As winter fades away, Main Street Bath is looking to add some color and personality to the downtown.

The nonprofit is looking for people to participate in its 14th annual Banners Over Bath outdoors arts event, where banners created by the community will be hung on lampposts downtown.

“It used to be more about the businesses on Main Street,” said Michelle Grover, in her third year of organizing the event, “but we really want to gear it toward families and community members and everybody that uses Front Street.”

This year’s theme is “Maine’s Cool Little City.”

Blank canvases are available at the Main Street Bath office for $20 each. However, Main Street Bath will be holding an event on Sunday, April 15, at Tony’s Dance Studio on Centre Street where people can come, get a blank canvas and paint it.

“We have eight tables set up, and we have all the paint and brushes and everything that everyone needs to paint a banner,” said Grover. “We can just rotate people at the tables.”

The event is from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Participants can sew, paint or decorate their banner however they choose, as long as it can hold up to a few weeks exposed to the elements. Banners must be completed and returned to Main Street Bath by April 18, and they’ll be hung downtown until June.

One of the most exciting parts of the experience is seeing your creation on display, said Grover.

“Over time, once they go up, you get to see your banner somewhere and find it over the streets of Bath,” said Grover. “That’s one of the cool things about it.

“My kids love finding their banner downtown and every time we drive by they’re like, ‘There’s mine!’” she added. “That’s the best part about it for me.”

nstrout@timesrecord.com

The Times Record Sustaining Sponsor
We believe a community must be informed to thrive. bowdoin.edu