Jackson Free Press

No doubt, many of you have been out and about in Jackson some Saturday afternoon and witnessed one of the strangest pieces of mobile art on four wheels: a Toyota Camry covered with a variety of stickers. That would be none other than "Stella." Stella has a rich and interesting history that includes country music royalty, rebellion and generally bringing happiness to anyone who sees her, including current owner Justin Watson.

Watson, 24, attended Florence High School and Hinds Community College. He recently started working for Railroads Controls Limited, a company that sets up signals and ground wires at railroad crossings.

Stella's impact on the Jackson area is obvious to Watson. "People see the car and put a sticker on her. With the summer heat here, (the stickers) eventually melt, and there's no way to remove them," he says.

He knew that Stella was a fixture on Jackson's landscape, so when the opportunity came for him to purchase the car, he did—for a whopping $300. But Stella's own history is priceless.

Her beginnings were auspicious enough. She began as a pristine, white 1998 Toyota Camry. Country music stars Tim McGraw and Faith Hill purchased the car here in Jackson for Hill's nephew and niece, Jeff and Katie Perry. Jeff drove the car first. As an act of teenage rebellion, he began to adorn the vehicle with various stickers. In addition to those stickers, he encouraged friends and strangers to place stickers on the car, which he named Stella. Jeff's father, Wesley, who is a schoolteacher, initially wasn't thrilled with the new additions to the car. Of course, by this time, a tradition had begun, and it was too late to stop people from randomly placing stickers on the car's body.

When Jeff left home for college at Ole Miss, he left Stella behind. Wesley Perry, who had not approved of Stella's embellishments at first, was now driving her around town, and Jeff's little sister Katie even piloted the now-famous car. More stickers kept showing up.

Jeff married his high school sweetheart Melissa in 2011. He sold Stella to Justin, who continues the tradition of adding stickers to Stella's body. "I have no idea how many stickers are on Stella. It would take all day to count, but I'm willing to bet there at least 300 to 400," Watson says. "I put some Justin Bieber duct tape on her that I got for Christmas, which is cool. My favorite sticker has got to be my 'Wonder Years' sticker because it's so rare."

Is anything off limits for Stella? "I think she's down for anything. She's even got Ron Paul and Barack Obama stickers," Watson says. And what does Stella's original buyer think of the upgrades? "I'm not sure, but I know Faith Hill has (ridden) in it! As far as I know, she likes it," Watson says with a laugh. "I don't know about Tim, though." Visit jfp.ms/stella to see more photos of Stella the Sticker Car.