A new attraction will be in the making in downtown Washington next week, with a mosaic of community events surrounding the occasion.

The Washington Chamber of Commerce has commissioned its first mural with the help of hotel/motel tax dollars and a grant from the Washington County Riverboat Foundation. The mural will be painted from July 28th-31st on the east side of the State Theatre, paying homage to the theatre and town’s history. The public is invited to meet the muralists from Walldogs at an Alive After 5 hosted by the Chamber and the LET’s Center from 5-7 p.m. Tuesday, July 27th at Cafe Dodici. Chamber Event Coordinator Alisha Davis comments on this project, “We are just really excited to have this come to our town and I’m super excited to see what it’s going to look like and just watch them painting it for those few days will be really exciting for the whole town I think. It’s such an area where everyone will get to see this and I think murals are just a great way to show off our history and our community and get people talking and get people to come back and visit the State Theatre and see what that’s all about.”

The week will culminate in an Art Fest from 5-7:30 p.m. Thursday, July 29th during the weekly farmer’s market in the downtown square. Local arts businesses and organizations will be doing family-friendly activities, and the Chair-a-Thon Auction will take place at 6 p.m. at the bandshell. Proceeds from the auction will go toward the initial mural and for those yet to come.