NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — For Kara Vaughn, a college student and substitute art teacher at HMS-7 in Hutchinson, she is still amazed at how her art has become something that has gone from the sidewalk to the world.
"I started on TikTok just for fun with 400 followers," Vaughn said. "Once that video took off, I'm now sitting at almost half a million followers on TikTok. In light of a conversation that I had with my landlord's wife, she mentioned that she didn't see any chalk art throughout town. It inspired me to ask TikTok if I should organize a Chalk The Town event in my area to bring the community together and to make a positive of the situation."
The Chalk The Town Scavenger Hunt will be going on Sunday, July 2 in Carey Park from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
"Families will get to go to different locations on the map and get a passport stamp on a piece of paper that spells out the word CHALK," Vaughn said. Then they'll get to exchange that for prizes at the end."
There will be food vendors and music at the Hutchinson Zoo from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Artists can check in at each of the sites from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. after 2 p.m., check in will be at the Zoo only.
Vaughn will be doing chalk demonstrations at each of the three entrance sites, on Carey Park Blvd at 10 a.m. at the Zoo at 2 p.m. and on Plum Street at 5 p.m.
Prize Drawings will take place at the zoo at 6 p.m. for those who have gone to the five sites to have their card filled out. Vaughn wants to get the community involved in bringing beauty to town, even if it is temporary.
"I did it with my students," Vaughn said. "I also run a gaming club, so I love characters and things like that. That's what inspired me to go ahead and start doing chalk art on my own and test the skills and see how much I could develop it, in that sense."
Vaughn now does most of her video work where she has been asked to chalk or at her parents and not in any of the areas where her landlord has asked her not to.
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