Parks & Arts
**As you approach the North Country Brewery on Main Street this mural welcomes you to Slippery Rock. It was designed and created by local artist Sean Swihart of Swihart Art funded by North Country Brewing , Venango Arts Council and Slippery Rock Development.
Slippery Rock’s revitalized downtown area boasts an array of parks and art installations.
From I-79
Entering the Borough from I-79, you are welcomed by a pair of natural rock waterfalls, announcing THE VILLAGE AT SLIPPERY ROCK in stone. This waterfall is part of the Gateway Park, where you can sit on benches, relax and talk with friends. The Gazebo is the place for events, music and ceremonies and is a welcoming place to sit and meet with friends. Decorated for the Christmas holidays, it attracts visitors with its illuminated cap at the top and twinkling lights.
Other murals in the Village include work by the Slippery Rock University Art Club. One is a painting on all four sides of a small, concrete block building — the Dominion Gas House. This structure is one of the first things you see as you enter the downtown area. It is repainted every few years and is a rotating art display of local talent.
Roxy Park
Roxy Park is a flower-filled walkway linking South Main Street to the Entrance parking lot. Formerly the site of the Roxy Theatre, this park now is a restful passageway that offers various delights, depending on the season.
Roxy Park is the home of James Myford’s water sculpture. Mr. Myford, designed this twelve-foot high cast aluminum sculpture of towering water especially for this site, and it is his first ever aluminum piece that incorporates flowing water. Named, Partnerships to commemorate the spirit of the Town and University, it flows spring, summer and fall.
The nearby Historical Mural by muralist Robert Qualters and local high school students tells the story of how Slippery Rock got its name. Over twenty-eight feet long and eight feet high and painted on several separate panels, this mural depicts local history as well as spots of historic interest.
A 2009’s Kaleidoscope Festival art project is by artist Edward Grout — an eighteen foot high mosaic mural of glass tiles and stones, depicting the meandering Slippery Rock Creek. It was done cooperatively with student and community volunteers, and has been installed on one end of SRU’s Extended Learning Center.
From Rt. 8
Coming into downtown from Route 8 is an eight-foot tall boulder announcing THE VILLAGE AT SLIPPERY ROCK. An entrance park with benches and landscaping surrounds the boulder