It’s a beautiful day to meet one of the neighbors at Moravian Manor Communities!
Frederick Swarr, one of Moravian Manor Communities’ resident artists, moved to Lititz with his wife Valerie from Mt Gretna. When Fred turned 60, he began an unusual way of celebrating milestones.
“No parties, no surprises, that’s what I told everyone. Instead, I will paint,” revealed Fred. Valerie pointed out that I paint every day. This occasion would be different, I insisted.”
Different may be an understatement. At the time, Fred was Design Director for a corrugated box company. He took 60 26-inch Masonite pieces someone had given him at work, and one by one, he painted until he reached his goal – 60 paintings on his 60th birthday. The idea, he admitted, came from Elton John. “He celebrated six decades by playing his 60th sold-out show at Madison Square Garden,” clarified Fred.
“I started painting in the woods at 7 a.m. and finished at 5 p.m. Music played all day. I hung completed works on trees. About 100 people gathered; I gave them paintings in exchange for bottles of wine. I went home with 92 bottles. I repeated the celebration on my 65th and 70th birthdays.”
Fred and Valerie were attracted to Moravian Manor Communities for its Lititz location. “It’s so close to a nice small town with an abundance of attractions. When we lived in Mt. Gretna, you had to drive 20 minutes before you got off the mountain!”
Fred admires the mix of architecture, as well. The Swarr’s two-bedroom, two-bath home is a single-level with plenty of space for his acrylics and canvases. He utilizes one bedroom as a corner studio. “Natural light pours in from two walls, and the laundry room is handy for me to clean up after painting. It’s ideal.”