This August, The Dalles will be host to painters from all over the nation in an event known as the Walldogs Northwest MuralFest. According to the event website, “Two hundred to 300 professional and local sign painters” known as Walldogs are expected to travel to The Dalles and paint 15 murals based on local history on building walls all over town.
In October, the National Neon Sign Museum in The Dalles held an in-person voting event where members of the community came together to learn about and vote on their top five out of thirty preliminary themes they would like to see painted on this August. By the end of the event, five were chosen. Those themes included that of Chief Tommy Thompson of Celilo Village, artist and Native American preservationist Jeanne Hillis, all-female organization The Dalles Sorosis Club, “A Rich Chinese Community,” and “How The Dalles got its name.”
“After gathering community input and feedback from our first event, we then took those suggestions and spent over a month meeting with local minority groups and leaders to ensure a strong and diverse presence moving forward,” said a press release from the Northwest MuralFest committee.
In late December through early January, the committee held an online voting forum where members of The Dalles community could visit the MuralFest website to view and vote on the final ten themes they would like to see painted about for the event, with the choices available to vote on consisting of both new and previously presented topics. On Jan. 18, the Northwest MuralFest committee released the final 10 themes that were voted on.
“The overall response from our community members has been overwhelmingly positive and we are excited to see the people of The Dalles exhibit so much passion over our town’s rich history and past,” said the press release.
The final 10 themes that will be represented in murals this August include local sign painting company Honald Sign Co, Pulitzer Prize winning author H.L. Davis, cattle driver, banker and businessman Ben Snipes, nature and Native American photographer Benjamin Gifford, the Native American ceremony of The First Foods, The Latino Community, The Dalles Dip/Ferry, Former Rockette and local dance teacher Eleanor Borg, Frontier Preacher and Pioneer Geologist Thomas Condon, and the Historic Columbia Highway. More information about all these themes can be found at northwestmuralfest.com/themes.
According to the event website, the Walldog Northwest MuralFest event will take place Aug. 24–28. Anyone interested in volunteering for the event can visit northwestmuralfest.com for more information.
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