Travels With The Post

News about travels, leisure, dining, events, entertainment, and business in Montgomery, Berks, and Chester counties PA.

Annual Festival Became A Chalk Gawker’s Paradise

Annual Festival Became A Chalk Gawker’s Paradise

Annual Festival Became A Chalk Gawker’s Paradise
When Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive, everybody wants to be in the photo

POTTSTOWN PA – Creating impromptu art in public spaces requires planning, imagination, and a sense of what a diverse audience might enjoy. On Saturday evening (July 25, 2026) in downtown Pottstown, it also demanded strength, stamina, and a stick of chalk.

Guest artists Alyssa Rulli, Melissa Rulli, and Mathew Dornan could occasionally be seen on their hands and knees during the annual Sidewalk Chalk Festival that was part of Pottstown FARM, the borough’s farm and artisan regional market. The invitees alternated their limbs, though, while they drew what was labeled as “a fish garden.”

Annual Festival Became A Chalk Gawker’s Paradise
Creating art can be tough on the knees

Sometimes they kneeled, Sometimes they sat. Every once in awhile, they stood to inspect their work from a higher elevation.

Also standing, and admiring, their efforts were plenty of Chalk Festival visitors. They spent several minutes at each creation.

Annual Festival Became A Chalk Gawker’s Paradise
Annual Festival Became A Chalk Gawker’s Paradise
Credit Audra Ross for designing a chalk tribute to the Pottstown Parks and Recreation Department

The art included many large and small pieces that could be found almost everywhere across the market’s sidewalks. Smith Family Plaza, downtown on East High Street, was filled with what Chief Chalker and Pottstown Community Arts Chair Marie Haigh called “so much color and joy.”

Pottstown Community Arts members contend everyone’s an artist, and Chalk Festival organizers seemed to prove that.

The organization provided an ample amount of colored chalk, other supplies, and lots of space. That allowed kids, adults, and families to spread out and draw what they wanted. A somewhat dusty, but nonetheless colorful, plaza was the result.

Annual Festival Became A Chalk Gawker’s Paradise
That’s the hand of Mathew Dornan, smoothing the chalk finish on one species in a “fish garden”
Annual Festival Became A Chalk Gawker’s Paradise
All those circles add up to one attractive pattern

All photos by Travels With The Post

Meanwhile, at Pottstown FARM

Also among the chalk gawkers were two celebrities, Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus. Both were on hand to help Pottstown FARM observe “Christmas in July.”

Most market vendors offer unique, hand-made or hand-grown, and hard-to-find-elsewhere merchandise. Their selections enticed visitors to complete their holiday shopping well in advance … or, at least, to start it.

Annual Festival Became A Chalk Gawker’s Paradise
Annual Festival Became A Chalk Gawker’s Paradise
Annual Festival Became A Chalk Gawker’s Paradise
Annual Festival Became A Chalk Gawker’s Paradise
Annual Festival Became A Chalk Gawker’s Paradise

Pottstown FARM is next scheduled to operate from 9 a.m. to noon on these Saturdays:

  • Aug. 8, Neighborhood Market;
  • Aug. 22, observing National Bee Month;
  • Sept. 5, with butterfly tagging and celebrating the downtown Pottstown L’oe Show Weekend;
  • Sept. 19, Zucchini Festival & Races;
  • Oct. 3, Neighborhood Market; and
  • Oct. 17: Halloween Fun at the FARM, along with the Haunts on High event.
Annual Festival Became A Chalk Gawker’s Paradise

Our entertainment reporting covers the arts and culture, shows, exhibits, performances, festivals, and community-related activities within, or that affect residents of, Montgomery, Berks, and Chester PA counties. Find more entertainment articles here. Also, see and join the Pottstown Arts and Cultural Alliance group on Facebook.