Pedestrians on State Street might notice a faded hopscotch course on the sidewalk near the Herald building. This installation, entitled Bellinghops, was intended to be much longer — a record-setting 3.8 miles, to be exact.
Bellinghops originated as a winning entry in Sustainable Connection’s 2016 KAPOW! Design Competition, described in a City of Bellingham press release as “a lighthearted way of encouraging community members to share their artistic, interactive and inexpensive ways to make downtown Bellingham more entertaining and attractive.”
Bellinghops was envisioned as a one-day fundraiser, with the hopscotch course beginning on State Street and stopping at breweries. Though the idea’s extent was never realized, the State Street portion was unveiled as part of KAPOW!’s “Pop-Up Plaza” event in the Herald parking lot on June 2, 2017.
Fun fact: Katie Franks, a city development specialist, said the KAPOW! event coincided with both the Downtown Art Walk and the after-ride party for Bellingham’s Naked Bike Ride. In a moment of serendipity, the Pop-Up Plaza turned into what she described in an email as “a lively and diverse scene — pure Bellingham!”
In the future, Franks said she’d love to see one (or more) of the businesses fronting the course revive it and make it their own.
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Cocoa Laney is CDN’s lifestyle editor; reach her at cocoalaney@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 128.
