August packed with music, art, and more

Kurt Wenner’s 3-D chalk art, Flying Carpet, Corpus Domini, Bettona, Italy

Music for the People: Henri’s Notion and Mustang String Band
Saturday, Aug. 10, 6-9 p.m.
A mix of traditional Celtic and American music, with original tunes reflective of our Southern heritage!
Behind Mentone Inn at Linger Longer Pavilion • 6139 Hwy. 117, Mentone • Cost: Free

Follow Your Art
Saturday, Aug. 31, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Judged art show, storytelling, music, and face painting.
Food trucks: Jamwich, Pappi’s Roasted Corn, Frothy Dog Coffee, A Little Something Extra Ice Cream

Sidewalk Chalk Art Contest
Saturday, Aug. 31, 8 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
MERF Community Walking Trail • Cost: Free • Artists can check in and begin as early as 7 a.m.

Be a part of chalk art history!

Become a Mentone Modonnari. In 2020, Little River Arts Council board member Kelly Leavitt initiated our first Sidewalk Chalk Art Contest as a way to get outside and create art during an uncertain time. We were not the only ones taking to the pavement with chalk. As a reaction to lockdown, all ages were creating chalk art, much of it as a morale booster. Little did we know that chalk art would become such a staple of Mentone, with the addition of Make Your Mark on Mentone’s chalk mural installation on the square. It seems chalk has become a thing here.

Before American artist Kurt Wenner popularized 3-D chalk art in the 80s, we typically associated sidewalk chalk with hopscotch and children’s art. Yet the art form has a rich history, dating back to the Stone Age use of limestone. But it was in 16th century Italy, when beggars looking to catch the attention (and coins) of pilgrims visiting cathedrals, that artists began to use charcoal to sketch religious images, especially those of the “Sistine Madonna” by Rapheal. These beggars-turned-artists became known as the Madonnari, and their tradition continued for centuries and spread throughout Europe. In Germany, the artists were called strassenmaler, or street painters.