Story by Darl DeVault, contributing editor
Oklahomans and passengers on Amtrak’s Heartland Flyer, who travel twice daily, are invited to view the Ardmore Beautification Council’s huge new 250th-birthday greeting card mural, celebrating America’s shared history and pride.
This massive mural on the back wall of the historic Turrentine Building honors America and celebrates the 250th anniversary. The United States of America’s historic 250th anniversary of its founding was July 4, 2026, a monumental milestone commemorated across the nation under the banners of the Semiquincentennial, America 250 and Freedom 250.
The mural is located next to the train tracks on East Main Street in Ardmore, Oklahoma.
“I think that everyone deserves our best effort to honor them,” muralist Bob Palmer said. “It was a privilege to be approached by the Ardmore Beautification Council and to get to design this as a lasting tribute to our nation’s greatest concept — freedom.”
The 290-foot-long, 60-foot-tall mural may be the largest greeting-card mural honoring America’s 250th anniversary. The Happy Birthday America Card cover begins on the left, and the bottom of the flag stretches almost three-fourths of the 290-foot wall to the sponsors section at the far right.
“The Heartland Flyer passenger trains that go through Ardmore allow people to join the community in honoring our rich legacy of celebrating democracy,” Palmer said. “The community has a great view of the mural from the adjoining Depot Park.”
The huge greeting card features portions of an American Flag and a bald eagle painted by master muralists from Oklahoma: Bob Palmer (Bethany), Joel Randell (Luther), while Shane Cox (OKC) painted the eagle.
Retired UCO Art Professor Bob Palmer served as the project’s lead muralist, historian and architect, anchoring its narrative. As founder of Palmer Studios and creator of thousands of murals, including Anadarko’s “I Believe in Anadarko” and “Space Bison,” he serves as a vital link to the community.
Palmer’s former student, Joel Randell, is a nationally recognized sculptor known for bronze statues across the country, including the Bass Reeves monument. He applied his expertise to the patriotic greeting card segments on the mural’s two-dimensional surface. Kayla Kahout from Walters created the listing of the sponsors at the other end which creates the illusion of a foldable greeting card.
Again, Cox was entrusted with the hyper-realistic 50-foot-tall eagle with the most depth, with shading that makes the huge eagle figure appear to “fly” in front of the flag on the wall.
Painting a “huge wall next to train tracks” creates challenges with perspective and texture. For the most intricate assignment —the eagle —Cox supervised the scale and background elements. He decided how to bring the eagle alive against the massive, flowing stars and stripes of the flag and the atmospheric skies that tie Palmer’s design and Cox’s detail together.
Meanwhile, Palmer’s guiding touch united all the design elements required for a wall of this magnitude. This obviously caught the attention of engineers on freight trains, who would blow their signals in approval as they passed.
Palmer’s group excels at maintaining proportion on large surfaces, ensuring the mural appears accurate both up close and from a passing train.
“In the many environments I have painted in, this one will forever stand out in my memory because of the freedom we have enjoyed for 250 years,” Palmer said. “It is neat how people are still excited to this day to celebrate it with a huge art project.”
When record September heat delayed the project by a day, Kohout was enlisted to add celebratory fireworks near the traditional salute to the 250th anniversary on the greeting card’s cover. Her artistry in the sponsor section strengthened the community’s connection to this shared celebration.
Although the more than 100-degree days pushed the project to five days instead of four, the crew says Happy Birthday, America, and wants us all to enjoy many more years of freedom.
