MONTE VISTA — Jamie Brodie has been working hard painting a mural on the side of the Monte Vista Elks Lodge.

Brodie was hired as part of a beautification project to paint the mural at 121 N. Washington St. The mural is a tribute to the town and has many aspects of Monte Vista in the picture including Sandhill Cranes soaring above snowcapped mountains and green grass and trees are also in the picture.

Monte Vista in Spanish translates to mountain view and the mural has a mountain view in it. There is a large lake in the middle of it and a pair of Sandhill Crane wings below that people can use as a background for pictures.  

Brodie said he was proud to be a part of this project for Monte Vista.

“I live in Del Norte, and I painted a mural for a friend out at his ranch. A lady named Bernadette Hagendorf saw the mural on Facebook, and she liked it and I was asked to paint this picture," Brodie said. "Bernadette wants to get more sponsors for me to do this at different businesses, to help beauty up the town. The next mural I would like to do is a rodeo-themed mural. I think this would be a good one with Stampede coming.”  

Bill and Bernadette Hagendorf are no strangers to the beautification projects for Monte Vista. The Hagendorfs sponsored this mural and recently sponsored an artisan bicycle rack that was placed at the U.S. Post Office on Washington Street in Monte Vista.

“These buildings are a part of our history for generations to come. We are responsible for preserving them. Pride doesn’t cost money, it's free. We should all be proud of where we live,” Bernadette Hagendorf said.

The Hagendorfs were excited about the new mural on the side of the Elks building and hoped that other businesses would be inspired to do the same by sponsoring murals to help beautify the town.

The Hagendorfs and Brodie thanked the Monte Vista Elks and Del Martinez for allowing the mural to be painted on the building.

Brodie said that the mural took him approximately two weeks to complete. Brodie, who is originally from Texas, has a full-time job as a lineman and does painting as a secondary job and a hobby.

“I had come here as a part of my job as a lineman, and I loved it so much I just never went back,” Brodie said, adding that the scenery in Colorado inspires him and that Colorado is a beautiful place to live.