NORFOLK, Neb. (AP) - A mural depicting TV talk show legend Johnny Carson will be going up on the side of a downtown building in his Nebraska hometown of Norfolk.
Norfolk artist Karl Reeder will use various images of Carson on the side of the former Andrew Bicycle building, said the Norfolk Daily News (https://bit.ly/1hyn1oK).
“I believe that the mural of Johnny Carson will give the community a connection - a face of recognition - to the man who has given so very much to Norfolk,” Mayor Sue Fuchtman said.
Carson was born in Corning, Iowa, but he and his family moved to Nebraska when he was 8. He graduated from Norfolk High school and then attended the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. Carson hosted NBC’s “The Tonight Show” for 30 years. He died in California in 2005.
Organizers hope the mural will be finished in time for the 2014 Great American Comedy Festival, set for June 11-14 in Norfolk. The festival was created as a way to honor Carson.
In addition to the mural, Carson-related banners will be purchased for downtown street poles and the city will be erecting more street signs in the medians of 13th Street that will identify it as Johnny Carson Boulevard.
Over the years, Carson and his foundation have awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars to various Norfolk institutions. In December, for example, the John W. Carson Foundation gave a $425,000 grant to Norfolk High School so it can upgrade its theater, which is also named for him. The theater was built as part of a bond issue passed by Norfolk voters, but Carson donated $600,000 in 1991 for a variety of theater amenities.
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Information from: Norfolk Daily News, https://www.norfolkdailynews.com
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