Lorain County Fair highlighted in downtown Wellington mural

WELLINGTON – For the village of Wellington, the Lorain County Fair extends beyond the grounds off Route 18. At the corner of state Route 58 and East Herrick Avenue, a new mural welcomes visitors to the Lorain County Fair and into the village itself through a collaboration between the Fair Board and Main Street Wellington. Main Street Wellington Executive Director Jenny Arntz said the project began as a conversation with Main Street Wellington's design committee – but didn't expect to be seeing the finished product ready for this year's fair. "We thought, well, we'll start putting the feelers out there, but we didn't think it would even be finished until next year … it came together pretty fast," Arntz said. "Like two months, maybe." The idea for murals downtown in part started after the film crews for "White Noise" left the village. When in town, crews transformed Wellington into the fictional town of Blacksmith and filled its downtown with bright-colored murals for faux businesses. The art that came and went in downtown started a discussion on whether the storefronts and sides along the area should see more art – and Main Street Wellington challenged everyone that any murals downtown can be both historic and artistic, Arntz said. Shannon Meeks, Main Street Wellington president, and Design Committee member Shelly Kazmierczak helped spur the conversation, Arntz said, with Meeks creating the initial rough sketch and Kazmierczak helping find the location. Meeks has also started Wellington Arts, hoping to bring more art to the village, Arntz said, with the mural project going hand-in-hand with Meeks' mission. Then, it was time for a conversation with the Lorain County Fair Board. Wearing two hats, Steve Neff, a member of both the Lorain County Fair and Main Street Wellington boards, helped broker the conversations. After a few minor tweaks of the original design, it got the green light from the Fair Board. The design focuses on the agricultural side of the fair, with livestock, sunflowers and several honey bees buzzing through. The bees were a must in the project, Neff and Arntz said, as Wellington is a "Bee City USA" and the Lorain County Fair hosts the county's Beekeepers Association each year. The Bee City USA program recognizes and supports pollinator conservation in cities. Affiliate cities and towns like Wellington are required to make commitments to conserve native pollinators, according to the organization's website. "Even the fair board, we looked at it as next year," Neff said. "For it to get done and be as professional as it is, and installed … I really felt there would be backlash, and we've not seen or heard anything negative. It's been well-received so far in the community." The Lorain County Fair sponsored the project, paying $3,000 upfront for the mural painted by Ron Stevanus, and pledging $500 per year for its upkeep for the next five years. That upkeep includes updating the year of the Lorain County Fair and the dates every year. Wellington Builders installed the mural on the side of Bread N Brew for free. To celebrate the mural's first Fair, Main Street Wellington will have straw bales out in front of it for people to take pictures with the mural, and from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. today will have a public promotion of the mural with cotton candy, giveaways, and other activities coinciding with Main Street's Support Local Saturdays initiative. "We were honored to work with this joint venture between Main Street Wellington and the village of Wellington," Neff said. "The fair's all about the kids, and the agricultural community we're just very honored that out of all the things that were chosen was the fair." Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.