CALF 2025 Day 1: A new chapter for the Storybook Capital of America

ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – 2025 marks a year of change for the Abilene Children’s Art and Literacy Festival (CALF). The usual unveiling of statues for this year’s featured creator, New York Times award-winning author and illustrator Matt Phelan, took place Thursday evening. But Phelan’s characters, Plum the Peacock, and the turtles from ‘Turtle Walk’ have the distinct honor of being among the first to find a home in the Clear Fork Bank Storybook Garden 2, an expansion of the existing garden. Phase one of the expansion welcomed the public with a grand ribbon-cutting ceremony on the first day of the CALF.

“Storybook Garden 2 by Clear Fork Bank is just a beautiful addition to downtown Abilene. If people were downtown about a couple of months ago, this would not have been here. Now, all of a sudden, a wonderland of storybook characters,” said CALF Chair Jeff Nelson.

Both Plum and the turtles will be able to keep cool in the rock water wall pond and in the shade of the Giving Tree contemporary statue that overlooks the entryway. KTAB/KRBC caught up with a group of cousins who returned to the CALF this year. Gabriella Vecino told us how they feel about the additions.

“I love it… I’m from Arlington. I’m just visiting here with my grandma and my mom. We’ve been here almost every year,” Vecino said.

This year was also impacted by the ongoing construction on Cypress Street. That path would usually be the lifeblood of the festival, connecting the convention center to North 1st Street.

“What’s different about this year is that there’s not a parade. We’re kind of forced into something different this year because of all the construction,” Nelson explained. “It’s going to be dancing music, characters from every year of CALF that the kids get to take a picture with. If this goes well, we may consider keeping this. It seems to be promising.”

Music, performances, dancing, and of course, every opportunity to meet and greet with your child’s favorite storybook characters all returned this year, coinciding to make for a festive and fantasy-filled kick-off evening for this three-day celebration of arts and literature.

“We’re delighted to have Matt. His family’s going to be with him. Our featured sculpture is Plum, a character out of one of his chapter books. This expansion is really unbelievable, how beautiful it’s going to be, but also what an addition to the store of the capital of America,” Nelson said.

The evening concluded with a sketch and book signing opportunity with Phelan. Events resume at 9:00 a.m. on Friday, May 13. A full list of events and times can be found on the Children’s Art and Literacy Festival website.