Credit: Submitted
Bristol Borough’s public arts program is rocking and rolling.
The William Penn Bank branch at the corner of Market Street and Old Route 13 will have a new mural inspired by the “Bristol Stomp,” the 1961 Billboard Hot 100 song performed by The Dovells. The record featuring the track went gold and has become an iconic symbol for the borough.
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The new mural that will face Old Route 13 and Grundy Tower will be 24 feet tall and 28-feet wide.
Tony Napoli, a longtime art teacher in the Pennsbury School District who was raised on Wood Street in the borough, will be working on the mural. He will be assisted by Bristol Borough native John Ennis, a nationally-known portrait artist, and borough resident AnnieRose Kruzinski, one of Napoli’s former students that he regards as one of the best.
Napoli hopes the mural will be a location for photo opportunities in the future.
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The new mural was inspired by local artist Bridget Ennis Shaw’s model of two dancers doing the Bristol Stomp, a popular song among dancers at a fire hall in the town. The model’s look will be incorporated into the mural.
Credit: Submitted
Bill Pezza, president of Bristol Borough: Raising the Bar, which helps facilitate the public arts program, hopes to one day fund the creation of a full-sized bronze version of the artwork made by Shaw.
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William Penn Bank, which relocated to the borough, is supporting the mural.
“Bristol has been so welcoming to us since we moved our corporate headquarters to the Borough and opened a branch here. So, we wanted to give something back,” said Ken Stephon, CEO of William Penn Bank. “We’re grateful to Raising the Bar for guiding us through the process. We’re also pleased that all of the artists working on the project are natives of or have strong roots in Bristol Borough,” Stephon added.
Bristol Borough’s growing public art scene includes a mural at Penn Community Bank at the Mill Street Parking Lot, mural on Old Route 13, and one on Market Street.
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“We’re thrilled that William Penn Bank has undertaken this project,” Pezza said. “Residents in the Borough have demonstrated their love for public art, and we know that murals form a centerpiece of small towns across the country undergoing a revival. We’re thrilled to have this beloved chapter of Bristol’s history memorialized this way.”
Pezza teased that more pieces of public art are being planned.
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A dedication ceremony will mark the new mural’s completion in April.
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