Refurbished Forest City Mural Now Has 105 Hidden Objects

Well known mural artist, Rutherford County's Clive Haynes, stands in front of his block long creation on North Powell Street In Forest City.

    There are three things that are very distinguished features in Forest City. One is the downtown fountain, second is the famous clock in front of Mountain First Bank and last, since the year 2000, the Clive Haynes mural, which takes up an entire city block. The mural is located across the street from City Hall on North Powell Street and begins at the corner of East Main Street. The fountain in the middle of downtown is a signature of Forest City and the clock has been in place since 1927. With the addition of the mural in 2000 people come from all over to see this depiction of the meaningful touches of Forest City. Clive Haynes has created murals throughout the state and elsewhere, but for this Rutherford County native, one of his proudest achievements is this mural in Forest City.

    Clive Haynes has and continues to present subtle touches in every one of his murals. His dry wit always is in place. In ingenious and elaborate ways, he arranges hidden characters within the murals and adds clever and fun touches. As for the updated mural on North Powell Street, he has added the most objects ever. The total amount in his just completed update is 105! That's right, 105 objects are spread throughout the massive mural. Here comes the fun part. Danielle Withrow, Forest City Town Planner and Downtown Development Director, has announced that a contest will begin to find the most characters within the just completed mural. First prize will be $100, second, $50 and third $25. There will also be some gift certificates awarded. The best part is the bragging rights for the winners. You can get ahead by looking and trying to find the characters now. However, the first time the official entries will be available is May 15th, when the list of the names of the hidden characters will be published and an accompanying copy of the mural will be available at City Hall. That way you can note the placement of all characters which you find. It's almost like a giant cross work puzzle with pictures. In 2000 you could see people sitting in lawn chairs on the sidewalk across the street with binoculars trying to find as many of the characters as they could. So, be forewarned, begin now and get a head start  to find as many, if not all, of the 105 objects. The mural came about in 2000 as part of a beatification project. It is now a main feature of downtown Forest City.

    The end of the contest will be on August 1st and the winner announced on August 17th. All entries must be submitted by August 1st. It will coincide with the big annual event in Forest City, the 22nd "Hot Nights and Cool Rides".  If, for some reason you think you may be ahead because you already know where some of the objects are from the last time, you will be surprised. They all have been moved and none are in the same place as the 2000 mural.

    The Clive Haynes mural is very beautiful and now it adds a fun time for anyone who wants to enter the contest. Remember, the person who finds the most characters in the mural is the winner.