Published: July 02, 2009 03:51 pm      

Barn turns anti-tobacco billboards

LINDSIDE — If you can see the broad side of a Monroe County barn, you’ll surely spot local anti-tobacco advocates’ latest marketing campaign.

The Lindside barn, which is the collaboration between Community Connections, the Monroe & Summers Tobacco Prevention Coalition, the Southern Coalfields Tobacco Prevention Coalition and a host of other organizations, now declares, “Save Face: Stop Spit Tobacco.” It’s a slogan that activists believe gets straight to the point in describing just how harmful tobacco products are to the average user, and they hope the country creation will prove an effective deterrent a population of young people who tend to both smoke and chew.

The idea actually arose with Community Connections’ Executive Director Greg Puckett and his interest in the historical barns that once served as primary advertising sites for Mail Pouch Tobacco.

While Puckett is a strong advocate for good health and tobacco-free lifestyles, the history of the Mail Pouch advertising movement has motivated him to create a personal photo collection of more than 100 of these barns that are located within West Virginia.

“Sometimes you have to look at where you have been to know where you are going. History has a funny way of repeating itself in new and interesting ways,” he said. “As a fan of history, this has really been one of the coolest things. Whoever the person was that came up with the idea of painting the message on barns was an advertising genius, and they may not have even known it.”

Puckett, also the director of West Virginia Community Anti-Drug Coalition of America, explained that marketing theory during a Friday celebration to dedicate the tobacco-free barn.

“Mail Pouch Barns were created by the Bloch Brothers Tobacco Company, from Wheeling, to advertise Mail Pouch Tobacco nearly 100 years ago. The idea of painting barns in rural areas to market their products through the permission of local farmers revolutionized modern advertising and still influences the way we market products to this day.”

Mail Pouch barns once numbered in the thousands across West Virginia and throughout the nation. However, because Bloch Brothers was created here, these barns are synonymous with West Virginia culture and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

“This barn is a symbol of a great marketing strategy, and to be able to turn it around in a way where we are promoting tobacco prevention says a lot of where we are in our society,” Puckett said.

Southern Coalfields Tobacco Prevention Coalition’s Donald Reed admitted he was hesitant when Puckett first mentioned the idea of promoting a tobacco-free lifestyle on the same farm medium that once touted Mail Pouch. He soon warmed up to the idea and started working with Shirley Hall, of the Monroe County Coalition for Children and Families; Dorothy Larew, the Monroe Cancer Coalition chairperson; Kathy Danberry, project manager with the West Virginia Division of Tobacco Prevention; and Lori McGraw, of RESA-I, to make the idea a reality.

“Greg, Shirley, and Raymond Hall and I went barn hunting. After a long search, thankfully, John Allen was willing to allow us to use his barn to serve as the example to the rest of West Virginia and the nation,” Reed said.

The barn, situated along U.S. 219, offered just the right spot. Then, the workers contacted barn artist Scott Hagan, perhaps best known for his work on Ohio’s bicentennial barns, to add the artwork.

“He’s really interesting,” Puckett said. “He’s great to work with.”

Along with the lettering and “Save Face” logo, Hagan also painted the three sides of a barn that were in prime condition for paint.

It was a huge undertaking.

“This is the biggest barn we’ll ever do,” Puckett said. “On the front, it’s probably three stories tall, and on the sides, it’s 16 feet x 48 feet. It’s big.”

Now that it’s complete, however, the collaborative effort will ensure the “Save Face: Stop Spit Tobacco” theme will be seen along one of the busiest two-lane highways in West Virginia.

To get there from Princeton, take U.S. 460 to the Rich Creek exit and travel U.S. 219 through Peterstown and approximately two miles past Fountain Springs Golf Course.

Hall and Larew, who both dedicate their time and efforts to stopping tobacco use and stemming the health problems it creates said they were proud to see the rolling Monroe County landscape and the barn landmark be used as an opportunity to build a healthier lifestyle locally.

As Danberry pointed out during the barn dedication, the statistics can be staggering.

“West Virginia is No. 1 in a lot of things. Unfortunately, these are being No. 1 in the nation for spit tobacco use among men, No. 2 in the nation for smoking during pregnancy, and No. 3 in the nation for adult smoking prevalence,” she said. “This has to stop, and new and innovative ways to reach this population, such as this barn, are needed.”

There were many people, businesses and organizations that contributed to the barn effort, including Monroe & Summers Tobacco Prevention Coalition, the Monroe Cancer Coalition, the Monroe Coalition for Children and Families, West Virginia University School of Dentistry, West Virginia Division of Tobacco Prevention, West Virginia Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America, the Southern Coalfields Tobacco Prevention Network Office, and Community Connections, Inc. In addition, Lowes of Princeton donated most of the supplies needed for the project.

Puckett said he hopes to continue the barn advertising plan with at least one addition per year in each of the surrounding counties, possibly expanding to all 55 counties in the Mountain State.

For more information about the barn and other potential sites within the region to host the slogan, contact Donald Reed at (304) 324-0456 or through e-mail at tobaccospecialist@ccifrn.org.

To learn how to quit using tobacco products and receive additional support from the state tobacco Quitline, call (877) 966-8784 for more information.

— Contact Tammie Toler at ttoler@ptonline.net.