Organized by the Pottsville Recreation Committee in partnership with the City of Pottsville and supported entirely by local business sponsors, the free family event welcomed 50 registered children for an evening of art, community and fun.
Each child was assigned an individual parking space and given a creative prompt, such as "My favorite part of summer is..." or "My favorite part of Pottsville is...", before turning the pavement into a colorful canvas using buckets of sidewalk chalk provided by organizers.
The event was the brainchild of Pottsville City Councilman Scott Price, who said the idea came together only a few weeks ago after recognizing a need for more family-focused activities in the city.
"The town needed something for children," Price said. "It needed something where kids can get out with their parents and be involved."
While Pottsville offers plenty of activities geared toward adults, Price said he wanted to create an event centered on children and families.
"There's so much to do in this town for adults," he said. "You can go a bunch of different places to have a drink, to throw axes, to do a brewery tour... but the town needed something for children."
After developing the concept, Price approached several local business owners to see whether they would support the idea.
"I took it to a small group of business owners that I'm pretty close with and I said, 'This is what I want to do,'" Price said. "And they said, 'Absolutely. Let's run with it. We'll fund it 100%. You just plan it out and we'll be there for you.'"
He added that the response demonstrated the commitment local businesses have to the community.
"I just went to a small group of small business owners. I said, 'This is what I want to do.' And they said, 'Our checkbooks are, you have our checkbooks. Let's do it. Make it happen.'"
That support allowed the event to be offered completely free to participating families, with sponsorship dollars covering supplies and activities.
The community's excitement was immediate.
According to Price, all 50 available registration spots were claimed within an hour, before organizers had even officially promoted the event.
"We had 50 register. We have 50 spots open and 50 spots filled up in an hour registration," Price said.
Beyond the artwork, children received a variety of complimentary items, including a bucket of chalk, a drawstring bag, a beach towel, a beach bucket filled with bubbles and sunglasses, a free slice of pizza and a drink. Members of the Pottsville Kiwanis Club also distributed coloring books throughout the evening.
"Every kid gets free goodies," Price said. "They get free buckets of chalk. They get free coloring books from the Kiwanis. They get complimentary pizza and drinks. I mean, it's just a great event."
Adults attending the event had food and beverages available for purchase, while Ward's Lemonade Stand served refreshments and raised money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Price said the event showcased what can happen when city government, businesses and community organizations work together.
"The sponsors in this town and the business owners in this town truly do care about the city and they want to make it better," he said.
"We want the towns folks to know and the citizens to know that we have their back and we're going to do what's best for them."
Any sponsorship funds remaining after the event will be donated to the Pottsville Area Recreation Commission to help support future community programming.
With the overwhelming response to the inaugural event, organizers are already looking ahead to making Chalk the Block an annual tradition.
Price said Chalk the Block is just one of several initiatives planned by the Pottsville Recreation Committee this summer, with additional events, including Music in the Park and a basketball tournament at JFK Playground, already in the works.
Following Wednesday's successful debut, organizers hope Chalk the Block will continue to grow into one of Pottsville's signature family events, bringing together children, parents, local businesses and community organizations for an evening centered on creativity, community pride and making lasting summer memories.
For several hours, the parking lot was filled with children using their imaginations, creating colorful artwork, laughing with friends and enjoying a summer evening outdoors, without the distraction of cell phones or other electronic devices.
The Alvernia University parking lot will continue serving as a gathering place for the community this weekend. Following Saturday's Schuylkill County America250 Parade through Pottsville, the lot will host the official after-party, featuring food vendors, entertainment and family-friendly activities as the county continues its celebration of America's 250th anniversary.
