The Ohio Independent Baptist, June 2003

Bic nten11ial Barns Project b , rv1l1r \, \i\'egner. pastor, Har 111ony Hiiis Baptist Church. New f\~\1tan101 as lt' 1 111, ,, 1ft· and I Ill\' ' l'd hl tht' ,t.llc \,t ( )h1n ,, \ , l'.ll" .t~l' ll) ... p,1'-l\'I lhl' ll.11tlhlll~ lltll , li,lj'l ,t l hui t·h 111 '\ c,, \ l .ll,lllHH .. 1,. I llll)k Monroe County Barn up l\\ <l Ill.'\\ hohhic,. co, crcd bridge\ and the hiccntcnn1al h.. 1rn-.,. Thc,e rna) ,ecn1 to he unu-..ual ht,hbic, for a r~t,tor. hut not rc,111) - !"or d p.. t,tor i\ al,, a)\ hutld1ng bridge, to reach people for ('hri -..t and. -.,p1ritual1). a pa,tor i~ pl,ull ing "l'l'd,. cu ll1,dli11g the c: 1op and ha 1 , l', t i n c , nu I, . '- l'he ()hio l3i ccnt cnn1al '0111111i,s1<)ll'\ barn paint Ing progran1 started in 1998 \\ ith thl' painting or the l~el,110111 Count, barn and was ., co111p lcted in Scplcn1hcr 2()()2 ,,ith the painting or the Sandu,ky C'ounl) barn. The rca,on for painting a barn in all 88 countic\ or lhc state wi th the h1 ccntcnn ial logo \\ as t<) get rrcc. highly , isiblc ad, crti1.,ing. It certainly worked, for you can find one on all of the n1aj or artc ri c"' or the \late and all other, can he seen fr<)n1 \ la te road~. H undrc<l, or people travel acro1.,, the stutc to , i\i t thc1.,c harn\. I ha,c ,i1.,itcd \OlllC 30. and I ha, c picture\ of nearly 4(). Clt>sc to 2.()0() barn, \\ ere \ oluntcere<l for the project. A harn con1 111i 1.,sion out o r Col un1hu \ vi~itcd each barn and n1ade their \e lection , according to location and \hapc. The Harri son County barn vva~ ~e lec ted by the 4th and 5th grade r~ of Je\\cll Elerncntary School. Each barn \e lec ted al<.;o ha~ n1uch intc rc\ ting hi\tory. Barn photos taken by Pastor Marv Wegner With the pa1nt111g o l each ha, n thc1c ,,·ere lc, ti, c ccrc n1oni c\. pi cni c,. hi cc11tcn11i a l cake\ and food ( ' lat"- 'ount y had a corn n1a1c cut in the 1.,hupc or the logo during. it, harn painting event. La\\-rcncc ounty had a one-day po~tal cance llation in the Ii kcnc,, of their harn. Each red. white and blue logo i\ 20' b) 20 ' and \\la\ drawn free hand by arti,t Scott Hagan. Each barn toc>k approxirnatcly J 8 hours and \even ga l lons or paint. The logo"> arc on the \ idc\ and the cnd:-i of the barn\ except ro r Sandu ~ k. y County. v. 1 hich is on thc roof. The De fiance County and Scioto County barns have two logc>s. So1nc of the logo\ are painted over a white \ hapc of Ohi o. Ottawa County ha\ two barn~ li \ tcd because the fir1.,t barn was de~troyed by a tornado during the painting. M 1 favo1itc barn i. 1ny own Monroe County barn. incc Scott Hagan. the arti . c. i . al~<) fro,n Monroe County he added a \pec ial touch. a logo over a black \hape of the state . I have thoroughly enjoyed looking for these ba111s. IL is a wonderful way to get to 1'.nt)W this beautifu l state.