CHILDERSBURG Just in time for Coosa Fest, Childersburg is finally getting its long-awaited sign on the railroad truss passing over Alabama 76 near Sixth Avenue Southwest.The project has been two-and-a-half years in the works and is the result of a partnership effort among the DREAM Foundation, the city of Childersburg and the Childersburg Chamber of Commerce.
Now the portrayal of a Spanish conquistador and 3-foot-high yellow letters spanning each side of the approximately 60-foot bridge seem to have materialized out of nowhere, greeting drivers to Historic Childersburg as they pass in and out of downtown.
Its taken a long time, but its paid off, because the sign is absolutely beautiful, said DREAM Foundation president Michele Mizzell. I think it will make a great visual starting place for our downtown revitalization efforts.
Holdups along the way included raising the funds, receiving permission from Norfolk Southern Railway to paint on the truss and acquiring authorization from the Department of Transportation, Mizzell said.
When they finally received clearance and funding to place a sign on the overpass, Mizzell said the group had to make the tough decision of determining what medium for the lettering would be best. At first they thought vinyl lettering would be the most practical because of its durability, but the less-than-flat surface of the truss ruled out vinyl. Mike Little of 8th Avenue Gallery said handpainting was the only option at that point.
You really cant find guys to paint signs anymore, Little said.
So then arose the challenge of finding the right person to do the job, at the right price.
We were having a hard time finding somebody who actually did that, and in a price range we could afford, Mizzell said.
Little eventually called upon his uncle, Jim Manasco, a Childersburg native who now lives in Winston County and has been a sign-painter since 1951.
He sent his uncle a picture of what the city wanted the sign to look like, and Manasco informed Little last week that he could take care of it. He began painting the hand-lettered sign Monday afternoon this week and said he hoped to have it finished Wednesday.
Its a pretty dangerous job, Manasco said, pointing to places where logs loaded on trucks had walloped the bridge while he was working there is a distinct dent in the E in CHILDERSBURG. I got frightened a little bit.
He also pointed out the various fans and bars on the bridge that made hand-painting it both a challenge and a necessity.
This thing is going to look awesome, said Chamber of Commerce director Pete Storey.
Several individuals and organizations contributed to the Childersburg sign effort, and the Chamber of Commerce lent approximately $1,500 to complete the project. Mizzell encouraged citizens and organizations still interested in donating to send their money to the chamber office.
