The Washington Chamber of Commerce, the Washington Hotel Motel Committee, the Iowa Economic Development Authority, and the Iowa Finance Authority are partnering up for a grand reveal ribbon-cutting ceremony for Washington’s new downtown mural. Ben Schuh, the artist that designed the mural, will also be in attendance, along with Randy Williams and Isabella Santoro, who partnered up for Washington’s winning essay and video submissions.

When she spoke with KCII earlier this year, Santoro talked about what made Washington so special to someone who has lived in Florence, Madrid, and New York. “I get asked that a lot because I could live anywhere, I’m an Italian citizen, and the EU is open to me. There is just something special about this town that you just can’t get in a big city or in any other small town. You can drive, ride your bike, or just walk anywhere in the city and feel safe, and I know that anywhere I go, I’m going to run into people who genuinely care about how I’m doing. I guess that the true heart of Washington is the people.”

The ribbon cutting will be Wednesday, October 19th at 11:00 am at the H&R Block building in Washington.