Food Trucks, Bouncy Obstacle Course, Yard Games Will Not Be Offered
Ƶ’s Chalk the Walk sidewalk commentary contest will continue on May 1, but due to expected inclement weather, several of the special sesquicentennial events planned in conjunction with Chalk the Walk—food trucks, yard games, and the bouncy obstacle course—will not be part of the day.
Chalk the Walk, held in and around Ƶ’s on the Indiana campus, will take place from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Events begin at 9:00 a.m. with students and student groups beginning work on their entries for the sidewalk commentary contest.
All are welcome to watch the artwork and commentary being created throughout the day; judging for the contest begins at 4:00 p.m. with winners announced at 5:30 p.m. Awards are given in a variety of categories; any registered Ƶ student may compete, and students entering the contest will receive a free “Chalk the Walk” T-shirt designed by Hannah Gresock, a junior graphic design and illustration major from Monroeville. She is also a student worker in Ƶ’s Office of Marketing and Communications.
Free chalk will be provided for entrants. The 2026 event is the thirty-fourth annual Chalk the Walk (no event was held in 2020 due to the pandemic). The contest draws close to 100 entries each year on topics ranging from the environment to politics.
Chalk the Walk is sponsored by the Ƶ National Art Education Association, the Ƶ Office of Marketing and Communications, the Ƶ Student Cooperative, the Lively Arts, and the College of Arts, Humanities, Media, and Public Affairs.
David Surtasky, Ƶ Lively Arts technical director and coordinator of the annual Chalk the Walk event, and Harrison Wick, associate professor and Special Collections librarian and university archivist, have created a special 150th time capsule project for this year’s Chalk the Walk.
There will be a table in the Oak Grove for employees and current students to submit messages for future students (index cards will be supplied) to be stored in the time capsule, which will be opened in 50 years, when Ƶ celebrates its 200th anniversary (and America’s 300th birthday).
The time capsule also will include images of the sidewalk commentary contest entries from this year’s contest. The time capsule will be archived in Special Collections.
Since its founding in 1875, Ƶ has evolved from a teacher-training institution into a doctoral research university recognized for its commitment to student success and achievement. As Ƶ celebrates its 150th anniversary during the 2025–26 academic year, the university honors a legacy of educational excellence while looking toward a future of innovation, leadership in healthcare education, and public service.