Brightly painted Adirondack chairs will be popping up throughout St. Charles this summer as part of a new initiative aimed at bringing some public art to downtown streets.
“We are hoping they will draw people downtown,” said Lynne Schwartz, of the Downtown St. Charles Partnership. “They will be a conversation piece.”
Schwartz said staff members had the idea after being inspired by similar initiatives throughout the country and in nearby cities. Elgin had a “Thrones of Summer” competition in 2011, Batavia has painted bulldogs throughout downtown, Geneva has fire hydrants and an annual “rain barrels on parade” and, perhaps most famously, Chicago’s 1999 Cows on Parade generated buzz for months.
In St. Charles, residents, businesses and local organizations can sign up to paint an Adirondack chair, which can be offered for auction online with proceeds going to downtown improvements, Schwartz said.
The chairs will be placed at strategic spots downtown from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
“It gives people a reason to explore, a way to discover new parts of the city and a reason to stay,” Schwartz said.
She pitched the “chairity” initiative to the St. Charles City Council Monday night, in hopes of having about 50 chairs in place by summer. She plans to seek official approval from the council in February.
Mayor Ray Rogina voiced his support, saying the program can generate the kind of buzz he’s seen firsthand when he’s visited other cities.
“I like the idea a lot,” he said.
Participants can use their own chair or purchase a chair at a discounted price from Ace Hardware in St. Charles, Schwartz said.