Grundy County Freedom Rock nears completion

Since artist Ray “Bubba” Sorensen painted the first freedom rock near his hometown of Greenfield in southwest Iowa, his idea has caught on like wildfire: there are now 46 of them in the state of Iowa, and Sorensen went to work on the 47th one in Grundy County, located at Gier Park in Conrad, last week. The Grundy Register caught up with Sorensen to discuss the inspiration for his project, what makes the Grundy County rock unique and the feedback he has received along his journey.
           
“Most artists love to create, and they love to have people view their artwork. But the big part of it for me is giving the veterans a unique special thank you and giving Iowa a unique kind of memorial system,” he said.
           
Eighteen years ago, Sorensen was an art and design student at Iowa State University when he watched the popular war film “Saving Private Ryan” and felt that the spirit of Memorial Day had been lost. He began painting the rock south of Greenfield with a depiction of the flag raising at Iwo Jima, and the response was so overwhelmingly positive that he then decided to repaint the original Freedom Rock each year with a new patriotic design. 
 
Read more in this week's Grundy Register.