Cumberland, Md. - The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park (C&O Canal) was pleased to unveil an original painting by internationally known artist Mark Stutzman at the annual Heritage Days Festival in Cumberland, Maryland on Saturday, June 11th, 2016. Commissioned by the C&O Canal Association for the National Park Service Centennial in 2016, the image pays tribute to the rich history, nature, and wildlife of the C&O Canal.
LaVale, Maryland resident Francis "Champ" Zumbrun came up with the idea for the project after working with Mark Stutzman on a similar project in honor of the Casselman River Bridge bicentennial. Barbara Sheridan, past president of the C&O Canal Association, was the project lead for the Association. Zumbrun, Stutzman, and Sheridan participated in the June 11th unveiling ceremony along with C&O Canal NHP Superintendent Kevin Brandt. Gilmore's Light Ensemble provided music during the ceremony.
The original painting is currently on display at the Cumberland C&O Canal NHP Visitor Center at 13 Canal Street, Cumberland, where it will remain through mid-August. The C&O Canal Cumberland Visitor Center is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. The painting will then move to the C&O Canal Williamsport Visitor Center where it will be on exhibit for Williamsport Days festival in late-August. Beginning with the Park After Dark event on Sept. 17, the painting will be displayed at the C&O Canal Great Falls Tavern in Potomac, Maryland.
Poster versions of the image are available through Eastern National book shops at park visitor centers.
For additional information, call the C&O Canal Cumberland Visitor Center at (301) 722-8226.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
