Downtown Enterprise got a little more colorful with the addition of a new mural, thanks to the Main Street Enterprise “Young Main Street” committee.

The mural of a winding keyboard with three different boll weevils playing different instruments was painted on the Hoobler Music Studio on West College Street.

Aubie Dunn, first year Enterprise State Community College student and Young Main Street (YMS) committee member, came up with the design and led the project.

“To me, the mural signifies my personal growth,” Dunn said. “In the process of making it, I came upon several challenges I had to face. Working around and through those challenges helped me realize abilities I have that I never would have thought I could do before.”

Members of the YMS committee began work on the mural February 18 by projecting the design on the building.  Volunteers worked together to trace and paint the mural until it was completed this week.

“Local public art makes the community more interesting, and I am so happy I participated in this project,” Hoobler Music studio owner Roy Hoobler said.

The mural compliments the new outdoor space Hoobler made to the property, including new concrete benches and landscaping.

“Public art is definitely an asset to the community,” Dunn said. “It can bring people together and highlight talents of local artists.”

Jennie Chancey, owner of Coffee Corner and Young Main Street committee chairperson, said she was excited to witness the youth seeing the impact they can have.

“I think the most important thing it teaches is you can do something even when you’re young that can impact your community for the better,” Chancey said. “You don’t need to wait until you’ve grown up, received a college degree, moved away and come back. You have something to offer your town from age 14 or even younger with beautification and just making a space that is personal, not just to one demographic, but to all demographics.”

The YMS committee consists of youth as young as 14 who are interested in participating in Main Street projects. Last year, the committee designed and painted a mural on the downtown incubator as well as beautified the space at 123 S. Main Street, now known as “The Nook.”  The YMS committee has a goal for 2024 to paint two murals in the downtown district.  Committee members are working with other interested property owners to meet this goal.

“It is fascinating to watch these young volunteers develop and grow their leadership skills through their participation in the YMS program,” Main Street Enterprise Executive Director Mariah Montgomery said. “Providing the opportunity to make a difference in their community has had a noticeable impact on their excitement and confidence.”

The YMS committee will be highlighted on a national level in May, at the Main Street NOW National Conference, hosted by Main Street Alabama. The presentation will focus on “The Fountain of Youth in Your Main Street.

“I will be sharing with other Main Street professionals from across the country what we have done here in Enterprise and encourage them to do the same. This is a very exciting opportunity to share our program and the successful impact it’s had not just on the downtown district but on the youth themselves.”

Chancey agreed about the impact the YMS program is having on the youth, to include her own teenage children, who helped inspire the start of YMS volunteers.

“I really love that these young folks have come to just own their projects and they are so proud of them,” Chancey said. “They tell everybody about them and that brings in even more people that want to get involved.”

For more information about the YMS program and the mural project, visit https://enterpriseal.gov/community/main_street_enterprise/young_main_street_committee.php



From left to right: Sammy Kelley, Christine Hoh, Aubie Dunn, Hailey Joyce, Cailyn Wardrobe and Olivia Allen.
Photo courtesy: Main Street Enterprise