New landscaping features art from National Night Out participants
New landscaping featuring numerous stones painted by participants in the National Night Out in August and encased in a stainless steel form and placed at the Greater Parkersburg Area Convention and Visitors Bureau was unveiled on Wednesday. From left: Randy Rogers, president of Murray Sheet Metal Co.; Jimmy Dixon of Greenscape Landscaping; Debbie Jeffrey, an event organizer; Sharon Kuhl, organizer and councilman; and Mike Varner, a foreman at Murray Sheet Metal. (Photo by Jess Mancini)
The stones were painted by artists at the National Night Out on Aug. 1 in Parkersburg, set in the stainless steel form made at Murray Sheet Metal Co. and landscaped by Greenscape Landscaping into the front area of the Greater Parkersburg Convention and Visitors Bureau. Organizers unveiled the work on Wednesday. (Photo by Jess Mancini)
The stones were painted by artists at the National Night Out on Aug. 1 in Parkersburg, set in the stainless steel form made at Murray Sheet Metal Co. and landscaped by Greenscape Landscaping into the front area of the Greater Parkersburg Convention and Visitors Bureau. Organizers unveiled the work on Wednesday. (Photo by Jess Mancini)
New landscaping featuring numerous stones painted by participants in the National Night Out in August and encased in a stainless steel form and placed at the Greater Parkersburg Area Convention and Visitors Bureau was unveiled on Wednesday. From left: Randy Rogers, president of Murray Sheet Metal Co.; Jimmy Dixon of Greenscape Landscaping; Debbie Jeffrey, an event organizer; Sharon Kuhl, organizer and councilman; and Mike Varner, a foreman at Murray Sheet Metal. (Photo by Jess Mancini)
The stones were painted by artists at the National Night Out on Aug. 1 in Parkersburg, set in the stainless steel form made at Murray Sheet Metal Co. and landscaped by Greenscape Landscaping into the front area of the Greater Parkersburg Convention and Visitors Bureau. Organizers unveiled the work on Wednesday. (Photo by Jess Mancini)
The stones were painted by artists at the National Night Out on Aug. 1 in Parkersburg, set in the stainless steel form made at Murray Sheet Metal Co. and landscaped by Greenscape Landscaping into the front area of the Greater Parkersburg Convention and Visitors Bureau. Organizers unveiled the work on Wednesday. (Photo by Jess Mancini)
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PARKERSBURG -- A landscaping piece created by the individual work of children during the annual Night Out in Parkersburg was unveiled Wednesday.
The children's art consisted of painting on stones that were arranged and set into the 5-by-8 foot steel and stainless steel form in the shape of the state of West Virginia. The metal fabrication was done at Murray Sheet Metal, organizer Sharon Kuhl, a city councilman in Parkersburg, said.
More than 200 children painted the rocks, she said.
"We've got some artists in our area," Kuhl said.
The landscaping project was at the front of the Greater Parkersburg Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, located along the floodwall near the main gate.
The project beautifies the front of the bureau and draws attention to the state of West Virginia, Mark Lewis, executive director of the visitors bureau said.
"We're happy to do it," he said. "It looks great."
Greenscape Landscaping in Parkersburg spent two days this week installing and landscaping the area.
Greenscape set the piece in place, raised slightly above ground level, and landscaped it with mulching and soft touch hollies, Jimmy Dixon of Greenscape said.
"We just put in those to give it a little greening," Dixon said. "We didn't want to take away what the children did."
Extra stones will be placed around the area, he said.
Later, possibly today, the stones will be coated with Diamond Clear that will preserve the acrylic paints used by the children, Dixon said. When that dries, the extra stones will be submerged into the mulch, he said.
Also considered was the possibility additional stones that will be painted at the National Night Out next year, Dixon said.
"This is the beginning of a pretty good project," he said.
It took about two days of work to fabricate the form, said Mike Varner, a shop foreman at Murray Sheet Metal. The bottom was first cut, then the border was hand formed around the perimeter of the state by Tim McLaughlin and Bill Huffman. Numerous bends were required.
Organized by the Parkersburg Police Department, the sixth annual Night Out in Parkersburg was held Aug. 1 at the City Park splash pad for children and their families.
Jess Mancini can be reached at jmancini@newsandsentinel.com.