Hosted by Friends of Madison Park, in partnership with the City of Lakewood, the Madison Park Chalk Fest drew over 100 attendees on Sunday, May 18th.
Founded by a group of a half dozen or so neighbors during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Friends of Madison Park was established with the goal of “providing ongoing stewardship for Madison Park to ensure this public greenspace remains an exceptional asset for our community,” according to their website.
Today, according to Friends of Madison Park President Matt Bixenstine, the group has evolved to a few dozen members, and more neighbors and volunteers are always welcome. The group not only hosts occasional events, but they also have a presence in other events held at the park, such as the Birdtown Picnic in June and the Spooky Pooch Parade in October, both hosted by LakewoodAlive.
The Madison Park Chalk Fest was inspired by the annual Chalk Festival held at the Cleveland Museum of Art, says Bixenstine, though the Lakewood event doesn’t employ professional artists. Friends of Madison Park created the event so that community members of all ages and abilities could join together to fill the pavement in the middle of Madison Park with chalk art. The event was originally scheduled for May 4th, two weeks earlier, but was rescheduled due to rain.
“It was worth the wait,” says Bixenstine. “We had a really nice turnout, and it was nice to see the enthusiasm people had for building community through chalk art.”
Galadriel Olson, co-owner of Lakewood Art Supply, donated nearly 1,000 pieces of sidewalk chalk to the event, served as a judge for the contest, and offered gift cards to the winning artists. After seeing the event on Facebook, Olson contacted Friends of Madison Park and volunteered to donate chalk for the event.
“We like being integrated into the community. I live in Lakewood, and I think it’s important for small businesses to support their community and vice versa,” says Olson, who was excited to participate in the Chalk Fest as the event’s only official sponsor.
Artists participated in an optional Best of Show contest. The contest was decided in two categories, adults and kids, and the first-place winners were given gift cards to Lakewood Art Supply.
Karen Tompkins won the adult “Best in Show” category with a portrait of John Lennon. Below the piece, she writes, “Imagine” and then, “I’m not Harry Potter” and her Instagram tag “@ktchalks”.
Tompkins, who grew up in Lakewood, says she has been creating chalk art for at least 10 years. She likes to draw faces and chose John Lennon as her subject because she thought he was an appropriate choice for Lakewood that most attendees would appreciate.
“But most of the young people thought it was Harry Potter!” says Tompkins.
Parma Holy Name High School ninth-grader Abigail Fryberger won the kids’ “Best in Show” category with a piece inspired by “The Fountain Boy,” a public artwork at Osaka Station, a major train station in Osaka, Japan. “The Fountain Boy” was unveiled in 2024 by artist Hirohiko Araki, of the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure manga series.
Though originally only first-place prizes were planned, prizes were also given out for second- and third-place winners.
“All the pieces were so thoughtful,” explains Olson. “People were using so many blending techniques – using color in interesting ways. We really wanted to give out more prizes.”
Second- and third-prize winners were given chalk and a cupcake, donated by Olson’s neighbors at Lakewood Art Supply, Frosty’s. Frosty’s co-owner Lauren Yeager says she donated the cupcakes to support their neighbor. The two companies are also both Bunts to Birdtown members.
Though Friends of Madison has hosted multiple events, the organization’s main focus lies in other community projects.
In addition to the Madison Park Chalk Fest, Friends of Madison Park also maintains the Madison Park Little Free Locker Room, which offers a selection of sporting goods available for public use within the park. Since September 2022, the Madison Park Little Free Locker Room has been open seasonally from April through November.
Garden plots at the Madison Park Community Garden are also managed by Friends of Madison Park. The garden offers 5,000 square feet of green space, divided into about 25 plots. Community members can reserve a plot each year, and there are no fees to reserve. Returning gardeners are given first right of refusal in subsequent years, and all plots are reserved for 2025. Those who have reserved a plot include a “nice mix of people from all walks of life – a reflection of our Birdtown Neighborhood,” says Bixenstine. He notes that the garden plots are especially desired by neighbors who live in local apartments and do not have a yard of their own.
In addition to the community garden, Friends of Madison Park maintains two Adopt-a-Spot gardens at the front of Madison Park in front of the pool house and another in the park’s sign box. Friends of Madison Park thanks the City of Lakewood, Healthy Lakewood Foundation, The Lakewood Foundation, and LCSC for their ongoing project support.
Lastly, Friends of Madison Park has also participated in Third Thursdays at the park, hosting their most recent event in fall 2023. According to the Friends of Madison Park website, bringing back Third Thursdays was an effort to “create an enhanced sense of community vibrancy right in our own backyards.”
But on May 18, all focus was on the Chalk Fest. Bixenstine hopes to host the event again in 2026.
“I’m hopeful we can make this a tradition,”he says.
Interested volunteers can find more information about the Friends of Madison Park on their website and social media pages.
More information on Bunts to Birdtown Lakewood can be found on their social media page as well. Lakewood Art Supply can be found at 13345, 13347 Madison Avenue, next to Frosty’s Lakewood.
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