Muralist restores World War I tribute

Louie Lethridge restores a faded World War I-themed mural under the approach to the Fifth Street bridge in Yuba City last week. First painted in 2004, the mural had been hit by graffiti and faded by the sun.

From the Appeal Democrat: Muralist restores World War I tribute


It was created to accompany a war memorial just a few steps away.

But a World War I mural, painted on the wall of an underpass along Second Street in Yuba City, has undergone numerous rounds of graffiti removal and a steady stream of afternoon sunlight.

After only seven years, it was badly faded.

"I was sick of looking at it like that," said Louie Lethridge, a local muralist who worked with a handful of at-risk youth in 2004 to design and paint the scene of paratroopers, biplanes, and an American flag.

Early last week, the Marysville resident loaded up his car with materials and took to restoring the painting.

His unpaid labor, which began early each morning, continued into the heat of the afternoon, as Lethridge fought direct sunlight and noisy traffic under the approach to the Fifth Street bridge.

The names of his five tough young former charges still grace the traditional signature spot at the bottom right. They had been part of a project sponsored by Sutter County One Stop.

Lethridge has worked this way, usually under the auspices of grant programs that involve kids, on more than two dozen murals in Yuba and Sutter counties.

Among his projects are a series of baseball scenes and portraits along 14th and B streets in Marysville outside Appeal-Democrat Park, home of the Gold Sox, as well as the scene of gold miners at Yuba Park in Marysville, children outside Covillaud Elementary, and sea creatures outside the One Stop in Yuba City.

His indoor work includes several paintings inside the Friday Night Live headquarters in the old Packard Library in Marysville.

"I want the flag to really pop out," he said as he brightened the stripes on his World War I tribute mural last week.

He had an apprentice working alongside him through much of the week. But like with all his projects, he likes to pick one spot upon which he can apply his own style and standards.

The original park that lies immediately southeast of the overpass at the foot of Bridge Street was established in 1922. It is a tiny sanctuary set back from the road approaching the Feather River levee.

It features a World War I monument beside a stairway to the top of the levee, rebuilt like much of the park in 2004. A bronze plate bears names of 12 fallen local soldiers, their place of death, and a tribute to the unknown dead. A dedication plaque and a flagpole grace the entryway to the site.