Bethany Home Foundation is erecting a wall at the entrance of the Almond Blossom Festival at Mistlin Sports Park Friday in a new twist for the senior citizens in the community between the carnival rides and the vendor displays.

Visitors to the Ripon festival are invited to reflect on aging.  With chalk in hand they will complete the phrase “As I Age………..” on a chalk board wall.  The wall is an adaptation of the popular “Before I die………” installations by artist Candy Chang.  Similar walls have been installed in more than 70 countries. 

Bethany Home’s director of development, Rob Wagner, first saw a similar wall at a conference on aging in Nashville, Tenn.

“It is our hope that by inviting individuals to complete the sentence ‘As I age,’ we will motivate others to live the lives they are meant to live each and every day,” Wagner said. “We want to spark a discussion about the process of growing older and allow people to express how they hope their lives will evolve as the age.”

Wagner added that any person may participate in the project on the 24-foot-long wall by just picking up a piece of chalk at the wall and completing the sentence.  Those not able to attend the festival may contribute to it virtually on their favorite social media platforms using # As I Age.

The wall will be at Mistlin Sports Park through the weekend before being returned to Bethany Home.

For more information, please contact Rob Wagner at 209.481.9995.