A Colorful New Welcome to Perham

By Heather Rule, photos provided

Perham has a new artistic way of welcoming people to town. Anyone driving through town receives that artistic greeting in the form of a newly painted mural on the wall of the MN Tru North business in NP Park at 200 West Main Street in Perham.

The mural includes “Welcome to” in smaller letters painted above much larger letters spelling out “Perham,” with each letter of the city including scenes representing the city. The background of the mural is a lakes-country setting with an eagle flying over blue skies, trees, a dock and a loon in the water.

P: The railroad and city hall building, which includes the Chamber of Commerce office. The Northern Pacific Railroad represents what established Perham.

E: Showing different representations of the city’s farming ties in the area. Central Market and Mark’s Fleet Supply are shown as well.

R: Schools, arts and athletics make up the letter R. There are paintings of a boy reading, musicians, a baseball player and a gymnast.

H: Outdoor recreation marks the spot for H. There’s a bike path painted alongside a lake, an ode to the Heart of the Lakes Trail.

A: The city’s water tower is displayed, along with more green grass below, to represent the school and the city. There are also manufacturing buildings with smoke stacks in the background to showcase the importance of manufacturing in the community.

M: What’s a summer in Perham without turtle races? That staple of the community is shown in the final letter of the mural.

The mural was painted by Greg Preslicka, an artist who’s painted a lot of school-based murals in the past, over a three-day span in June 2024.

The mural sponsors can be found by taking a closer look at the mural. They will also be listed on a plaque that will be added to the side of the building with the mural this spring.

Anyone driving down Main Street in Perham can’t miss the mural. MN Tru North, which donated the side of its building for the mural, also has ice cream in the summer, so a lot of people stop to get ice cream and then go sit in the green space near the mural.

“More of our goal for it was to just be that backdrop to your vacation picture,” said Leah Monson, marketing director for the Perham Chamber of Commerce. “If you’re downtown, take a picture of your kids with the mural.”