HOHENWALD – The latest addition to the University of Tennessee System’s Everywhere You Look, UT mural campaign found its home in Lewis County at the entrance of Memorial Park’s agriculture pavilion, a hub of activity and community connection.
Visible to an estimated 2,649 cars a day and hundreds more residents and visitors each month, the 60-foot-wide mural marks county number 62 in the statewide campaign. The Lewis County mural joins 68 Everywhere You Look, UT installations across the state, part of a UT System campaign to increase awareness of the university’s statewide presence and impact
“This mural is going to be seen by so many people—everybody coming to a ballgame, farmers market, skating during the holidays or just visiting the park. Our local park is extremely busy year around,” said Lewis County Mayor Danny McKnight, a 1977 UT Martin graduate. “Once people start asking what it’s about, they’ll find out just how much UT and the UT Extension office really does.”
Shelly Ray, a Lewis County UT Extension agent and the driving force behind the mural project, said she wants people to know about UT and what it provides through Extension offices.
“We want the community to know that Extension is more than just 4-H. We help families with everything from health and nutrition to youth development and life skill learning to assisting local producers, farmers and landowners,” she said. “This mural is one way to help people see that.”
UT Extension, a unit of the UT Institute of Agriculture, maintains an office in every Tennessee county. Ray, a former intern who discovered her career path through the program, now works closely with the city and volunteers for events like Christmas in Hohenwald, where the mural will serve as a festive backdrop to skating, lights and community celebration.
The pavilion itself is significant too. The local Extension office received a grant from the Tennessee Department of Agriculture in 2021 to construct it with community support. UT Extension, along with the city of Hohenwald, and others constructed the feature that is now a part of Lewis County Memorial Park.
A wide variety of programs are hosted at the pavilion, including weekly farmers markets, Extension 4-H club meetings, large community events—and even the occasional wedding.
“UT Extension’s work is from the heart,” McKnight said. “People like Shelly make all the difference in a place like Hohenwald.”
To learn more about the Everywhere You Look, UT mural in Lewis County or to submit a location for consideration, visit the campaign website.
