The south entrance of the Lawrence Public Library is about to get a facelift: three colorful murals depicting the past, present and future of Lawrence.

The project, by VanGo Mobile Arts, is one of 12 projects planned by community organizations and funded by grants recently announced by the Lawrence Sesquicentennial Commission to celebrate the city’s 150th birthday.

Those projects also include garden tours, creating oral histories of the city’s black residents and a fall festival.

“I think now it’s becoming real,” Lynne Green, VanGo executive director, said of the birthday celebration. “This is great because it’s a community event and they’re saying, ‘We really want the involvement.'”

The murals are part of $15,525 in grants the commission will distribute to organizations for projects, in addition to those planned directly by the commission. The list includes projects in the arts, oral history, historical markers and others.

“I think we had some very good applications,” said Clenece Hills, the commission’s chairwoman. “We chose the ones that reached out, had diversity and captured the spirit we’re hoping for — to get as many people involved as possible.”

The Lawrence Public Library project will be in place for a dedication April 22. It will be completed on 5-by-9-foot panels by teens in VanGo’s Jobs in Arts Makes Sense (JAMS) program.

“This is going to be the most visible project we’ve ever been involved in,” Green said.

Other murals

Ronnie Garrett, Lawrence, a participant in the VanGo Mobile Arts JAMS program, uses acrylic paint to create a sunset. VanGo artists will paint three murals for the entrance to the Lawrence Public Library, depicting Lawrence's past, present and future, for the city's sesquicentennial celebration.

A similar mural project is planned for Municipal Stadium at 11th and Delaware streets. Janet Good, a board member with the East Lawrence Neighborhood Assn., said the group was taking submissions for four 10-by-15-foot murals depicting the neighborhood’s history. Topics could include Quantrill’s raid, the history of the stadium itself and John Speer, an abolitionist newspaper editor whose homestead was close to the stadium.

“I think it brings more awareness about the fact that we were one of the founding neighborhoods and have an important part in the history of Lawrence,” Good said. “The march of history through our neighborhood is remarkable.”

For those interested in the outdoors, the local Master Gardener program will offer walking tours of historic trees in Lawrence during the first week of June. The trees include two “champion” trees at Kansas University, rare and old trees in Old West Lawrence and trees at Oak Hill Cemetery believed to have been planted by Charles Robinson, first governor of Kansas.

“Trees are important to us, our environment and to the history of Lawrence,” said Pat Lechtenberg, who is organizing the effort.

‘Paying homage’

Two groups will be working to preserve the history of Lawrence’s black residents.

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The African and African-American studies program at KU is working to research the history of black churches in Lawrence, which will be turned into a July program at the Lawrence Public Library.

“The churches were very central to the defining characteristics in the African-American community,” said Dorthy Pennington, the KU professor leading the effort. “You can’t talk about African-American history without paying homage to churches.”

Alice Fowler is leading a group of Lawrence residents in recording oral histories from black residents, with hopes of combining them with previous similar projects.

“One of the things that was pointed out to me, is when we do these celebrations there’s often nothing about black people, it’s all white,” Fowler said. “Our hope is that people will come to know what all people in the Lawrence community have done.”

In addition to the community projects, the Sesquicentennial Commission is scheduling a series of events that will culminate the weekend of Sept. 18, the city’s birthday. Plans call for a parade, festival at South Park, dedication of a plaza planned for city-leased property near Clinton Lake and other events.

“I hope it’ll be something that people living 50 years from now say, ‘I remember that summer,'” Hills said. “We hope there will be some piece of all of these things that stands out to them.”