SACO — For the third summer in a row, artfully decorated Adirondack chairs are popping up on Main Street, adding a splash of color and a place to relax in downtown Saco.
Local economic development group Saco Main Street has rolled out its annual “Adirondacks on Main Street.”
About 25 chairs have been sponsored by local organizations and businesses and then painted by the sponsor or a local artist. Most of the chairs have been placed on Main Street, with a few more coming out soon. All are welcome to take a seat on the chairs, which will line Main Street through the end of the summer.
The chairs will go up for sale at an online auction after Columbus Day, said Saco Main Street Executive Director Rob Biggs.
Kathie Purdy, of Purdy Distributing said her comapany sponsored a chair and she and her daughter, Kelly Thayer, created and painted a mermaid design on the chair. She and her daughter also volunteered to paint four other chairs that are on display on Main Street.
“We do it all for free because of our love for Saco Main Street,” she said.
Purdy, chairwoman of the Saco Main Street Design Committee, said she and her daughter enjoy working on the chairs and take care to coat them with clear polyurethane so whoever wins the chair will enjoy them for years to come.
Purdy and Thayer’s other designs include a flower on a bright green background, a blue and white chair with the city’s log and a pink chair with citrus slices and martini glasses.
“We put a lot of work and a lot of love in them,” said Purdy.
Purdy said she likes that they are not only beautiful pieces of art, but they are also useful. She said they encourage people “to stop a moment and look around” Main Street and see what downtown has to offer.
Biggs said patrons of the Saco Main Street’s new ice cream shop, Saco Scoop, have used the chairs to sit and enjoy an ice cream cone, and he’s seen tourists get their pictures taken with them.
“They look good. People love them,” said Biggs. “People use them all the time.”
Biggs said there was some fear of the chairs being vandalized but he said in the first two years, only one of about 55 chairs was tagged with what looked like a felt tip marker, and the mark was easily covered over with paint.
— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 325 or egotthelf@journaltribune.com.
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