To the Editor:

On Aug. 25 the Onset Bay Association (OBA) hosted its 5th annual Chalk-Full-O-Fun Festival.  Over 200 artists of all ages created images on 140 sidewalk squares in Prospect Park, Onset. Nearly 20 artisan crafters lined the perimeter around the bandshell area and music by Johnny Botelho filled the air from 1 to 3 p.m. The main attraction was David Zinn, a 3-D chalk artist from Michigan, who graced Onset village with 5 of his chalk critter images, provided a workshop for festival participants in the morning and created a final image (a dogtopus) on the bandshell stage.

The OBA wants to thank each sponsor, collaborator and volunteer who had a part in making the festival a huge success. Thanks go out to: our grantors:  the Wareham Cultural Council, a local agency that is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency, and the United Way of Greater New Bedford; First Citizens Federal Credit Union, whose contribution made it possible to give away free copies of the book The Dot to children who participated in the Story Walk;  the Wareham Community Events Committee which helps fund our promotional activities; the Wareham Public Library for their assistance with laminating all the Story Walk pages;  Eastern Bank’s Jennifer Haley and friends who offered free face painting; Lola Mello of the Wareham Contra Dances, for loaning us their P.A. system; Powderhorn Press who printed our programs, signs & banners.

We’d also like to thank our donors of supplies and prizes:  Bailey’s Surf ‘n’ Turf, Water Wizz, Tara Dean Studio, Cape Clogs, The Clothes Way, Cosi, Wareham Stop & Shop, Atlantic Boat, Rue21, Ebb & Flow Wellness, Ace Hardware, Jo-Anne Morgan, Sharon Boyer and Winna Dean;  the Wareham Police Department for their cheerful presence and for the use of their barriers to close off a small section of Waban Street in order to keep us all safe; the craft vendors who reserved spaces to sell their hand-crafted items; and especially to the dedicated group of volunteers who worked tirelessly throughout the day.

The OBA is proud of this event and the spirit of community that it fosters. Planning has already begun for next year’s festival. The feature artist will be Wareham’s own Laura Potter!  It takes a team to make OBA events happen. Please consider volunteering. Call the OBA to find out more (508) 295-7072 or go to the website www.onsetbay.org 

Milly Burrows and the Onset Bay Association