Town of Murals: Lake Placid, Florida

A sign along Highway 27 at the edge of Lake Placid in Highlands County reads, “Town of Murals.”  Unless you pay attention to the sign or exit on one of the town’s main roads, you might miss what has become a vital part of the town and its history.

Having grown up less than 30 minutes from Lake Placid, I spent many summers at Lake June.  The murals weren’t part of the town then, but it was definitely a place that felt inviting and friendly.  Now that I’ve had a chance to go back and see these murals for myself, I am even more enchanted with this town.

Lake Placid is like any other little town: a farmer’s market, a main street, quaint shops, the locals milling about on a Sunday afternoon. What sets this apart is just what the sign says – murals.  There are nearly 50 of them painted on the sides of buildings around town.  Each one depicts something different about the history of Lake Placid, its culture or some of its prominent citizens.

This was all the brainchild of Harriet and Bob Porter, themselves depicted on the front of the Chamber of Commerce building.  Harriet says she and her husband got the idea from an impromptu stop in Chemainus, Vancouver Island, British Columbia during a motorcycle trip to Alaska.

“We found a little sign by the side of the road that said, ‘The Little Town that Did.’  We decided to see what they did,” Harriet says, “and we saw 32 beautiful larger than life murals that depicted the history of their town.”

That was the beginning of the Lake Placid Mural Society.

The Murals

One of the favorite murals around town is the “Cracker Trail Cattle Drive,” taking up the entire side of the old Winn Dixie on the corner of Highway 27 and Route 621 East. The 175 feet wide mural depicts the importance and magnitude of the cattle industry in Florida, and in Lake Placid in particular.  The cattle are all marked with registered brands belonging to Highlands County cattlemen.  Standing in front of this massive mural, you can almost feel the pounding of their hooves as they are being driven out of town.

It took about six months to paint the mural 1994 by artist Keith Goodson.  Since that time, it’s been repainted at least three times to maintain its beauty – something that is done with all of the murals around town.  The only thing missing from this mural currently is the sound of the cattle mooing which came to an end when the building was vacated and the electricity turned off.

Another mural in town, “The Lost Bear Cub,” also features sound.  It was painted  in 1997 by Terry Smith on the side of a barber shop on East Interlake Boulevard.  Stop by and listen to the mama bear and her cub.

The Artists

Most of the murals were painted by single artists, although there are some that involved the collaboration of two artists – depending on their skill sets.

“They all have their specialties,” Harriet says. “Some are better at wildlife than others.  Some are better at painting people. This is how we’ve chosen through the years – by what their talents are and what is required in the mural.”

“Caladium Fields” by Thomas Freeman

There has never been a competition or a call put out for the artists.  They were chosen through connections with the Caladium Arts and Crafts Co-op, which Harriet also began with her husband.

The Process

Not just any mural can be painted on the side of a building.  Everything is related to Lake Placid.  The history is researched and provided to an artist, who in turn interprets the information in their own way.  A full-color rendering is provided to the Mural Society before any paint can go on the wall.  Once approved, the painting begins.

All of the original renderings hang inside the Chamber of Commerce and are on display during business hours.

Something for Everyone

“The Murals of Lake Placid” guide book will make your visit complete and can be purchased at the Chamber or any number of businesses in town.  The guide includes information about the mural, the artist and even offers an interactive activity for each of them.

If you or your children like to find hidden pictures, the murals have that to offer as well.  Each of them has something either hidden or missing and the guide book tells you what to look for in each mural.

Portion of “Our Citrus Heritage.” There are four hidden oranges with smiley faces in this mural.  

“Bassin'” Can you find what’s missing?

The mural that started the interactive activities was another of the town’s favorites, “Bassin’” another mural painted by Keith Goodson.  Harriet says when Goodson was finishing up he told her he didn’t think he could put another brush load of paint on the mural.  About two weeks after the scaffolding was removed, a woman told Harriet the artist forgot something.

“I said, ‘forgot?” Harriet remembers, and rushed over to look at it.  “Sure enough, he had.”

Goodson offered to go back and finish it, but Harriet decided against it and made that a regular feature of all murals from that day on.

Response to the Murals

The murals have become an important part of Lake Placid, helping them win the distinction of “America’s Most Interesting Town” in 2013 by the Reader’s Digest. Tourism has seen an increase, which means restaurants and stores benefit from the extra people in town.  More than 150 cities and towns across the United States and Canada have reached out to ask how to start their own mural project.  The result of that is the Florida Mural Trail, comprised of about a dozen other towns showcasing their own artwork.

More to Offer

You can easily spend the day in Lake Placid, visiting the murals and reading about their history.  Many of the murals are grouped together, which makes it easy to park the car and walk.  No need to worry about getting in the way of the locals when you play tourist.  They’ll just smile or wave when you stop to take pictures.

Of course there is much more to Lake Placid than just the murals, but you’ll have to visit for yourself to find the other hidden gems in this town with “history all around.”

 

FM Footnote:  Selecting mural photographs to share in this post was difficult, so don’t be surprised if there is another post with more photos and more about what Lake Placid has to offer.  In the meantime, please visit this little town (or any of the other towns on the Florida Mural Trail) and see up close the amazing talent and ideas that brought this project to fruition.