New Grantsville billboard installed to reflect city's history

GRANTSVILLE — Drivers on I-80 near Grantsville may have noticed a new billboard while heading west near exit 84, depicting a young girl with a bucket playing in salt.

Wait, salt?

Organizers at the unveiling said the new "Salt & Pepper" mural, which depicts 5-year-old Molly McShane scooping salt from the beach into a salt shaker, reflects the city's history and the Salt Lake basin perfectly.

Project chairman Steve McShane says the salt theme is fitting, since the billboard is so close to the Morton Salt center in Grantsville.

The artist John Cerney is known nationwide for his larger-than-life cut-out murals.

Cerney said he first got the idea as a child while driving through Utah.

"I drove into Utah and saw all this white stuff," he said. "I didn't know what it was, but I was fascinated by it. When I became an artist, I started doing this kind of thing around the country."

Cerney said he came up with the idea for the billboard about 25 years ago.

"It just took me a while to finally get around to doing it," he said.

Contributing: Joe Wirthlin, KSL

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