As part of its ongoing art projects, Viva Cuba commissioned a Christmas painting of Santa over Route 66 in Cuba. It will be a nostalgic-style of painting, and Viva Cuba offer prints created so that anyone who wants to buy one can share in this piece of art and Cuba history. Ray Harvey, who has painted a number of murals in Cuba, is the artist who will paint the commission. His painting won’t look like these aerials, but as part of his research, he needed to fly over Cuba and orient himself to the Route 66 corridor.
On May 10, 2012, Harvey and local pilot Don McGinnis took off from Mosby Field in Cuba to fly the skies of Cuba. It was a clear day with blue skies. Harvey took the photos, and he is sharing them with us so that we can get a “bird’s eye” view of Cuba.
This photos will become part of Cuba’s history and will freeze our development for future generations to see. The prints made from the image of Ray Harvey’s painting will debut at Route Cuba Fest 2012. More details of this offering will be presented when the painting is completed.
To see a previous aerial of the Fanning area go here.
Please, please encourage Mr Harvey to incorporate the old water tower w/the crown Christmas lights!
Does anyone have a photo of them? When were they there? What did they look like? I don’t remember them.
I remember the lights. Someone might check with Paul Dickens. Great photos, Ray, and thanks to pilot Don McGinnis!
After a little research, I found a newspaper archive that said on December 5, 1963, that 480 colored lights were arranged around the base of the Cuba water tower in the form of a crown that could be seen miles away. This was a new and an added attraction in the city’s annual Christmas decorations. Also new were the fiberglass bells and garlands on the light poles. Several beautifully lighted community evergreen trees and a life-sized Nativity scene made Cuba a standout in Yuletide decorations. You can see the article on the Cuba MO Murals Facebook page.