Merced County Living

A push by Merced artists to pause two $10,000 mural projects revealed confusion over how the projects were shaped and what the city’s Arts and Culture Advisory Commission was asked to approve.
Four members of Merced’s arts community spoke before the Merced City Council on Sept. 8, asking officials to freeze the current request for proposal, or RFP, and reconsider the amount of money offered for each project.
For local muralist Eddie Rodriguez, that concern comes from experience doing city work.
“I think for every mural I’ve done for the city, maybe not my first electrical box, but every mural since then, I pretty much just operated at a loss,” Rodriguez said in an interview after the meeting. “It costs me money to do this project. I do it because I love the city, and yeah, I want to have beautiful art for here.”
The dispute comes as Merced leans further into public art. The city was recently designated a California Cultural District, while the Merced AF festival added a new wave of privately funded murals downtown.
Full story, linked in our comments 🔗🎨

🍅 OUR NEXT MARKET is Thursday, September 24🌽🥒

The Market is will be back September 24th from 4 PM–8 PM! Come out and see all your favorite vendors and shop an incredible selection of fresh produce, all grown right here in California and coming to us from Swank Farms in Hollister! 🌱

We’ll have everything from heirloom 🍅 , sweet 🌽 , rainbow 🥕 and fresh 🥬 to 🍇 , figs, 🍉 , cucumbers, zucchini, fresh 🌿 and so much more!

🌿 Fresh. Local. California Grown ☀️.

📍 1251 Grove Avenue, Atwater
🕓 Thursday, Sep. 24th | 4 PM–8 PM

A huge thank you to our sponsors:
Bloss Memorial Healthcare District
Larissa with London Properties larissaREbroker
and State Farm Agent Terry Solano Terry Solano | State Farm Atwater for helping make The Market possible.

Come hungry. Bring a bag. Support local. See you next Thursday! 🥕🍉🍅

🏁 CHAMPIONSHIP NIGHT AT MERCED SPEEDWAY! 🏁

It all comes down to Saturday, September 19th! The points battles are coming to an end and it’s time to crown our 2026 Merced Speedway Champions! 🏆

🔥 CLASSES RACING:
• IMCA Modifieds
• IMCA SportMods
• IMCA Stock Cars
• Hobby Stocks
• Mini Stocks
• California Lightning Sprint Civil War Series!

⏰ TIMES
🔧 Pits Open — 3 PM
🎟️ Grandstands Open — 5 PM
🏁 Racing — 7 PM

🎟️ ADMISSION
Adults — $15
Juniors — $10
Kids 10 & Under — FREE!

Championships will be decided, and we’re ready for one more huge night of dirt track racing! Bring the family, pack the grandstands and come support your favorite drivers as they battle for the title! 🏆🏁

📍 MERCED SPEEDWAY
📅 SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19TH

👊 SEE YOU AT THE SPEEDWAY!