The 2022 installment to the Connell Downtown Development Association (CDDA) murals was completed on Saturday, Aug. 13. Muralist, Pat Boyer, shared the story of the mural with the Franklin County Graphic live on social media as she wrapped up work on the project that encompassed our entire community. The 2022 Mural featured the theme of farm to table or more like farm to production to table. It takes you from the farm lands to production at Lamb Weston and Americold to the table - depicted as the City of Connell. There are so many little details in this mural that the viewer may find something new each time they take a closer look.
The community kept referring to the murals style as a “Where’s Waldo” so in her unique humor, Boyer added a little Waldo into the mural for viewers to find.
There are wheat stalks drawn into a field, corn, dryland and irrigated circles, a crop duster, and onions coming off the farm truck onto the road.
In town the community has gathered for the annual Fall Festival. Churches, housing editions, and a variety of businesses are also included.
Boyer included an ode to the past with the Heritage Museum and a “ghost train” and looked to the future . . . with a modern train and semi trucks.
SR 260 along with Hwy 395 are also included as gateways to our community. Speaking of Hwy 395, the Connell National Forest is also a prominent feature of the mural.
Boyer has completed over 10 murals for our community, all unique in their own way, a testament to Boyer’s talents. Del Krum of Lamb Weston shared that he felt the murals depicted downtown were deeply rooted in our Agricultural history, yet the piece of the story that was yet to be told was the role farming played in the development of the agricultural industries that support it and the food production that feeds the world. He added, "I'm very pleased that Pat in her artistic vision expanded on the initial suggestion to include the entire community in a celebration of Connell. I'm equally pleased that Lamb Weston was able to support the addition of this mural to the collection that Connell has become known for and be a part of the lasting legacy that this mural adds."
The mural’s are sponsored through local donations, be it large or small. As stated, Lamb Weston provided a donation towards this year's mural. Manny Choi, a CDDA member, donated the wall of his building (formerly the laundromat). Many others donated cash to our donation jars. The M&M Motel, once again, donated a stay for the artist. Various other community members and businesses supported the project and assisted Boyer in a variety of ways including: Rommy and Rebeca Aliessa, Barry and Claudia Bingham, Molly Kunkel, Pizza Station, Kaffrin's Coffee, the Old Brick Store, Ed Brown, the City of Connell, Jayson Schonder, NFSD, Explosion de Sabor, and many others.
The artists' mock-ups were given to Lamb Weston where they will be displayed in their conference room, beckoning visitors from around the world to come downtown and take a closer look at our community.
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