Easton students are gearing up to create a third “Welcome to Easton” sign. The date for when the newest sign will be completed and installed is not yet known, but its location has been identified and it is expected to be another example of the town’s thriving artistic talent.
“The first two signs have been well received by the community,” said Alison Sternberg, a member of the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission. “We want to create a third sign for drivers entering the town from Monroe.”
The third sign will be located at the end of Stepney Road on the Monroe border. The artwork for the sign will be crafted through an art competition among Samuel Staples Elementary School and Helen Keller Middle School students, much like the two previous signs were created.
The first two signs are a collage based on many of the images that elementary and middle students submitted when they were asked to reflect on what Easton means to them. The elements from various student submissions were then integrated to create each sign. The project was a collaborative effort that involved the Easton Arts Center and Easton Arts Council, which judged the drawings.
The first sign installed last year sits at the intersection of Black Rock Turnpike and Route 136. A second sign was installed earlier this year at the bottom of Sport Hill Road, near the Fairfield town line.
Sternberg had the idea to create the signs. She thought that driving into Easton and seeing the town from the point of view of local children would reflect the best of Easton in the purest and simplest way.
The third sign on the Monroe border will also encapsulate the town’s essence. The themes chosen for the project include sunflower fields, equestrian farms, fire engines and carnivals inspired by the town’s popular Firemen’s Carnival held each year.
“Our Firemen’s Carnival is so well-known that people from all over the region come to attend it,” said Sternberg.
Justin Giorlando, the town’s land use consultant, said the signs capture the heart and soul of the community and show off the artistic talent of its students.
“(They) speak to what our town is and bring a calm and peaceful sense to Easton,” said Giorlando.
