The new 12 by 32-foot mural on the north wall of the K.A. Hammond building in downtown Moorefield was installed the morning of July 24.
The mural project was a combined effort between local businesses, the Mapleton Township and community donors.
The township contributed half the cost of the $12,204 project through its 50/50 parks and recreation fund, and the remainder was raised through donations, with $3,000 generated by the double header ball game last month between the New Zealand Black Sox and the Argentina national team.
Artist Allen C. Hilgendorf painted the 384-square-foot mural, but unfortunately, due to serious health issues, Hilgendorf was unable to complete the final stages of the mural, nor was he able to make the trek to Moorefield from Bancroft for the unveiling.
However Hilgendorf’s Bancroft friends, Laurie Calder and Brenda Reese, helped place the finishing touches on the mural and Conrad Brownson and William Graft delivered the 12-panel painting to Moorefield. Grant Morgan Carpentry assisted with the installation of the mural.
This may very well be Hilgendorf’s final masterpiece, which took roughly a month to complete. A small time capsule was also placed between the panels and the brick wall by Moorefield mural committee member Dave Campbell of Brown Insurance, including a copy of The Community News, a 2012 two dollar coin, a poster from the double header ball fundraiser and business cards from Moorefield businesses K.A. Hammond, Grant Morgan Carpentry and Brown Insurance.
The mural can be viewed, facing south, from the main street of the village, at the corner of McGivern and Hendrie Streets.
