Sac City (Sac County) Freedom Rock®

Well, it's official-the first year of The Iowa Freedom Rock® Tour is complete! What an incredible spring and summer we had. We met a ton of amazing people, traveled around our beautiful state and accomplished something that was only a dream last year. THANK YOU to everyone who supported us and we can't wait to get back on the road again in the spring of 2014!

So where was the last stop? Sac City (Sac County), Iowa. Indie and I were able to join Bubba for a few days and we spent some time in this lovely community. We stayed at "The Guest House" with its famous phrase being "A Home Away From Home." And I gotta say-that is exactly what it felt like. It was a pleasant change from the regular hotel room we were getting used to. Here is a shot of Bubba and Indie in front of it. It's a quaint home with everything you need and was even updated very nicely. Thanks again, Denise for making this happen for us. If you would like more information about lodging at this facility, click here: The Guest House.

We also had the pleasure of enjoying a delicious dinner and lattes at "Tea with Lillian". Please check them out here: https://www.facebook.com/TeaWithLillian/info. I really enjoyed not only the goodies they had to offer, but the atmosphere was out of this world-awesome job!

What was also great about staying at "The Guest House" was the giant yard Indie had to play in. I snapped a few pictures of her exploring the new territory. I love the simplicity of this shot:

Bubba and I have always said how wonderful it was to be able to grow up in small town Iowa. Well, it's almost like Indie gets to enjoy not only our little town, but all of Iowa's awesome communities combined, along with the people who make it that way. It's been so inspiring to meet such hardworking people who devote so much time to their towns, communities, towns and/or state. And we are honored that you think The Freedom Rock® Tour will be an asset to your communities.

And here is the beautiful Sac County Freedom Rock itself along with Bubba's explanation:

The final rock painting of the year in Sac City, Iowa (Sac County). They really wanted to involve local Veterans stories while saying thank you to all Veterans. The road facing side portrays a medic, tunnel rat, and soldiers silhouette. The west side of the rock says thank you to our women in service. The back side a soldier from Sac County being rescued by a couple Navajo Code Talkers and a P-38 surveillance plane. All with relation to Sac County Veterans. The POW/MIA on the east side of the rock is for those who'll never be forgotten.

On the top of the rock are two different Veteran's ashes mixed into the paint in the stars...making it the final resting place these Veterans.

Hope you all enjoy and stayed tuned as I have many projects throughout the winter months. Thanks for your support and thank you to all our veterans for serving our country.

We were also able to recently attend their dedication. We snapped a few photos of the event which was very moving:

A little update on The Iowa Freedom Rock® Tour, to date, we are scheduled into the 2018 year and we have booked 57 out of the 99 counties in Iowa. Again, we cannot express how extremely excited we are about this statewide project and the support we have had in making it a reality. Thanks again, everyone!

We will try to continue to stay updated as we have a lot of cool projects scheduled for the winter that we can't wait to share with you when the time comes. To learn more information about The Freedom Rock® Tour and how you can become a part of it, please visit www.thefreedomrock.com.

Lake Park (Dickinson County) Freedom Rock®

Wow, OK so this next rock...er rocks I should say, I cannot WAIT to see in person! What an amazing project this county pulled together and completed.
As you can see, Bubba painted not one Freedom Rock® for this county, but six! Everything right down to the brick work is amazing. Here is a shot before Bubba actually began painting:

Photo courtesy of county.

They also commissioned Bubba to hand paint their signage for their Veterans Memorial when visitors come to town:

Photo courtesy of county.

Photo courtesy of county.

And here are pictures of the completed mural(s) along with Bubba's explanation:

Photos courtesy of county.

"The Lake Park Freedom Rock in Dickinson County Iowa is painted. They are still working on landscaping but hope to be done soon. Speaking of the landscaping, that alone is a sight to see. They've artfully placed pavers around each rock...there are 6 (The big one, then one for each branch of the military). The pictures don't do it justice, this is one you'll definitely have to visit to soak it all in. Most of this is self explanatory but to explain the side with the faces and star- they are 2 KIAs, 2POWs, and a Nurse who cared for recovered POWs...all from Dickinson County.

Make sure you check the website: thefreedomrock.com in order to see where each Official Freedom Rock® is located.

Thanks again to all those who've supported us in The Freedom Rock Tour and we'll see you at the next stop."             -Ray "Bubba" Sorensen II

                                                 

Pretty moving, huh? One last thing I wanted to share really quick was how well this county embraced being a part of the official Iowa Freedom Rock® Tour. When you hire artist, Ray "Bubba" Sorensen II, you not only hire a professional, world-renowned artist, but also The Freedom Rock® name and brand. The Freedom Rock® is a registered name and trademark and can only be used with the artist's permission. Which means you're able to use a trusted name that is recognizable world wide. The Freedom Rock® brand represents honoring our service men and women and has proudly for the last 15 years; which is what it's known for.
Below is a wonderful example of how this county used not only The Freedom Rock® name but also Bubba's artwork to the best of their abilities. Our goal with The Freedom Rock® Iowa Tour is to show that Iowa wants to make sure our military men and women, past and present are never forgotten but also to encourage Iowa tourism and all this great state has to offer!

Centerville (Appanoose County) Freedom Rock®

Bubba & Independence in Centerville, Iowa.

I was lucky enough to spend a little extra time in this particular county on the Tour, due to the fact my mom has family from Centerville, Iowa. Family that I do not often get to see...so this trip was pretty special to me. Usually there is not enough time to really relax and enjoy ourselves, but we made an exception this time and it was so worth it!

I took a few extra pictures and like I said took a few personal days to visit with family and enjoy what Centerville has to offer...which by the way is a lot. It was so cute and full of life. It felt like small town Iowa but with big city charm!

My mom and my aunt (pictured below) accompanied us on this trip. Here they are out to eat with us. 

Aunt Sheri & Mom at A & G's in Centerville, Iowa.

We all stayed at the Continental Hotel and it was also as interesting as the town. This place had so much history and was so unique. We really enjoyed our stay there. Here are a few pictures of it.

The Continental Hotel | Centerville, Iowa.

The Continental Hotel | Centerville, Iowa.

The Continental Hotel | Centerville, Iowa.

I kept making the comment that I felt like I was sitting in a little restaurant somewhere in the middle of Europe, but nope-we've got it all right here in small town Iowa people. At night the top of every building is lit with white lights. What beautiful scenery!

Also, this hotel features its own restaurant which is just delish! Here is a funny picture of my mother and daughter being goofy at dinner:

Mom & Indie at the Continental Restaurant in Centerville, Iowa.

Here is a picture of us enjoying a little family down time and pestering our favorite artist... :)

If you're in the area you should definitely check out The Gypsy Quarter. There are so many amazing things to look at in there from home decor, jewelry and much more. I'm so disappointed I didn't have more time to do so!

And of course, being the coffee addict that I am, I immediately scouted out a little cafe...and it did not disappoint! I got an iced caramel latte from Tangleberries. I had to take a picture of it because I love how cute the cup is and also this gives you an idea of how unique the town square is. 

And finally, here is the finished Centerville (Appanoose County) Freedom Rock®. Outstanding as always:

Centerville (Appanoose County) Freedom Rock®

"The Freedom Rock for Appanoose County is complete. I stayed at very nice hotel called the Continental Hotel on the beautiful Centerville, Iowa square. This was convenient because the rock sits just across the street on the courthouse lawn. The road facing side of the rock features Francis Drake (Drake University/Governor of Iowa and from Centerville) as a Union Army brigadier general. Behind him is the first USS Iowa which was the first ship commissioned in honor of Iowa and saw substantial action in the Spanish–American War. On the back side of the rock I featured a father hugging his daughter after returning from service. In the background is the Centerville square. Over the top of the rock is the American Flag as if it was laid over the top twisted by the breeze. At the end of the flag is a gold star in honor of those we've lost and around the star are the seals of each branch. Hope the residents of Appanoose County enjoy their Freedom Rock."  -Ray "Bubba" Sorensen II.

Thanks for having us, Centerville, Iowa. We truly enjoyed ourselves. Looking forward to coming back in the future for sure!