Sometimes, all that’s needed for a new beginning is a fresh coat of paint.
The newly named Art Horsell Deschutes Post Number 4108 for the Veterans of Foreign Wars got a new outdoor paint job.
The task, completed Friday morning, is the culmination of months of planning and donations and a week of labor.
“We noticed it needed some help,” said Ricardo Cisneros, co-owner of S&C Painting Solutions.
“It’s essentially just metal,” said Andrew Soriano, the other co-owner, about the paint previous paint job. “The paint fully came off four to five years ago.”
Formerly covered with paint chipped and weary, the post got a fresh coat of promise.
“It took over a week in total,” Soriano said.
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A week and four painters to paint the entire outside of the building including signs, metal doors and window sills.
“As far as the paint that was donated, it was about 80 gallons from Miller,” Soriano said.
“I didn’t know that they were painting the sign up there and doing the different colors and it used to be just white,” said James Russum, the Commander for the Redmond VFW.
“Being a veteran myself and a newer business owner, we wanted to have a way to put our name out there and also show our appreciation to our community,” Cisneros said.
And in doing so, the VFW hall, built around 1959, can continue to serve with a charm unique to its members.
“One of the things they wanted was a battleship gray entryway to you know go with the whole VFW sort of thing and it was powder blue,” Soriano said. “So it was pretty beat up, pretty beat down by the sun and bleached up. To see that and this whole area right here is probably my favorite part because it really pops.”
The building pops in each before and after photo, showing the care put into each paint stroke.
By refreshing the paint, there’s a hope the posts’ tradition will refresh for a younger audience.
“I think it will also help to get veterans my age to come along, which is a lot of my goals right now to continue it on,” Russum said.
Continuing on a tradition of honoring veterans and the Central Oregon Spirit.
“I mean, this is a small community, I know Bend, Redmond is getting bigger everyday but for us it’s small, it’s tight-knit,” Soriano said.
