By Bruce Rolfe
Local muralist Patrick Hershberger has been a bicycling enthusiast since he was young and the Galesburg-Augusta graduate will soon have the opportunity to incorporate bicycling and a well known Galesburg business he used to visit when he was younger in a 1000 plus square foot public mural that he has been commissioned to paint in Galesburg.
Hershberger, a 1997 graduate of G-A, is expected to begin painting the large mural on the side of a building owned by Catering by GMC at 16 East Michigan in downtown Galesburg, around September 25.
The mural was selected by Bike Friendly Kalamazoo’s Art Committee as expressing the theme of the joys of bicycling.
Local muralist Patrick Hershberger has been a bicycling enthusiast since he was young and the Galesburg-Augusta graduate will soon have the opportunity to incorporate bicycling and a well known Galesburg business he used to visit when he was younger in a 1000 plus square foot public mural that he has been commissioned to paint in Galesburg.
Hershberger, a 1997 graduate of G-A, is expected to begin painting the large mural on the side of a building owned by Catering by GMC at 16 East Michigan in downtown Galesburg, around September 25.
The mural was selected by Bike Friendly Kalamazoo’s Art Committee as expressing the theme of the joys of bicycling.
The mural will depict the joys of bicycling, but also include Billy’s Bike Shop, a business in Galesburg that brings back fond memories and carries significance for Hershberger.
Growing up in Augusta near the Fort Custer Recreation Area, Hershberger recalled in the late 1980s and early 1990s his siblings and friends would ride trails that were developing into varied levels of difficulty.
He recalled at the time there wasn’t the amount of bicycle trails there are now. One of his favorites was Granny’s Garden. A bike accident he had on the trail started a positive relationship with Billy’s Bike Shop and the owner, Billy Gillespie.
“I took a turn wrong and flew into a tree and crashed my 12 speed up pretty bad. I was a paper carrier for the Gazette, and it was my delivery vehicle. Billy’s Bike Shop came to the rescue and had it back in running order pretty quickly. Billy Gillespie was someone that everyone around the area came to for bicycle services. He was always very kind and helped get people into cycling. I’m pleased to be able to incorporate him into the mural, in a place where he had such an impact for such a long period of time,” said Hershberger, a public artist and illustrator who now resides in Kalamazoo.
“Bringing such a large and highly visible mural to downtown Galesburg so close to the former Billy’s Bike Shop is especially exciting,” adds Hershberger, whose public art appear on buildings in Kalamazoo under the artistic name, Bonus Saves.
Tammy and Jerry VanderWeele, owners of the mural site, embraced the G-A graduate’s mural design. “We fell in love with the artist’s design immediately. The mural is vibrant and heart-warming at the same time. It’s great to think that so many people will get to enjoy public art on the side of one of the oldest buildings in Galesburg. We are really happy about being able to give back to the community this way.
Thousands of motorists and people bicycle and walk by, pass by, and will be able to experience the mural every day,” observed the VanderWeeles.
The local muralist will have a community paint session where any one can come down and help paint a few areas of the mural on September 28 from 1-4 p.m. He hopes to have the mural completed in two weeks, weather permitting.
Galesburg City Council Trustee Judy Lemon said she and others have been working on securing a mural in the city for approximately three years through the Kalamazoo Area Transportation Authority. She said after one of the meeting presentations when she learned about the mural opportunity she started working on the process of getting a site in Galesburg selected.
The mural Hershberger was commissioned to paint at 16 East Michigan Ave. will actually be the second mural the local artist has been asked to paint in the City of Galesburg.
He said one of the first commissioned murals he painted when he was making the transition from street art into public art, was the Bell’s old service station by the car wash on East Michigan.
“I asked for enough funding to cover some paint from Lowe’s along with all the mistints I had on hand. It’s a real honor to be commissioned by Bike Friendly Kalamazoo and Catering By GMC to create a public mural downtown just down the street from that mural,” said Hershberger.
Bike Friendly Kalamazoo’s public mural program began in 2022 as a means to enrich public spaces while encouraging bicycling and promoting public safety.
“Greater numbers of bicyclists on the roads is correlated with improvements in public safety,” observes Paul Selden, the non-profit’s founder. “These joyful images will put a smile in the hearts of those passing by, improving the quality of life, if only for a moment.”
Selden hopes that seeing joyful images of bicyclists, “who could be family members, friends and neighbors,” will encourage motorists to slow down a bit and drive more carefully.
Hershberger’s artwork explores local and historical themes through illustrative story telling. Hershberger creates comics and illustrations for solo and client-based products. Hershberger is a member of the Kalamazoo Earth Day Planning Committee, former chair of the Kalamazoo County Public Art Commission, and former chair of Bike Friendly Kalamazoo’s Art Committee. For more information, see https://www.gobonussaves.com.
Bike Friendly Kalamazoo’s mission is to make the greater community even more bicycle friendly. The non-profit organizes the annual Kalamazoo Area Bike Week in May and Fall Bike Celebration Weekend in September. Its programs aim to build community through bicycling by supporting efforts to make southwest Michigan even more attractive as a great place to live, work, play and learn. For additional information, see www.bikefriendlykalamazoo.org.
He recalled at the time there wasn’t the amount of bicycle trails there are now. One of his favorites was Granny’s Garden. A bike accident he had on the trail started a positive relationship with Billy’s Bike Shop and the owner, Billy Gillespie.
“I took a turn wrong and flew into a tree and crashed my 12 speed up pretty bad. I was a paper carrier for the Gazette, and it was my delivery vehicle. Billy’s Bike Shop came to the rescue and had it back in running order pretty quickly. Billy Gillespie was someone that everyone around the area came to for bicycle services. He was always very kind and helped get people into cycling. I’m pleased to be able to incorporate him into the mural, in a place where he had such an impact for such a long period of time,” said Hershberger, a public artist and illustrator who now resides in Kalamazoo.
“Bringing such a large and highly visible mural to downtown Galesburg so close to the former Billy’s Bike Shop is especially exciting,” adds Hershberger, whose public art appear on buildings in Kalamazoo under the artistic name, Bonus Saves.
Tammy and Jerry VanderWeele, owners of the mural site, embraced the G-A graduate’s mural design. “We fell in love with the artist’s design immediately. The mural is vibrant and heart-warming at the same time. It’s great to think that so many people will get to enjoy public art on the side of one of the oldest buildings in Galesburg. We are really happy about being able to give back to the community this way.
Thousands of motorists and people bicycle and walk by, pass by, and will be able to experience the mural every day,” observed the VanderWeeles.
The local muralist will have a community paint session where any one can come down and help paint a few areas of the mural on September 28 from 1-4 p.m. He hopes to have the mural completed in two weeks, weather permitting.
Galesburg City Council Trustee Judy Lemon said she and others have been working on securing a mural in the city for approximately three years through the Kalamazoo Area Transportation Authority. She said after one of the meeting presentations when she learned about the mural opportunity she started working on the process of getting a site in Galesburg selected.
The mural Hershberger was commissioned to paint at 16 East Michigan Ave. will actually be the second mural the local artist has been asked to paint in the City of Galesburg.
He said one of the first commissioned murals he painted when he was making the transition from street art into public art, was the Bell’s old service station by the car wash on East Michigan.
“I asked for enough funding to cover some paint from Lowe’s along with all the mistints I had on hand. It’s a real honor to be commissioned by Bike Friendly Kalamazoo and Catering By GMC to create a public mural downtown just down the street from that mural,” said Hershberger.
Bike Friendly Kalamazoo’s public mural program began in 2022 as a means to enrich public spaces while encouraging bicycling and promoting public safety.
“Greater numbers of bicyclists on the roads is correlated with improvements in public safety,” observes Paul Selden, the non-profit’s founder. “These joyful images will put a smile in the hearts of those passing by, improving the quality of life, if only for a moment.”
Selden hopes that seeing joyful images of bicyclists, “who could be family members, friends and neighbors,” will encourage motorists to slow down a bit and drive more carefully.
Hershberger’s artwork explores local and historical themes through illustrative story telling. Hershberger creates comics and illustrations for solo and client-based products. Hershberger is a member of the Kalamazoo Earth Day Planning Committee, former chair of the Kalamazoo County Public Art Commission, and former chair of Bike Friendly Kalamazoo’s Art Committee. For more information, see https://www.gobonussaves.com.
Bike Friendly Kalamazoo’s mission is to make the greater community even more bicycle friendly. The non-profit organizes the annual Kalamazoo Area Bike Week in May and Fall Bike Celebration Weekend in September. Its programs aim to build community through bicycling by supporting efforts to make southwest Michigan even more attractive as a great place to live, work, play and learn. For additional information, see www.bikefriendlykalamazoo.org.
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