Street Painting Festival honors Scarboro 85, raises funds for Roane State scholarships

Posted at 11:01 am October 27, 2021
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

The theme for the 2021 Street Painting Festival, “Honoring Scarboro 85,” recognized the first Black students from the former Scarboro School who integrated Oak Ridge High School and Robertsville Junior High on Sept. 6, 1955. The Honoring Scarboro 85 award went to the team of Dawn and Her Guys. (Photo courtesy Roane State)

The 2021 Street Painting Festival, hosted by the Noon Rotary Club of Oak Ridge, is in the books having raised more than $14,000 to help fund scholarships for Roane State Community College students in Anderson County.

Held in Oak Ridge’s Historic Jackson Square each October, the festival blends art, history, and community for a fun event in support of local students. Nearly $300,000 in scholarships issued by the nonprofit Roane State Foundation have been provided since the start of the festival in 1999, a press release said.

Festival sponsors make a tax-exempt donation to the Foundation, with levels ranging from $5,000 for Platinum down to $100 for Individual. Sponsors’ names are assigned to sidewalk squares upon which the artists then paint pictures with chalk. Materials and Chemistry Laboratory Inc. once again sponsored the event at the Platinum Level. 2021 marked the 20th consecutive year of festival sponsorship for the company.

Additional community sponsors include ORNL Federal Credit Union and UCOR, along with many other organizations, businesses and individuals, the press release said.

The theme for the 2021 event, “Honoring Scarboro 85,” recognized the first Black students from the former Scarboro School who integrated Oak Ridge High School and Robertsville Junior High on September 6, 1955.

The 2021 Street Painting Festival, hosted by the Noon Rotary Club of Oak Ridge, is in the books having raised more than $14,000 to help fund scholarships for Roane State students in Anderson County. The coveted Best of Show award went to William Wensell. (Photo courtesy Roane State)

Cash prizes were awarded to participants. Best of Show received $300 while the People’s Choice Award earned $200.

Other prizes for each category were $75 for first place, $25 for second, and $15 for third. Artists that created chalk art clearly inspired by the “Honoring Scarboro 85” theme also had a chance to win a $25 bonus prize.

The Honoring Scarboro 85 award went to the team of Dawn and Her Guys. People’s Choice was awarded to Zoie Ruble and Ruby Melton. And the coveted Best of Show award went to William Wensell. Additional winners in the elementary, middle and high school categories as well as the adult and family categories are listed at roanestate.edu/streetpainting.

The Roane State Foundation is a separate 501(c)(3) corporation governed by an independent board of directors and established to provide financial support for Roane State students and programs. The Foundation seeks to enhance community awareness of the college, to secure private contributions and bequests, and to manage monies or properties given to the Foundation. For more information, visit roanestate.edu/foundation or email [email protected].

More information will be added as it becomes available.

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