Painted on the back wall of an old barn in Riverhead is a faded and stripping mural of a farmer riding his John Deere. It’s a portrait of Americana, a reminder of our county’s farming roots in an area that’s still so defined by its remaining agricultural businesses.
Last May, I snapped a few Hipstamatic photos of the barn while I was there to cover the annual Street Painting Festival for Patch. I love the way they came out.
In April, the Riverhead News-Review reported that the town’s Business Improvement District is looking to have the mural repaired, before the yearly weathering eventually erases it.
From the story:
The mural was painted in 2003 by Pennsylvania artist Wayne Fettro and was paid for by the Agricultural Heritage Festival committee. The BID board agreed last Wednesday to allocate $6,000 to hire Mr. Fettro for a week and pay for his hotel room.
Turns out it’s a sprinkler system that regularly doused the barn that’s responsible for the damage.
As for the street painting festival, it was my fist time at the event and I look forward to returning in the spring. I’ll take fresh pics of the mural then.
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