Photo Provided Volunteers stand on one of the Main Street islands in Woodsfield where grant funds helped the Monroe Arts Council purchase flowers, mulch and a banner. Pictured, from left, are Felicia Bates, Commissioner Mick Schumacher, Riley Bettinger, Trista Morris, Carson Kuhn, Carol Kuhn, Gwynn Stewart, Jadyn Stewart, Danielle Langsdorf and Madison Stimpert.

WOODSFIELD — The Monroe Arts Council was able to purchase and plant flowers helping to beautify the downtown Woodsfield area after receiving grant funding.

The council was a recipient of a $2,000 Love Our Byways grant as part of a partnership through the National Scenic Byway Foundation with Toyota USA for the Love Our Byways program.

The Arts Council serves as the Monroe Tourism Center and is active with the Appalachian Byway of Ohio.

The grant helped fund a Byway Beautification project downtown to make the historic islands beautiful for the Fall Auto Tour set for 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 2. The tour guides residents through the county viewing a series of historic sights from the comfort of their automobiles. It begins at the Monroe Theatre in Woodsfield and ends at Fly Ferry Landing in Fly Township with 20 stops in between.

The grant also helped purchase a banner for use at events all along the multi-county byway. The council would like to give a special thanks to Mitchell Schumacher, a member of the arts council and county commissioner, for coordinating the beautification effort in the historic islands.

The Appalachian Byway is Ohio’s 27th Scenic Byway. Its routes are Ohio 78 from Clarington through Monroe, Noble, Morgan and Athens counties ending in Nelsonville; there is also a short portion north on Ohio 284 to The Wilds in Muskingum County. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/AppalachianBywayofOhio.