By DON FLETCHER
News Staff Writer
A collaborative project between Atmore’s Billy Glenn Rushing American Legion Post 90, Atmore Area Chamber of Commerce and Main Street Atmore should by the end of this week be welcoming visitors to the city while also welcoming home local veterans returning from deployments.
A large mural that will be painted on the south wall of Legion headquarters, overlooking the post’s monument park, will feature a waving American flag, along with the national American Legion emblem and the words, “Welcome to Atmore.”
Dothan-based Wes Hardin will be the mural’s main artist. Hardin and his apprentice, Alaina Finuff, began work Tuesday, November 17, on the project and are expected to complete it by this Friday, November 20.
Paul Chason, Post 90 adjutant, had been trying for some time to put an idea for a mural together.
“We’ve been trying to do this for about a year,” Chason said. “We provided a concept to the Chamber over a year ago, then met with the Chamber and discussed it. Our original idea was for it to be a train, with veterans getting off the train in Atmore. The Chamber came up with a counter-proposal, and this is what we agreed on.”
Chason said Dale Ash, who helped put grant applications together and made numerous phone calls as the project came together, was given Hardin’s name by someone in PepsiCo’s corporate office. She contacted the muralist, his workload was less than usual because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and everything fell into place.
“My actual involvement was putting people together, making the ball roll,” Ash said.