Their art is on the move

LAPEER COUNTY — Four new GLTA buses hit the road Monday with fresh designs courtesy of some Lapeer area artists.

GLTA (Greater Lapeer Transportation Authority) announced the design contest in October. It was the second of its kind. The first one took place in July 2008.

The first contest was open only to Lapeer County students, so this time around, hoping for a bigger response, GLTA Executive Director Carol Wegher opened the contest to anyone.

It worked. She received about 150 entries, which GLTA board members and employees voted on.

Winners were Lapeer East High School student Cameron Myers, Lynch Elementary fifth grader Mya Bates, Lapeer resident Janet Winslow and North East Michigan Community Service Agency Head Start teacher and Lapeer resident Angela Major.

Along with getting their art work and names on the new buses, winners also received a $50 check.

Cameron Myers, a Lapeer East High School senior, poses with his design. “It turned out exactly the way I envisioned it,” he said. (Right) Angela Major, a teacher with North East Michigan Community Service Agency Head Start in Lapeer, stands with her design. “Just thrilling,” she said of seeing her art work on the bus. “I especially like my name on the back.” While Myers and Bates completed their designs as part of a class assignment, Winslow and Major, who both said they have a bit of an art background, said they drew their designs for fun.

“I thought, ‘Well, I can do that,’” said Winslow. “I always thought those buses (were) cute.”

Along with the additional entries, Wegher said opening the contest up to adults made the entries a little more diverse.

Once chosen, the designs were put on the buses by Champion Bus Inc. in Imlay City and cost from $500 to $750 each.

One of the new buses is

replacement and the other three are part of an expansion at GLTA, which now has 25 buses on the road — most of which are adorned with some sort of art work.

“It just makes us unique,” said Wegher. — Emily Caswell
Janet Winslow, of Lapeer, stands with her design titled The Hurrier I go. She drew it in about a hour. (Below) Mya Bates, 10, a fifth grader at Lynch Elementary School said she got the idea for her dragon design from the book Eragon. Her mom Tiffany said, “We’re excited” about seeing Mya’s design on a bus. Mya said she’ll probably take her prize money to Disney World, where the family will head for spring break this year.