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Sarasota News Leader October 26, 2012 CHALK FESTIVAL OPENS OCT. 28 IN BURNS SQUARE The 2012 Sarasota Chalk Festival will be a 10- day cultural event featuring the art form of street painting, with artists using "the pave- ment as their canvas and pastel chalk as their medium," according to the festival website (https://chalkfestival.org). Festivities will run from Oct. 28 through Nov. 6, with the main activities occurring Nov. 1-5. The festival will feature two stages for musi- cal performances along with a performance stage to showcase not only musical acts but also drama, dance and acrobatic and aerial performances. "The festival is as raw as it gets to feeling and seeing an Outdoor Museum in Motion as fine artists take to their hands and knees for days, recreating old master paintings, original works of art and 3D compositions right before our eyes," says Artistic Director and Event Chairwoman Denise Kowal on the website. This year's festival is turning to the circus for inspiration with the theme, Circus City: USA. The website notes the event "aims to bring people back to a time when residents would glow with anticipation as the trains rolled into town carrying circus families from around the world, along with their elaborate costumes, massive tents, and exciting props with which to practice their fearless acts." Located in and around Burns Square in down- town Sarasota, the festival is free for all to participate in and attend. Page 66 Yes, international stars are coming to the Chalk Festival, but kids get to participate, too. Here are a few of the hundreds and hundreds of squares children created during the 2011 event. Photo by Stan Zimmerman