Friends of the Finland Community is currently assisting the Finland Co-op Board with a project to put a mural on the side of the Finland Co-op store. The mural will depict wildlife and historical scenes and will be highly visible to traffic coming down the hill into town.

A grant from Valspar Paint through the Northland Foundation will supply heavy-duty exterior paint for the project. Louisiana-Pacific in Two Harbors has donated weather-resistant plywood for the mural to be painted upon. Dale Knaffla, a local artist, has created the design and is working on the layout and painting already. The Northern Lake County Arts Board has agreed to donate $1,000 and Co-op Light and Power’s Operation Round-up Program has also chipped in $500. In addition, in early September, a community workday was held at which volunteers helped apply primer to the panels to ready them for painting.

Friends of the Finland Community is really excited about this project. Not only is it bringing together a wide variety of community members, funding and support, but it will be visible evidence of the work that is being done to make Finland and the surrounding area a destination. The mural will be attractive in its own right, but it will also showcase a lot of the natural beauty and recreational opportunities that draw people to this area. With the new Community Center and its Trail Center component nearing completion, and the ever improving trail systems in the immediate area, the hope is that Finland and surrounding region will be a real draw for recreating residents and visitors. This mural will build upon that, and show off the community’s relationship to recreation, tourism, and the natural resources of our region.

We urge you to support this project through a donation. Donations can be made to the Finland Co-op Board of Directors, PO Box E, Finland, MN 55603.

Mural