The planned mural depicting the arrival of the famed Orphan Train will not be the only piece of artwork that local artist Ruth Andrews and her partners will roll into town this year.

The committee responsible for the upcoming art project are currently putting the final touches on a coloring book based on the history of the Orphan Train, titled “Starting a New Life: Dowagiac’s Orphan Train Story.” The 12-page booklet will contain several of Andrews’ illustrations that tell the story of the train and its passengers, from their departure in New York City to their arrival in the Grand Old City in 1854.

Project organizers look to release the coloring book in conjunction with the first of several events they have lined up to commemorate the mural, “Youth Voices,” which will be at 2 p.m. May 20 at the Beckwith Theatre Company.

The Orphan Train mural committee — consisting of Andrews, Dowagiac Area History Museum Director Steve Arseneau, the City of Dowagiac’s Bobbie Jo Hartline and volunteer Marty Kaszar — came up with the idea of releasing a coloring book for the project earlier this year. The book is intended to engage children with the history of famous train in an interactive, fun way.

Pitching in to produce the book is Connie Gray, the owner of downtown’s The Looking Glass, a computer repair and graphic design store located on Pennsylvania Avenue. The business is located a short distance from where the mural will be erected later this year on the giant concrete wall beneath the Dowagiac post office.

Gray was invited to participate in the project by Hartline, who hired Gray to produce the fliers for the Dogwood Fine Arts Festival for the last several years.

A graphic designer who studied art while in college, Gray said she leapt at the opportunity to come on board the mural project.

“I love to fix computers for people, but the graphic design work is very rewarding,” Gray said. “Getting a chance to be part of this project has been amazing for me.”

Gray has spent the last several months working with Andrews to bring the coloring book to life. Using Andrews’ illustrations, Gray has tweaked and converted the artwork into a digital format for publishing.

The final book will have ten 11-by-17 inch pages for coloring, and will feature both English and Spanish text — Gray, a native of Texas, is bilingual.

Working on the project has deepened the Dowagiac woman’s own understanding of the Orphan Train. She first became interested in the history of it after buying a book about a boy who rode the train in the 1850s after he was separated from his brothers in New York.

“It was such an emotional read that I was able bring more passion to this project,” Gray said.

A resident of Dowagiac for more than 25 years, Gray said working on the coloring book gave her further proof that her hometown is a special place to live.

“I love Dowagiac,” she said. “This is just another way for me to give back to the community.”

In addition to print copies, people will be able to download digital versions of the coloring book online at dowagiacmuseum.info/orphan-train. The committee will release the book free of charge.

Work on the Orphan Train mural is set to begin this summer, with the finished painting set for unveiling during the Under the Harvest Moon Festival on Oct. 7. The project is funded by a grant from the Michigan Humanities Council as well as more than $4,500 worth of donations from the community.

For more information about the project, people may visit the Dowagiac museum webpage.