Ground Breaks on Arts Trail Along Bushkill Creek Named for Sculptor Karl Stirner

Judge Gay Elwell and metal sculptor, Karl Stirner 

for whom the trail is named.

Posted by: Noël Jones


About 80 people gathered yesterday for the groundbreaking for the Karl Stirner Arts Trail. It was an impressive display of hooplah, complete with a backhoe hovering over a freshly dug pile of dirt (carefully arranged on a blue tarp) and speakers blaring pop music, as the trolley continued to arrive in shifts, shuttling attendees from where they parked at the old Hummel Lumber yard. 


When the man of the hour, Karl Stirner, and his partner, Judge Gay Elwell arrived, it was a bit of a red carpet moment, with all cameras rushing in the direction of the trolley. I have to say that although Karl Stirner was the star of the event, Gay Elwell was looking fabulous (see above). This is certainly one of Easton's "power couples." And they both have really cool glasses. But I am getting carried away...


The Karl Stirner Arts Trail will wind along Bushkill Creek, connecting the old Simon Silk Mill on 13th street with Third Street downtown where the trail lets out just at the base of the stone stairs up to Lafayette, and will have art installations along the walkway. 


Mayor Panto started off the event with a moment of silence for a great Easton resident that had passed away the night before--Robin Porter--and the mayor talked about the positive effects that people like Robin Porter and Karl Stirner have had on Easton, by seeing its potential and committing
vision and creative energy to the place they chose to make their home. State Representative Bob Freeman spoke in a similar vein, about how much a community member like Robin Porter will be missed, and how happy he was to be honoring Karl Stirner's work on this new project, "We are just scratching the surface of the great potential of this community--its great people, great assets and unbounded potential...Karl, like Robin Porter, saw the potential of this community from the moment they arrived here."(I would like to interject here that this was nice to hear, considering many "old-timers" in Easton still refer to people who have been here over 25 years as "newcomers.")


This trail will be unique, and a great addition to the community in a few ways:


First, the trail will highlight and weave together both the natural and urban environments Easton has to offer. It's easy when hanging out at the restaurants in Center Square to forget that some of the finest trout fishing in the country happens in Bushkill Creek, just a few blocks away, and that one can slip away on a whim and disappear into a wooded environment along the sparkling creek. 


Along with Karl Stirner's sculptures, there will be other world class art pieces along the trail, obtained through the Arts in Urban Environments Festival coming to Easton this summer, funded by an NEA grant that has drawn 75 applications from artists of international renown. 


Additionally, as the mayor pointed out, the trail will also feature Easton's first dog park, with separate penned areas for bigger dogs and smaller dogs to play with other dogs their size.  


All of this will be great for the town, both in terms of tourism, socializing and providing an attractive setting for exercise, or simply enjoying nature. And WDIY has pledged to plant one new tree along the Bushkill for every new membership of $88.10 or higher that comes in, so now you have another good reasons to support public radio!


A lot of attention was given during the various speeches to the fact that the project couldn't have happened without $11 million of state money that was originally approved by Governor Rendell, and which was just recently reinstated by our new governor, Tom Corbett. Senator Mensch could not make the event, but sent someone to represent his office, and he was also supportive of this project, along with Representative Bob Freeman. So, amazingly, this has been deemed a worthy project by both state Democrats and Republicans alike.


I was impressed that everyone kept their speeches mercifully short, and eventually Karl Stirner got up to the podium to speak. He was even briefer in his address, and emphasized the need to set the bar high. "We should hold out for the best--if there's only one exhibit of quality then we should only show one artist...it's a well-known fact that if artists of lower quality are included, artists of higher quality will not participate."


I have to agree. As someone who is consistently frustrated with the unspoken agreement among most people in this town to give everything five stars (as if giving an earnest review would be disloyal to a town that is on the rebound) it was music to my ears. All that happens when we do that is that the bar gets lower and lower until there is no bar at all. I say set it high. Really high. We've got the creative human resources and the assets in this town to do it, and do it right.


Construction will begin on the 13th street end of the trail, according to Becky Bradly, Director of Planning for the City of Easton, and will continue into the more urban parts of the trail downtown, once construction on the Bushkill Street bridge is complete.


Vice-Mayor Elinor Warner told me that the target date for completion of the trail is Labor Day. I can't wait--I supposed natural half of the trail starting from 13th Street might be open sooner in the summer, but I will have to post about that as the project develops.