KEWANEE, Ill. — You won't find birds at the Kewanee Prairie Chicken Arts Festival, but you may find a painting of one.
Since 2013, the festival has highlighted local artists with a chalk art competition, amateur art show, mural presentation, flea market and art demonstrations.
Among craft vendors, farmers market booths and jewelry tables, News 8's The Beast and meteorologist Andrew Stutzke mingled with festival-goers and posed for pictures.
The festival, lasting from the morning of July 21 to late July 22, started with local artists of all ages signing up for the chalk art competition. Each artist received a square on an old go-kart track near Kewanee's Amtrak station. They had until 4 p.m. on Sunday to finish their piece, when the chalk art would be judged.
The flea market and Kewanee Farmer's Market blended together to take over downtown Kewanee, with vendor's booths spanning several blocks. Along with craft and produce sales, the market featured kids' activities, a chainsaw carving demonstration, food trucks and performances from local bands.
One of the main events was the "Murals Come to Life" presentation, a series of monologues based on Kewanee's murals. Middle and high school students from the Kewanee Summer Theatre Camp dressed up and delivered their lines onstage.
Winners for the student artwork, Amateur Art Show, and Chalk Art Competitions were announced by 5 p.m. The festival will continue until 11 p.m. at Cerno's Bar & Grill Beer Garden with live music from Trip Hazard, a psychedelic rock band.
Watch more news, weather and sports on News 8's YouTube channel