Saint Paul kicks off encore to the successful 'Peanuts on Parade' summer art project
Saint Paul, Minnesota (ots-PRNewswire) -
'Charlie Brown Around Town' is theme for this year's salute to native son Charles Schulz
Today Mayor Norm Coleman announced the city's plans for the second public art project in honour of Saint Paul's native son, Charles Schulz. "Charlie Brown Around Town" will be the theme of this year's project. This comes on the heels of last summer's celebration which featured 101 painted Snoopys dotting the streets of Saint Paul. The statues will begin appearing throughout the city in June and the project will conclude with another live public auction in the fall at the Mall of America (Bloomington, Minnesota.). As with last year's event, all proceeds raised will go towards the permanent bronze Peanuts Gang sculpture to be installed in downtown Saint Paul, as well as to scholarship programs at the Art Instruction School in Minneapolis and the College of Visual Arts in Saint Paul. The permanent sculpture is scheduled to be completed and unveiled in December of this year.
An estimated 450,000 people from all corners of the globe visited Saint Paul last year to see the Snoopy statues. This year, officials are hoping for a similar enthusiasm.
"Last year was simply magical. The love shown for Charles Schulz and his beloved Snoopy was amazing to see. We're thrilled to be launching 'Charlie Brown Around Town.' This will be another fabulous summer in Saint Paul," said Mayor Coleman.
Local businesses will again be sponsoring artists to decorate the statues. Once decorated, the 5-foot-tall polyurethane statues will go on display throughout downtown and the city's neighbourhoods. Towards the end of the summer, all of the statues will be gathered into downtown for weeks of family festivities, including a weekend "Blockhead" party.
"Charlie Brown Around Town will continue to bring families to Saint Paul and to showcase our city's great assets," explained John J. Labosky, President of the Capital City Partnership. The Capital City Partnership, together with the City, the Convention and Visitors Bureau, and TivoliToo Design and Sculpting Studios will be bringing this year's project to life. Like last year, the Schulz family, United Media and Creative Associates will be enthusiastically supporting the project.
Information about the project can be found all summer long on the http://www.ilovestpaul.com website or via the Charlie Brown hotline at +1-651-266-8989.
Contact:
Leslie Kupchella of City of St. Paul, phone +1-651-266-8534,
Pager +1-612-660-5069
Internet: http://www.ilovestpaul.com