OB artist awarded state parks mural project  Principal artist Margarette Johannes and Avant Palette – Custom Wall Finishes & Painting in Ocean Beach have been awarded a contract to create a 30-by-8 mural that will greet visitors at the Palm Springs Aerial Tram’s Mountain Station Interpretive Center. Johannes said she has been contracted to produce the latex and acrylic mural in San Diego and will transport it to Palm Springs in five sections for installation. “We went through an extensive research process to find muralists with experience in creating nature scenes before identifying a handful who were invited to participate in the bidding process,” said Garratt Aitchison, sector superintendent of Mount San Jacinto State Park. “We’re very excited to be working with Margarette to realize the vision we have for this piece.” The mural will feature Long Valley, a part of the park that is only accessible by way of a steep path. Aitchison sees it as allowing everyone who visits the interpretive center to experience the valley’s beauty, even those who aren’t able to physically get there. Johannes said she did plenty of research, including visiting the site, before completing her preliminary sketches. Her idea is to create a springtime vista at either dusk or dawn. The scheduled delivery date for the mural is September, but she said she hopes to exceed expectations and deliver it early summer. As a woman/minority-owned small business, Johannes said Avant Palette is investigating other opportunities in the public sector. Johannes said she is also excited about having her work seen by tens of thousands of Mount San Jacinto State Park visitors. Local projects commissioned by Avant Palette include those at Miguel’s in Point Loma and the OB Noodle House. For more information, call (877) 651-8495, or visit www.avant-palette.com. ‘Zombies’ train for ‘Thriller’ dance at fair Christopher Estrella of CStarproductionz is hosting free dance classes in Point Loma in advance of a “Thriller” dance event June 25 at the San Diego County Fair. Estrella is hosting all former “zombies” and “wannabe zombies,” which includes participants from the Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, the Marine Corps and sheriff’s and police associations. The classes are open to the public and located throughout the city. Locally, classes are held at: • in Point Loma on Mondays from 6 to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from noon to 1 p.m. at NTC Park in Liberty Station, 2750 Dewey Road • Mission Bay on Sundays from 1 to 2 p.m. behind the Hilton Hotel, 1775 E. Mission Bay Drive Estrella said he will also be posting “Thriller” dance lessons on his website so people can practice at home. An added bonus is each performer is given free entrance into the fair. For more information, visit www.cstarproductionz.com.