Talented young artists – supported by the American Legion Post 78 of Auburn, the City of Auburn and Auburn School District – are putting art on display to honor veterans.

Come November, a veterans’ mural will permanently decorate the back wall of Auburn High School’s Memorial Stadium.

American Legion Post 78’s Louie Lopez, an Army veteran of the Vietnam War, conceived of the project as a way to honor veterans’ sacrifices and to highlight the Auburn Veteran’s Day Parade, the largest of its kind west of the Mississippi River.

Auburn’s 47th Veterans Day Parade begins at 11 a.m. Nov. 10 along Main Street.

Post 78 chose Tacoma artist Rachael Dotson to design the 175-by-8-foot mural. Dotson said the idea is to “portray the human aspect of war,” in a series of panels depicting scenes from World War I to present-day conflicts.

The timeline mural not only is a form of art, project leaders say, but it is a pictorial history lesson that can be shared by adults and children.

The student crew from Auburn Mountainview and Auburn High School is working inside the old Public Health building on Auburn Avenue to complete the project by its scheduled Nov. 1 installation at Veterans Memorial Park so it can be a part of this year’s and subsequent parade festivities.

By dint of generous donations and fundraising, the Post raised $12,200 for the project.

The Post continues to solicit donations to support the project. Post leaders are seeking donations to cover the cost of materials and construction.

The public can send donations to: American Legion Post 78, attention: veterans mural, at P.O. Box 668, Auburn WA 98071

=====

VIEW UPDATES AT: www.americanlegionauburnpost78.com