Downtown Mount Pleasant is gaining some color for summer and it’s going to be coming from the Festival of Banners.

The festival, which was sponsored by Art Reach of Mid-Michigan and Isabella County Vision 20/20, has put up around 160 banners throughout downtown painted by artists varying in age from about eight-years-old to 70-years-old.

George Rouman, who was on the Festival of Banners committee, said originally they prepared for 100 banners but had many more people participate than expected.

“It certainly adds color,” he said. “We hope visitors who come to Mount Pleasant will come downtown and be impressed with the color. It will add to the downtown environment. I like the enthusiasm, we were planning 100 banners and we were oversubscribed by 60. That got us excited.”

Rouman said 90 of the 160 banners were done by children and one of those children was Kayle Church who created a banner with an aquatic theme.

“(It’s a) picture with sharks and fish. I just like fish,” the Nikkari Elementary School fourth grader said. “I was really excited (to get to paint).

Bailey Hanton, a Nikkari Elementary third grader drew a school.

“I just thought of it because I like school,” she said.

Amy Mendoza, a Sumner resident, said she started the art programs for the third, fourth and fifth graders at Nikkari.

“I go in once a year and just do one major art project with the kids and I pay for all of it out of my pocket,” Mendoza said.

She said she started an art club for the students and about 20 of them created banners for the Festival of Banners.

But children weren’t the only ones who created banners for the festival. Deanna Allen, 70, said she got her inspiration for her banner over Christmas.

“I had gotten amaryllis for Christmas and it was so beautiful and red and I thought well, I will share that with everybody,” the Mount Pleasant resident said.

She said she is happy with the project and thinks it will help out downtown Mount Pleasant.

“I think everyone will come out and look at their banners and be really enthused about checking it out. It’s a good thing.

The enthusiasm that it generated in decorating the downtown bringing people to the downtown area. It was a pleasure to be involved. I’ll bring everybody I know down and show them.”

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E-mail the author: Eric Dresden