The Peru Gazette

By John T. Ryan

Heyworth Mason Park, Peru, NY- It was about two years year ago when town councilman Melvin Irwin asked Peru Middle School art teacher Greg Badger if he’d be interested in utilizing his art talents at Heyworth/Mason Park—the town needed to replace the rotting plywood covering the window of the park’s 1836-era stone building. Irwin had an idea: why not replace the plywood with paintings depicting Peru’s rich history, especially its historic buildings? Irwin recalls, “I was raised listening to stories of Peru in its glory years, especially Masons Mill and its employees.” Badger responded “yes” to Irwin’s question, so over the past several months, using black and white photographs as a source, Badger has completed twenty-seven images that are the talk of the town. He commented, “Mel was the spark that lit the flame.”

Greg Badger wasn’t interested in local history until he got involved in this project. Last year, he told the Peru Gazette, “I’ve been doing some of the paintings at school. I’m a little shocked to see how interested middle schoolers are in community history. They had many questions, especially about all the changes along Elm Street.” To answer their questions, Badger invited longtime Peru residents Sherry Dobbs and Larry Shanley into his classroom to share memories, and he even arranged to have the sessions taped for YouTube viewing.

Badger brought his easel, paints, and brushes to the Peru Town Market this summer. He recalls, “I was working on the painting of Marsha’s Pharmacy. People would come up and want to talk about it, how they went there after school for a penny candy or a root beer float.” Comments like those combined with his students’ curiosity changed Badger’s feelings about preserving local history. He explained, “When I started, my thought was to make this building pretty. Now, I’m entrenched in history. Instead of popping out a painting quickly, I’m researching, reviewing historical documents, reading books on Peru’s history, and talking to more people.” When people look at Badger’s most recent paintings, they’ll see accurate colors and details, such as the blue gas pump in front of Bosworth’s General Store and a yellow sign ‘Old Gold’ at Marsha’s Pharmacy. Now, it takes Badger about thirty hours to draw an image and compile its history versus the previous ten hours; however, he’s convinced it’s worth the effort.

There are still about ten open spots at the Heyworth-Mason Park building. Individuals, families, and businesses interested in sponsoring a painting should email Greg at gregbadgerart@gmail.com or visit visuallegacyproject.com.

Councilman Melvin Irwin is still involved. He applies a preservative coating to the paintings and climbs high on his ladder to place them in the open windows. Purchasing plywood backing and fiberboard is the only cost to the town. Sponsorships pay Badger’s time, talent, paint, and material costs.