The newly formed Mercersburg Council for the Arts recently held a fundraising eventcalled ArtOberfest. Some of the fun included, top left, pottery by Janine Davis of Moon Dog Pottery; top right, a performance by the Hello Strangers alternative country band that includes council President Larissa Smith; bottom left, a musical performance by Mason Bailey; bottom right, an exhibit by artist Diana Penrod, at right.
The Arts are Alive in Mercersburg
Written by DAVE THOMPSON, Elegant Living magazine
Photography courtesy of RYAN SMITH
MERCERSBURG, Pa. — Sometimes all it takes to get a worthy project under way is someone’s desire to do it. The recently formed Mercersburg Council for the Arts is a good example. It basically came about because three young persons had moved back to their hometown and wanted to do something to help it.
Things started when Allison Zeger received an e-mail from a friend, Ryan Smith, that he and his wife, Larissa, had moved back to the area from Austin, Texas. The Smiths have a photography business. Zeger and Ryan Smith knew each other from attending James Buchanan High School. Larissa Smith attended Mercersburg Academy (where her father taught) and said she “vaguely” knew each of the others at the time.
“I got to know Allison after college since Ryan’s brother is friends with her . . . lots of connections!” Larissa said. “I looked at Ryan’s Web site and liked it,” Zeger said. “I was thinking there had to be more artists in the area, and we ought to do something about it.
I had worked in Cumberland, Md., and saw a great artists’ co-op that they had there. “I contacted Ryan, and he said he’d talk with Larissa about it. We met at my place, and it got started.”
“It was Allison who had the idea to start it,” Ryan Smith confirmed. Part of the friends’ desire to start the organization resulted from their belief that relatively isolated Mercersburg is an overlooked treasure.
“We’d like to tell people some of the great things about Mercersburg,” Zeger said. “We don’t want it to become a tourist trap or anything, but we want more people to live here. We felt we all wanted to be involved in the community and help each other make it what we want it to be.”
“We think we are in the right place at the right time and have the drive to do it,” said Larissa Chace Smith.
At 31, Zeger is the oldest of the three. Larissa Smith is 29, and Ryan Smith is 28. After initial organization meetings, the council was formed as a committee of the Mercersburg Area Chamber of Commerce.
Its stated mission is: “To facilitate dialogue between Mercersburg area artists and the community through the organization of events and exhibits; encourage local artists to develop and showcase their unique talents; and to enrich our community with cultural and ethnic diversity via the arts.”
“Our big word is facilitate. We want to promote contact between artists and artistic entities that they might not experience otherwise,” Larissa Smith said. “Mary-Anne Gordon at the chamber was very enthusiastic about helping to make us a committee under the chamber. Our goal is to become a nonprofit.”
The group has applied for nonprofit status in Pennsylvania and the goal is to have it by January. Some fundraisers have been held, and personal donations amounting to about $3,500 have been received.
A recent event called "ArtOberfest" featuring an art sale and musical entertainment was held at the James Buchanan Restaurant and Pub downtown.
“We’ve gotten a lot of support from the Franklin County Visitors Bureau,” Zeger said. “The Chambersburg Council for the Arts has been huge. They’ve donated money, offered advice and helped in other ways.” An art show with the theme “What Mercersburg Means to Me,” open to all ages, was held at the recent Mercersburg Townfest.
“We try to get kids involved, then maybe the adults will stop by,” Zeger said. “We also raised a little money with a raffle.”
“Rockwell Construction donated eight great foldable easels for the art show that we’ll be able to use for future shows,” Ryan Smith said.
Larissa Smith is president of the MCFA board, while Zeger serves as vice president and Ryan Smith as historian. The first additions to the board were Kelly Schoenberger, secretary, and Jenn Flanagan, treasurer.
“We got Kelly and Jenn on board for more business sense to keep us grounded,” Zeger said. Other recent additions to the board include Ozzie Weller and Matthew Kearney.
Future plans include events such a Christmas program and caroling, Music on the Square and “First Night” activities downtown on New Year’s Eve.
“We’d like to do things to give artists a physical presence where art can be displayed and sold,” Larissa Smith said. “We’d like to find some permanent space in town for display and even some studio space.”
Smiling, Zeger said, “We’d like to have something in our town so we don’t have to drive so far for everything. We want to be an art-friendly town.”
Area artists, take note.
