WELLINGTON — How often do you get to see a painting come to life?

For people in southern Lorain County, it happens several times a year.

Fourth facts What: Patriotic parade led by Spirit of ‘76 Trio Where: Lawn at Wellington Village Hall, southeast of state routes 58 and 18 When: 11:30 a.m. Friday Who: Tim Simonson plays the fife, Mike Giar is the drummer in the middle and Gary Feron is the short drummer boy. For information: Call Main Street Wellington Inc. at (440) 647-3987.

Every July 4th, history buffs Tim Simonson, Mike Giar and Gary Feron pull on their Revolutionary War-era garb and re-enact the famed “Spirit of ’76” painting.

Giar said it’s always fun to see the crowd reaction.

“I’m the old one in the middle,” said Giar, who dons a whitish wig while carrying a drum. “We do play, but I’m not a trained drummer.”

Simonson, a clock repairman in Wellington, is the fife player while the other drummer is portrayed by the diminutive Feron.

Created for the 1876 United States Centennial Exposition, the painting was done by Wellington wagon-painter-turned-artist Archibald Willard.

It was panned by art critics, but it was an instant hit with the public and made then-President Ulysses S. Grant misty-eyed.

There are 14 versions of the painting, and the original hangs in the council chambers in Marblehead, Mass.

It was purchased by the father of Harry Deveraux, the military cadet in Cleveland who posed for the little drummer boy in the painting.

    Simonson said Wellington has had a trio re-enact the scene from the painting ever since shortly after it was created.

He has been the fife player since 1973. The fife is a shrill instrument similar to a piccolo with a sound that carries over the din of a battle, he said.

Willard, the artist, got his start painting carriages and furniture with elaborate scenes popular in the mid-1800s, according to Simonson.

A Civil War veteran, Willard originally set his sights after the war on creating a painting of monumental size to commemorate the Battle of Chattanooga.

But many in the nation wanted to forget the bloody War Between the States, and Willard set his project aside, Simonson said.

As the centennial approached, Willard became inspired by three musicians who were preparing for a parade in downtown Wellington.

“He sketched a quick picture of two drummers and a fifer getting ready for a parade,” Simonson said.

Willard’s friend, photographer and art promoter James F. Ryder, is credited with recognizing the attraction of the trio, which was originally more light-hearted and called Yankee Doodle Dandy, Simonson said.

“He asked, ‘Gee, Arch, do you think there might be something there?’” Simonson said.

With encouragement from Ryder, Willard set out to paint a true patriotic piece.

His father posed for the white-haired drummer, his friend and fellow Civil War veteran Hugh Mosher was the fifer, and the model for the original drummer boy was George Green of Brighton Township.

Deveraux, the second model for the drummer boy, posed when Willard decided to do most of his work in Cleveland.

About 20 paintings and lithographs by Willard are featured at Wellington’s Spirit of ’76 museum at 201 N. Main St. The collection also includes about 4,000 artifacts.

In addition to re-enacting the painting for Independence Day, the trio also makes appearances at other Wellington events such as the annual Cheese Festival.

 

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