By John Brice
Correspondent
Community leaders and local officials gathered for a city welcome signs and mural reveal event in LaFayette during the afternoon hours of Thursday, December 19th of 2024.
In a post to the official facebook page for LaFayette Main Street promoting the event, it was stated “Join LaFayette Main Street as we present the most perfect Christmas gifts to our sweet town! You’re invited to join us Thursday, December 19th at 2pm for the unveiling of our inaugural Mural and three additional Welcome to LaFayette signs. LaFayette Main Street is honored to have the mural and signs to help make our town even more vibrant and inviting. Three grants were completed by LMS to make the mural possible and we are grateful for these awards! We are also so appreciative to a special individual for the generous donation for the three additional Welcome to LaFayette signs.”
It went on to continue “LaFayette is a special place to so many near and far. As a Main Street designated town, the community has been thrilled to see this progress of LMS focusing on the beauty and revitalization of our town. We are inspired by our rich history and creative spirit, and hope to continue to elevate our city. Special thanks to the fantastic work and talent of Mr. Jim Frank as our mural artist. We look forward to many more murals in our future! #grantrecipient #Revitalizationandprogress #murals #downtownart #WeAreMainStreet”.
Providing further context, a follow up post remarked “After weeks of dedication, commitment, and passion for art, the downtown mural and three welcome signs have been completed. These endeavors epitomized the blend of creativity, collaboration, and commitment to our town. We extend our sincerest gratitude to Mr. and Mrs. Tim Vines for their generous contribution towards the purchase of these exceptional signs, highlighting their dedication to our community.
“The unveiling of this stunning mural, symbolizing our town’s history and heritage, marks another remarkable achievement. We appreciate the support of our local legislators, Senator Price and Representative Fincher, the Department of Tourism, and East Alabama Community Foundation whose grants enabled the completion of this project.”
It went on to continue “Furthermore, we acknowledge Mr. Jim Frank’s artistic expertise in creating this masterpiece, which will continue to inspire our community for years to come. Thank you to our city, county, community, committees, and all volunteers! LaFayette is blessed for our ability to work together to move our town forward! It’s a great day for LaFayette, AL and there will more to come!”
Standing before the newly revealed mural in downtown LaFayette, LMS Executive Director Deanna Hand addressed a gathered crowd by remarking “We are very excited because this event marks a significant milestone as we unveil our first downtown LaFayette mural. During the holiday season, we are super excited to be able to present this gift to the City of LaFayette and just are very thankful for this work of art. We are waiting on our mayor, he will be here soon, so when he gets here we will do the ribbon cutting. I would like to just speak a few minutes about the mural and give special appreciation and thanks to a few very wonderful people that helped us make this happen.”
Hand went on to continue “Our welcome to LaFayette mural showcases a vibrant blend of historical references and community spirit, invoking a sense of pride, nostalgia and affection for our charming town. We are honored to present this gift and hope this mural will serve as a source of inspiration, motivating individuals to strive for excellence and experience pride in our town. Our commitment to LaFayette remains steadfast and continues to grow each day with each project and every step that we have to move forward. We express special appreciation to our funders whose support made this project possible.”
