Join Building a Better Boyertown for Ribbon Cutting for New Mural

Colorized sketch of the proposed mural by muralist Chris B. Murray

Building a Better Boyertown's ribbon cutting ceremony of the new Unity Mural located at Rita’s Water Ice, 309 E. Philadelphia Avenue, Boyertown will take place on Saturday October 14th at 1:00pm, rain or shine. Mayor Lori Carnes will cut the symbolic ribbon to dedicate it to the community of Boyertown. All are welcome to attend.

"If you drove by Rita’s Water Ice in the past 2 weeks, you would have seen mural artist Chris B. Murray in action using special artists’ spray paint to make his art come alive," notes Ellen Martignetti, Building a Better Boyertown's Main Street Manager. "Chris was the winner of Building a Better Boyertown’s mural contest that occurred earlier this year."

After the former mural was vandalized in the fall of 2021, Building a Better Boyertown, along with several community partners, formed a diverse committee to re-envision the design. The committee decided to host a public design contest seeking a mural that would reflect that Boyertown is a welcoming community for all as well as promote kindness and unity.

Twenty submissions by amateur and professional artists aged 15 and up were reviewed. The committee selected the top three that fit the contest parameters, and the public voted on their favorite.

Chris’ Boyertown bear-themed design was the winner. Although Chris lives in Philadelphia, he is no stranger to Boyertown. His wife, Emily Jensen, grew up in the area and graduated from Boyertown Area High School in 2006.

"It has been a wide-spread community effort to see the mural come into fruition," continues Ellen. "Most recently, PA Industrial Equipment of Boyertown donated the scissor lift in order for Chris to reach the entire 17’x 35’ wall. The exterior primer and the anti-graffiti coating were donated by Willow House Paints of Gilbertsville.

"Martignetti Construction Company, Inc. donated time & material for building a stable platform for the lift to operate on. Blick Art Materials of Allentown discounted the specialty artist spray paint that Chris used. We are thrilled to have such a vibrant and fun piece of public art in Boyertown. We hope you can join us for this special event."

Building a Better Boyertown
Building a Better Boyertown is a non-profit organization whose mission is to preserve Boyertown’s artistic, historical, and agricultural heritage by providing the Boyertown Community with physical improvements, unique opportunities, and social interactions for businesses, residents, and visitors alike.

Our vision is that Boyertown is a welcoming, vibrant, and engaging community for people from all walks of life. Building a Better Boyertown cherishes and supports its history, arts, businesses, retail, agriculture and offers an unparalleled tourist experience. Please visit www.boyertownpa.org. Contact Ellen: 610-360-3054,

manager@BoyertownPA.org

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