FREEDOM ROCK - Epworth, Iowa
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Just off of Hwy 20. The Freedom Rock arrived May 9. 2015.
FTF PRIZE...$1.00
'Freedom Rock' in Epworth will honor veterans 15-ton stone is now in place and should be painted by the fall of 2015. To donate or for information, visit resourcesunite.com/freedomrock or call Cyndi McDermott at 563-581-5446. Tax-deductible donations can be made out to Resources Unite/Dubuque County Freedom Rock. Donations can be sent to McDermott at 675 Melinda Drive, Peosta, Iowa. To learn more about the Freedom Rock Tour, visit www.thefreedomrock.com.
EPWORTH, Iowa -- The rock landed Saturday morning in Epworth. A 15-ton, red granite "Freedom Rock" was placed in front of the Epworth City Hall on Jacoby Drive East off of U.S. 20. The rock was hauled from a site near Winthrop, Iowa, by Top Grade Excavation of Farley and placed by Tegeler Wrecking and Crane, of Dyersville. The Epworth stone is a smaller version of the original Freedom Rock, a 12-foot-tall, 60-ton boulder along Iowa 25, about 1 mile south of Interstate 80 in Adair County. Each year since 1999, the rock has been painted with a different message of thanks to veterans in honor of their country.
Ray Sorensen II, a Greenfield, Iowa, artist, started a statewide project in 2012 to paint similar rocks in each of Iowa's 99 counties. As of November, rocks had been painted in 26 counties. Cyndi McDermott, of Peosta, Iowa, began the effort to bring a rock to Dubuque County about two years ago. Now that it has arrived, the hope is that Sorensen can paint the rock this fall. "I wanted to show veterans that people do care about them," she said. McDermott hopes to raise $18,000 for the project. She has raised $13,400 so far. She is being assisted by Resources Unite, a Dubuque-based organization that helps with local volunteering efforts. In addition to Sorensen's fee, the money will be used to build a small plaza that contains benches, lights, two flagpoles, a 6-foot tall black granite stone and a walkway with 400 memorial brick pavers. As of Saturday, 170 pavers had been sold. "Cyndi has done a fantastic job getting all these partners to do everything for them," said Josh Jasper, of Resources Unite.
Sorensen researches each county for an appropriate patriotic theme for each rock. A Dubuque County committee was formed to help decide on the theme for the mural. The design hasn't been finalized. McDermott said the paint is designed for granite and should last 20 years. Ernie Bolibaugh, McDermott's brother-in-law, aided the effort Saturday. "This is fun; it's great," he said. "This will be a good home for it. It's in a central location in the county and there are plenty of places to park. We couldn't have found a more perfect stone." "I'm thrilled to death everything went smoothly," McDermott added. "The rock is finally in its home. I'm ready for the next step, getting our pavers sold and a few other little tweaks done on the plaza and hopefully, hopefully this fall, we can get the rock painted."
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