Paint the Town Sponsors

by Sarah Thorndike

Paint the Town first appeared on Morrison’s Main Street in 1994 and Fitzgerald Pharmacy was one of the event’s sponsors that year and has been ever since. PTT is a family oriented festival in which artists of all ages and degrees of expertise gather on the third Saturday in September to paint their own five feet in Morrison’s central business district.

“Paint the Town is a different type of community event from a fair or a circus. It builds on the creative and community, “ said Luke Vanderbleek, owner of Fitzgerald’s. “It fits our mission as a community pharmacy.”

The event is made possible each year through the generosity of sponsors such as Fitzgerald’s Pharmacy. Participants receive five bottles of paint, brushes and other painting supplies, plus an event t-shirt. This year, the Paint the Town Committee of the Children’s Art Preservation Association is gearing up for more than 2,000 painters.

“There is a discipline to the street painting that many people don’t realize,” Vanderbleek commented. “People put a lot of thought into what they paint.”

According to Vanderbleek, his own daughters are getting more sophisticated in what they paint. The family is very “art oriented; Luke’s wife Joan is herself a talented graphic artist and a former CAPA Board member. In addition, they have relatives that come from Fulton and Clinton for the event.

“One of the best things about Paint the Town is that it is very difficult for parents not to be involved, “ Vanderbleek concluded.

For more information on becoming a Paint the Town Sponsor, call event chairman Barb Bees at 815 772 2670 or Morrison’s City Hall at 815 772-7657.

Registration forms will be sent home with Morrison school students this week. Morrison High students can obtain registration forms in the high school office. Forms and information can also be downloaded at Registration. For Paint the Town information or registration forms call or visit Morrison City Hall, 200 West Main Street, (815) 772-2670.