It all started with the original Wings of DeLand, which are the iconic mural wings painted by local artist Erica Group. The wings became such an iconic symbol in the city. Locals and visitors alike would get the pictures taken with the wings behind them and post them with the hashtag #wingsofdeland.
Then, a few years back, the The West Volusia Tourism Advertising Authority asked Erica to be their artist in residence and also asked her to expand her DeLand Wings to the Wings of the West mural trail. The trail includes six spots with six different mural wings across West Volusia County. Many of them are at well known local places such as the Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge and Skydive DeLand.
Her latest creation is the Mini-wings of DeLand, smaller rendition of the original wings geared for tiny visitors. The tiny wings are mere yards from the original set in Pill Alley, immediately west of the 100 block of South Woodland Boulevard between West New York and Georgia avenues.
For small children and pets, posing in front of the popular piece has proven tricky, but now they’ve got their own pair. There’s even an outline of a child’s pair of shoes — Group used a pair belonging to her son — so little ones know where to stand.
“I realized there are so many parents, and pet parents, out there who would love to take photos of their child in front of the wings but can’t because of their size,” said Group in the release. “I had to fix that, and what better time to do the seventh set than on the seventh anniversary of the first wings.”
Each set of wings on the trail represents something special about the location in which it is found.
The “Wings of the West” trail consists of:
1. DeLand Wings – Downtown DeLand on Persimmon Lane, DeLand
2. Biplane Wings – Skydive DeLand, 1600 Flightline Blvd., DeLand
3. Peacock Wings – Barberville Pioneer Settlement, 1776 Lightfoot Lane, Barberville
4. Fairy Wings – Fairy Trail trailhead at intersection of Seneca and Chauncey streets, Cassadaga
5. Scrub Jay Wings – Lyonia Environmental Center, 2150 Eustace Ave., Deltona
6. Swallow-Tailed Kite Wings – Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge, 2045 Mud Lake Road, DeLeon Springs
For more information, visit the “Wings of the West” Mural Trail. Go to WVTAA’S website — visitwestvolusia.com — and click on the “What to Do” tab.