Fantasy takes flight in downtown Abilene

The Abilene Cultural Affairs Council will show off its latest improvements to downtown Abilene on Saturday during “Walk This Way: From Castles to Clouds,” an evening of fantasy-themed festivities highlighting two new major art installations.

From 5-7 p.m. visitors will be able preview the 3D storybook mural “Flight of the Dragon,” by Kurt Wenner, in the pedestrian tunnel behind the T&P Depot, and also walk through a “Dragon Experience” in the depot’s boardroom.

At 7 p.m., a Storybook Kingdom procession will travel north on Cypress Street to the Abilene Convention Center, to arrive in time for the 7:30 p.m. lighting and dedication of Anthony Howe’s nearly 20-foot-tall kinetic sculpture “In Cloud Light IV.” That will be followed at 7:45 p.m. by a showing of the PG-rated film “How to Train Your Dragon” at Adamson-Spalding Storybook Garden.

Live music and food trucks will be available through the evening, and costumes are encouraged.

Additionally, in conjunction with the event, Cultura Local ABI and the Texas Dragon/Lion Dance Team will present “Dragon Dancing” at 4 p.m. at Everman Park.

Admission to the mural preview and “Dragon Experience” is $5 per family; all other events are free to the public.

“This is a celebration of additions we’re making to downtown cultural district,” said Sidney Levesque, the arts council’s marketing director, who estimated the total value of the new acquisitions at nearly $500,000.

In addition to the new art pieces, the improvements also includes lighting in the pedestrian tunnels under the train tracks, as well as security cameras and several map kiosks that will be installed around downtown later this year, funded as part of a $94,566 matching grant from Texas Commission on the Arts.

Levesque said the Cultural Affairs hopes that the tunnel lighting will help traffic flow more freely between the Abilene Cultural District downtown and the SoDA district to the south.

“There’s been a lot of work that has gone into making these things happen to make our downtown even more attractive to visitors, to making it safer and a more vibrant place to visit.”