Clean Water Mobile Experience Making Stop in Avon Lake on National Campaign

The man who created the waterfront mural on the Cleveland Power Plant—one of the city’s most recognizable pieces of artwork—will have a part of his legacy continue on in Avon Lake’s Miller Road Park for a few days as part of a national tour.  

Eighteen years after the artist known as “Wyland” first put his mark on downtown Cleveland (the Cleveland Power Plant’s Whaling Wall) with hig huge blue whales swimming in a sea of blue, Avon Lake Municipal Utilities is bringing him back, so to speak, to help Ohioans better understand Lake Erie’s current challenges—and maybe even how they can help.

Avon Lake Municipal Utilities has arranged for the Wyland Foundation’s Clean Water Mobile Learning Experience to make a three-day stop in Avon Lake during a cross-country 2013 campaign that started in Florida, moved up through Virginia to Baltimore, and will go from Avon Lake to Missouri and Wisconsin before it heads home to California. 

The visit from Oct. 15-17 (the 15th only is for students) is the first and only Ohio appearance to date of this interactive experience.

Todd Danielson, chief utilities executive at Avon Lake Municipal Utilities, said educating the public about clean water is imperative.

“Most people take affordable, clean water for granted. The fact is, even though great strides were made in the fight for the lake decades ago, Lake Erie is experiencing contemporary dangers, such as toxic algae and invasive species,” Danielson said. “As a provider of clean water and wastewater services to many Northeast Ohioans, we’ve joined with the Wyland Foundation in our ongoing quest to educate our community about the importance of—and current threats to—our most valuable natural resource.”

The 18-wheeled Clean Water Mobile Learning Experience was created by Wyland Foundation in 2007. Wyland Foundation’s mission is to promote and protect waterways through education and art.

More than 700 students from Avon Lake will get the full field-trip experience next week.

For everyone else, Avon Lake Municipal Utilities has arranged for two evening open houses so more people have a chance to experience this unique exhibit—and maybe even learn a little more about what they can do to help protect this area’s most important natural resource.

KRÄV food truck will be on hand for the event, and will donate a portion of their sales to Friends of the Park of Avon Lake.

Event information

WHAT:                  Wyland Foundation Clean Water Mobile Learning Experience open house
WHEN:                  Tuesday, Oct. 15 and Wednesday, Oct. 16, 5-7 p.m. 
WHERE:                Miller Road Park, Avon Lake, Ohio (intersection of Miller Road and Lake Road)