Get ready to grab an oar and lend a hand to a crew of Vikings cruising at battle speed through Swensson Park in their longship. Local artist Cal McNichols and his wife Allena brought the explorers to life this fall as part of a community program to add murals as points of interest around Lindsborg. McNichols, who also teaches art at Bethany College, jumped at the chance to work on a large-scale project. “It’s been fun to paint outside and talk to people in the park,” McNichols said.

Historians note that the shallow draft design of the Viking longships made them agile at sea, or on rivers and lakes. The overlapped oak plank ships were powered by oars and a sail and helped the Vikings explore beyond Europe and Russia with voyages reaching as far as Istanbul, Turkey, to the coastline of North America. McNichols’ mural of the Viking longship can be found on the south side of the restroom facility in Swensson Park. Be sure to tag your photos #LBKmurals ! (see video)