Toms River Mural Unveiled On Water Street

A 45-foot long mural is the new eye candy on Water Street in Downtown Toms River.

The mural was crafted by a group of local artists, Tracx 81, to represent the Township's past, present, and future, while fooling the eye into the third dimension.

Toms River artist, Mark Retacco, says the painting portrays the city's resilience and revitalization.  The mural also pictures Tom Luker, the man who used to boat people across the river, hence the name, Tom's River.

"You'll see Tom looking across the river," says Retacco. "You can see the River Lady,  Huddy Park, the Great Blue Heron, and Barnegat Bay is also represented."

Retacco says the mural will likely last for over 45 years, and to help preserve its longevity, it was finished with anti-graffiti coating.

The amazing piece of art is 45 x 18 ft., so you can't miss it!  If you're getting off the parkway to head east on Water Street, you can see the mural on your right-hand side against the walls of Simply Skin, a day spa, near the Post Office.

Retacco also wanted to give credit to the many volunteers who worked on the mural.

"We had 400 people at the library in the discovery room working on this thing, so this is a community effort."

To learn more about the Downtown Toms River Community Mural Project, visit their webpage or check out their Facebook page.