Grain Elevator Mural: Big news!

Two years ago, the idea of painting a mural on the Grain Elevator in downtown Ponca City seemed like a distant dream. The $100,000 price tag was steep, and felt insurmountable. But, when presented with this project, the community rallied. They came together, they brainstormed, they advocated and they donated money. 

And today, we reached our first milestone. 
 
Ponca City Main Street began seeking donations for the mural project last August.  After the  seed money donated by Mr. John McNeese that initially launched this project, coupled with the money pledge by the City of Ponca City and with all the many generous donors that have since given, we are thrilled to share that including a very thoughtful donation made this week, we have reached our Phase I fundraising goal of $100,000! Our next steps will be to finalize contracts with the artist and the property owner, which will be happening over the course of the next few weeks.  We hope to start the project this spring! 
 
At this time, we will continue to seek funds for Phase II.   Additional monies raised will help us with costs of building a deck from which to view the art, beautifying the area around the elevator, lighting for the artwork, creating donor plaques and signage, and hosting a free, public event to dedicate the artwork to our community.  The initial $100,000 goal will cover only the costs for painting the mural itself.
 
We are excited for work on the murals to begin!  We believe this project will enhance the sense of place within the heart of our community and make it a destination district.  We believe it will beautify the streetscape and encourage pedestrian traffic downtown.  Our hope is that this project will create an even greater sense of community pride and engage our local community in a lasting creative endeavor. 

Thank you to John McNeese, the City of Ponca City and the many, many caring citizens of Ponca City for donating their time, talents and their treasure to see that this project is a success.