05/19/14 The public got their first look at the giant sculptured and painted blueberries that will be popping up around Plymouth and Marshall County on Saturday at the Farmers’ Market.
The sun came out just in time for the unveiling of three of the artistic blueberries. First to show their work was the blueberry sponsored by the Heartland Artist Gallery. Artist, Maurice Costello said he thought of the man-in-the-blueberry-moon for his creation. He painted the blueberry with three colors of blue spray-paint and then added a neon face for the man. The blueberry will be located in front of the Gallery on West LaPorte Street.
Next to be reveled was the Blueberry sponsored by United Way and the Marshall County Community Foundation. This blueberry was painted by artist, Jeff Stillson and features the cardinal from the Community Foundation logo with the blue sky, landscape and lakes on one side and the United Way rainbow other side. It took about 20 hours to paint the blueberry that will be in River Park Square.
The final giant blueberry was sponsored by the Blueberry Festival and painted by Larry Holloway. Holloway got his inspiration from the 1949 book “Blueberries for Sal.” The blueberry man has a basket on his back with a bunch of blueberry in it. Their blueberry sculpture will be located near their new office of East Jefferson Street.
Shelley Heiden acted as MC for the event and took time to thank those who are sponsoring blueberries and investing in the project. She also thanked Transit-Mix for the 175 pound cement bases the sculptures will be mounted to and Lincolnway Auto Body Show for supplying the automotive outer coating on the blueberries.
Heiden said two additional blueberries have been sponsored but weren’t complete for the unveiling. Heiden Creative and Stillson Studio sponsored a blueberry that is currently being painted by PHS students, Olivia Coulter Katie Bowling and Rachel Rettig and the second one is sponsored by the Dairy Queen and will be completed mid-summer and placed in front of their store on West Jefferson Street.
This completes the first phase of “A Bunch of Blueberries in Marshall County.” Heiden said phase two has started and they will be taking orders until June 12th hoping to grow another bunch of blueberries before the Labor Day Festival.
