Gone are the days of Oakland Park’s sweeping farmlands. But the city still clings to its green thumb, with the popular “Saturday at the Farm and I” events every weekend – though many may tour the latest in urban gardening unaware of Oakland Park’s deep agricultural origins.

But residents have never forgotten. And now a new mural titled “Hometown Choice,” by famed local artist Elio Mercado, aka “Evoca1,” plans to capture Oakland Park’s evergreen heart. The design, approved by County Commission in August, shows a child’s hands clutching a tender oak sapling. And in the backdrop is the city’s other major cultivating ground – the historic Oakland Park Elementary, built in 1926.

For Mercado, known for expressive murals reflecting little-known local histories, “Hometown Choice” is truly “a community effort. The opinions of residents made a huge impact.”

“We hope residents see the mural as a representation of the city’s past and future,” says Oakland Park’s Community and Economic Development Director, Kathleen Margoles.

And the past will never taste so good as an impromptu picnic at the mural’s planned location in the city’s Art Park, just blocks away from the farmer’s market’s organic goodness.

“Hometown Choice” is part of Broward 100 Mural Art Project.