North Carolina’s first-ever digital mural trail was recently revealed in downtown Carthage. The Carthage Digital Video Mural Trail features specially-made bronze-plated plaques with QR codes applied to all five murals in the Moore County town.
The QR codes link to video stories about each mural, creating a unique interactive experience for those wanting to learn more about the artwork. The digital mural trail is a project created and funded by the Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB).
“Each mural tells a story, but we felt people viewing them may want to know more about each one than just the artwork itself. The video associated with each mural tell a deeper story about each one and provides incredible context to why they are there,” said Phil Werz, president and CEO of the CVB. “The experience also creates an opportunity for the CVB to market the state’s first digital video mural trail and give people a reason to visit and spend time not only exploring the murals but also local shops and restaurants that are popping up in downtown Carthage.”
The CVB also announced that the Duke Energy Foundation will donate a total of $10,000 to the Carthage Century Committee and Carthage Mural Committee in order to fund the next mural project in the town.
Duke Energy offered the funds to the CVB to supplement the Moore Miracles for the Holidays campaign, a promotion conducted last December to bring shoppers back to Moore County after the power station attacks that left thousands of people without power for days. Because that campaign was over when the additional funds were offered, the CVB recommended that the Duke Energy Foundation give the $10,000 donation to Carthage mural officials for their next project.
The Carthage Digital Video Mural Trail is the third program launched to support the statewide Year of the Trail initiative being promoted by VisitNC. Four of the murals were painted by noted statewide mural artist, Scott Nurkin. The latest mural, Landmarks and Legacies, was created by Dan and Jordan Dreyer.
On April 11, the CVB launched the first in a series of three Sandhills Story Trail Adventures, an interactive display featuring Winnie-the-Pooh and his cast of characters.
The first of the Story Trails is on display at Nick’s Creek Greenway in Southern Pines. The story trails feature large, life-sized cutouts of Pooh and his friends that can be viewed in a series of stations. People can scan a QR code and read the next chapter or listen to it on their smartphone.
Future stories in the series will be displayed along Moore County trails to be determined later this year. The entire story trail series was conceived, created, written and voiced by the CVB, primarily by Destination Storyteller Dan Dreyer.
On March 20, the CVB launched the Pinecone Pathways Program, a partnership with glassmakers at Starworks in Star. That 10-week program features 200 glass pinecones hidden on trails throughout Moore County.
The Year of the Trail celebrates North Carolina’s vast network of trails, greenways, and blueways that showcase our diverse landscapes – grand mountain vistas, quiet rivers, vibrant urban greenways, coastal forests and the rolling hills of the Piedmont. This is the largest statewide celebration of trails and outdoor recreation in North Carolina history.
North Carolina is the Great Trails State, where each of North Carolina’s 100 counties can enjoy the proven benefits of trails, including health, safety, economic development, tourism, transportation, and environment. Trails are the backbone of our state’s growing $28 billion outdoor recreation economy.
The Year of the Trail campaign will reach communities with the message of how and where to experience trails that showcase North Carolina’s beautiful landscapes, provide healthy recreation, and stimulate local economies.
The NC General Assembly designated 2023 as the Year of the Trail, an effort led by the Great Trails State Coalition, a broad-based group of diverse organizations, agencies and supporters advocating for increased state investment in all types of trails statewide: hiking, paddle, mountain biking, equestrian and paved.
For more information about the Carthage Digital Video Mural Trail and to view the videos, go to: https://www.homeofgolf.com/digital-mural-trail/. To learn more about Year of the Trail programs in Moore County, visit https://www.homeofgolf.com/moore-trails/.
Courtesy photo/Contributed.
