Perry County Council of the Arts Veterans Mural

Perry County Council of the Arts Veterans Mural. . , At the hub of Newport's four historical transportation arteries , the Juniata River, the 1829 Pennsylvania Canal, the 1849 Pennsylvania Railroad (now Norfolk Southern), and State Highway 34, stands a tribute to the men and women who have provided for the nation's security and safeguarded freedom around the world -The American Veteran. , The World War I Marine on the left-hand side of the mural is William H. Saylor, the first Newport soldier who died in battle in June 1918 in France. The watch signifies the passage of time, as the overall theme of this piece is unifying past, present and future. Featured on the right are Newport veteran Christopher Gross and his grandchildren, Nola Harris and Bennett Vilk, who wear his uniform with love, respect, and admiration. The butterflies are symbols of life as well as stewarding liberty from one generation to another. The items in the foreground represent our Country's military service branches. , The iconic mural is a creation of the Newport High School art classes, their art teacher Jessica Barlup and visiting artist-in-residence Jon Laidacker of Philadelphia. The project was made possible through the Arts-in-Residency program of the Perry County Council of the Arts , an Arts in Education Partner of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. More than 100 community members of all ages helped paint the mural at the 2017 Youth Art Day at the Newport High School. Hundreds of citizens attended the Dedication of the mural in July 2017 at Community Day. , Additional sponsors of the painting were VFW Post 34 and American Legion Post #177, both of Newport, and the Lotus Fund, a fund of the Perry County Community Foundation, a regional foundation of The Foundation for Enhancing Communities on behalf of Meredith and Matthew Schuler. , [other photo captions] , • Mural painters at work.