The residents of Wallingford were hoping to celebrate their annual Wallingford Day with dancing and a deejay, but Covid-19 had other plans. So organizers came up with a more socially-distant way to celebrate, encouraging everyone in town to decorate a pallet and display it in their yard.
“There are 30 pallets waiting for you to transform them into stunning works of art, tributes to your beloved hometown, hilarious puns, messages of support to your neighbors, any combination of the above, or something else entirely! Use paint! Glue! Reflectors! Wallpaper! Sparkles! Lights! Plastic figures! Then you display them in front of your house for all of us to enjoy!” organizers explained.
“When we say Wallingford we mean East Wallingford, South Wallingford, and the village! If you live on a road with very little traffic or don’t have a good place to put your pallet, we can help you find another place in town to display it.”
Art pieces began to pop up on June 27, with over 40 displays appearing on at least 20 different streets and roads. All of the locations were marked on a map created by the Sparkle Barn
and on Saturday, July 18, a panel of 12 judges took on the hefty task of awarding the best ones.
“We would have recognized every single pallet in town as outstanding, because they are such a rich display of creativity, humor, love, and community pride,” organizers said.
The awards are as follows
Funniest: [a]398 S Main St. (Peanuts: Covid advice); runner up [b] 112 N Main St (Raining Tacos)
Most Colorful: [a] 95 Circular Ave (Pollinators) and [b] 784 VT Rt 103 (Creativity)
Happiest: [a] 103 Prospect (Flower garden and cat), runner up [b] 79 Main St (Watering can and flowers)
Most Unusual/original: 566 Waldo Lane (Piano)
Most Patriotic: [a] 298 S Main (Bar); runners up [b] Veteran’s Park and [c] 144 School St (Flag with quote)
Wallingford Spirit: [a]168 Main St (Wallingford Day) and [b] 268 S Main (Good People of Wallingford) and [c] Sparkle Barn (Home Sweet Home)
Special mentions
238 S Main (Palette Pallet)
4254 Rt 7 S (Music)
IB Munson House (Come Together)
132 S Main (Maple Syrup Jug)
166 School Street (Partner With Pollinators)
Some people chose to continue displaying their art pieces, while others have donated them to an auction which will support Wallingford Day 2021. For more information about these pieces, visit facebook.com/wallingfordday.
