It’s on the corner by Thunder Bay Theatre, across from the main Post Office. It is now colorful, bright, and visible, the result of four random Alpena strangers volunteering to make it happen. Here’s how they met.

One recent September afternoon, Lisa Heileman spotted Christine Brennan staring at the sign. Brennan was wondering if the wooden mural of three loggers working on a river could be refinished. The sign was badly weathered and faded. It was as if Heileman was reading Brennan’s mind. She shouted from behind Brennan, “Do you want to paint it?!”

Startled, Brennan turned to see Heileman in her car paused at the corner, responding, “Yes, I do, as a matter of fact!”

Heileman then asked, “Do you want to paint it together? I’ll help you!”

Courtesy Photo Volunteers Christine Brennan, Lisa and Tim Heileman, and David Carey recently repainted the Old Town Alpena sign on the corner of North 2nd Avenue and Fletcher Street. Brennan and Lisa Heilman are seen with the sign.

That was how the pair randomly met ­– two like-minded artists that wanted to see an old historic sign brought back to life. They exchanged their contact information and agreed they had enough paint between them to get the job done.

Brennan left town for a few days. By the time she returned to start repainting the old sign, Heileman and another volunteer passerby, David Carey, had already repainted the bottom half portion that reads, “Welcome to Old Town Alpena.” Heileman also pulled out the overgrowing weeds in the sign’s brick base planter.

Over a period of several afternoons, Brennan repainted the upper half. During that time, Heileman had fallen and broken some ribs, but she and her husband Tim, who happened to be a sign maker, stopped by to offer support and extra paint. Tim Heileman repaired a crack that ran down the center of the sign.

“The mural of the loggers was so faded,” Brennan said. “It’s a wooden sign that was carved years ago. The details were hard to make out, but, after applying color to the trees and rushing river, the image became clearer. I thought about Alpena’s logging history and the dangerous work these men performed.”

She said it was a rewarding experience.

Courtesy Photo Volunteer David Carey begins repainting the Old Town Alpena sign on the corner of North 2nd Avenue and Fletcher Street in Alpena.

“We feel good about saving this sign,” Brennan added. “The new colors are vibrant and visible. This project fits right in with Alpena’s new murals. We are such an artistic town. Like anything we care about in our physical environment, if we take care of and maintain it, it lasts longer and we can extend its replacement life, thereby saving money, too. We received countless complimentary comments from townsfolk, visitors and young people as we worked. It’s so gratifying to feel our efforts are appreciated.”