TEHACHAPI, Calif. (KERO) — Tehachapi community celebrates the 1915 Street Dance Mural being restored in downtown Tehachapi with ribbon-cutting ceremony
- Family members of those depicted on the wall are excited to be among those who attended Monday's ceremony
- The original mural was painted 20 years ago to commemorate the first electric street lights in Tehachapi
- In total, there are 14 murals being restored in Tehachapi, the next one being the People of Nuwa, which means the People of the Mountains, starting on October 1st.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
A mural in downtown Tehachapi has come back to life... as community members gathered to celebrate the restoration efforts...
I'm Steve Virgen, your neighborhood reporter...
Family members of those depicted in the mural were excited to be among those who attended...
“Oh this is special. It’s just her memory. That’s all we have is our memories," says Manuel Escoto, a Tehachapi resident.
Manuel Escoto tells me about his grandmother, Mary Escoto, who is one of the people featured in the 1915 Street Dance Mural. The mural was painted 20 years ago to commemorate the first electric streetlights in Tehachapi. But over the years water caused cracking. The team from Tehachapi Murals stepped in to restore it.
“This is a cultural and historical marker in our community. This mural shows five different mayors, the first owners of a grocery store. This talks a lot about who we are and we’re very proud of our community and we love our community. We want to make sure we continue that heritage and that culture," says Jeanette Pauer, Tehachapi Murals Chair.
There were others connected to the mural, like Robert Taylor.
“I was on that mural when I was 5 years old, now I’m 25. It’s just great to be part of the town’s history," Taylor says.
The restoration project took over 200 hours of work from a big team. JR Long of Tehachapi Sign Company also helped. His work includes the recent new paint job for the Tehachapi water tower.
Virgen: What’s it like to be a part of this renovation?
Long: It’s awesome. I mean these are the founding fathers and mothers of Tehachapi. The subject matter of this mural dates back to 1915.
Michael Davies, Tehachapi mayor, says: “I’ve been here over 40 years and to see what they’ve done for our community, this is kind of a little reward I would say. But it’s more of a monument to what they've done for our city.”
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