Pat Schmitke, owner of Morris Bigway Foods, has plans for a 2,208 square ft mural.

The mural is called 'Follow The Leader', and was created by artist Sarah Collard.

"It really highlights the Manitoba Stampede, which is what Morris is really really known for," said Schmitke.

The total cost of the project is $33,000, and Schmitke will be paying a third of that cost. He and Collard are applying for grants and asking Town Council and RM of Morris Council for funds as well.

The team believes the mural will help promote and celebrate the Manitoba Stampede and its history.

"It would also add to tourism," said Schmitke, noting the mural is visible to Highway 75, and would be seen by people travelling south to the border.

This year is also the stampede's 55th year, making it a milestone summer.

"They've really got some really positive things going on, so this would just add to that and would just create a little bit more excitement, a little bit more visibility," he added.

When Collard first moved to Morris she said Schmitke helped her daughter get involved with volunteering at the stampede.

"I really appreciated that," said Collard. "And then, of course, I went to the stampede and I saw all the volunteers that get involved every year."

She remembers being impressed by the community spirit.

"I just was kind of putting two and two together, because Pat owns Bigway," she said. "There's a huge wall on the side of his grocery store and it's just blank."

Collard thought it over for a while and eventually brought up the idea to Schmitke. The next step for the artist was to draw inspiration from archived photos.

The mural includes the grandstand from 1964, the historical logo of the hat and banner, as well as a wagon, clown, horses and a bull rider. Moving from the background to the forefront, the mural shows how the stampede has changed over time.

"I also changed it a lot as well," said Collard, noting the mural looks different from what she'd first decided on.

Collard has also created 50 murals in Canada, which also happens to be her age now.

"Fifty murals in fifty years," she said jokingly.