Members of the Riverbank City Council recently voted to approve a design for the new mural to be painted on the wall behind the stage at Plaza del Rio Park. It will be part of the Centennial Celebration, and is expected to be completed this summer.

At its meeting in late May, the council considered a number of designs submitted by the city’s Centennial Committee, before picking option number 4, based on a pencil sketch submitted by local artist Alexandra Riddle, who has designed and painted, or supervised the community painting, of many of the murals around town.

Her work already adorns the big wall at the edge of Plaza del Rio, as well as the east wall of City Hall North, along with the mural painted on three sides of the snack bar at Castleberg Park.

The design chosen salutes older Riverbank as well as the way things look now, and celebrates the river and the railroad tracks going through town.

As part of the approval, the council voted unanimously to raise the amount of money budgeted to pay for the project. Months ago, the amount set aside was $3,000, but had to be raised to nearly $11,000, since costs have increased and materials availabilities decreased in the intervening period.

The next element of the Centennial Celebration in Riverbank is scheduled for Saturday, June 25, at the Community Center Park, across Santa Fe Street from Cardozo Middle School. It will consist of a car show and a community picnic, hosted by the city, and will be admission free for all.

It is set to last from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The picnic will feature a live band, as well as a beer garden.