City out to show its support for Virginia State

Jarell Humphries and 10 other art students at Virginia State University stepped in the middle of North Sycamore Street last week to make a work of art.

They painted a VSU logo and two heads of the school's mascot, the Trojan, in VSU's colors -- orange and blue.

The decorations on the Old Towne pavement will help residents and visitors identify Petersburg as a college town, said Humphries, a sophomore studying graphic design.

"People will realize that the school is part of the town and not separate," he said. And he hopes it will encourage more city students to attend VSU.

A committee with representatives from the city, the school and the community organized last Sunday's painting to further foster the relationship between the city and the school, which is along the city's line with Chester.

The committee also is working with Petersburg businesses to encourage them to show VSU memorabilia in their storefronts, especially during city events such as NostalgiaFest 2008 next weekend, said Linda Person, an assistant professor at VSU and a faculty representative in the initiative.

City restaurateurs also are being encouraged to add a dish to their menus that says something about the university, she said.

"We have always thought that the city and the university should be closer. We want to see more orange and blue in the streets," said Person, who lives in Petersburg and is a VSU graduate.

VSU's homecoming celebration is next month and includes a parade in Old Towne. VSU banners will be hung in Old Towne for the Oct. 25 parade.

The paintings will stay put after homecoming, and more paintings are expected to be done in the next few months, Person said.

Petersburg resident and business owner Kimberly Calos said the city had long been waiting for an enthusiasm boost like the one the signs are creating.

"It is so neat to come and look at the road and say 'cool,'" said Calos, one of the organizers.

"Just about every college town has some sort of college logos painted on the street. . . . We thought it was such a shame there is not visibility of the college here," she said. "We want to raise awareness that Petersburg is a university town. We want to show support for the school all year round."
Contact Luz Lazo at (804) 649-6058 or .