First ever Hoopers Island Chalk Arts Festival coming Saturday

FISHING CREEK, Md. – The first ever Hoopers Island Chalk Festival is coming to town.

It’s a free festival that officials say is creating healing waves one chalk line at a time. For some fun, you can see what local and national chalk artists have put together. Along with some food, vendors, and local music. All of this for a good cause, children will have the opportunity to make art on a canvas, which will then be auctioned off for mental health awareness.

Organizers tell 47 ABC through art they are helping raise awareness for health. “Definitely in the Dorchester County community, we want to make mental health awareness safe, okay, we want first responders to know that it’s not always a drug reaction it could just be someone is having a really hard time, and we want the community to really feel the love from us, says Kelly Ellis-Neal, property owner and host of the event.

The beautiful mural features a lighthouse, boats, and the Bungalow wings. Ed Krell, the artist of the mural on the bungalow says they took a survey of what the community wanted to see and it came down to a butterfly or the wings.

He says art is simply a way of communication and bettering yourself. “The practice of making art every single day, being that I’m recovering from a nerve injury – practice making art every day has given me clarity and thinking. The vision was to use art to bring awareness to people who don’t have a voice,” says Ed Krell, a local artist.

Also at the Chalk Festival, they will be hosting a Santa Toy drive so be sure to bring your donations ahead of the holiday. The Chalk festival starts November 5th and until the 6th from 11 am to 4 pm. Organizer Kelly Ellis-Neal says this couldn’t have been done without the community’s support. A part of this festival are Mid Shore Graphics, Dorchester Center for the Arts, Maryland State Arts Council, and more.

For more information about the festival, click here.