I can’t wait for July of 2013.
And that’s still a year and a half away.
In July, 2013, the organization, Walldogs, will be coming to
Kewanee! Walldogs started up in
Pontiac, Illinois, in an effort to boost tourism to Pontiac. They painted
murals all over the historic downtown, sometimes repairing faded “ghost signs”
(faded previously painted, old-timey advertisements), sometimes creating new
murals featuring hallmarks of the town, in that old-timey style. Now, Pontiac hosts a mural festival every
year and Walldogs have taken their show on the road.
And Kewanee already has a great downtown. All it needs is a
fresh coat of paint!
I see it like this: There is only so much of the
manufacturing and farming pie to go around in Northwestern Illinois. Really,
there’s no real artistic hub in the area, so no one’s fighting for that pie.
Why can’t Kewanee take it? We’re already a pretty eclectic, eccentric place to
be. Residents really don’t see it, until you move away, tell people of your
hometown, they cock their heads to the side and ask, “really?” And you have no
other answer but yes. Yes, our mayor punched Santa Claus (and no, I don't know how I found that article in the Orlando Sentinel of all places). Yes, Deer Man is a
local legend/graffiti artist. Yes, we make boilers that are all over the world.
Yes, we apparently had our very own stunt family, the Cole's (I just found that
out). We’re also home to random famous folks, like realism painter RichardEstes, and we should be proud of that! So let’s paint it on a wall!
I’ve become involved in the Kewanee Walldogs movement, from
afar, using my mommy as my meeting proxy (thanks Mom!). I’m thrilled, I really am. There’s a town in
Indiana, Nashville, that has made itself the regional artsy-craftsy hub and has
done well with it. There’s no reason Kewanee can’t do that too. We could have a
First Fridays-type event, a once-a-month get together of artists, musicians and
appreciators. We have the unique advantage of being able to draw from the
Peoria area, as well as the Quad Cities, so if we think outside of our normal
bounds, there is money and success to be had.
This will be good for Kewanee, a new spark to the town. Yes we have Hog Days, but we are more than that. Let’s
celebrate the spirit of Kewanee, who we are and where we came from. As a
displaced Kewaneean, I know how much of that weird city has shaped me (mostly
for the better), so c’mon! Let’s Make/Keep Kewanee Weird!
Click here to see a video of one of the Walldogs meetings!
Click here to see a video of one of the Walldogs meetings!
