Inaugural Chalk & Cheese Festival a Success!

Sunday, June 23, 2019 - Platteville, WI – A crowd of more than 300 engaged spectators and 25 chalk artists gathered at City Park in Platteville on Saturday for Chalk & Cheese Fest! Chalk & Cheese was organized by the Platteville Arts, Trails, and History project (PATH) to celebrate the completion of the Platteville Creative Community Plan and the 18 months of community engagement and creative placemaking work that went into the plan.  

Chalk & Cheese featured regionally recognized chalk artists Craig and Jamie Rogers (Richland Center, WI), John Soukup (Cedar Rapids, IA), Shelley Health (Milwaukee, WI), and Sarah Piper (La Crosse, WI)— and 22 community participants from as far away as Wausau, Wisconsin.  Other features of the event included: cheese sculptor Troy Landwehr carving a lead mining scene from a 40 pound block of cheddar; free samples of award-winning cheeses from Emmi Roth; free caricatures from Ron Moraga of Ron Draws; live music by Tristan Hirsch and the Yellow-Bellied Sapsuckers; and a variety of local and regional food vendors.

At the end of the day, artists and spectators voted for their favorite drawings.  People’s Choice awards for favorite chalk drawings went to:

Professional – Craig and Jamie Rogers;

Adult – 1st: Jessica Kopecky, 2nd: Greta Gunnarson, 3rd: Darby Shea;

Youth (12-17) - 1st: Elijah Cline, 2nd: Cassidy Whitney, 3rd: Nick McWilliams

Lead event planner Angie Wright noted, “We’re really happy with the turnout and tremendous community support for Chalk & Cheese Fest. It brought the community together to celebrate art, local foods, and music. A huge thanks to the planning team and all the local businesses and organizations who supported the event. We couldn’t have done it without you!”

To learn more about PATH or see photos from the event visit the PATH Facebook page (plattevillePATH) or website (www.platteville.org/path).