Crosswalks in Downtown highlight Jackson’s musical heritage

Our Jackson Home, the City of Jackson and Jackson Downtown Development are teaming up this weekend to touch up some public art downtown as well as expand it.

Anyone wanting to volunteer is welcome to do so.

At the intersection of East Main Street and Church Street – where Community Café and Turntable Coffee Counter are among other businesses – the partnership began the artwork while also tapping into the musical heritage of Jackson.

On the crosswalks crossing Church, one crosswalk was painted to look like a guitar, while the other one was painted with piano keys. This happened in 2023.

On Friday morning, the work began to touch up both crosswalks while also painting the crosswalks crossing Main.

“We did it last year, and Mayor [Scott] Conger liked it and asked about getting the other crosswalks painted, and we were all for it,” said Lizzie Emmons, the program director for Our Jackson Home.

The new crosswalk paintings will have a distinct musical image.

Main Street will have musical notes in the form of sheet music displayed on them.

“But it will be actual sheet music from the Johnny Cash song, ‘Jackson,’” said Beth Ann Simpson, the director for Jackson Downtown Development. “The notes on one crosswalk will be the notes for the lyrics ‘We’re going to Jackson’ and the other will have the notes for ‘Ain’t ever coming back.’”

Simpson and Emmons clarified it will just be the notes and not the lyrics because it’s not usually productive to paint words in crosswalks because that has known in other places to confuse drivers and cause traffic problems.

There’s a sign-up page at ourjacksonhome.com where people can sign up for two-hour shifts on Friday and Saturday to help paint. Both roads are closed for the safety of the painters, and the roads will continue to be closed through Tuesday to give the paint time to dry.

Brandon Shields, brandon@jacksonpost.news