Toss Your Chucks Over a Wire During Decatur's Independence Day Celebration

On July 4, there's more than just the fireworks celebration in downtown Decatur.

 on Church Street, is kicking off the first ever Chuck Taylor public art installation project. At 4 p.m. on Independence Day, participants are invited to meet on the square to toss their Converse creations over a wire spanning the plaza. Stay tuned to the stores' Facebook page for exact meeting location and further details.

"I saw some shoes over a wire when I was out running one night," said Lori Ronca, one of the owners of Homegrown. "I thought, how fun."

For more than a month, the store has invited patrons to visit HomeGrown to create unique art - free of charge - using Converse high tops as their canvas. The store supplied the shoes through donations and thrift store acquisitions, though some people brought their own to create in the back of the store or at home, according to Ronca.

"We've had probably 50 people do them in the past weeks," Ronca said. "I've been buying lots of Converse from the thrift store and cleaning them in my washer at home."

The store's website says "tossing your shoes over a wire signifies the end of the school year and the beginning of summer."

It's not the first art installation by HomeGrown, which provides local artists, artisans and craftsmen a venue for showing, selling and demonstrating their work. Ronca owns the store with partner Beth Thompson.

The market's first art instllation was redecorated wood sculptures that were rescued from a dumpster by a former restaurant. Last Christmas, HomeGrown put out a giant box of old GI Joes with sequins and glitter so people could make elves out of the dolls.

"We had some downright racy elves in our window," Ronca said. "I'm a weirdo. I'll own that one."

She added, "I want people to remember our store. I want it to have a personality of its own."