A MURAL FOR JACKSON

Jackson has joined the mural business. A submission by Jackson resident Grant Lund, an art professor at Southeast Missouri State University, was chosen as the winning design entry out of a field of 19. He won $1,000 for his work from the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri.

General Sign Co. will transfer his design to a 15-by-45-foot format on the north wall of the Clabaugh building in uptown Jackson next month.

This growing number of murals will add to the county's reputation as a mural showcase. The murals are a tourist attraction for the region.

Lund's design features a large portrait of President Andrew Jackson, after whom the city was named, along with a Homecomers banner, a blacksmith, the Cape Girardeau County Courthouse and old-time musicians. It is done mostly in shades of blue.

The mural committee said choosing among the six finalists was difficult. Other finalists were Nancy Collier of Jackson, Craig Thomas of Cape Girardeau, Aaron Horrell of Chaffee, Vickie Bollinger of Cape Girardeau and Bruce Collier of Cape Girardeau.

The good news is the group has five more mural designs that would look great anywhere in town. All they need are walls to put them on and money to pay for the work.