“We started out near the Capitol building,” Hardy said. “(Looking for) any activities that appeal to and favor the kids, … We went to a couple places and thought, ‘Oh, this is interesting,’ and we’ll probably come back and give it another try.”

Starting at 9 a.m., artists started creating art on their assigned piece of sidewalk during Chalk of the Town, one of the many attractions going on during the event. The variety of artwork occupying the streets attracted large crowds to the Old Town district in Lansing.

“Each year, we sort of learn a little bit more about what’s effective and what people want; you know, we really just want it to be a family-friendly event,” said Chad Badgero, a volunteer for the committee for Chalk of the Town

Corey Marie Parkhill, an artist from Eaton Rapids, Mich., decided to come out and create sidewalk chalk art for the first time this year, taking about three hours to complete her artwork.

“I’ve done art for most of my life and as my job for the last 10 years or so,” Parkhill said. “It’s always fun to do art out in the public and interact with people.”

Participants had an opportunity to try out other attractions that included temporary tattoos for kids, discounts at local shops and access to local museums.

Tracy Padot, the vice president of marketing communications for the Greater Lansing Convention and Visitors Bureau, considered this year’s Be a Tourist in Your Own Town to be just as successful as last year.

“We’re hoping we’ll have between 12,000 to 15,000 people participate this year — about our annual average,” Padot said.

In a different area of Lansing, Cassandra Trawitz, a resident of Haslett, made her first stop of the day at the General Motors assembly plant. Once there, her family was able to test-drive different General Motors cars before heading over to some events on MSU’s campus.

“It’s nice (that) you can come out and drive cars,” Trawitz said. “They have tents with food, and then you can go do other things.”