L-U-R-A-Y Mural

Along Hawksbill Creek

When I was planning to drive through Luray last week, I looked up the location of a new mural. That town has an impressive number of murals and I have photographed quite a few of them. I saw that there was a new one where Virginia Avenue crosses Hawksbill Creek. When I got there, I found a parking spot and realized I had been there before and had taken pictures of a mural under the bridge. But that was four years ago, so I decided to walk a little ways and see if there was another one.

I found it in the underpass across from the older mural. There was no way to get a straight-on image so I had to make do. Illustrated letters spell out the name of the town.

I walked through and photographed each letter. They include a train because this is a railroad town. Inside the R is a scene from Luray Caverns. At the far end is a painting of the “singing tower,” which has a carillon that still plays music. 

Monday Murals / Mosaic

Across Massanutten to Luray

Today I drove to Luray by way of the "slow route" across Edinburg Gap and past Camp Roosevelt. It doesn't take much longer than going to New Market and crossing the Massanutten Range using Route 211. I couldn't resist stopping at the scenic overlook on top of the mountain.

Here you’re looking down on Page Valley and Luray with the Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance.
 

Once I got to Luray, I drove down to Ruffner Plaza to check out the murals. The faded mural I photographed several years ago has been replaced by three different panels.. 

Dogwood is our state flower. The mural in the center shows an old-fashioned scene, perhaps in honor of the mural that was there before.

Monday Murals / Garden Affair 

Nearby were some planters with flowers, including chrysanthemums and decorative cabbage.

There was also a display of painted rocks with a Halloween theme.

Lumber Mill Mural

Luray Random-osity.

The Good: Today we returned to Luray and walked a short distance on the Hawksbill Greenway south from Ruffner Plaza. I found this mural on the back fence of a lumber yard.

Monday Murals: Painted by artist Paul Quigg, the mural was sponsored by the Luray Tree and Beautification Committee. (See all my Hawksbill Greenway posts with more murals.)

The Random: Hawksbill Greenway is a two-mile long path that runs along Hawksbill Creek. It begins and ends in the countryside but passes under Main Street in the center of town.

The Fun: Young people were wading in the creek, cooling off on this hot day.

Mosaic Monday

Mural of Luray Train Station

The town of Luray has a great selection of outdoor murals. On the far left of this one you can see a sign that says "Another Project of the Luray Tree and Beautification Committee."

Below we see a scene in downtown Luray. Do you see a train? It's crossing the street a block ahead.

Sharing with: Monday Murals

Dreams of Luray

I noticed this pretty new mural in Luray and stopped to get a picture of it. It’s on E. Main St. and shows some of the nearby attractions, including Luray Caverns and the “Singing Tower.” This is signed by the artist G. M. Grant.

I believe this replaces a previous mural which was peeling and fading.

Sharing with Monday Murals.

Tree Mural Redone in Luray

It’s been a while since I drove through a particular parking lot in Luray, so when I saw that the tree mural had been replaced, I stopped to take a picture.

I posted a photo of the old mural way back in December 2014. There wasn’t as much foliage then, but it was winter, after all. Here’s a screen shot of that post.

It looks like I’ve been linking to Monday Murals since late summer of 2014. At that time it was hosted by Oakland Daily Photo. Sometimes I think I’m running out of murals to share, but then I see something like this one. Outdoor paintings don’t last forever.

Murals along Hawksbill Creek

Luray, VA

Luray has a number of murals in town, partly due to the efforts of the Luray Tree and Beautification Committee. Here we can see the popular walking trail along Hawksbill Creek.

I love the white owl and the deer in this mural. See the mountains? This town is situated between the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Massanutten Range. It's known for Luray Caverns.

A sign on the red mill tells us it is Willow Grove Mill, which is just south of town. I showed the mill itself in a January post.

Sharing with Monday Murals

Pets and Art in Luray

Yesterday in Page County

Charlie’s friend Sadie is checking out a mural in Ruffner Plaza. I’ve actually shared this mural before, but it was in 2017. Let’s look at some other things.

Monday Mosaics /  Murals

We saw a small sign explaining that a cat that wandered around was not a stray. We did not have the privilege of meeting the cat, though.

There were some plaques telling the early history of the town, which was established in 1812 on land owned by the Ruffner family. Another plaque said that the first bluegrass festival was held at in Luray in 1961.

We also stopped at an art gallery that is west of town. It’s run by the folks who used to have the Warehouse Gallery. 

Luray Post Office and a Country Market

Random-osity
 

Monday Mural: Inside the post office is a mural called "Lewis Ramey's Blacksmith Shop." This was painted by Sheffield Kagy, commissioned by the U.S. Treasury Section of Fine Arts. It's in very good condition for one that is 80 years old. 

A stone in the wall is inscribed to tell us the post office was built in 1938. The architect was Louis A. Simon.

The Post Office is on South Broad Street.

Blue Monday: A short distance west of Luray, I saw a nice mountain scene and pulled into a parking lot to take a picture. A little rain was coming in over the Massanutten Range. 

The parking lot I found myself in belongs to an interesting-looking farm market. A sign indicated there were goats behind one of the buildings so of course I parked the car and went to see. Nice place!

From there I drove down to the river. I spied this sign and the discarded mask at almost the same moment. Don't you wish people would pick up after themselves?

Hawksbill Greenway Paintings

Last week we looked at a mural along the Hawksbill Greenway near the commuter lot. Near there is another mural painted on a bridge support.

A plaque tells us this was painted by a Luray High School Art Class. They named it "Hawksbill Critters Root for the Bulldogs." The Bulldogs are the local team and their ball field is nearby, across Route 340.

In the same park are murals on the storm sewer manholes. These are sponsored by the Town of Luray.

Sharing with Monday Murals, Mosaic Monday, and Blue Monday.