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Paradise Bus Shelter
Location: Frederick Rd. and Paradise Ave., 21228
Artists: Edward Williams and Brad Sweet
Kaleidoscope! Kids: Kristin Ingram, Ruth Marcotte, Riley Williams, Folakami Awe, Radhika Amin, and Paul Ocone.
Date Created: 2013
Composition
Pose in front of the mural at the Paradise Loop bus shelter, and you just might blend into the happy outdoor scene, complete with a blue park bench, guitarist, and picnickers. It’s a perfect selfie opportunity!
The mural was painted and installed on Frederick Road as part of the Kaleidoscope! Arts Camp, a two-week summer art camp for children in grades 3 through 12. Artists Edward Williams and Brad Sweet led the work on the mural, which the Greater Catonsville Chamber of Commerce funded.
Interesting Details
- The red Corvette is a nod to the filming of a popular 1960s TV series, Route 66, which was filmed at Spring Grove and in the Paradise section of Catonsville in 1961. The show highlighted the struggles of a woman with mental illness, a taboo subject in this era, and normalized her recovery.
- The guitar-playing cowboy is Billy Kemp, a local resident who formed the popular band The Paradise Pickers in the 1970s.
- The picnickers represent Elysium Park, a popular picnic grove in the 1930s.
Route 66
Still from Route 66 TV series
paradise pickers
The Paradise Pickers (1977-1982) pose in front of the Paradise Tavern in 1980 and included Billy and Doug Kemp, Derek Crouch and Jeff Hyman. Other members included Brian O’Doherty, Weldon Myrick, and Jack Dipietro.
Donors
- Catonsville Chamber of Commerce
- Pittsburgh Paints
- Whalen Properties
- MTA
- Home Depot
- Md Residential Realty
- Baltimore County Arts Council
- Pizza Hut
- Paradise Community Association
- Baltimore County Arts Council
Next stop
The Bridge at Shady Nook
Head south on S Paradize Ave and connect to the Short Line Trail when you cross S Prospect Ave.
