SAFFORD — “His legacy just isn’t in the ring; it is what he gives back to our community,” said John Howard, the man who, with wife Jenny, commissioned Safford Downtown’s latest mural on the side of Ginaveve’s Market Place, celebrating UFC Lightweight fighter and Safford native Justin Gaethje.
Howard said the selection of Gaethje as the subject was simple, given what Gaethje does for the community.
“He puts on seminars and speeches for the (Graham County) Substance Abuse Coalition, he goes to Morenci and gives a speech to the graduate, he talks at several different things (like) Boys and Girls Club, all sorts of stuff,” Howard said.
The Graham County Chamber of Commerce was at Ginaveve’s Tuesday to host a ribbon-cutting celebrating the mural, with Gaethje himself on-hand to cut the ribbon.
“You know, to see this if I was a kid and was ever to make it this far, I would be very proud of myself,” Gaethje said. “So it’s cool to have my family here and celebrate my accomplishments with my town that I represent.”
– David Bell Photo/Gila Valley Central
Howard said when the decision on the mural’s subject was made, it was a simple matter to gather the funding.
“I made eight phone calls, and every one said, ‘Absolutely; absolutely,’ and they all put in a pretty good chunk of change,” Howard said.
Sponsor include: Audio Visions, AZ Tech Contracting, Double R Communications, Ginaveve’s Market Place, Kempton Chevrolet, Mack’s Auto Supply/Napa Auto, Swapp Construction, M&M Transport, United Rentals, Tim and Debbie Linden, and John and Jenny Howard.
The artwork is by Brandt Woods, the artist who spear-headed the effort to beautify Safford’s Downtown with murals. He said this work was significantly different from his other mural work — this was a portrait, something he hadn’t painted before; he was working off reference; and he was working at a larger scale, which meant learning new equipment.
“I really didn’t know how it was going to look,” Woods said. “So when people drove by and they’re like, ‘Oh, that’s Justin,’ I was like, ‘OK, we’re good. We’re in the clear.’”
Gaethje said he was impressed by Woods’ work.
“It was awesome,” Gaethje said. “Seeing the mural with my eyes is awesome.”
– David Bell Photo/Gila Valley Central
After the ribbon-cutting, Gaethje spent upward of 90 minutes posing for photos and giving autographs to his fans, who lined up along Central Avenue from Main to 7th streets.
He also helped raise funds for the Boys & Girls Club of the Gila Valley by lending his name and participating in the club’s annual golf tournament Thursday.
On Thursday, Gaethje will serve as the grand marshal of the Safford Lions Club’s Fourth of July Parade, and he will spend about an hour posing for photos and giving autographs to fans at the City of Safford Independence Day celebration on City Hall lawn.
The Safford event, which also includes watermelon rolling contests, sack races and a patriotic costume contest, will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
– David Bell Photo/Gila Valley Central
.jpg)