Community members attend annual Art in the Park event

OKTIBBEHA COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI)- An annual event in Starkville may have looked a little different this year, but the goal was the same: expose children to art and help them enhance literary skills.

The Starkville Area Art Council held its “Art in the Park” at J.L. King Park.

Volunteers passed out books and boxes filled with art supplies to children in their cars.

They could also get out and visit tables with information from the NAACP, OCH Regional Medical Center, and the U.S. Census.

Organizers say they had to think outside the box this time around.

” Flexibility I think is the key for everybody this year. What do we do? What do we do differently? And art boxes seem to work out really well because we’re all spread out we’re all wearing masks. We give the kids the supplies and they get to go home,” said Executive Director John Bateman.

“It’s been amazing because they went through three trunks already. So the kids have been showing up and showing out. I mean four and five to a car wanting the art kits; wanting the books and everything,” said Margaret Brown of the J.L. King Center.

After driving through getting art boxes and books, families could pick up snacks to go as they left the park.

The Starkville Arts Council will host another event next Saturday at Maben Park.