One stroke at a time, muralist Lisa Moore is helping to revitalize Lake Wales' downtown.
- Lisa Moore is restoring mural in downtown Lake Wales
- The Downtown City Mural was designed, created in the 1990s
- Moore hopes to have the project completed in April
She’s restoring “The Downtown City Mural,” which was designed and created under the direction of Tom Freeman back in the 1990s. It depicts the city's center from the early 1930s.
Located at the intersection of Stuart Avenue and Scenic Highway, the mural gives tourists something to see.
"I've had people from Australia, just everywhere. So it's really neat. I get a chance to meet a lot of people,” said Moore.
Moore said the mural also serves as a visual record of Lake Wales history.
"It opens conversations with your kids and other people coming through. It helps people to remember, to remember the things about this town that made it what it is," she said.
Moore has been painting and restoring murals downtown for 12 years, thanks to the help of Cliff Tonjes who created the Murals and Enhancement Board. She gets paid through donations.
City Manager Ken Fields said restoring the faded murals fits into the city's plan of attracting more businesses and residents downtown.
"That has been a major point of interest and we're moving forward with hiring consultants and beginning the process of getting significant community input into what they want to see downtown," Fields said.
Moore works seven days a week and hopes to have the job completed sometime in April.