Wall of fame: Moestchen's Eagle Scout project adds to attractiveness of city

   Two major achievements were the results of a nearly 400-hour project, the new “MONTICELLO” mural on the white building across from Freese Motors on North Cedar Street:

   • Lily Moestchen, with the help of many others, created an attractive mural for the side of the building that will add to the charm of Monticello for years to come.

   • In so doing, she became the first Monticello female to become an Eagle Scout.

   It was that – the goal of becoming an Eagle Scout – that motivated Moestchen, a 2025 graduate of Monticello High School, to undertake the massive project.

   “To get the Eagle Scout, you have to get merit badges, and work your way up,” Moestchen, 17, said. “And then you do a big leadership project.”

   In this case, a really big one.

   The idea came from Kirk Freese, a scoutmaster.

   “I was thinking about what I want to do, because I was reaching a point where I needed to start to plan it,” Moestchen recalled.

   “And he was like, ‘There’s a big wall that is very plain; would you like to bring some color to the town?’ ”

   Creating significant art projects is nothing new to Moestchen. In 2023, her design was chosen for the Iowa State Fair t-shirt. Her design was picked from 46 entries.

   This one was different, and involved dozens of other people.

   Moestchen got to work late last fall. The initial plan was to paint directly on the concrete wall of the building, but the special paint required, as well as other factors, doused that idea.

   “There are a couple of groups that do murals on aluminum composite boards, so I was looking into that,” Moestchen said. “That turned out to be the better idea.”

   With help from Monticello Main Street, and fundraising efforts, Moestchen began acquiring the panels around Thanksgiving. She sanded them down and put a primer coat on them.

   “Around Christmastime I was gathering people to paint. I had several sketches of what I wanted it to look like, and I was working with Kirk Freese and (local artist) Abby Manternach on what should be included.”

   The group took all the panels, paint and other equipment to the Equestrian Center on the Great Jones County Fairgrounds.

   “From December to April 1, almost every night we were down there painting it,” Moestchen said.

   At times, she said, time management was a struggle.

   “I was going to school full-time, and then working until 5 or 6 p.m., and then painting until 9:30 or 10, and then coming home, and having to do homework, and eat,” Moestchen shared.

   “There was a lot of making sure I was in the right mindset to do it. Painting is hard, but I learned a lot from the other painters I was working with, on paint theory, color theory, and the different steps you should take.

   “I’ve done a lot of painting, but not to this scale.”

   They had to be out of the Equestrian Center by April 1; they finished two days before that.

   Moestchen had help on most of the 10 letters that make up “Monticello.” She did the “M,” the “T” and the last “O” herself. Helpers with the other letters included Karissa Muller, Eli Lambertsen, Kirk Freese, Margie McLees ad Donna Zimmerman.

   “I also had family and other volunteers help tape and paint all the black outlines of the letters and sponsor names,” she said.

   Having so many people help was part of what made the project meaningful, she shared. Funding, for instance, came entirely from donations, sponsorships and a grant from the Panther Prowl 5K and 10K races.

   “It was a community project,” Moestchen pointed out. “My main goal was to bring the town together; this happened with the artists as well as the letter “M.” Over 80 people from town came and put their handprints on it.”

   Installing the letters was a multi-step process that took more than 22 hours over a two-day period, May 17-18. It involved things like cutting the “Z” channel to the height of the panels, drilling holes, attaching railings, inserting threaded rods, bolting, and more.

   Workers went through those processes 10 times; once for each letter.

   Parents Nicole and Ryan Moestchen, scoutmaster Jeff Miller, Brian Wolken from Monticello Main Street, grandparents, and several others were involved.

   “Once they were all attached I sprayed several protection coats onto the panels,” Moestchen said.

   Once it was completed, Moestchen said, “It’s definitely a big relief.”

   She said she has enjoyed the many comments and compliments she has seen and heard since the mural was finished.

   Moestchen plans to attend North Dakota State University in the fall to study architecture. She said she’s in no hurry to get started on another big art project.

   “I told my mom I’m done painting for a while,” she said.