Hopscotch, anyone? Wedge Detroit paints Detroit with record-breaking hopscotch course

A giant hopscotch course has painted the sidewalks of Detroit — 4 miles of hopscotch, to be exact.

The hopscotch course drawn by Hopscotch Detroit is an effort to break a world record, but it’s not only about record-breaking.

At the heart of the Hopscotch Detroit is a community outreach project, an effort to bring various people and organizations within the Detroit community together, allowing people to express themselves, says Ajooni Sethi, Project Manager for Hopscotch Detroit.

Hopscotch Detroit is the brainchild of Wedge Detroit, a “design collective that provides high-quality design for businesses and develops engaging creative projects to build community in the Detroit region.”

Covered in chalk paint, Sethi took a break from laying the course this week to discuss the project with TwitChange.

Volunteers have been working alongside the Hopscotch Detroit team to lay the course this week. The final squares will be laid to break the world record at a community event on the Wayne State University campus on Saturday, September 22.

The Saturday event is aimed at “gathering different people from different parts of the community to come together in one spot to celebrate breaking the world record,” said Sethi. It’s also a celebration of art, physical activity and the Spirit of Detroit.

Learn more about Hopscotch Detroit in this video:

Throughout the project, several organizations have joined hands with Hopscotch Detroit, making it a true collaborative effort from various groups within the community.

The hopscotch course was intentionally planned to run alongside the office of the Heidelberg Project, an “open-air art environment in the heart of an urban community on Detroit’s East Side.” Volunteers from the Heidelberg Project joined Hopscotch Detroit to help lay the course on Wednesday.

Chalk Fly, a school supply retailer donating five percent of profits to Detroit public schools will be on site Saturday giving out free chalk to the community, allowing them to express themselves through sidewalk art.

Playworks, an organization dedicated to encouraging the importance of play in low income schools will also be on site Saturday with a “spontaneous recess” complete with balls, jump ropes, games and activities.

If you live in the Detroit area, don’t miss the Hopscotch Detroit event on the Wayne State Campus Saturday, Sept. 22 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

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