DANVILLE – It's a vacation, sort of, for a group of people who share a common interest: old-fashioned mural and sign painting.

From Aug. 4-7, artists will leave their businesses behind and head to Danville to share their talent.

"Communities bring the groups called Walldogs to town," said project coordinator Anne Sacheli, sales director for the Danville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau. "Most are professional sign painters and in addition to working on murals in a community, they use these projects as a time to catch up with friends, make new ones and practice their creativity."

Walldog Scott Lindley of CSL Studio in Mount Pulaski has been to Danville several times, measuring and remeasuring buildings, talking with building owners and getting questions answered for mural team leaders who will supervise each site.

"The plan is to have all artwork finalized by June 15 and have a grand opening on Facebook of all the designs," Lindley said.

Lindley recently remeasured the north wall at Bratland's Prescription Shop because an artist noticed a box mounted on the lower portion of the wall in a photo. He needed to know exactly how far the box was above the sidewalk. Team leaders make the decision about whether to start above or below obstacles or include them in the design.

"We have to take these smaller things into account once a prospective space is established," Lindley said. "We also figure in, if snow will accumulate against a building, either on its own or because of a snow plow's throw, whether the mural begins higher than that level. Snow and salt or other melting chemicals are hard on paint."

'Signpost forest' planned

DANVILLE – Walldog Scott Lindley had a special project in mind for Danville after learning a little history about one of its late citizens.

Lindley is coordinating the creation of a signpost forest where the Walldogs project artists will create signs that will be mounted, most likely on a pole, with the name of their hometowns and how far the towns are from Danville.

"A signpost forest in Alaska was started during World War II by a homesick soldier from Danville," Lindley said. "His name was Carl Lindley. My name is actually Carl Scott Lindley. What are the chances of that!"

According to the Watson Lake Signpost Forest website:

"The forest was started in 1942 by a homesick U.S. Army G.I., Carl K. Lindley of Danville, Ill., Company D, 341st Engineers. While working on the Alaska Highway, he erected a sign here pointing the way and stating the mileage to his hometown. Others followed his lead and are still doing so to this day. On July 20, 1990, Olen and Anita Walker of Bryan, Ohio, placed the 10,000th sign. Carl K. Lindley and his wife visited the site in 1992, 50 years after his first post was erected.

Today, the Town of Watson Lake, Yukon Territory, Alaska, maintains the site, erecting more posts as they are needed through the Adopt-A-Post Program."

The signpost forest in Danville will get its start in the city-owned lot across from the Fischer Theatre, the former location of Chittick Family Eye Care.