“Symbols of Missouri” is the title of “Paint for a Cause” and is featured in the 2021 Bicentennial Mural with Trenton one of 15 locations across the state selected to have a panel this year or next.
The four feet by six feet panel available today through Sunday at the Space in downtown Trenton features the paddlefish. The Department of Conservation reports the paddlefish is named for its large, paddle-shaped snout. These fish can grow to seven feet and weigh more than 100 pounds. It’s most frequently found in the snagging waters of the Lake of the Ozarks, Truman Lake, and Table Rock Lake. Some often describe the paddlefish as the “spoonbill.”
In Trenton, those who offer to paint were handed a slender brush with a selected color. Each is shown the spot on the diagram that’s to be painted, keeping within the lines of a triangle. Each individual also provides their name, hometown, age, and occupation. Photos of each painter are optional for what promoters call a “history-making project.” The two facilitators present in Trenton were Aaron Horrell and Barb Bailey and are artists with Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau.
Dan Maxey who lead the charge in the painting over Missouri Day weekend was quoted on his Facebook page as saying “What a GREAT first day for “Paint for a Cause”! We had 230 BUDDING artists join us TODAY in making HISTORY.”
(Photo courtesy of Dan Maxey Facebook page)
