FISHERS, Ind. — A new mural was unveiled along the Nickel Plate Trail in Fishers Wednesday.
The city and the Fishers Arts and Culture Commission held a ribbon-cutting at the "Blazing the Trail" mural, a 1,000-square-foot work created by Becky Hochhalter, of Terre Haute.
The mural was designed to showcase the Fishers community. In the artwork, you can see the Nickel Plate District Amphitheater, the Bell Ford Bridge, the Fishers and Hamilton Southeastern high school mascots and a tribute to K-9 Harlej, who was fatally shot in November 2019.
Harlej's handler, Fishers Police Ofc. Jarred Koopman, got to step in for a special part of the mural and said it was a surreal experience.
"I can't believe I'm painting my dog's end of watch date on this huge wall that is not just about me, it's about the city coming together and doing this beautiful mural on a wall that a lot of people are going to see," Koopman said. "I don't know, it was just kind of one of those things, almost like a closure, if you will, but also at the same time realizing what he meant to the community and seeing it's going to be on here for years to come."