With gratitude they paint

Three Marion County volunteers?Joy Waldbaurer on scaffolding, and Skye Young (foreground) and Alyssa Young on the ground?have begun repainting the huge American Flag mural at Liberty Park in Marion.Two adults and one child have volunteered to touch up the American flag mural at Liberty Park in Marion.

Joy Waldbauer of Dur?ham and Skye Young of Hillsboro and her granddaughter, Alyssa Young, started early Friday morning on the project.

?For the last couple of months, I?ve been concerned that the mural might get painted over,? Waldbauer said. ?When I called the city administrator (Roger Holter), to ask about painting it, he asked me what I would charge.?

Young, who is Waldbauer?s sister, said they weren?t repainting the mural for money, but instead were doing it for a family member and other soliders fighting for their country.

?My son went to Iraq and he had a tough go around,? Waldbauer said. ?He was with the U.S. Army 82nd Airborne Division for 12 months and came back with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.?

But his disability didn?t stop him from earning a bachelor?s degree in social work and then his master?s, she said.

?He was hired by the Veteran?s Administration, and now he can help disabled vets with their schooling and other benefits,? Waldbauer said.

Prior to the three volunteers on Friday, Waldbauer said, someone else painted the yellow letters because it crossed the red, white and blue lines.

The original mural was painted sometime after Sept. 11, 2001, and inscribed near the lower end of the large picture is the wording, ?In memory of Sept. 11.?

Waldbauer said she enjoys painting, and has done quilts on barns.

paintWhen she does her paintings, she said she draws them on the surface and then paints them.

?I haven?t done one this big,? she said.

The estimated cost to have freshen the mural, Waldbauer said, was about $4,500.

?I am doing this for the boys and this is fun,? she said.

Skye Young she said all she would like would be to get a Coke out of it.

What was expected to take a week, according to Waldbauer, seemed to be moving quicker than expected, and by Saturday, most of the work was completed.

Thus far, 12 gallons of paint has been used in refurbishing the more than 3,000-square-foot wall.

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