The 9th annual Christmas Chalk Walk took place December 9-11th. Thank you to everyone who came out! The Chalk Walk was a mix of in-person and drive-thru formats this year, with chalk art up on easels for easy viewing. Volunteer artists worked at home and at the event creating masterpieces for this event.

IN-PERSON FRIDAY NIGHT

Friday evening was an in-person event, where visitors walked around and enjoyed the art. Delicious cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate were served while guests visited and enjoyed the beautiful live nativity with animals, including a camel! A snow machine delighted the children throughout the night along with a scavenger hunt where they looked for items hidden in the chalk art. Live music was provided by talented singers and pianists throughout the night including Jenell Wilson, Emily Eusebi, Lydia Kimball, Kristen Hellewell, Krystal and Russell Holmes, Lily Gabora, Brooke Lattin, Kameryn Burch, and featuring a set from the band Olsen, Nokes, and Pond.

Local civic leaders also attended, including Richard Hurt and Ross Chun from Aliso Viejo, Don Sedgwick from Laguna Hills, Noel Hatch and Carol Moore from Laguna Woods, and Stephanie Oddo from Laguna Niguel.

DRIVE-THRU SATURDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHTS

Saturday and Sunday were drive-thru nights, with cars starting to line up along Aliso Creek at 5pm. QR codes were handed to each car so they could watch videos while they waited showcasing a few of this year's artists and asking people to vote for their favorite pieces of art for the first ever People’s Choice Awards.

LIGHT THE WORLD

The cars moved quickly along, enjoying the festive lights and the music provided by our Chalk Walk DJ Bruce Chang. An FM radio station broadcast the music, along with messages from local interfaith leaders and youth about how to “Light the World”. Our Light the World Christmas Tree was filled with paper stars each night, sharing one way visitors would Light the World this year.

DONATIONS FOR THE LAGUNA FOOD PANTRY

Donations of non-perishable food were collected from cars at the end of the drive-thru. Laguna Food Pantry, located in Laguna Canyon, serves patrons in our community each morning from 8-10:30am. The pantry was thrilled to receive two full carloads of food and almost $1000 in cash which will be put to use quickly throughout this busy Christmas season.

PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD WINNERS

Votes for our first ever People’s Choice Awards were collected through a QR code each night of Chalk Walk. The top three winners were: Heather Mettra, Lysa Ashley, and Cinnamon Ojeda (see their amazing works of art below).

THANK YOU TO OUR VOLUNTEER TEAM

We would like to thank the Chalk Walk team who work tirelessly to organize and execute this event each year. Special thanks to Walt Hick, Leo del Rosario, Juliett Chesley, President Miller, Jason Fletcher, Shelby Lattin, Helle von Schlegell, Brooke Reynolds, and Kourtney Harrison for their countless hours of hard work; and to all our volunteers who helped paint and put together easels, hang lights, direct traffic, and gather donations. And last but not least, thank you to our artists, who make this inspiring event possible! Each year we look forward to seeing what you create, and you never disappoint!