(Seguin) — Who better to turn the page to her own story than Klara Ann Bookerton?
Bookerton is Seguin’s newest Squirrel unveiled on the lawn of Pecantown Books & Brews.
Introducing Bookerton as the newest character in Seguin’s Squirrel Trail Program is Shirley Woehler Hester. Hester, a longtime resident and former Guadalupe County Commissioner, says she gifted the fiberglass squirrel to her daughter-in-law Tess Coody Anders, the owner of the downtown bookstore.
“When I saw it going around Seguin – all the squirrels – I wanted to do something special for Pecantown and for Tess. So, I ordered it like a year and a half ago and finally got it. I think it’s really neat, very pretty. I like that they had the base from the wallpaper from the inside,” said Hester.
Coody Anders says she is grateful for Bookerton and says the squirrel was the missing element to the local business.
“My mother-in-law who is a Seguin native and who is really proud of her community and she’s also really proud of Pecantown and she offered up the potential of securing a squirrel for us because she saw it as such a perfect marriage between Seguin’s history and where Seguin is going and the role that Pecantown is playing in creating a vibrancy in downtown Seguin and she really wanted to leave that mark for us and for Seguin and for me which was incredibly meaningful. It is an incredibly meaningful squirrel for me personally as well as a downtown business owner,” said Coody-Anders.
Serving as the artist for the project was Jeremy Wallace of the Creation Company. This marks the second squirrel painted by Wallace. The first was the design of “Chance” located outside of the Meservey Group at 520 N. River St.
As for his creativity put into the project, Coody Anders says Bookerton more than exceeded her expectations.
“It’s like a character out of a Beatrix Potter storybook has leapt from the pages and is seated in the front yard.
Her name is Klara Ann Bookerton. Her first name was borrowed from Jeremy’s daughter who is the co-artist. She is 12. Her middle name is my mother-in-law’s middle name and Bookerton was just our effort to reflect the fact that she is reading a book, and she is representing a bookstore,” said Coody-Anders.
Hester says supporting such programs and art projects is vital to ensuring the story telling of the community.
“I think there is plenty of room for more in Seguin and they are all so beautiful. I just hope that more will participate, and I think they will. I really think they will,” said Hester.
Bookerton marks the 15th squirrel for the city-wide trail which promotes art in public spaces. The squirrels are sponsored by community members and organizations who then commission a local artist to paint them.
The program is supported by both the city of Seguin and the Seguin Commission on the Arts.
Pecantown is located at 212 S. Camp St.
