A New Mural Is Coming
On October 9, The Good People of Gainesville Mural returns downtown on the Gainesville Renaissance Building. We hope to see you there!
Friday, October 9, 2026 · Gainesville Renaissance Building · Commemoration Ceremony · Mule Camp Weekend
Photo By Sarah Elizabeth Cain
The Story
More than a decade ago, Louis Hokayem, with the help of Joey Summer, painted the Good People of Gainesville mural on a brick wall downtown. The mural grew out of conversations between Hokayem and his grandmother, Beatrice Hokayem, about surviving the 1936 tornado, one of the deadliest in American history, and about the town that rebuilt itself afterward, brick by brick, neighbor by neighbor.
In 1938, president FDR visited the city and acknowledged the citizens of Gainesville as the Good People of Gainesville while praising them for their efforts.
That is the spirit the mural represents: the unending desire of Gainesville's citizens to make things better, to rebuild, to improve, and to leave the city stronger than they found it.
The mural became part of downtown, appearing in family photos, magazine features, and the daily life of the square. Then, last year, new construction covered it up.
Now, thanks to a collaboration between Louis Hokayem, Doug Ivester, and local collaborative partners, a new, revitalized Good People mural is coming back this October.
Commemoration Ceremony
Join us on October 9 as the new Good People of Gainesville mural will be commemorated.
Friday, October 9 — Back of the Gainesville Renaissance Building
11 AM — Commemoration ceremony, brief remarks, and commemorative giveaways.
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Collaborative Partners
Doug & Kay Ivester
Louis Hokayem
Access North Ga | WDUN
Northeast Georgia History Center
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Reflections from 1936
On April 6, 1936, a tornado tore through downtown Gainesville, claiming more than 200 lives and leveling the square in one of the deadliest storms in American history. The city rebuilt, block by block, and that resilience is the very spirit this mural was painted to honor. The footage shown here comes from the archives of the Northeast Georgia History Center, where the full story of the storm and the rebuilding is on display.
Visit the Northeast Georgia History Center in Gainesville to learn more.
“For this you, the Good People of Gainesville deserve all possible praise.”
