Main Street Zephyrhills continues to paint the town.
On Nov. 16, the nonprofit dedicated to revitalizing certain elements of downtown, unveiled its latest mural in its ongoing series, presenting “Explore Our Hometown” — featuring large letters, including artistic images — on the side of the brick building housing Fraternity of Eagles 3752, at 38421 Fifth Ave.
It’s a vibrant, colorful piece of art designed and painted by artist Trinity Rivard, a Tampa native who said he’s been to Zephyrhills many times, but still really researched Pasco County’s largest municipality.
“I took my own experiences here, and did a lot of research, as well, and based on those two things, it was the elements (I chose) on here that resonated with me,” Rivard said at the ceremony unveiling the mural. “And it’s also which elements were going to be more dynamic, really stand out and something that I can have some fun with.
“I wanted the historical elements to be in there and I wanted to show what the city has to offer, recreationally, now — things that Zephyrhills is really known for.”
The mural, which is on the building wall adjacent to Seventh Street, focuses on themes in each in the letters of “EXPLORE.” They are skydiving, the Military History Museum, the Train Depot, golf and tennis, and the skate and water parks.
Rivard estimates it took him about 150 hours to complete the project that required him battling the heat, weather (including a hurricane), needing a scissor lift to reach the heights on the building and, of course, patience.
“I’m honored to be able to add to this city and leave my mark,” Rivard said. “A lot of times, I was on the lift and people would drive by and sometimes you hear someone yelling at you and you don’t know if it’s good or bad.
“But sometimes they’ll pull over and stop and say, ‘Good job!’ or ‘Looks great!’ and it’s those little things that really helped while I was creating the mural.”
City Manager Billy Poe said at the unveiling that “Our downtown just became a little more colorful, but really hits on the history, too. … A mural is important because it builds a sense of community, it makes you want to go there, not just to see it, but to experience the community. … This, people will drive or walk by it and it starts a conversation.”
Main Street Board of Directors & Design Committee Chair Christine Bennett said the mural cost $10,000 to commission, with that coming from donations and other fundraising throughout the year.
This is the second of several murals Main Street has planned throughout historic downtown. The first was Ocea, which also is on Seventh Street and was painted by lead artist Jonathan Sierra and assistant artist Fonz Eljaiek. The mural centers around the idea that water is restorative and connects to the life that it has touched.
There are other murals already in downtown, including “Splash on 5th,” the “unnamed mural on 5th” that Bennett and volunteers helped paint and the “Wall of Memories” or Centennial Mural that is painted on the Fifth Avenue-adjacent wall of the Hynes Discount Mobile Homes building.
Bennett said the plan was always to try to get 10 new murals downtown in the series, but fellow board member Gail Hamilton says they won’t put a limit on how many murals are commissioned as long as they can be funded.
Bennett also added the next mural will be a crosswalk painting that will be in front of the Zephyrhills Public Library on Eighth street.
Main Street hopes to have that completed and unveiled in January.
Published November 23, 2022
