MURAL TO HIGHLIGHT THE ‘BRIDGE TO NOWHERE’

Driving into Hope from Sandpoint across the so-called Bridge to Nowhere, the eye is riveted by the calm blue expanse of Lake Pend Oreille spreading out to the south and west and even underneath the road. Look the other way, however, and the view is of a large, flat, concrete retaining wall that helps prevent the steep hillside from collapsing down into the water.

Some might consider it an eyesore, but that will change as a new art project gets underway. Under the vanguard of retired teacher Kathie Huntley (who has taught students from Hope to Noxon), a colorful new mural will soon grace the bland concrete.

“So many people have enthusiastically joined in,” said Huntley, adding, “the Sam Owen Fire Department has even volunteered flaggers” [for when the painting begins].

With a committee of art teachers, submissions were requested, but the teachers were unable to choose just one as the best. So they combined four into one long mural. The final work incorporates the syringa (the state flower); osprey (so familiar to the waterside); a native canoe (“to represent the people who came before,” Huntley said), and a big, orange fish that was a submission from last year’s fifth grade class at Hope Elementary School. The resulting mural will be 9.5 feet high by 184 feet long. “An entire mock-up is currently on display at Hope’s Old Ice House Pizzeria,” said Huntley.

The Hope Scenic Mural Committee, a nonprofit, has received state approval for the work, which will begin “as soon as we have a few more funds,” Huntley explained.

Those interested in donating to the project can send a check to the committee at P.O. Box 316, Hope, ID 83836.

– Trish Gannon