The Dalles’ downtown beautification moving forward with support from Google

The 2022 Northwest MuralFest will be held Aug. 24-28, when a large group of muralists known as the Walldogs will travel to Oregon to paint 15 new murals chosen by residents of The Dalles.

“Thanks to Google’s grant and the support of so many others, we are very excited to be able to bring in a group of talented artists to share the history and beauty of The Dalles through diverse collections of art,” said David Benko, organizer of the 2022 MuralFest and executive director of the National Neon Sign Museum in The Dalles.

Each year hundreds of Walldogs gather to paint murals in one U.S. city to beautify the community and promote regional and national tourism. A group of The Dalles business owners and city leaders convinced the Walldogs to choose The Dalles for the home of its 2022 festival, which organizers believe will be only the second MuralFest to occur in the Western U.S.

“Having been in this community for more than 15 years, we know how special The Dalles is,” said Kate Franko, Google’s regional head of data center public affairs. “This event will introduce more people to the city’s diverse, rich history, and we are proud to support The Dalles’ vision as both an economic and cultural destination.”

Residents of The Dalles voted on themes for the 15 murals that will be painted during the festival. While mural sites and specific designs are still being decided, mural themes are:

• Historic contributions of the Chinese Community

• Historic contributions of the Latino Community

• Artist, pilot & preservationist Jeanne Hillis

• Tribal elder and advocate Chief Tommy Thompson

• Advocates for equality The Dalles Sorosis Club

• How The Dalles got its name

• Business owners and muralists of the Honald Sign Company

• Pulitzer Prize winning author H.L. Davis

• Banker and cattleman Ben Snipes

• Celebrated photographer Benjamin Gifford

• Historic summer destination The Dalles Dip

• The First Foods, sacred foods in Native American traditions

• Dance instructor and former Radio City Rockette Eleanor Borg

• Oregon’s first geologist Thomas Condon

• The Historic Columbia Highway

Each mural will have a lead painter guiding multiple artists to paint and complete the murals through the festival weekend. Along with the painting, the festival will include food, crafts, music, and vendors.

“I am so grateful to our community and contributors like Google who are making this festival a reality and bringing our rich history to light for the public and visitors to see every day,” said Rich Mays, mayor of The Dalles. “We’ve all worked hard to create this opportunity and are looking forward to seeing its impact.”

Google has called Wasco County home since 2006, when it opened its very first U.S. data center in The Dalles. In November, Google announced plans for future growth in the region. Under new agreements with The City of the Dalles and Wasco County, Google will have the option to build up to two additional data centers, according to a press release. The project will include the cleanup of a former Superfund site, a land donation to the county, and will help protect the region’s natural resources, all while making progress toward the company’s ambitious global water stewardship and carbon-free energy goals.

Since 2006, Google has contributed more than $2 million to organizations in Wasco County supporting education, reducing carbon impacts, expanding access to the internet and regional economic growth, said the release.