Craig Howell A NEW SCENE – This wall, located on the southern side of 3246 Main St., in Weirton, is set to be used for Hancock County's America250 mural, designed to depict various imagery from the county's past, present and future. The county's mural design recently was approved for a $5,000 grant through the West Virgina Department of Tourism.

WEIRTON – After being approved for funding from the state Department of Tourism, Hancock County’s entry into West Virginia’s America250 Mural Project is set to move forward.

Hancock County commissioners recently received word the state had approved a grant of $5,000 toward the mural, which is being organized through the efforts of the Top of West Virginia Convention and Visitors Bureau.

CVB Executive Director Rachel Keeney confirmed the local tourism agency is hopeful to have the mural installed sometime later this month, with plans for it to go up on the wall on the southern exterior of 3246 Main St., Weirton, a storefront which recently became the home of Blue Cat Coffee but also historically known as once being the location of an Isaly’s deli.

According to Keeney, the mural will be painted onto mural fabric, a type of cloth which is typically pre-primed and then can be painted on and then adhered to a wall.

“We’ve ordered the materials. We’re waiting on that,” Keeney said.

The mural design showcases a variety of elements of Hancock County’s past, present and future, from representations of the World’s Largest Teapot and Rock Springs Park in Chester to the Wayne Six Toll Bridge and Fiesta in Newell.

New Cumberland is represented by depictions of the brick ovens which were part of the community’s earliest industry, as well as a riverboat and the Memorial to the Perpetual Defenders of the Union monument located in front of the Hancock County Courthouse.

Weirton is showcased by molten steel being poured into an area depicting Form Energy, along with the city’s motto of “Success in Unity.”

Other graphics include the sign from Tomlinson Run State Park, the only state park located in West Virginia’s Northern Panhandle; the Peter Tarr Furnace made famous for its production of cannonballs used by Commodore Oliver Perry in the Battle of Lake Erie in 1813; a recreational bike trail; and a set of playing cards along with dice and a poker chip.

Keeney said the CVB is reaching out to the schools and others in the community to assist with painting the mural onto the fabric.

“We’re going to try and coordinate with some of the high schools,” she said, noting they also would receive assistance from the City of Weirton when it comes to installing the mural.

Keeney noted the state has extended its deadline for the program to May 1 to allow other counties to submit designs for murals.

Among those with plans, she said, is Brooke County which is in the process of getting a design and location selected.

“That’s still in the preliminary stages,” she said.

State Tourism officials have established the grants, made possible through a partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, to allow for allocations of $5,000 for each of the state’s 55 counties.

Any murals selected as part of the America250 program must incorporate the official logo for the program, and will be included in promotion through the Department of Tourism.

(Howell can be contacted at chowell@weirtondailytimes.com)