Nostalgic mural evokes 1950s-era Zelie
ZELIENOPLE — Visitors who saw a mural unveiled in Zelienople Thursday evening, Oct. 13, 2022, became lost in the borough’s past, watching shops form in hazy hues along a canvas.
“That’s Hartmann’s Drugstore,” one visitor exclaimed. Other visitors recognized a vision of the Strand Theater from Christmastime in 1956. “The Ten Commandments” is shown above snowy streets on the theater’s marquee.
“1956 was a big year in our town,” said Randy Hart, city planner and leader in Zelienople’s Historical Society. “That’s when you say the interstate highway system came through. Brand new elementary school. Brand new community park. We were busting at the seams. Then, the ’80s came, and the economy tanked. We lost our manufacturing, so we were in trouble.”
The “Christmas in Zelienople 1956” mural was unveiled at Haute Designs at an event featuring hot mulled cider, live music and a gathering of people young and old.
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