Group hopes to redo entirety of floodwall

The second Ohio River Revival kicks off today on the Ironton riverfront and attendees will see a new improvement on the flood wall there.

Nonprofit group Third and Center spent the last week redoing the Ironton Welcomes You mural and hope to have a full coat of new paint on by the start of the event.

Amanda Cleary, of the group, said work began Sept. 3, with painting done by herself and the group’s other co-founder Abby Kuehne, with Chelsea Potter, owner of Bluegrass Mama Creations Paint Studio in Russell, Kentucky joining them.

Cleary said all paint for the project was donated by Ironton Mayor Sam Cramblit II, with Third and Center picking up the rest of costs for supplies.

Cleary said the group is organizing the Ironton River Run for Sept. 18 and funds raised from it will be the seed money for a planned $100,000 project to restore and revamp the entire flood wall and its murals.

Cleary said the group has been in touch with artist Robert Dafford, who did the murals for Portsmouth, and he has agreed to do one for Ironton and the hope is to open it to other local artists as well.

“We want to highlight Ironton’s proud history and a vision of what we want for the future,” Cleary said.