Mantua – The Buckeye Trail winds a large loop around Ohio, spanning over 1,400 miles. From a beachhead on Lake Erie near Cleveland, to a hilltop overlooking the Ohio River in Cincinnati, hikers on the Buckeye Trail(BT) can experience a bit of all that Ohio has to offer as they travel the trail. Many aren’t aware that our area is included on the famous trail. On Saturday, July 14th, the Village of Mantua will be designated as a Buckeye Trail Town — the tenth town in the State to receive such designation. This Saturday, Mantua joins Dayton, Defiance, Loveland, Milford, Piqua, Troy, Xenia, and Zoar as Buckeye Trail Towns providing restaurants, shops, and other in-town amenities to Buckeye Trail visitors. First envisioned in the late 1950’s as a trail from the Ohio River to Lake Erie, the BT evolved into a large loop, branching both north and east from Cincinnati. Mantua is included on the Mogodore spur of the trail.
The Downtown Mantua Revitalization Corporation (DMRC) prompted the Trail Town designation for the Village. The ceremony will take place during the Art on the Hill festival, a DMRC-sponsored event. Visitors will meet at 3 pm at the bridge at the end of Mill Street at the Headwaters Trail, since portions of this local gem are designated as part of the Buckeye Trail. At that time, a new mural will also be unveiled on private property adjacent to the trailhead. The mural was a joint effort between former Crestwood Middle School art teacher Eric Head, his students, and members of the DMRC.
“I love big projects like this,” Head explained. He shared that the project was designed and painted by his special Middle School art club entitled the A-Team. “It’s good experience for the kids — taking a small design and reproducing it in a large space,” he shared. “It helps them understand perspective and proportion,” he added. “An outdoor project helps them deal with atmospheric conditions, and helps show how color changes in space,” he shared.
The core group of student-artists who worked on the mural this summer included Bethy Albrecht, Aspen Baynes, Jinx Bretz, Cadence and Taylor Olson, Jenna Patton, Kyrstin Reid, Gracie Schweickert, Rylie Turner, and Valarie Wright. Marian Phillips organized the efforts on behalf of the DMRC. The building that features the mural is owned by Edie Benner, President of the DMRC, and leased by the Mantaline Corporation. Her inspiration stemmed from the Portsmouth, Ohio floodwall murals she saw during a bike race. This project was created on private property in order for completion to coincide with the Trail Town festivities this weekend. Ms. Benner hopes this project is the first of many outdoor art initiatives in the Village. Make sure to come see the completed mural on Saturday.
“This is a big deal for Mantua, and represents Crestwood,” the teacher acknowledged to his team. “This is our last project together, and I want to make it great!” Head, a CHS alum, was laid off from his position at Crestwood Middle School this spring. He begins a new position as the Madison High School art teacher this fall, where he’ll coach varsity football and wrestling. He volunteered his time this summer to work on the mural in between football practices at Madison HS and spending time with his wife, Alyssa Head, another CHS alumni who will teach at Crestwood Intermediate School this fall.
