By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Everyone knows how dry Kansas is in 2022. Unless you need to gather some volunteers for an outdoor paint project on a weekend. With expected rain last Saturday, Great Bend Economic Development and the Barton Arts Movement had to move its volunteer work day to Friday. Ultimately, approximately 30 volunteers helped Artist in Charge Melanie Ryan get the job done on the street mural in the alley between Forest Avenue and Lakin Avenue.
"I think everybody had a good time," Ryan said. "We had really wonderful people - young people that were very attentive and wanted to do a great job. It was really neat to see that we had such an array of ages."
The volunteers were originally going to work Saturday but instead showed up from 3-8 p.m. Friday. They worked on filling in the paint-by-number style in the alleyway that is part of the entertainment district in downtown Great Bend. Ryan had to prep the alley before the work began.
"We did lay down a primer that keeps any oil from coming back up," she said. "The primer was the first layer, and that's essential. Before the primer, I had to power wash. Then we laid down our color, exterior-grade, and then there's a top coat to help preserve and keep it from getting tire tracks."
Ryan has done several murals on walls in Great Bend. Friday's work was the first for a street mural. Working in an office nearby, she will now monitor the art for any small repairs it might need.
"I was just honored to be a part of it and to share the love of art," she said. "This is a new one for us, having something on a street versus a wall mural. There are challenges with just the overall - you want to be very aware that it's going to be very exposed to the elements."
The next Final Friday of Forest will be Sept. 30 from 5-9 p.m. The event will feature food, drinks, and music from the Kurt Allen Band.
