Two centuries of history was unveiled this past spring in vivid color across Marion Elementary School, depicting the scenes, buildings, and people that shaped the town. The effort, led by Lyons-based Mural Mania, is one of the latest historical murals appearing around Wayne County and Rochester-area communities, each one telling the stories of the towns that make up our region.
Since its inception in 2007, Mural Mania has completed upwards of 75 murals, with artwork stretching along the Erie Canal roughly 180 miles. According to Mark DeCracker, one of the founders of Mural Mania, the murals go from Syracuse to Buffalo and make up the longest mural trail in the world, including communities in Gorham, Lyons, Fairport, Canandaigua, downtown Rochester, Fairhaven, and more.
It started with a single mural. Volunteers coming together to paint the Erie Canal on a trolley bridge, led by Winston Dobbins, a local history enthusiast and business owner. Dobbins believed murals could help a community, but he passed away in 2007 before he could attend the dedication of that first one. His son Noel and DeCracker committed to seeing his dream through, founding the volunteer-run Mural Mania around a simple but meaningful mission: "The preservation of history through community art."
Beyond visual aesthetics, a study published by Science Direct in 2025 reports that murals and street art contribute to local investment, tourism, and community engagement, building on messages that depict local culture and promoting social equity. “We’re always trying to improve our community,” says DeCracker. “It was an incredibly meaningful venture that summer in Lyons.”
Sadly, Noel passed away later that same year, but DeCracker committed to keeping the dream alive, and communities took notice. In June 2025, the annual Pageant of the Bands returned after a six-year hiatus, inspired in part by a Mural Mania piece painted on the exterior of Gorham's Old Mill Restaurant honoring more than 60 years of the pageant's history. For DeCracker, watching a community event come back to life because of a mural is exactly the kind of impact he hoped for.
When DeCracker heard the story of two World War II airmen from North Rose who died in action, he knew there had to be a mural. Dedicated in 2024 at Rose Cemetery, "The Heroes of Rose" remains one of his favorites. "It was probably the most meaningful because their legacy is going to last forever."
Last year In Williamson, the organization created a seven-panel, 1,984-square-foot historical series wrapping around the Thatcher Company building along Route 104, created to celebrate the Wayne County bicentennial. DeCracker painted 2,000 cobblestone rocks alone. Each panel frames a window into the county's history, opening with the first meeting between Jesuits and Native Americans and closing with the present day.
For DeCracker, a self-described history lover with a background in photography, combining history and art merges the best of both worlds. Though he came to art without formal training, he's learned through the years and leverages his photographer's eye. With 90% of the group's murals historical in nature, he finds it's beneficial to younger audiences as well. "Lots of kids don't dive into history like they used to; we open that book by painting a mural. It has intrigued a lot of people, both young and old, to get inspired by history."
Mural Mania has seen a lot of talent through its almost-two-decade existence, including McKayla Streber, a recent RIT grad and Farmington resident. She's worked on roughly five murals since joining the organization, with her most recent project being a painted float for the Daughters of the American Revolution parade this summer. Her contribution: the Statue of Liberty set to the backdrop of the American flag next to a bald eagle and the Liberty Bell.
Streber notes that she’s enjoyed connecting with other artists in the area and learning different approaches to painting, but the most significant impact for her is seeing how the murals connect people. Just look on the organization's YouTube channel, and the reveal and dedication for many of the murals is backed by a crowd of people excited to view their community’s history translated into vivid depictions.
“Putting out the murals in communities, especially when it has to do with the historical context of the community, allows people to connect with their town’s history and understand how their communities are operating to that current day. Being able to view a giant art piece like that in public allows you to connect to other people," she says. “You’re most likely surrounded by other people who are viewing the same canvas as you, or it’s in such a public space that other people are also viewing it.”
Whether working with designers or developing concepts with the help of AI, historical accuracy is central to DeCracker's process. He takes that responsibility seriously. If a detail doesn't add up historically, like swimmers in a canal during a February event, he'll work with community representatives to get it right.
For Streber, who doesn’t have a lot of experience applying history to her art, when she doesn’t understand a concept or period of history, she’ll consult with other artists and reach out to town historians to ensure accuracy, “I think it’s really fun to continue to learn about the history of the places we’re painting these murals for. I get to learn about their history, and I get to share that through the artwork,” she says.
To learn more about Mural Mania, visit: https://muralmania.org