A brand new two-story high mural project in downtown Cedar Rapids should be done in a couple of weeks, and it will celebrate one of Iowa's favorite summer events. The mural will be a tribute to the Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI), which is going into its 50th year.

The location of this mural is also going to have another piece of significance. It will be adjacent to a historic business celebrating its 125th anniversary in downtown Cedar Rapids.

Google Street View
Google Street View
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Google Street View
Google Street View
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Hall Bicycle Company, which opened in 1898, celebrates that milestone in 2023. According to a media release from the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance:

Located at 419 2nd Ave. SE in Cedar Rapids, the mural faces the downtown bike trail along 4th Street. It is the third new mural to be added to downtown this year. The mural is fully funded by the Downtown SSMID (Self-Supported Municipal Improvement District), which notes that vibrancy and placemaking are central to its vision and mission.

The artist, CERA, is currently based in the Chicagoland area. The artist is known for using "bold colors and graphic patterns to entice his audiences into a sense of excitement and wonder. His work has been exhibited in Milwaukee, Chicago, Baltimore, New York, Philadelphia, and Seoul, South Korea."

The mural is fully funded by the Downtown SSMID (Self-Supported Municipal Improvement District), which notes that vibrancy and placemaking are central to its vision and mission.

Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance
Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance
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The Downtown Self-Supported Municipal Improvement District (SSMID) worked with a locally-owned On View Gallery.

Executive Director Jesse Thoeming of the Cedar Rapids Downtown District further notes that the mural will be a nod to the importance of bicycling to Cedar Rapids and its economic impact on the community, saying "we want to have the best RAGBRAI tribute in all of the state be located right here in downtown and what better place than on the side of Hall Bicycle, an iconic fixture in our city."

It certainly looks like an impressive step in that direction.

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