December 11, 2022 8:50 a.m.

A new Roseburg Sesquicentennial painting commemorating the city’s 150th birthday will be unveiled at Monday’s Roseburg City Council meeting.

Titled, “Celebrating Roseburg’s 150 Years”, the painting was created by local artist Susan Applegate. Applegate said she wanted the painting to reflect both the history and a look at the current culture. It will hang in the City Hall lobby next to art pieces produced for Roseburg’s Centennial in 1972, and near a restored life-sized cutout of city founder Aaron Rose.

During the council meeting, Mayor Larry Rich will recognize Applegate as well as artist Susan Comerford, who originally painted the Aaron Rose cutout in 1996. Rich will also recognize his wife Alpha, who restored the cutout so it could be unveiled at the Roseburg 150 Party in the Park in October.

The wooden cutout had stood outside the front door of City Hall but became weather-damaged, so the cutout was taken down by staff in about 2007 with a plan for Comerford to restore the painting. Due to miscommunication and a misunderstanding, that never happened and the cutout was moved into City Hall storage.

The artwork was located there earlier this year. Current staff didn’t know who had originally painted it and efforts began to recruit someone to restore the painting, which had not been signed. Alpha Rich volunteered and her work was underway when it was discovered that Comerford had originally painted it.

A frame has been ordered for the Sesquicentennial painting. Once it arrives, the new painting will be permanently displayed inside the City Hall lobby, next to the Aaron Rose cutout.

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