Chester County student sculpture to be revealed May 14

In addition to the unveiling of a marker honoring Chester County native and musical legend Eddy Arnold Friday, May 14, 2021, a metal sculpture created by Chester County High School welding students will be revealed. Titled “Pipe Dreams Come True” by the students, the guitar-shaped sculpture pays homage to the life and career of Arnold.
Unveiling of the Tennessee Music Pathways marker honoring Arnold and the sculpture is set to begin at 11 a.m. in Sue Shelton White Park in downtown Henderson.
Standing approximately 8 feet tall, the metal rendition of a guitar is constructed of scrap steel pipes from a local building project; wrenches represent the tuning keys. Students who worked on the project are sophomores, juniors and seniors who are dually enrolled at CCHS and Tennessee College of Applied Technology at Crump, Tennessee. They worked with their instructor, Derick Gibbs. The guitar theme was chosen by project partners to pay tribute to the community’s talented musicians and artists, past and present, with Arnold having made the biggest impact.
“The concept for the project that involved two sculptures was that community members would donate materials and then be able to see and recognize their items in the sculptures. The sculptures are a visual representation of our community, with many individuals coming together to form a whole,” Misti Pequignot, Solid Waste Department and Keep Chester County Beautiful Education Coordinator, said. She asked community members via social media to bring items, such as hammerheads, sprockets and gears to a collection box at the Henderson Solid Waste Convenience Center on Talley Store Road.
Those partnering on the 2021 Henderson/Chester County Recycled Sculpture Project include: Chester County High School, TCAT Crump, Chester County Solid Waste Department, Keep Chester County Beautiful, City of Henderson and Mayor Bobby King, Henderson/Chester County Chamber of Commerce, Henderson Arts Commission and Tennessee Department of Tourism Development. In addition, Michael Zamora, owner of United Auto Body, donated his services to sandblast and paint the sculpture.
In addition to the guitar, students constructed a second sculpture to be auctioned with proceeds going to Chester County Imagination Library. Items donated by the community were utilized in this project, including a basketball hoop, bicycle frame, satellite dish, mailboxes, fireplaces tools, chains, gears and wheel rims and hubs. Local business owners Nicky and Darlene Bridges gave access to all of their scrap metal. What was not used in this year’s projects has been saved for next year’s sculptures, according to Pequignot.