Within one hour of its start, heads were already turning to eye what was clearly shaping up to become a beautiful new mural in Sweet Home’s downtown.
Wearing a pair of virtual reality visual design glasses, painter Karen Eland traced out the three-dimensional outline of the mid-century postcard-inspired phrase, “Greetings from Sweet Home, Oregon.”
Meanwhile, Katie Daisy started adding color to a flower tracing that bordered the words.
The design was being formed against the backdrop of the deep purple wall at the former Santiam Feed building on Long Street and 13th Avenue, a city-owned building. The design includes selections of nature from the area such as flowers, fish, bees, hummingbirds and, of course, Weddle Bridge.
“The mural will be somewhat of a postcard style and feature things unique to Sweet Home and our area,” Deputy City Manager Cecily Pretty said.
According to Pretty, the idea for the mural came out as sort of a “phase two” of the Paint the Town initiative.
Readers may well remember the Paint the Town campaign in 2023 that brought a $200,000 value of paint, consulting and supplies to the city’s downtown core from Miller Paint. Approximately 45 shops, offices and restaurants accepted the gift of a fresh coat of paint from the company’s Northwest-inspired color palette.
“We have so much natural beauty and cultural history in our town to share, and we think a refreshed downtown with vibrant storefronts will encourage people to stay longer and help our local businesses to thrive,” then-City Manager Kelcey Young said at the time.
Potential muralists were sought that same year and, in 2024, Eland and Daisy were among the top choices selected by evaluators, who included members of the former Ad Hoc Committee on Arts and Culture.
Since then, Pretty said, the city has been “piecing together” funding until it was able to pay for the professional muralists. The mural is fully funded by three grants provided by the Siletz Tribal Charitable Contribution Fund, Sweet Home Community Foundation and PacPower – all of which will actually cover the cost for a total of three murals.
The other two murals, Pretty said, will be mobile murals painted by Bekah Komp, of Brood Room, another top-choice selection of muralists. They are expected by the end of June.
“They are designed to be mounted and moved as we please, but that’s the extent of the plan for now,” she said. “We’re tentatively planning to display them in Sankey to start, but we’re still deciding on the final plan.”
The location of the mural on the east side of the former Santiam Feed building works with the city’s intention to build on the idea of “Festival Street,” a block of road on 13th Avenue between Main and Long streets, which originated out of a downtown streetscape plan designed in 2021 from Dougherty Landscape Architects.
“The big idea or goal is to transform 13th Avenue into this kind of flexible, multi-purpose space that serves as not only a functional street, but also a hub for community events like, say, farmers markets or festivals or outdoor gatherings,” City Manager Jason Ogden told the City Council last year.
The city purchased the Santiam Feed building in 2024 partially for that reason.
Young told City Council then that buying the building for $260,000 could allow the city to help preserve the historical nature of the building, invite businesses to use the building, and utilize the building’s large side door on 13th Avenue for the “Festival Street” vision.
She also saw potential for vacant buildings near Santiam Feed and the parking lot across the library as an opportunity to boost activity in the Long Street/downtown area.
“This is a way to really start revitalizing that entire square,” she told the council.
The city, however, is currently open to the idea of selling the building. If, or when, the building sells, the city plans to have an agreement with the new owner that the new mural remain in place for a minimum period of time, “to ensure the mural can be enjoyed for years to come,” Pretty said.
“Color has the power to transform a community, and we believe that a colorful downtown can inspire pride and make Sweet Home a destination for local Oregonians and those visiting our beautiful state,” said Puji Shere, Miller Paint Vice President of Marketing, Color & Brand during the Paint the Town campaign.
With the city’s relatively fresh face-lift of paint and the newest mural on “Festival Street,” Pretty believes the mural will provide folks a special opportunity to take photos in the Gateway to the Santiam Playground.
“It’s another wonderful way to highlight Sweet Home and continue the beautification of our city,” she said.