Children in Windber Recreation Park’s summer day camp program jump into the park pool
Children in the summer day camp program at Windber Recreation Park were splashing around in the park’s pool on the afternoon of July 1, 2024.
SOMERSET — Once Erin Mayak heard that a group of volunteers formed a committee working to revitalize the Union Street Playground she jumped in to help with her expertise as an artist.
The Somerset elementary art teacher and president of the Laurel Arts Board of Directors Mayak added yet another local mural under her belt.
She helped the Union Street Playground Committee work out a budget for materials and presented them with a bright and colorful design for the wall facing Union Street. The design was shared by the committee at a Somerset Council meeting with great success.
“Knowing that the group was in the beginning stages of a greater fundraising campaign, I volunteered my time to paint, hoping that an eye-catching public mural would serve as a visual representation of the efforts being coordinated to upgrade the playground,” Mayak said.
The Somerset crew painted the building’s white background and Mayak and her mother took it from there. Her mother, Bridget Mayak, a retired art teacher with 40 years of teaching experience, helped paint the mural at the playground.
Erin Mayak said she hoped the mural would help garner public attention and support for the overall revitalization project.
Why: Somerset’s Union Street Playground: A day in the life of a local historic site
“I have fond memories of time spent at the playground when I was a child, so it is very encouraging to see so many community members currently working together to provide a safe and engaging place for kids,” she said.
For the borough, its manager Michele Enos put it simply: “It is adorable.”
