Who’s hiding under there?
Published 12:18 pm Thursday, March 8, 2018
A lot of different ingredients go into making for a full, vibrant community. It is important that there be a touch of fun and whimsy. I want to commend Audrey Sullivan for helping bring this to Farmville with her artistic works under the bridge on Mill Street. I’d also like to share some additional efforts she and others have gone to in connection to those works.
Back in September 2017, Sullivan, the founder of Red Door 104, a studio/gallery space on North Main Street, painted a trio of trolls under that bridge on Mill Street after striking an agreement with High Bridge Trail State Park, which owns the bridge.
On one side resides a large troll, and on the other side are two troll children.
The trolls immediately began drawing attention as word spread about them on social media.
Sullivan received help from Town Manager Gerald Spates in having metal street signs put up on either side of the bridge, warning of what lies ahead and instructing people not to feed the trolls.
Additionally, Sullivan held a contest at Red Door 104 to name the trolls. She noted a lot of people came up with interesting ideas.
“The troll formerly known as ‘The Big Guy’ has been named Sully by Maureen Walls-McKay,” she said. “Coming from a long line of Sullivans, I agreed instantly!”
The boy troll holding the bone, she said, is now called Bonez, named by Heather and Cole Milne.
And Betty Lou is the name given to the baby girl troll.
“We came about her name a little differently,” Sullivan said. “Mrs. Betty Lou Baldwin gifted me a lovely and very old book about Norwegian trolls. I was so moved by this generous gesture that I chose to give our baby troll her name.”
So now, as Sullivan stated, as you’re driving through the underpass, you’ll know who’s hiding under there.
TITUS MOHLER is the sports editor for The Farmville Herald and Farmville Newsmedia LLC. His email address is Titus.Mohler@FarmvilleHerald.com.