About fifty people gathered Friday on the Neuse River Greenway in Smithfield to celebrate the opening of a stretch of the greenway that has now been spruced up with the help of a public art project spearheaded by a couple of local girl scouts.
As part of their Girl Scout Silver Award project, Sarah Gaskins and Clar McGeough from Girl Scout Troop 3424 painted a Mountains to Sea mural on the support wall of the Highway 70/Neuse River Bridge in Downtown Smithfield.
“Instead of looking at an old drab wall while walking on the greenway underneath the bridge, people can now enjoy a bright and shiny painting with scenes from the NC Mountains to the NC Sea, with a special emphasis on scenes related to Smithfield,” said Smithfield Town Manager Paul Sabiston.
“These two young ladies worked tirelessly in extreme temperatures to beautify the Greenway and they did an outstanding job,” said Smithfield Mayor Pro-Tem Andy Moore. “They could have chosen to earn their Silver Award in many other ways, but they chose to give back to their community in a way that will be enjoyed for generations to come. Public art brings life to our public spaces and I thank you for your creativity, dedication, and for the many hours of your time spent creating this master piece. You have truly demonstrated an example of your commitment to the Girl Scout Law by your efforts to ‘make the world a better place’.”
Both Sarah and Clar are rising Freshman at Neuse Charter School in Smithfield.
