PORT ANGELES — The last dabs of paint — provided by Mayor Dan Di Guilio, artist Jackson Smart and former Nor’Wester Rotary Club President Kurt Anderson — signaled the completion of the second version of the Olympic Visions mural in downtown Port Angeles at a dedication ceremony Saturday.
About 75 people attended the rededication of the mural, located behind the Conrad Dyar Memorial Fountain at First and Laurel streets.
Among them was an appearance by President Teddy Roosevelt, as portrayed by Robert Sommers, who explained why his face and that of his cousin, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, are included in the mural.
Theodore Roosevelt originally created Mount Olympus National Monument in 1909, and Franklin Roosevelt signed the legislation designating Olympic National Park in 1938.
The repainting of the mural, which was started by late artist Tim Quinn and finished by Smart and Dani LaBlond, melds scenes of Rialto Beach, Sol Duc Falls and Seven Lakes Basin.
“It was something dear to my heart,” said Smart, who was close friends with Quinn, during the dedication.
Quinn died last December, 10 years after he completed the first version of the mural.
The paint peeled away over the years because a sealant wasn’t applied correctly, and Quinn began to repaint the mural last year.
The Rotary Club, which sponsored the mural, selected Smart and LaBlond in May to finish the painting.
Eight other artists contributed to the mural, mainly by adding the numerous “critters” that inhabit the painting.
There are 91 animals or hidden objects, including vampires and werewolves, in the mural.
The Port Angeles Downtown Association held a “Count the Critter Contest.”
Steve Nicks, with a guess of 101, had the most accurate critter count.
But since Nicks wasn’t present, the 50 “downtown dollars” went to Carol Sinton, who had the second closest guess of 131.
Twenty people participated in the contest.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
