Redvers is continuing to celebrate its heritage as it expands and improves the Hometown History Project.
Assistant Chief Administrative Officer for Redvers, Jena Cowan, explained that each year the Town of Redvers puts out a call for nominations to honor those in the community for athletic achievements or community impact.
“We’ve always had those old ones like the Pride of Redvers, but they were so sun-faded and cracked that we thought instead of just replacing them and moving on, we should expand it and make it a little more exciting.”
Bill Murray, a strong supporter of Redvers, wanted the signs updated to celebrate three men who helped establish Redvers. He offered to pay for the new signs, with the town responsible for the design and execution of the project.
The three men are Christian T. Sutter and Jim Lewthwaite, the creators of Agribition, and Howard Wright, who donated land to the town to build churches.
In addition to replacing the three large highway signs, Redvers now offers a mini option that allows for the memorials to be posted anywhere in town.
During Redvers' Homecoming Celebration, the three new highway signs were presented. The families of the three highway sign recipients attended the unveiling during the event.
Kim Carlson was the recipient of a mini Hometown History Sign that will be located at the emergency room doors of the health center to celebrate his contributions to healthcare in Redvers. “Carlson has been part of the Redvers Health Foundation for over 20 years. He also sits on the Southeast Medical Group that helps us hire and retain doctors in our area,” said Cowan. “And basically, just overall volunteerism. He oversaw the long-term care facility getting built and was present when all the loans were finally paid off, and they had a loan paper burning ceremony.”
“We take pride in our community, and we want to celebrate those that paved the way to where we are today,” said Cowan. “In doing this, we wanted to continuously improve Redvers, providing outdoor furniture with the opportunity to sponsor the items, using their own name or anyone of their choosing to honor and remember.”
The response in the community has been positive so far. “I think it’s just the visibility and adding a little bit of charm to our community,” Cowan added. By investing in the community, they can attract visitors and new residents.
“A lot of things that get tried are hit or miss, but this one has been really well received, and several organizations have been so generous, so it’s really exciting to see that people are taking an interest and supporting this project.”
All 2024 Hometown History Projects have been completed, and nominations for 2025 will open up in the spring.