By Staff Writer: Trinidad Carrasco
This is Southwest LP Gas Co., located in Carlsbad, New Mexico. A new roadside attraction there is catching people’s attention, five huge propane tanks painted to look like sports balls. Each one is a fun tribute to local sports and community pride.
The idea came from Roy Estrada, who has worked at Southwest for 44 years and has been the manager for 34 of them. He wanted to do something that would brighten up the area and give people a reason to stop and smile. “We’ve got these big propane balls sitting out here, why not make them fun?” he explained.
To bring the idea to life, Estrada turned to Raul Larez, a driver who’s been with the company for 10 years. Larez isn’t a professional artist, but he enjoys drawing in his free time. That creativity really showed in the results. He turned the plain white tanks into giant sports balls: a baseball, softball, tennis ball, basketball, and soccer ball. Each one is painted with realistic details and labeled with part of the company name, spelling out “SOUTHWEST LP GAS CO.”
When I asked Larez about why he picked those sports balls, he had this to say, “I just did what came to mind.” Since Larez had never really played sports growing up, he chose to use the most popular, circular sports balls that represented the sports played in Carlsbad.
The painted tanks have quickly become a local favorite. People stop to take pictures and admire the artwork. It’s a simple but creative way to turn something ordinary into something that brings joy to the community.