ALAMOSA — The Alamosa County Chamber of Commerce is hosting a mural block party from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday, July 25, at 407 State Ave., Alamosa. The event will celebrate three murals in downtown Alamosa it has commissioned including the Alamosa Adventurer mural sponsored by Jade Communications.
At the mural location on Tuesday, Jordan Wehe with Jade told the Valley Courier, "Jade has been around for about 30 years and we have really, really been trying to pour back into our community, not only through broadband infrastructure, and also in support of artwork and nonprofits. We have partnered with the chamber to celebrate Alamosa in the period 2010-2020.
"What we will have here on the mural is multiple stories that are one cohesive story of Alamosa. We have small pieces of Alamosa sprinkled through each arch and when you look at all seven it is one continuous story of the whole region."
Pointing to the mural that is still being painted, Wehe said, "For example, this is an animal tamer and represents the alligator farm, one of the main reasons for tourism.
"This piece is the UFO Watch Tower in Mosca. In this central piece, we have the sand dunes, that run through every one of the seven arches that will be included in the mural. This tan color in all of the arches represents the sand dunes. All of the panels will represent an Alamosa adventure and then people can go see that landmark when they are here,” said Wehe.
Erin Keck, chief executive officer of the chamber told the Valley Courier, "The Alamosa Chamber is thrilled to be facilitating the installation of three new community murals this July as part of our greater 100-Year Mural project. The completed project will include 10 unique murals, to be designed by 10 different local artists, and will each be representative of a decade in our most recent 100 years of history.
"It will also include a walking tour brochure as well as a website with information on the cultural and historical highlights from each mural and period, activities for kids, details on the murals and artists, and showcasing our gracious sponsors who have made this project possible."
The Alligator Adventurer mural was designed by a team from Jade that included Wehe, Cat Flaherty-Ng, Shaye Vanderbille, and Brandon Waybright. Regarding the design Wehe added, "This was a community project, the four of us put our heads together, there is not just one of us. Today we are lucky to have volunteers who are helping us.”
