National Kudos For Mural Mania
Louise Hoffman Broach | Wayuga Editor
Tuesday, April 14 2009
LYONS – Wayne County’s Mural Mania project has received national recognition, with a March 29 feature in “America’s Best Vacations,” an insert distributed in several different Sunday newspapers.
The publication put Mural Mania in an article called “Experience the Northeast,” and says “New York’s Mural Mania is an innovative mural trail along the Erie Canal, as well as several canal communities. The trail, which runs from Newark to Jordan, features historical artistic murals on buildings and canal abutments.”
The publishers learned about the project through the “I Love NY” program, said Wayne County Tourism Director Christine Worth.
Hammond Associates, which does public relations for I Love NY, sent out an email last August, looking for information about unusual kinds of trails to promote.
“They were looking for trails, not just wine trails, things that were quirky and creative,” Worth said. “We thought ‘what can we do for this?’ and Mural Mania came to mind.”
Worth sent an email to Lyons Chamber of Commerce President Mark DeCracker, who, with the late Noel Dobbins, thought up the mural concept in 2007.
“I wanted to make sure it was worded just right,” Worth said.
Hammond Associates sent out the Mural Mania listing, complete with a photograph of the mural “Street of Dreams,” painted by Sodus resident James Zeger. “America’s Best Vacations” included it in an article, along with the Maine Golf Trail and the Rhode Island Nature Trail.
DeCracker was delighted with the attention; he said it was what he and Dobbins envisioned when they first began discussing the concept and working to make it a reality.
Dobbins, 40, died in October, 2007 after a 26-year battle with schleroderma. Although he didn’t live to see many of the murals completed, Decracker said Dobbins was pleased they were well on their way and the project was progressing.
Worth hasn’t gotten a hard copy of “America’s Best Vacations” yet, so she doesn’t know if the article is more than the one-page tearsheet she’s viewed by email.
“I can’t wait to see the publication,” she said. “I am not sure if this is the whole story or just a chunk of it, but I am happy with the chunk.”
She also had praise for DeCracker, who has been tenacious about linking nearly a dozen murals in seven communities
“It’s wonderful to have such a team player, such a passionate person about Wayne County,” Worth said. “He does care about Finger Lakes region, he takes personal pride in the murals.”
In addition to the national attention for the murals, Lyons’ Main Street Program also gained a spotlight from the National Trust for Historic Preservation with a feature in “Main Street News” recently.
“Lyons … is off to a great start through its bi-weekly 1939 film retrospective fundraiser being held at the historic Ohmann Theatre. Every other Thursday, a different 1939 film is shown twice and proceeds from the event are donated to the Main Street Program. The kickoff on March 5 brought 175 attendees to see “The Wizard of Oz,” bringing in $1,000.”
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