Five murals added to the Alley Arts program

Five new murals have been mounted in Wadena this spring, thanks to the volunteer help of Chuck Richards, his grand sons Jake and Shawn and Tim Nieminen, according to Alley Arts coordinator Dave Evert.

Pam Robinson and Hope Baldwin of New York Mills created two cartoon style replicas of art originally done by the Rev. Roy Johnson presenting Mainstreet 1930 and New York Mills Saw Mill. Both hang on the rear of Charlie Rowe’s building.

Madeline Powers of Verndale provides us a view of farming 1900. Emily Ament, a Wadena-Deer Creek senior, has painted a collage of the farm in 2000 that shows us family farming coming apart. Soon the final scene for the Wadena Eye clinic building will portray 1950 farming. All of these scenes work to show the equal partnership of women working in the field with their men.

The west wall of Boline Chiropractic now hosts a 24-foot depiction of one moment in the first Battle of Bull Tun. Chuck Richards devoted a full year to creating these memorials to the Minnesota contribution to the Union cause in the Civil War.

There now remain seven murals to be finished and hung, Evert said, and all should be finished within three weeks. On June 27, organizers will offer tours on the hour commencing at noon. Walking tours will start at the Depot. Riding tours will start at the Historical Society.

Many of the artists will be gathering that afternoon, June 27, in the Depot, a good time to meet them and hear their stories.