‘Chalk the walk’

Miscouche street coming together with colourful driveway displays

MISCOUCHE – A neighbourhood in Miscouche has found a colourful way to encourage each other during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Several families on Wilfred Street have, separately, written and drawn colourful and uplifting messages in chalk in their driveways and in their neighbours.

Kimberley Studer and her husband C.J. saw the idea on social media, where it’s being called Chalk the Walk, and decided it was something their three children, Aisling, Deirdre

and Séamus could do since school has been cancelled for the next two weeks.

“I thought this was something great for our street, there are so many kids here,” said Kimberley.

She put out a call to other families in the neighbourhood and most of them went out at staggered times to make their creations. There were about 12 households that participated originally and a few more have since joined in.

“We loved going around and seeing it. Just walking the same street sometimes isn’t that fun for the kids, so to have something to look forward to and to see … It was really fun,” she said.

Sheona and Mike Bernard’s three sons Wyatt, Logan and Ethan wrote “be brave, together” and “P.E.I. strong” on their driveway and had fun doing it.

“It was a nice way to show the kids that even though they can’t be together (with their friends) they can still support each other and their neighbours in other ways,” said Sheona.

Kimberley’s oldest child, Aisling, 15, added that it was a nice way to bring the street together – while staying apart.

“It’s a really nice way to know that everybody is going through the same thing and how we’re all going to get out of it together,” said Aisling.

Her favourite driveway was one where the kids wrote: “stay safe, neighbours.”

Kimberley also said that she’s gotten to meet some of her neighbours that she didn’t know before through their little initiative and they are now planning other displays or street-specific games their kids can play separately while going for walks.

“Just little things we can do every couple of days to keep people active and give the kids something to look forward to,” she said.

CONTRIBUTED Wyatt, Logan and Ethan Bernard spent part of their weekend drawing inspirational messaging on their driveway for their whole neighbourhood to see. Several families on Wilfred Street in Miscouche did the same.