New Additions to Veterans Freedom Park Dedicated

Dozens of people gathered on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2015 for the dedication of new monuments and a sculpture at Veterans Freedom Park in downtown Logansport.

The park, owned by Logansport Municipal Utilities, is located at the corner of 6th and Market Streets, south of the Logansport City Building, where the H.W. Gossard factory once stood.

Last November, the Roosters celebrated the park’s first phase – the installation of flags representing various branches of the military.

When we posted a photo of the flags at the park being raised, Logansport High School government teacher Kasia (Bannon) Minnick commented on the post on our Facebook page.

“I have been praying for Logansport to welcome a Veterans Park for several years,” she wrote. “This is the location I had picked out. Thank you, Cass County Roosters!”

In April, local sorority Tri Kappa announced a community-wide fundraising effort to help grant “Kasia’s Wish.”

“I’m really glad the Roosters have placed the flags in the Veterans Freedom Park at 6th and Market, but I’d really like to see something there that speaks to children, to let them know the importance of patriotism and honoring veterans,” Minnick was quoted as saying.

Minnick, who was battling stage 4 colon cancer, passed away on June 7.

That month, granite monuments dedicated to each branch of the military were installed in the center of the park.

This week, the “I Love My Country” sculpture purchased with funds raised by the community was installed at the southeast corner of Veterans Freedom Park, along Market Street.

A ceremony to dedicate the park’s newest additions was held Saturday, Oct. 10.

Dawn Fisher spoke on behalf of Tri Kappa and said Minnick had left the community with a “homework assignment.”

A plaque bearing this quote from Kasia Minnick will be installed near the sculpture:

“One of the best gifts we can give our children is a love of family and a love of our country. We must teach our children the importance of respecting and honoring those who have served.”

See I Love My Country Statue

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Altrusa Sculpture Approved for Four Corners Park

This is the design selected by Altrusa for the northwest section of Four Corners Park from the Yonkers sculpture studio of Randolph Rose Collection.

Altrusa will erect a sculpture in the northeast quadrant of Four Corners Park without the controversy that faced plans for another sculpture in the southeast quadrant last fall.

The Coldwater City Council approved the installation on March 25 of the classic Randolph Rose Collection bronze sculpture "Reading Buddies."

According to past president Carrie Stout, the 47 current local members of Coldwater Altrusa International raised $19,000 for the art piece featuring a boy and a girl reading at each end of a bench with space in between for people to sit.

Stout said, "Bronze is an incredibly durable material that withstands all sorts of weather conditions, and it assures us the sculpture will be around for generations."

Altrusa presented the sculpture to the city to encourage literacy. The group gave the sculpture, "As a symbol of our commitment to the community and to its improvement, both through continued beautification of our Four Corners Park."

The group adopted that corner of Four Corners Park in 1984 and maintains flowers there.

The corner is also home to the Farmer's Market for 13 weeks during the summer.

Another sculpture proposed for the park's southeast quadrant did not receive a similar enthusiastic welcome last November.

Councilman John Petzko and his two daughters provided seed money for the fountain to honor his late wife and their mother, councilwoman Maureen Petzko.

The family suggested, with City Manager Keith Baker, a stylistic modern 15-foot sculpture by Fritz Olsen from the 2023 Grand Rapids Art Walk.

This is the design selected by Altrusa for the northwest section of Four Corners...

Honoring The Late Ward D Councilman Michael Yun

Michael Yun Custom Bench Statue

Jersey City is inviting the public to attend the unveiling ceremony of a bronze statue in celebration and in memory of late Ward D Councilman Michael Yun.

The statue, known as “Achieving the American Dream,” will be erected at 366 Central Avenue in the Heights on Saturday, April 6 at 10 a.m., four years to the day since his passing. At its most recent meeting in March, the Jersey City Municipal Council adopted a resolution accepting the statue as a donation from the family and friends of Yun. According to the resolution, the bronze statue is meant to beautify the Central Avenue streetscape while simultaneously celebrating the American Dream and Yun’s memory.

The statue was created by the Randolph Rose Collection, who has been committed to creating the finest work of bronze art for homes, gardens, and public spaces since 1972.

The bronze statue sits on a bench approximately 6 feet wide, to be unveiled on the sidewalk on Bowers Street next to 366 Central Avenue at the request of the family and friends of Yun. The resolution states that he chose to begin his American Dream in Jersey City, while sitting on a bench on the corner of Central Avenue and Bowers Street, thus the sentimental statue placement.

In the Heights, Yun embodied that dream, being a small business owner and community leader for over three decades. He eventually became a public servant, elected as the Ward D Councilman and serving from 2013 until his death in 2020. Yun was unfortunately one of the many lives lost in Jersey to COVID-19 amid the viral pandemic.

The resolution states that Yun’s memory and journey to achieve the American Dream is an inspiration to the next generation of Jersey City residents seeking to start their own dream in the City. At the March 20 meeting, Ward D Councilman Yousef Saleh said the council worked to make this happen ahead of the four-year anniversary of his passing on April 6.

“It is our solemn duty, and I know for my council colleagues who worked alongside Councilman Michael Yun, it’s an honor for us to be able to push this forward,” Saleh said. “This bronze statue… it’s going to be a welcome and beautiful presence in the Heights. Public service is very hard… his family sacrificed a lot. Michael Yun sacrificed so much for this City, and this is a beautiful way to remember him. He is the shining example of the American Dream and may he be an example for everyone else in Jersey City and inspire… anyone else to not just start a business but get into public service and serve their community.”

Jersey City is inviting the public to attend the unveiling ceremony of a...