Last week the new and colorful 4 Corners Mural was dedicated in a ribbon cutting ceremony held in front of the mural.  Many residents, the local public television station and the Baldwinsville Mayor were in attendance. All were there to congratulate the mural’s heart, Emily Ekross, who came up with the idea, got approval for the project, raised the money for supplies and organized the resources to get it done.

Emily Ekross standing in front of the new history mural she worked for over two years to complete at the 4 Corners in Baldwinsville, New York on Wednesday, August 7, 2013. Nikon D700/24-85G, 1/160s, f/8, ISO 250, EV 0, 24mm focal length, fill flash.

Those tasks are some of the ones which fit the criteria for the Girl Scout Gold Star Award which Emily earned with the completion of the Baldwinsville 4 Corners Mural Project.  The Gold Star is the equivalent to the Boy Scouts Eagle Scout award.

Below is a panoramic of the 11 foot tall by 33 foot long mural. Click the photo for a larger version. Taken with an iPhone 5.

Click Photo for a Larger Image

One of the interested residents at the ceremony was 91 year old Catherine Rice who proudly pointed out the canal boat in the mural was her Grandfather’s and the women sitting in it (see photos above) were her Grandmother and Aunts.

Baldwinsville native, Catherine Rice, 91, pointing out her Grandmother and Aunts shown riding the canal boat on the mural before the dedication ceremony of the new history mural at the 4 Corners in Baldwinsville, New York.
Nikon D700/24-85G, 1/160s, f/8, ISO 220, EV 0, 24mm Focal Length, fill flash.

I asked Emily if a pamphlet or website will be set up to explain the history and names of all the items on the mural.  She told me she is passing that project on to her Girl Scout troop, many of whom, helped Emily cut the ceremonial ribbon.

Emily Ekross (left) help her Girl Scout volunteers in cutting the ceremonial ribbon during the dedication of the new history mural at the 4 Corners in Baldwinsville, New York on Wednesday, August 7, 2013. Baldwinsville Mayor Joseph Saraceni (in back) counted down the cutting. Nikon D700/24-85G, 1/125s, f/8, ISO 200, EV 0, 24mm Focal Length, fill flash.

Personally, I would like to thank Emily for bringing back some pride and color to the heart of the Village of Baldwinsville.  A place I have called home all my life.