By ANNA GILGOFF

Special to The Press

A group of volunteers has been gathering at the Kempton Community Center with one goal in mind: to paint a mural on the gigantic doors at the rear of the Louella Dotterer Music Pavilion.

With brushes in hand, each member of the group found a spot on the doors and began to fill in the super large version of a paint by number.

The mural was the brainchild of landscape artist Ron Imboden, vice president of the board of directors.

“I was looking for a suitable place to enhance the grounds around the center,” he said. “So, about a year ago, I approached the board of directors.”

Katrina Long, another board member, said everybody liked the idea.

“We all approved the design but we suggested a few additions,” Long explained.

Imboden sought help from the get-go.

He reached out to Kutztown High School art teacher Ben Hoffman as a first step.

“I knew about Ben because of what he did at the fire company,” Imboden said. “He painted the outside wall at the Kutztown Fire Company, so I contacted him.”

The two artists used a projector and a sharpie to outline the mural on the four wooden doors.

“We showed up around 7:30 in the evening and were done by 11:30 p.m.,” Hoffman explained. “It’s easier to see the design in the dark.”

The mural is painted with high visibility latex made for exteriors.

“I learned about the paint from friends of mine who have done murals,” Hoffman said.

“Nova Color is a paint made specifically for murals.”

The actual design depicts aspects of life around the Kempton area and the Community Center.

“The only thing I suggested to Ben is painting a distelfink at the center,” Imboden said.

“That’s our logo, actually the Community Center’s logo.

“He started with that.”

The board of directors also gave input.

“We put in a cow, a pig, sheep and a frog,” Long said grinning.

“Because, every year at the Kempton Fair in honor of Mark Twain’s ‘The Celebrated Frog of Calaveras County,’ we include a frog.”

“The animals appear like ghosts,” Imboden said. “We wanted them to be there but not be a major part of the mural when you look at the geometric design.”

According to Imboden, he and Hoffman considered two locations that would be optimum.

“We decided the doors of the outdoor pavilion was a prime location,” he said. “The mural is going to be a lot more impressive at the Louella Dotterer Music Pavilion because it’s used and seen a lot.

“But, we did have to consider how it would look with the doors open.”

The ideas came to fruition with community help.

“We had a four-hour painting session with volunteer painters, and this is our second session,” Hoffman said.

“The community center funded half of it and the rest of it we got through donations from the community,” Imboden said. “We published what we were doing on Facebook and that’s how we got the funding.”

Hoffman’s interest in murals goes back years.

“I grew up in the ’burbs outside Philadelphia, but I used to teach in Philly, so I was there every day,” he said. “Philadelphia murals are revered and arresting.”

As a junior at Kutztown University, Hoffman raised $10,000 for a project he said would become “a kickoff to the university’s sesquicentennial.”

“My capstone in college was a 16-foot by 16-foot mural which is framed behind glass,” Hoffman said. “Now I have a permanent piece at the university.”