Ask for a van Gogh and cola at the Finksburg Library, and you'll get a "Starry Night" bottle cap mural of Carroll County.

Nearly 6,000 painted bottle caps (and one clear one, if you can find it) come together in a small meeting room at the library in a work of art created by Finksburg resident Rosemary McCann, 18.

McCann, now a Salisbury University political science major, approached the library last year to do her Girl Scout Gold Award project (the highest honor in Girl Scouts), and after some brainstorming with staff, she found her inspiration in a book titled, "Bottlecap Little Bottlecap" by Michelle Stitzlein.

"I'm happy I could make something so beautiful and that serves as an education purpose for the community," she said in a telephone interview, speaking from Salisbury.

McCann will talk about the mural project during a special Bottle Cap Mural Celebration, Saturday, March 20, 11:15 a.m., at the library, 2265 Old Westminster Pike, Sandymount.

Later this month, she'll also be honored for earning her Gold Star Award as a part of Troop 1923, which is based in Finksburg.

The book, "Bottlecap Little Bottlecap," shares art projects that the author used while visiting schools, said McCann, a Westminster High School graduate.

The bottle caps for her project came from just about anywhere -- from library patrons, students and staff at Sandymount Elementary School, other countries, states and even the Queen Anne County library system, where McCann's grandmother solicited help.

She also got some from her other grandmother, who sent in bottle caps from her church in Chicago.

The mural, which took about six weeks to complete, is a recreation of Vincent van Gogh's "Starry Night" — with a little Carroll County license. It includes the oxen and wagon from the official county seal, a red barn, and even a Baltimore icon — a raven.

"Bottle caps don't give you that fine of detail, so the oxen is something that looks like a horse," she joked.

McCann is interested in eco-friendly practices, and the project itself is a form of recycling, she explained.

Bottle caps cannot be recycled in Carroll County because they use a type of plastic that the county does not accept.

So she put them to another form of reuse.

McCann also created a smaller mural depicting the light bulb logo of the Carroll County Public Library system. That will be used with an accompanying pamphlet to go to schools and help explain sustainable art to students, she said.

Branch manager Nadine Rosendale said the mural is a perfect fit for the library -- which opened just last year, and includes "green" features throughout its design.

"Being that we're a green building, we really like to focus on that aspect of sustainable living and recycling," she said.

Plus, the mural nice to look at, she said. Other people seem to think so, too.

"We have a lot of people coming here because they heard of the mural," she said. "We're very proud of it."

It also serves as a educational piece for children to play games counting the caps, or finding the one clear cap on the mural, she said.

Donations poured in so much for the bottle caps that the library has leftovers. Other groups are already interested in doing their own mural, she said.

Patrons are welcome to come and look at the mural inside the meeting room while the room's not in use, she said.

For more details on the March 20 event or other activities at Finksburg Library, call 410-386-4505.

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