The Park Ridge Historical Society's "Fire Trucks on Parade" exhibit features 10 fiberglass sculptures of fire trucks. Each is decorated by an artist in themes that reflect Park Ridge history, and sponsored by a local business. (Pam DeFiglio / Pioneer Press)
Park Ridge’s public art display this summer is delighting kids, and kids at heart, with painted sculptures of fire trucks scattered in prominent locations around the city.
The 10 colorfully decorated fiberglass model trucks, big enough for youths to climb inside, are on display through Oct. 7, and they showcase the talents of local artists.
“They’re so popular,” said Brian Lazzaro, vice president of the Park Ridge Historical Society said of the “Fire Trucks on Parade” exhibit. “So many kids are on top of them and around them.”
Members of the Park Ridge Historical Society led an effort to re-acquire a vintage 1934 firetruck, nicknamed “Lil’ Pirsch,” and that led to the vehicle’s artsy facsimiles all over the city.
The historical society obtained Lil’ Pirsch from the Memphis Fire Department two years ago, displaying the vintage firetruck in this year’s Memorial Day parade. So when the creative idea arose for sculptures displayed at key sites around town, a fire truck came first to the historians’ minds.
The Park Ridge Historical Society's "Fire Trucks on Parade" exhibit features 10 fiberglass sculptures of fire trucks. Each is decorated by an artist in themes that reflect Park Ridge history, and sponsored by a local business. (Pam DeFiglio / Pioneer Press)
“When we first bought Lil’ Pirsch, we thought, wouldn’t it be cool to put fire trucks around town, like cows?” recalled Cheryl Williams, president of the historical society.
Williams and Lazzaro’s search wasn’t long. They found Cowpainters LLC, a company in Chicago’s Ravenswood neighborhood whose website advertises some 350 fiberglass model animals and objects. Cowpainters had a mold for a fire truck, Williams said, and the project was off the ground.
A red replica representing Lil’ Pirsch was placed outside Triple Scoop’d Ice Cream Shop on Devon Avenue with longtime Franklin School art teacher Kathy Hurley the artist. Hurley also teamed up with husband Peadar Hurley and friend Mary Ann Tunnell to paint royal blue and affix woodworking — Peadar Hurley’s specialty — to the truck outside Starbucks to honor Park Ridge artists. One of the artists commemorated was Grant Wood of “American Gothic” fame.
Other truck locations and artists are the Park Ridge History Center (Aiden Gentile), Pickwick Theater (Abby Pinkerton), Trader Joe’s parking lot (Miranda Randel), St. Paul of the Cross Church (Jill Pinsky), the Metra station (Randel), Hodges Park (Mark Zimmerman), the Public Library (Alayna McKim) and Centennial Park (Michelle Krause).
Along with Lil’ Pirsch’s classic red color, the trucks all had depictions of history at their locations painted on with links to the historical society’s website. Artists were given a wide leeway with their depictions.
The Park Ridge Historical Society's "Fire Trucks on Parade" exhibit features 10 fiberglass sculptures of fire trucks. Each is decorated by an artist in themes that reflect Park Ridge history, and sponsored by a local business. (Pam DeFiglio / Pioneer Press)
“I just said put the history on the trucks and they took off with it,” said Williams.
Triple Scoop’d did not have a specific history angle. “But they helped us with the Santa Claus event at Christmas, and served hot chocolate to people attending,” said Lazzaro.
Pinkerton, just 18 and a lifelong Park Ridge resident, had a simple depiction of the Pickwick on her truck. She painted filmstrips on the body.
“It was fun and cool, and a nice opportunity,” she said. “I’m honored. It was a challenge. I used acrylic paint.”
Pinkerton is not yet pursuing art as a career. A Loyola Academy alum, she has enrolled studying biomedical engineering at the University of Miami. But she had experience painting the monthly signs and the stars at the TeaLula tea shop.
For Hurley, a 32-year art teacher at Franklin School, the two trucks were an opportunity to show her students she was a doer along with being an instructor.
“It’s great to be actually doing art,” she said. Hurley painted a few dials inside Lil’ Pirsch’s model “so the kids can pretend they’re driving.”
Such a tactic was on-target.
After the trucks complete their runs in October, they will be auctioned off with the historical society the beneficiary, said Williams.
The Park Ridge Historical Society's "Fire Trucks on Parade" exhibit features 10 fiberglass sculptures of fire trucks. Each is decorated by an artist in themes that reflect Park Ridge history, and sponsored by a local business. (Pam DeFiglio / Pioneer Press)
Dolly McCarthy of Stroll Park Ridge magazine partnered with the historical society, contacting local sponsors. Each truck cost $1,200.
“We asked the sponsors for $2,500 each, with proceeds going to the historical society,” Williams said.