COURTESY OF THE
JANESVILLE JOURNAL
It was a fantastic homecoming for Lieutenant Colonel Catherine Blashack.
She had no clue that when she flew from Texas to her hometown of Waldorf for two weeks that she would receive the warm welcome she did along with a custom award recognizing her achievements in the military.
“I seriously was not expecting this,” she told the crowd of over fifty people at the Waldorf Community Center on Thursday, August 17. That day was known as “Catherine Blashack Day.”
Blashack originally came from Waldorf and was a graduate of Waldorf-Pemberton High School in 1974. She received a Bachelor’s Degree in Theater with a Minor in Textiles from St. Benedict University in St. Joseph, MN. She has been recognized in her current home state of Texas for her artwork, and before being surprised with a potluck and an award, she was originally home to help paint and finish the mural on the old Eisen building across the street from the community center.
The mural shows what Waldorf would have looked like back in the day with a train coming through dropping off goods. The mural also features an American flag, a bald eagle, a silhouette of the town’s water tower, and the grain elevator that many see driving by the town on State Highway 83. Charlie Barnes, who helped with the mural and recognized Blashack’s achievements, said that the volunteers working on the mural received help with making the grain elevator more detailed and accurate.
All of these details were set on a colorful background fading from yellow to dark blue with bright golden text welcoming everyone to Waldorf.
“This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund,” Barnes read to the crowd.
“Seriously though, we couldn’t have done it without them,” he added. “We are thankful for them giving us a grant to be able to do this.”
The mural is part of a bigger plan to construct a Veterans Memorial in town.
Blashack was amazed by how much work was done on the mural. “I know Charlie jokes that he’s not a talented painter,” she explained, “but the talent that Waldorf has is stunning.”