Sheboygan Coloring Book Now Available

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Paint the town red — or blue, green, or pink —with a new Sheboygan-themed coloring book.

Color Me Sheboygan, a coloring book promoting creativity while celebrating the community, is now available for $10 at Above and Beyond Children's Museum.

The book is the brainchild of Katherine English, an entrepreneurial North High School junior who dreamed big when she set out to create a 32-page coloring book highlighting all the great things about Sheboygan.

"Color Me Sheboygan, for me, has been truly a personal journey. I love this project and put my heart and soul into it," English said.

"This coloring book I wanted to make specific to Sheboygan because I have such an appreciation for how amazing this community is," she continued. "There are so many interesting things to do here that I never even really saw, and even as I continued to make this coloring book, I learned more and more about this community every day."

The book also serves as a way to creatively engage children and encourage them to follow their passions, English said.

"Hopefully I can be a role model for them so they can see, if they are truly passionate about something, it will all work out," she said.

Earlier this year, English traveled to area elementary and middle schools to talk with kids about what they would want to see in a coloring book. Many of those ideas made it into the book, with pages dedicated to the lakefront, children's museum, Bookworm Gardens and Camp Y-Koda.

A large part of the project involved English approaching area businesses to raise funds for printing of the book.

"They were all so supportive and it really is a tribute to how amazing Sheboygan really is," English said. "All of the businesses were in love with the idea, because they are proud, just like we are, to be a part of this amazing community."

The project was made possible through a program at North High School known as the Innovator Fellowship, which brings students from the school into Jake's Cafe to “make an idea happen." The program helps promote and encourage "students with extraordinary skills," said Tryg Jacobson, president and owner of Jaké's Cafe, who mentored English throughout the project.

"I don't know why it has taken almost 150 years for somebody to come up with a coloring book for what I think is probably the greatest little town you could ever want to live in," Jacobson said.

Proceeds from the book will go to special programming at Above and Beyond for both children and teens designed to foster mentorship, creativity and engage the imagination.

"It's proof that dreams really can come true as long as you set some goals and have the creativity, the collaboration, and the tenacity to follow through," Jacobson said.

Books can be purchased for $10 at Above and Beyond Children's Museum, 902 N 8th St., Sheboygan.