Community artwork completed in time for Aromas Day
Although I have stated in previous columns that nothing much
ever happens in Aromas, for once there is something different
there, in the heart of town, for all the world to see.
And see it they will at Aromas Day, which takes place this
Sunday, complete with the usual hometown parade, food booths,
garage sales, live music, pancake breakfast and other fun
things.
This particular difference that I’m talking about is right in
the center of town, where there is now a piece of public art that
is a perfect fit.
Community artwork completed in time for Aromas Day
Although I have stated in previous columns that nothing much ever happens in Aromas, for once there is something different there, in the heart of town, for all the world to see.
And see it they will at Aromas Day, which takes place this Sunday, complete with the usual hometown parade, food booths, garage sales, live music, pancake breakfast and other fun things.
This particular difference that I’m talking about is right in the center of town, where there is now a piece of public art that is a perfect fit.
For many years, there’s been a building there which said “MARSHALLS SERVICE,” which at one time was a service station owned and operated by the Marshall family.
However, the Marshalls sold the property (along with the market that still bears their name), and the service station part of it has been vacant for as long as I can remember.
So recently, some of the groups in town put their collective heads together and decided to do something about the blank white wall on the side of the Marshalls Service building.
The Aromas Eagles service club, along with the Aromas Grange and the Aromas Hills Artisans, funded a mural for the wall, with space for a community bulletin board in the middle.
Community bulletin boards are very important in Aromas, since that’s the way we get a lot of our information there. This one will be specifically for the nonprofits to get the word out about their activities and such, as well as other community happenings.
“We’ve wanted to have a community bulletin board for ever so long,” said Barbara Scoles, of the Aromas Hills Artisans, one of those who helped out with the project.
Luckily, Aromas has a muralist right in its midst – Joyce Oroz, who moved here six years ago and is a member of the Artisans. A commercial artist for many years, she was a muralist for more than two decades. Oroz has painted murals from San Diego to San Francisco, so there was no one better suited for the job.
Even Oroz admits she didn’t know the significance of Marshalls Service when all this started: “I just thought it was a beat-up old building,” she said.
The project was first suggested by Leslie Austin and then enthusiastically embraced by many others. The current owners of Marshalls Market agreed to the mural, and Oroz designed a most apropos vision.
Of course, it’s not just the mural itself that takes time. The wall had to be patched and resurfaced, and the inside wall reinforced, before any painting could take place. But once the structural part was over, the mural work could begin.
The work has been taking place over the past few weeks and was recently completed, with a number of the Artisans helping out.
The finished mural features a scene straight out of Aromas’ past, and that of Marshalls Service, featuring images of a 1936 International Harvester pickup truck, an old gas pump, chickens and faux white-and-red striped canopies.
It seems like such a small thing, but it lends a nostalgic air to the already quaint downtown area, and as I previously mentioned, just in time for Aromas Day.
Joyce Oroz will be there, signing her novel, “Secure the Ranch,” which was published earlier this year. (A woman of many talents, obviously.) The Aromas Hills Artisans will be there selling their fabulous paintings, sculptures and jewelry.
And as usual, the Grange pancake breakfast starts Aromas Day off at 7 a.m., with booths and activities commencing shortly thereafter. For lots more information, see the website, www.aromasday.com.
“This Aromas Day should be awesome,” Scoles said.
Amen to that.
