The sun was out as five dozen people gathered on Oct. 9 to salute six teens who this summer restored a 14-year-old mural of a streetcar that had been overrun by graffiti.
Catonsville Rails to Trails, a nonprofit organization that works to create walking trails in Catonsville, celebrated their efforts with a special unveiling.
"The weather was perfect and that never happens on anything that Rails to Trails does," said Maureen Sweeney Smith, a member of the board of directors for Catonsville Rails to Trails.
"It was a great day," she said. "Everything fell into place."
The Sunday afternoon event recognized the work of teenagers Grace Biamonte, Lizzy Gruber, Lydia McCaw, Raychael Norton, Casey Radner and Logan Wyatt.
Each of the teens received a plaque with a picture of the mural at the top and a gift certificate to Opie's Soft Serve and Snowballs, Sweeney Smith said.
The mural overlooks the No. 8 Streetcar Path.
"We're trying to get trails built so people will walk and bike and won't clog the roads," Sweeney Smith said.
"If they know this (mural) is along there, (people) will say, 'Hey, let's go on number 8 and take a look at it.' "
In 1996, Sweeney Smith said she used grant money and organized a group to create a trail along the former streetcar rail.
Sweeney Smith recalled her anxiety and surprise when she was approached in 1997 by Boy Scout Clark LeCompte, then 14, who wanted to paint a mural of a streetcar along the path.
"Oh my gosh. What's it going to look like?" Sweeney Smith recalled thinking about LeCompte's offer. "He was really talented. It just looked cool."
The mural inspired Marjean Irwin, who lived near the path, to add houses and waiting stations to the mural, Sweeney Smith said.
For as long as she could, Sweeney Smith fought back against vandals by touching up any graffiti left on the mural, she said.
A few years ago, graffiti covered so much of the mural that Sweeney Smith gave up, she said.
The mural got a second chance this year when Sweeney Smith agreed to write some grant proposals for Christian Temple Christian Church.
There she learned about the theme of the Kaleidoscope 2011 Arts Camp at the church on Edmondson Avenue.
"Maureen approached me about restoring it because she heard this year's theme was 'artitude,' " said Pat LaFon, the camp's program director. "Using the arts to motivate the good impulses of people."
When LaFon first looked at the site, she didn't think her group of high school artists under the direction of two lead artists could finish the project in two weeks.
In addition to years of graffiti, the ground was unlevel and poison ivy covered the base of the wall.
"It was a mess," LaFon said.
But the two lead artists, LaFon's son, Adam, a student at Maryland Institute College of Art, and Alicia Marchewka, a high school art teacher, believed the group would finish.
After the mural was prepped, the group began renovation effort in late June. They worked from 9 a.m. to noon each day to get the project done, LaFon said.
"They just jumped right in under Adam's and Alicia's guidance," she said. "They were down to the last day, but they managed to finish (on July 8)."
LaFon added the teens made some modifications to the original mural by adding shading and shadows.
"It was a mixture of very talented kids," LaFon said of the teens. "They worked well together and helped each other.
"It was just a nice two weeks for these kids. I think they were pleased with themselves."
The total project cost $5,000, Sweeney Smith said.
Summit Park Health and Rehabilitation Center provided the scaffolding, gave the artists lunch and donated $700 for the paint needed to complete the mural, which is on one of the walls of its building, Sweeney Smith said.
We Love Catonsville, a community nonprofit, paid for the instructors, Sweeney Smith said.
Throughout the painting process and since its completion, no graffiti has besmirched the mural, LaFon said.
"I can't believe it hasn't been graffiti-ed," she said. "We didn't have anything happen while they were working on it.
"I think they did a fabulous job."
According to a release from Catonsville Rails to Trails, the electric streetcar replaced horse-drawn carriages as the most efficient means of transportation in 1896.
Streetcar service ended in 1963, the release stated, and the tracks fell into disrepair for Rails to Trails began its renovation efforts.