HANCOCK COUNTY — If there was ever a sign that Hancock County deserves to be a destination, it is the increasing frequency of weekends with a variety of entertainment-style events.
Case in point: this upcoming Saturday. Hancock County residents and visitors can stroll among the chalk artists at 11th annual ChalkFest; support the Rotary Club’s Shake N’ Bake fundraiser or travel north to the Art Battle or Kammy’s Kause in Fortville.
ChalkFest brings out the artist in everyone
GREENFIELD — Most people have partaken in the joys of chalk drawing. Artists of all ages are invited to participate in ChalkFest from 3 to 6 p.m. Sept. 14 at the Hancock County Courthouse Plaza. Register at the event for $5 for a 3-by-3 foot square of sidewalk to decorate. Chalk is provided, or artists may bring their own as long as it will clean up with water. Cash prizes will be given in several age categories: kindergarten through grade 3, grades 4 through 6, grades 7 and 8, high school and adult. The downtown event, sponsored by Greenfield Main Street, includes food, face painting and music. Visit greenfieldmainstreet.org for more information and a link to register in advance.
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In addition to the ChalkFest activities happening at the Courthouse Plaza, the Hancock Arts and the Twenty North Gallery, 20 N. State St., will be open extra hours. Families and are invited to stop by from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday to help complete a 48-foot chalk mural that will be hanging in the gallery. The gallery and the chalk mural are free and open to the public.
Calligraphy artist and Hancock Arts board member Rachel Holmes will host a chalkboard lettering workshop from 10 a.m. to noon at Indie Arts Studio, 2 W. Main St. Participants are invited to bring their own chalkboards for help in creating a custom piece of work that includes shading and lettering techniques. The registration fee of $25 includes chalk. Visit Indie Art Studio on Facebook and click on events to sign up.
Steak’N, Bake’N Raffle will fund nonprofits
GREENFIELD — The Rotary Club’s eighth annual Steak’N, Bake’N Raffle will take place beginning at 6 p.m. Saturday in the Exhibit Hall at the Hancock County 4-H Fairgrounds, 620 Apple St. The event centers on 10 nonprofits selected by the Rotary to compete against each other to raise the most funds leading up to the Steak’N, Bake’N event.
Of the 10, the five groups who raise the most money — including money collected while mingling with the guests over dinner — will split the proceeds of the entire event five ways. The nonprofits vying for a share of the proceeds include the Boys & Girls Clubs of Hancock County; Friends of Recovery; Friends 4 Jessica; Friends of the Theater; Hancock County Senior Services; Life Choices; Love INC; Meals on Wheels of Hancock County; Pennsy Trails of Hancock County; and the Women’s Resource Center.
For attendees, the event includes a $2,000 reverse raffle, a steak dinner, 50/50 raffles, music, dancing, activities and games, wine and craft beer and dessert. Tickets are still available for $40 at Forty Financial, 812 E. Main St., the State Farm office at 1279 N. State St. or at the door the day of the event. Attendees must be 21.
ArtBattle takes to
the streets of Fortville
FORTVILLE — A dozen artists will race against time and compete against each other as ArtBattle returns live and outdoors to Fortville’s Main Street on Saturday.
This year’s event includes a youth ArtBattle at 11:30 a.m. Then, at 5:30 p.m., the adult artists will square off during three 20-minute rounds of competitive painting. In each of the first two round, six artists will battle brush to brush to complete a painting in the theme of their choice. Audience members will vote to send the top two winners from each round on to the finals. The winner of the third round of four painters will go on to compete in a regional competition.
The artwork created by each of the participating artists will be auctioned off after each round with the proceeds for the event and the silent auction going to benefit the non-profit art gallery at 115 N. Main St.
Tickets to both the youth and adult ArtBattles are free, but a ticket is needed in order to vote on a winner. For more information, visit https://artbattle.com/tag/fortville/.
Kammy’s Kause includes a variety
FORTVILLE — The 16th annual Kammy’s Kause Blok Party will be held from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Main Street in Fortville. The free all-day music festival is a fundraiser for an extremely rare physical condition known as 4p- (pronounced four-p-minus), which causes mild to severe mental and physical handicaps, organ failure and developmental delays. Kammy’s Kause was founded by Jared Hiner in 2004 after his daughter Kammy was diagnosed with 4p-. This year’s free-to-the-public event includes Kammy’s Ride, a 125-mile escorted motorcycle ride, a KidZone, live art, food trucks, 14 local musicians/bands, a silent auction of high-end items, merchandise and vendors.
Bands slated to play include Mark & Sass, Corey Cox, Keller & Cole, Audiodacity, Levi Driskell, Mudkids, Tommy Norris, Scotty Randolph, Eric Pedigo, Mina Keohane, The Trip, Alan Long, Twin Cats and 800-Lb. Gorilla.
Participation in the motorcycle ride is $25 per person or $40 person with a rider. Register beginning at 10 a.m. on Main Street. The ride begins at 11 a.m.
Kammy’s Kause has raised more than $400,000 for 4p- (also known as Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome.) Proceeds from the event will directly benefit the 501(c)(3) 4p- Support Group. For more information, visit kammyskause.org.
