Scott Swanson
Drive into Sweet Home on a winter night this Christmas season and you will see, on corners and along residential streets, dozens of brightly-painted “Christmas cards,” all bearing lively artwork and seasonal messages.
Pockets of them are scattered throughout the city, leading viewers on a tour of the town.
That’s the vision some local residents developed last year in what proved to be the infancy of an attraction very much like that described above – the Sweet Home Christmas Card project.
“It’s really been a success story, as far as I’m concerned,” said Ben Dahlenburg, one of the founders.
He said the project has grown from 17 4×8-foot cards painted and displayed last winter, to 40 this time around.
The idea originated, organizers say, with former Economic Development Director Brian Hoffman, who thought it might provide a draw for visitors.
“Brian talked to me one day and said it was something we should do as a community,” said Alice Grovom, a longtime leader of the Sweet Home Beautification Committee. Grovom said that in years past, residents of the Strawberry Heights and Epps Lane areas used to create elaborate holiday decorations that included Christmas cards, so she was familiar with the concept.
“It’s something he strongly believed in, that it would bring attention to Sweet Home as a destination area as we improved what we had to offer,” she said. “The most inexpensive and effective way to create that destination would be Christmas cards.”
Grovom said the Beautification Committee provided funding for the initial cards, including a $1,000 grant from the Sweet Home Active Revitalization Effort (SHARE). Grovom called local residents she thought might be interested in creating the cards, such as Dahlenburg, a retired Sweet Home High School woodshop teacher, and retired art teacher Gail Gregory.
Dahlenburg said a total of 22 artists have painted the 40 cards, which will all be set up by the Christmas Parade this Saturday, Dec. 7, at locations from Clover Park to Shea Point, including the police station, East Linn Museum, Church of the Nazarene on Holley Road, and the Chamber of Commerce office.
Those artists include Don Ross, Patricia Sellers, Norma Johnson, Tim Meyer, Deb Cooley, Sara Couch, Gina Riley, Roberta Mc-Kern, Carolyn Owen, Anita Lewis, Diana McCurdy, Gail Gregory, Rich Little, Elda Miller, Bob Dalton, Larry Johnson, Anthony Olson, Lisa Chase, and members of the Sweet Home Boys and Girls Club and the Sweet Home High School Key Club.
Grovom said other major contributors to the organization of the project have been Patty Holk, chair of the Christmas Committee, and member Arlene Paschen.
“I think it’s gone well this year,” she said. “Ben and Arlene raised money so we could have carriage rides.”
Dahlenburg said another advantage of the Christmas cards is that they have a life span of 10 to 15 years. Artists who want to paint cards come up with their own ideas, paint them on two 4×4-foot sheets or one 4×8-foot sheet of plywood provided by the committee, with paints also supplied.
“My thought was that there is a lot of talent in town and lighting with lights is a lot of work,” he said.
“The amazing thing is we don’t tell people what to put on them and they come out really good. Some have a lot of detail. You get the message, but you have to study them to get the detail.”
Grovom said she hopes to see the number of cards go to 50 next year “and then we’ll see where we go from there.”
Dahlenburg said he hopes whole neighborhoods will volunteer to mount and light the cards.
He has people waiting in the wings to get involved.
“People call me and say, “I want to paint one, I want to paint one. The enthusiasm is still there. I’d really like to see new artists, even whole families get involved.
“We could be known as the town with the Christmas cards, if we keep going.”