In preparation of Plattsville’s 175th anniversary, the Plattsville and District Heritage Society is commemorating the occasion with the creation of a community mural mosaic.
Denise Tew, Chair of the Plattsville 175 committee, said the mural, which depicts two intertwining trees, will be 8’x8’ and live outside on the east side wall of the Plattsville Arena.
“It’s really cool. This mosaic is made up of 576 4”x4” tiles, 350 of which are paintable and the rest come pre-painted,” she said. “All together, it creates two trees that are entwined, which we just thought was a good fit for the Plattsville 175 because that’s what community is; we’re all entwined, and we’re all twisted into one.”
Tew said that the idea is for residents to paint their own tile and contribute it to the larger design.
The pre-designed mural is from MuralMosaic, and for $30, community members can purchase their own mural kit. Each comes with a 4”x4” primed aluminium tile, a selection of eight acrylic paints, two paint brushes, and a page with design examples.
Residents have the opportunity to purchase a participant painting kit and either do it themselves at home, or, join in on one of four upcoming paint events. The gatherings are free to attend, participants simply need to purchase the kit.
“We had our first paint event this morning [March 16] at Peace United and it was fun! We had about 14 people there and we painted our tiles together. We had the kids who came with their parents draw out their design on a piece of paper first to make sure they were happy with it before painting and they did an awesome job,” said Tew. “We also have some other paint events planned as well. There’s one on March 28 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Plattsville library and another is happening on March 30 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Plattsville Curling Club. That one will probably turn into a sort of wine and cheese night where people can purchase drinks.”
The last event will be held at Trails Edge Tavern in Plattsville on Saturday, April 25 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
“They’re going to open up for us, and they’ve created a special breakfast burger for us,” she continued. “Because this is all a fundraiser, part of the proceeds from that breakfast will go towards Plattsville 175, and one of their staff made us keychains, so that’s fun.”
When all is said and done, the committee will collect and lay out everyone’s completed designs, seal it with a clear coat and hang it outside on the wall of the Plattsville Arena to be displayed for years to come.
“I think for, especially all the little kids who participate, they’re going to have fun trying to find their tile,” said Tew. “I think it’s going to be so cool that we can recognize the community and everybody can be part of this mural.”
For those who don’t consider themselves the artistic type, there’s an option to purchase one of the pre-painted tiles at the same $30 price. Proceeds from the kit and pre-painted tiles will go back to the Plattsville 175 celebration on Saturday, June 20, 2026, at Plattsville Park.
The big 12-hour event will run from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and plans are underway for a whole day of activities including heritage displays, family programming, music, and storytelling. The festivities will end with an 18-minute drone show.
“There’s going to be vendors selling their art and crafts; and instead of charging them for a table, we’ve asked them to contribute a gift from their booth so people can enter to win a prize. We’re also going to have music and entertainment throughout the day including a magician. We have some Indigenous drummers who will be there, as well as a group from Woodstock who will be doing Indigenous crafts with the kids,” said Tew. “There’s going to be a track and field meet and different games throughout the day as well. The heritage society will also have exhibits up in the Lions’ Hall, and the Portraits of Honour and the 186 Canadian flags representing each of the young men and women who were killed in Afghanistan will be downstairs in the arena. That’s where we’ll be honouring Tyler Todd, who was born and raised in Bright. He died in Afghanistan, so it will be a real honour to remember him as well.”
The day is being made possible in part by community donations, the Government of Canada’s Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage Program, and North Blenheim Mutual. Because of this, the event will be free to attend and the only things that require money will be vendor purchases and food.
“The Lions Club is doing the barbecue. There’ll be poutine and french fries, and hamburgers and hot dogs,” she continued. “The food is not going to be expensive either. We thought of doing food trucks, but it just gets so expensive when you have a family, so the Lions Club is stepping in for that.”
Tew said that with such an extensive day planned, there are multiple groups coming together.
“It’s really just an incredible group of people who are involved and are so excited about doing this,” she said.
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
