PEA RIDGE -- A crab, an octopus, shark, jellyfish, sea turtle and sea horses are brightening the City Park beside the splash pad.
The splash pad, opened the end of May 2019, is closed this summer because of covid-19 restrictions. While it's closed, Parks Commission members are having a mural painted on all four walls of the building which houses the equipment for the splash pad which was built with a 50/50 grant from Arkansas Parks and Tourism.
Art students from the Arkansas Arts Academy are practicing and enhancing their painting skills on the murals. Students working on the mural include seniors Elizabeth Fanning, Reese Abbott, Tyler Miller, Basil Battin and Sophia Stumbaugh, all of Rogers; and Abby Alexander, of Fayetteville. Teachers Crystal McWilliams, 2D visual art teacher, and Aaron Jones, Arkansas Arts Academy 7-12, Rogers.
"It's almost better without little hands in it; it gives them a little bit more free range," Parks Commission member Theresa Jackson said.
"When were in school ... all of the students" collaborated on the design, McWilliams said. She took the students' ideas and made one large design. "It's a really good experience for them. They now have an idea of what it entails."
"It's totally a group effort!"
The weather hasn't hampered the work.
"Every day, it's like a storm bubbles up ... do we leave? Do we stay? Is it going to rain? Is it just cloudy?" McWilliams said. "Fortunately, because it's warm and it's summer, it dries really fast."
Abbott said, "Making sure it doesn't drip onto the other colors" was the most challenging part of the work.
Interestingly, the group was working Saturday when police visited in response to a report someone was "tagging" or painting graffiti at the park.
"Funny story already," she said. "They were out here Saturday and some concerned citizens called the police ... they thought they were taggers... it was so funny. The police officer got a big hoot out of it."
The Parks Commission has allocated a budget for the paint, according to Theresa Jackson, member of the Parks Commission.
"It's so cute, so fun and the colors are so vibrant!" Jackson said.
Annette Beard may be reached by email at [email protected].