Freeport’s community paints the streets to raise money for the city

FREEPORT, Ill. (WTVO) — Residents of Freeport participated in another year of Paint the Port on Friday to raise money for revitalizing the community.

“It’s definitely something we need around here, and I’ll bring people out and do something new,” said — “It’s very nice to recognize a lot of people around here.”

The event has been going on since 2017 and people have been coming back every year.

“You know, it’s a fun thing to see people of all ages participate. The little itty bitty ones, they tend to cover themselves with paint,” said — “It’s so fun to see them just explore painting. It’s a great introduction to the arts, even when they’re really little.”

Over 650 squares lined the downtown area of Freeport. More than 3,000 people working on it and raising upwards of $25,000 in the process.

The goal this year is to use the funds raised to develop and maintain the arts plaza. The hub is used for artistic expression and community gatherings.

“Well, this is such an important project down here because it really works with a lot of the other efforts that are taking place downtown as far as revitalization,” said — “So with our new building, all of that creates an arts and culture campus, which is a major economic driver for our community.”

Organizers said all paint used today was environmentally friendly.

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