Mural - The Rest of the Story

Pharmasave Mural - The rest of the Story   Every time I drive down Foord Street in Stellarton, a smile suddenly appears on my face when I pass by the beautiful mural painted on the side of the Pharmasave building. I wonder about the story behind the mural and who the folks are who are in it. Are they real people? Did they just appear from someone’s imagination? As curious minds want to know, I stopped by and had the most delightful conversation with Kevin MacKay, the building owner, and long-time Pharmacist.   With a big warm smile, he said, “I would love to tell you all about the mural!” He hopped out from behind the pharmacy counter and scooted past me saying, “Follow me, and I will take you on a tour.” I quickly followed him outside. The first thing he shared was that the building was erected in 1891 and it has been home to a pharmacy since 1898! If those walls could talk, what stories would they tell, I thought.   He shared, “Paul MacKinnon who was a customer of ours from Eureka painted the mural in 1998. He has since passed away, but the mural lives on.” I just had to ask, “Are the people in the mural real people?” He quickly nodded his head, “Oh yes! They are all real people. A lot of the people in the mural were painted solely by supplied photographs as they had passed away. Paul did an incredible job recreating their likeness.” Wow, I nodded in agreement.   Kevin shuffled past me and stopped at the left of the front door, “This is my dad,” he proclaimed proudly, “Next to him on the right is Dr. Joseph MacDonald who worked here for over forty years just like my dad.” He started to chuckle as he walked past me and stopped in front of the ramp and pointed, “The next set of characters is me on the right, my daughter, nephew, a past pharmacist from the 1960s, and a lucky little girl.” Intrigued, I asked, “Lucky little girl, why?” He smiled, “We had an IWK Health Centre BBQ fundraiser happening while Paul was painting the mural. We had a contest where if you donated $20, your name would go in a draw, and the winner would have their portrait included in the mural.” I exclaimed, “Wow, what a fabulous idea! Do you remember her name?” He paused, “She was a Brophy girl…I cannot remember her first name, but she would probably be in her thirties now.”   We continued walking past the mural as he slowly named all the folks and shared a little story about each. I could not believe how well-maintained the mural is after 16 years. He smiled, “The mural was touched up last June by Visually Thirsty. It is important to me to preserve it.” It was easy to see how much this piece of painted history means to him, and I believe the community too. Thank you for making our community a brighter place.   I think this quote sums it up beautifully, "Public art can tell the story of community spirit, and aspirations by honoring the past and envisioning the future."