Lockport Summer Arts Series rain barrel contest coming to a close

Lockport — Lockport residents have two weeks remaining to vote in the city’s Rain Barrel Bedazzle event, part of the Lockport Summer Arts Series.

Since June 5, 18 rain barrels donated by Lockport-based Greif Inc. and decorated by local artists have been on display throughout the downtown area at public spaces and businesses.

Lockport marketing and special events coordinator Allison Cann said the city put out applications for artists interested in decorating the barrels and asked local businesses if they would be interested in displaying a barrel.

“We got a better turnout than we expected with how many artists expressed interest,” Cann said. “And the businesses are always very supportive of our art projects. It’s unique, and it’s a way for them to stand out and draw people in.”

Each barrel is decorated with a theme, including imagery celebrating nature, local institutions and pop culture.

The barrels also include QR codes that passersby can scan to vote for their top three favorites. A map of all the barrels’ locations is available on the city website.

The winning artists will receive gift cards to Lockport restaurants donated by the city. The first-place winner will receive $150, second place will win $100, and the third-place barrel will receive $50. Voting remains open until Aug. 10, and the winners will be revealed at the Cruisin’ Lockport event Aug. 12.

As of July 26, 1,387 votes had been cast. Participants can vote more than once.

Although the program has been “well-received overall,” Cann said, there was one glitch in late June when one of the barrels was temporarily stolen.

“Luckily, we recovered the barrel in about 24 hours,” Cann said. “We had security footage, and people on Facebook put out posts pushing for its return.”

After the competition, all the barrels will be given to the artists. There was no fee for entering the contest, but artists had to provide their own supplies.

“Greif gave us a lot of barrels, so I think we’re going to be doing it again next year,” Cann said. “It will depend on how many people express interest in taking part in spring.”