park on the day of the event (Adults $20, Youth $10). Registration includes a 24-pack of Koss professional chalk pastels, a kneeler cushion and swag bag. Scholarships available to cover all or part of the registration fee for both adults and youth, inquire at the registration table or email plattevillepath@gmail.com prior to the event.

All drawings must be completed by 4 p.m. when People’s Choice voting begins. Starting at 4 p.m., spectators and artists can vote for their favorites in each category — Professional, Adult, and Youth. Prizes will be awarded to the top finishers in each category. Awards will be presented at 5:30 p.m.

Between 4-7 p.m. Chalk & Cheese will feature live music by Tristan Hirsch 4-5:30) and Andy Hughes and Co. (5:30-7). Food and beverages will be available from José’s Authentic Mexican and Vesperman Farms Ice Cream food trucks, along with the Platteville Senior Center PEAK program food booth. The Rountree Gallery will be selling beer and other beverages. Emmi Roth will be on site with free samples of their award-winning cheeses. Find PATH on Facebook or contact the group via email at plattevillepath@gmail.com. Updates on programming and events will be posted in the Chalk & Cheese Facebook event (https://fb.me/e/1xmdqM0Jo).

PATH began as a National Endowment for the Arts “Our Town” grant project in 2017. The “Our Town” grant funded a creative placemaking planning project and a community celebration. The Planning project resulted in the Platteville Creative Community Plan, available for download at www.platteville.org/path. During the planning process, community members expressed strong interest in community festivals, family activities, live music, artisan food, and interactive artistry. The inaugural Chalk & Cheese in June 2019 was an attempt to combine many of these interests as a celebration of the completion of the Platteville Creative Community Plan. A crowd of more than 250 engaged spectators and 25 chalk artists attended the event and the event received rave reviews from the community.

Rountree Gallery is located at 120 W. Main Street in Platteville. The Gallery is dedicated to actively promoting the creation, appreciation, and education of visual arts in our community and surrounding area. We strive to make art accessible to the public by hosting quality exhibits, by acquiring and preserving our permanent collection and arts resource library, and by offering educational opportunities to all ages. To learn more about the Rountree Gallery visit www.rountreegallery.org.