Seymour Dedicates Newest Downtown Community Green Space
The city of Seymour came together on the afternoon of May 25, 2021, to dedicate its newest downtown community green space.
As an extension of the John Mellencamp mural painted by Indianapolis artist Pamela Bliss, the area is the perfect gathering spot to enjoy lunch or reunite with friends.
The Mellencamp family donated $50,000 to develop the site, transforming it from a parking lot into what it is today.
Richard Mellencamp, John’s father, participated in the event by ceremoniously cutting the ribbon to officially open the space for public use. He also provided creative assistance in the design phase of the project. Pamela Bliss also attended.
The project was a unique public/private partnership between the Mellencamp family, the city of Seymour and Seymour Main Street.
Construction was completed by the city of Seymour team which included the parks and recreation department, department of public works and water pollution control. Chad Keithley, parks operations and maintenance director served as project manager.
Other donations came from Duke Energy for lighting and Myers Sod Farm of Seymour which donated the beautiful grass.
Also, as part of the project, a plaque was dedicated in memory of Larry McDonald, who played music with John Mellencamp when they were in high school. McDonald owned the music store, This Old Guitar, on which the mural is painted and was instrumental in the project. He passed away earlier this year, and will always be warmly remembered as Seymour’s Music Historian and a champion of Seymour
- THE small town.