Chalkfest brightens up downtown

This year’s Chalkfest bustled with activity and color as artists took to the sidewalks around the 400 Block on Saturday and Sunday.

While rain on Saturday evening jeopardized the progress that had been made by artists earlier in the day, organizers were able to protect the artwork by covering it with plastic with the help of volunteers.

Subjects covering the square ranged from movie, anime and video game characters to pets and wildlife. How to Train Your Dragon and the ever-popular Toothless the Dragon saw a notable amount of works drawn in their honor this year.

Artists ranged from born-and-raised Wausonians to visitors from out of town.

Artist Kathy Kling has been participating in Chalkfest for 19 years, since she was 12. While she was born and raised in Wausau, she has since moved to Indiana. Still, she drives up every year just to participate in the event.

“It brings me joy when people can recognize what I’m making and get excited about it,” said Kling, explaining why she’d chosen to draw the character Karlak from Dungeons & Dragons-inspired roleplaying game Baldur’s Gate 3. “Somebody shouted, ‘My wife!’”

Kling’s work can be found on social media under the username statickling.

One artist, Lily Wagie, traveled to Wausau from Oconomowoc, explaining that spots had already been sold out when Wagie had wanted to participate last year. Wagie and Wagie’s father stayed in Wausau over the weekend for this year’s event, where Wagie drew a frame from the Pixar film Ratatouille featuring its star, Remy the rat. The piece received an honorable mention at the award ceremony on Sunday.

This year’s winners were Kate Saari for the piece “Star Wars,” Justin Schwarting for “Oppenheimer,” Cecilia Speece for “Woman Face,” Bria Polzin for “Katniss” and Peighton Fredrick and Kennedy Scribner for “Parrot.”

Honorable mentions went to Lenn Soderlung and Luke Ortsheild for “Bob Uecker,” Sadie Peissig for “Soul,” Sierra Humphry for “Humming Bird,” Abigail Saari for “Flamingos,” Faith Fehrman for “Jordan Love,” Allondra Carmen for “Farm Animals,” Lily Wagie for “Ratatouille,” Sylar Genskow for “Toothless & Hiccup,” Monica Speece for “Toothless & Hiccup Flying” and Arrianna Bluhm for “Two Birds.”

Featured artists were Kristin Tabaka, Tom, Ella and Jack Lambrecht, Eric Krueger, Laila Smith and Luck Jauquet, Erin Heider and Nikki Kucharski.