Mississippi County business marks 50 years with massive patriotic mural

CHARLESTON — A 139-foot, patriotic mural commemorating the 50th anniversary of a Mississippi County business also has become the largest, painted American flag in the state.

With 2024 marking Delta Growers Association’s 50th anniversary, company officials decided to celebrate with a patriotic large-scale mural painted on the DGA building, located at 313 S. Hwy. 105 between Charleston and East Prairie.

Ray Harvey of New Haven is known across Missouri as “the patriotic muralist”. After Harvey was featured a few months ago in an article for Rural Missour” magazine, he was contacted by Hudson Byrd of Charleston about the possibility of creating a mural to celebrate DGA’s 50th anniversary.

“He (Byrd) told me about what he envisioned, and we went through the budgeting and design and what have you,” Harvey recalled. “Fifty years is a big deal. I’m happy to be a part of that and help them celebrate.”

“Delta Growers Association is excited about building on to our legacy of the last 50 years, and we look forward to being here for the next 50 years and beyond,” DGA CEO/general manager Erik Guy said.

The DGA cooperative was formed in 1974 by a group of local producers looking to pool their buying power and establish a local business that could meet their needs in the future, according to Guy.

“DGA is owned by our members, some of which have been doing business with us since our inception, along with their parents before them and, in some cases, their grandparents,” Guy said. “What makes DGA great are the people we serve: the American farmer. We hope this mural painted by Ray Harvey of New Haven is an inspirational reminder of our hard-working customers, this community and our great nation.”

Harvey first arrived at DGA on Sept. 10 to begin painting the mural.

“The first thing I did was prime the whole area with tan paint,” Harvey said. “The drawing had already been approved. Once it’s primed, I project the image on the wall.”

Harvey said he did some priming his first night and worked Sept. 11 and Sept. 12 but had to be done by 2 p.m. Sept. 12 because that’s when rain arrived in the area.

Harvey went home for the weekend, returned Sept. 16 and recently completed the mural.

The image, which begins on the east side of the building and wraps around to the north side, features a waving American flag — complete with folds in the fabric — and a bald eagle. To the right of the flag will be the DGA logo, he said.

“From starting at the front of the building and all the way around is 139 feet, and then it’s another 20 feet of the logo and the type,” Harvey said of the project.

Up until now, Harvey said, his biggest painted flag was 100 feet in Concordia. The 139-foot flag at DGA now makes it not only Harvey’s biggest painted flag but also the biggest painted flag in Missouri, he said.

“I don’t know of any American flag that’s larger than 139 feet that’s painted in Missouri,” Harvey said.

Meanwhile, Guy commended those who donated to the project: Azalea Eye Clinic, Charleston Revitalization Movement, Citizens Bank, Charleston Chamber of Commerce, Delta New Holland, Jeff Cox of Greenway Equipment, Farm Credit of Southeast Missouri, First State Bank & Trust, Focus Bank and Mid-Valley Irrigation Inc.

“We greatly appreciate their involvement in helping to create a Mississippi County landmark that will be admired for years to come,” Guy said.

Harvey said he’s happy to help DGA celebrate its milestone.

For the past 35 years, Harvey said he’s been painting large-scale murals and has completed more than 600 indoor and outdoor murals, mostly in Missouri. His paintings are seen in public spaces, restaurants, homes and commercial buildings, and he said he has painted more public murals than any artist in the state.

“Since 2006-2007, I’ve been hitting a lot of small towns painting murals, and then I really got cooking in 2018 in Hannibal, Missouri,” Harvey said. “I’ve now done 26 murals in Hannibal — so many the City Council gave me the ‘key to the city’ last fall.”

While he’s painted murals in towns such as Hannibal, LaBelle, Monroe City, Marshall, Eureka and Pacific, the DGA anniversary project is his first mural project in Southeast Missouri.

“Every town needs an arch. It’s synonymous with St. Louis,” Harvey said. “It’s hard for a small town to be large in a loud world. Everybody wants to be noticed and be known. That’s just the way we are these days. So, I’m making arches for these different towns.”

Harvey said he likes the idea of painting in small towns because he’s “bringing art to the people”.

“Small communities are almost always overlooked when it comes to art and culture, and I bring it in to them,” Harvey said. “They’re not overlooked by me. That’s for sure.”