Street Painting on Lee Street in Ames, Iowa - Photos by Bob Kelly

On Saturday September 21 an army of volunteer painters gathered on a short one half block long street that runs between Brookridge Avenue and Ridgewood Street.  This little stretch is called Lee Street and is used only for local traffic.   

Last year a neighborhood group applied to the city for authorization to paint a design in the center of the short little street, and it was approved, resulting in a circular shaped kind of leaf design that was very nice.  Due to maybe more traffic, salt, or paint that was not as tough as it should have been the design wore off.  The same group applied again for this year, and wanted to paint a mural down the entire length of the street.  A meandering river went in first the night before so it would be dry, and on Saturday morning groups began to paint the images you see in the photos which follow.  

Other artists had made templates for the other drawings on cardboard, which were traced around with chalk for the volunteer painters to then fill in with colors.  The project took nearly all day on that Saturday, however when I went back about 5:30 it was all done and dry, and got the wider shots that show the whole street.  There is another very large circular painted project at the center of an intersection in SW Ames, and others are planned.  The neighbors had a great time making it, and are very proud of their work.  Enjoy….better yet, if you are in the Ames area, come visit and see it yourself.  Brookridge Avenue is just east of Brookside park and will be easy to find.