Greene County’s Freedom Rock is on a faster track to completion than originally planned.
Painting the rock was slated for next April, but artist Bubba Sorenson has changed his schedule and will be in Jefferson Oct. 16-26, the planning committee learned last week.
Don Ihnken, commander of VFW Post 9599, provided the update at a fundraising concert hosted by the Friends of Rippey Saturday evening. About 75 persons listened to the Town and Country Band and enjoyed desserts provided by the Veterans of Greene County and served by the Friends of Rippey. Audience members and organizers donated $850 toward the Freedom Rock project.
Pictures of the future Freedom Rock were shown. The rock weighs between 25 and 30 tons, VFW post quartermaster Kenny Arbuckle said. It will be moved to its new location, near the old Milligan grain elevator east of the Milwaukee depot, in the next week or two. The site was donated by Landus Cooperative to the Greene County Fair Association.
The band performed a variety of music. Friends of Rippey president Mary Weaver named “Duty, Honor, Country” as a highlight. The piece by Harold L. Walters features a narration of the words of Gen. Douglas McArthur. Jeff Lamoureux of Jefferson “inherited” the narration from his father Denny and did the honors in Rippey. “As often as Jeff has done that with us, he gets better every time,” band director Victoria Chargo said after the performance.
Sorenson’s change in schedule also puts fundraising on an earlier schedule, as about $10,000 will be needed by October to meet commitments to the artist. Ihnken said the committee plans to apply for grant funds, with money from fundraisers like the Friends of Rippey held and private donations to be used as matching funds.
“It’s a county project, not just for the VFW,” Ihnken said. “It will be a tribute to all veterans of Greene County.”
An account has been opened at Peoples Trust & Savings Bank to accept donations for the project. Contact Ihnken at 515-370-3140 for more information.
