ABOVE: Danville’s new Walldog Mural, constructed by Mike Meyer, in the garden outside Vermilion River Beer Company.
It happened Friday evening, Labor Day Weekend Eve, during Downtown Danville’s First Fridays “Discover Danville” event. At 6:30 the music across the street in Temple Plaza took a break, and artist Mike Meyer took the microphone and prepared to unveil his latest contribution to Danville’s Walldog Murals (his previous work includes the “Chuckles and Evel Knievel” piece by Fatman’s).
In this latest Walldog Mural that salutes Vermilion County’s 16,000 acres of parks and open space, Meyer put it together by painting aluminum, piece by piece, in his Chester, Iowa studio. He says not only can the final product be altered, such as for the holidays, but the initial work itself is a little more laid back.
(Middle Picture) Walldog Mural artist Mike Meyer and former Danville Area Visitors Bureau Executive Director Jeanie Cooke.
AUDIO: I like to do it on aluminum because I can control it. I can work on it in my leisure; put my projector back, I can do stuff bigger, smaller; and just take a look at it.
Meyer is a Minnesota native. But ended up in Chester, IA; population 120; where he’s in an old church, and does more for the community than just creating art and teaching.
AUDIO: Five years ago, this opportunity came up for this church. $25,000; and it’s huge. So I can do my classes; teaching sign painting, and my mural work there. Plus I have 12 bunks, so people can just come and stay there.
In addition to all that, Friday evening’s Discover Danville First Fridays event featured music and food from the Fischer all the way down to Temple Plaza. And at Temple Plaza, lots of dancing, where Mayor Rickey Williams, Jr joined in.
AUDIO: So fun just to be out there with the kids. What I love about it is we’ve got people of all generations and walks of life just having fun together.
Serving some food a couple doors up Vermilion, Danville Community Relations Administrator Rheanna Pierce summed up what makes Discover Danville a good First Fridays event.
AUDIO: Honestly, because it features the best part of Danville; which is its people, and the cultures that make Danville Danville.
