Tom Wilson in the summer of 2003 stood before several hundred people in the middle of the 100 block of South Main Street.

The founder and initial president was speaking at the dedication of the Manteca Mural Society’s first of what would be 32 downtown murals.

It was dubbed “Crossroads 1918”, a nod to the scene it depicted was from the year Manteca was incorporated as a city.

The 20-foot high and 78-foot-long mural — still the largest mural — graced the east facing side of Century Furniture on the southwest corner of Yosemite Avenue and Main Street.

It abutted the edge of the sidewalk along Manteca’s heaviest traveled north-south arterial — Main Street.

Wilson that day shared how it was “the perfect wall” as it received the least amount of sun and weather than a wall facing any other direction.

Also, it was on the most visible corner in Manteca right at the city’s heart.

Century Furniture owner Sam Guedoir agreed with Wilson’s assessment.

After all, during down Main Street on his way to Santa Rosa one day eight years prior he couldn’t understand why such a building that was the home of the former Brown-Mahin clothing store was vacant.

Months later, Century Furniture — now in its 30th year — was open.

After scouting for the best locations preferably with an east facing wall for minimal sun damage for a suitable canvas for the first mural that would be key to developing community support, Wilson in 2001 walked into Guedoir’s store.

Wilson explained the mural project and asked if the society could use the wall of Century Furniture for a mural celebrating Manteca’s history and culture. Wilson left that day with an unsolicited donation of $1,000.

Guedoir ended up spending $5,000 to prep the wall as well.

And in 2021 when he spotted then society President Ron Cruz and Wilson doing the best they could using acetone to clean up a mess vandals made using markers to put face masks on all of the faces that appear on the “Crossroads” mural painted by muralist Dave Gordon, he asked what they were up against.

They said they would need to retain the services of a muralist to reconstruct the faces. Guedoir asked Cruz to go inside with him where he wrote a check out for $500.

“Art brings people together,” Guedoir said at the time as to why he donated the additional funding. “Art is a unifier.”

Since then, he has been a financial backer of the society to enable the volunteers to maintain the murals in place.

On Tuesday, the society presented Guedoir with an Award of Appreciation for his continued support.

 Guedoir said his support of the mural endeavor is reflected in the fact Manteca is his home, it is where he raised his family, and the community has been supportive of his business.

The mural on the side of Century Furniture has a whimsical gem within it.

The mural itself depicts what the corner it is on looked like with one small exception: There is a mural within the mural.

The building where Century Furniture is today did not have a mural on it.

To learn more about the Manteca Mural Society, or how you may donate to future projects, go to MantecaMurals.org. or call Charleen Carroll, 209 823-1386.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com