New mural commissioned for Maggie Valley

Press release from Appalachian Mural Trail:

Maggie Valley North Carolina is a town that sparks your imagination with memorial images. The Ghost Town theme park, the Stomping Ground’s mountain music, dinner theater, fine dining, shopping for crafts, ski slopes, connecting with the Blue Ridge Parkway, motorcycles, bear & elk and camping by Jonathan Creek are unforgettable. All of these images will be a part of a new mural commissioned by Roy Milling, the new owner of Joey’s Pancake House. The mural artist who has accepted the challenge is Doreyl Ammons Cain of the Appalachian Mural Trail. Once finished the mural will cover the wall in the foyer, which is 25 feet long. This is where folks wait to have a seat to have breakfast in this famous pancake house.

“The idea is for folks who are waiting to have a fun experience as they find all kinds of interesting images of Maggie Valley in the art mural!” says Roy Milling.

The glassed in foyer will have spotlights on the mural so passing visitors can see the mural through the glass. To be scheduled is an unveiling of the mural and it’s dedication to the Appalachian Mural Trail, which is intended to draw more folks into Maggie Valley from the Blue Ridge Parkway.

“This is an exciting art project for me,” says Doreyl Ammons Cain. “I have been to Ghost Town, danced at the Stomping Ground and tasted fudge at Maggie’s Mountaineer Crafts, things I’ll always remember. My best efforts will be put into this tribute to Maggie Valley!”

The mural is expected to take 5 months to design and paint. So stay tuned for the unveiling date in the fall of 2018.

Also, newly welcomed to the Appalachian Mural Trail are 4 magnificent murals located in Marion Virginia. The featured art piece is Marion’s Musical Heritage Mural, which pictures tunesmiths and landmarks from the home of “The Official Television Series of Virginia, Song of the Mountains.” This is a monthly televised bluegrass and Americana music shown live from the historic Lincoln Theater in downtown Marion. Artist Tim White is host of “Song of the Mountains,” and the artist for this mountain music mural as well, as well as the artist for the Bristol Sessions mural in nearby Bristol Tennessee.

Though the artist was there from the start for Tim White, the banjo picking was learned later in life. As he said one time, “It’s amazing what one can learn when they don’t watch TV.”

Tim’s interest in the musical heritage of the region, a region which stretched from Roanoke to Knoxville and cut a broad swath into neighboring states, led to his painting a mural on State Street in Bristol in 1986. This mural depicts the principal characters of the historic Bristol Sessions, which took place in Bristol, TN-VA in the summer of 1927.

As a public figure, artist, musician and radio announcer, Tim White has unselfishly contributed time, effort and energy to support and promote the music and the musicians of the region. Tim has been in radio since 1990. He has a syndicated radio program featuring bluegrass music, old time music and comedy which airs in the U.S. and streams on the internet via many of his affiliates. He has one of the most popular Bluegrass radio programs in the Birthplace of Country Music Region “The Bluegrass Show” on WAXM (FM 93.5). He is on every Saturday from 9 am ’till 12 pm. He has a full slate of sponsors who support his program. To quote Tim, he says, “I’m truly a blessed man”.

Another popular mural added to the Appalachian Mural Trail, a “Giant Welcome to Marion” postcard mural, features a stylized postcard mural with local scenes, designed by Holly Thomas. “Patchwork of Marion”, Marion’s first mural, designed and also painted by local artist Holly Thomas contains stories of Marion’s community’s history woven into a quilt design. Another mural, “Mayan Mural”, is painted on the rear wall of the Lincoln Theater and represents a series of Mayan themed glyphs from the unique interior design of this restored 1929 theater. Artist design was Kristin Untiedt-Barnett, following the theater design of the original Mayan Revival scenery from Novelty Studios of New York.

Take a moment and visit muraltrail.com to see these mountain cultural murals, obtain location information and travel directions for your own mural trail adventure!