Winlock Troop 324 Life Rank Scout Celestine Schey returned to Vader after attending the Veterans Day ceremony in Toledo Tuesday, Nov. 11, to continue work on her Eagle Scout project — a new mural on the side of the Vader Public Works Department shed, located at 376 Seventh St.
The mural is meant to showcase the South Lewis County community’s history. Schey was joined by family and other volunteers to continue work on the mural, which she hopes will be finished soon.
Upon completion, the plan is to put a graffiti-proof seal on the mural. And while a dedication ceremony will be held, Schey wants to wait until after winter.
Schey previously told The Chronicle she wanted her Eagle Scout project to be something that both benefited her community and utilized her artistic talents. Her interest in Vader’s history stems from her parents’ own interest in it, including her father who is currently the city’s mayor.
She added she wanted to represent both Vader’s history and the history of the local Cowlitz Indian Tribe members from the area.
Many of the other images depicted in the mural are taken from historical Vader photographs, and the mural also includes a depiction of Mount St. Helens before it erupted in 1980.
Much of the volunteer work has come from her Toledo High School classmates, and she has also received guidance from Toledo High School art teacher Ron Gaul.
It was Gaul himself who designed the original wooden “Welcome to Vader” signs, and Celestine added she used the same cursive font to write Vader in the mural that Gaul did on the signs.
For his own Eagle Scout project, her brother, Thalen Schey, made replacement signs using the same font Gaul used in order to replace his old signs, which had endured years of abuse from the elements.
That same font is also used for the “Welcome to Vader” phrase in the mural.
Aside from volunteers, many local residents and businesses have also donated to the mural project, including paint donated by Mike Ferguson and the Lowe’s Home Improvement store in Longview.
Those interested in either volunteering to help finish the mural, or donating money or materials, can visit the project’s official Facebook page “Celestine’s Eagle Project” at https://tinyurl.com/3524vwv2 for announcements about working parties and to get information on how to donate.
