The Freedom Rock (also known as the Patriotic Rock) is a 12-foot-tall (3.7 m) boulder located along Iowa Highway 25 at 2301-2319 120th Street[1] — in Adair County and southwest of Menlo in western Iowa approximately one mile (1.6 km) south of exit 86 (Iowa 25 – Guthrie Center, Greenfield) on Interstate 80. The boulder weighs approximately 56 short tons (51 t; 50 long tons).[2][3]

The rock is located on private property and was used for graffiti. Since 1999, however, it is repainted every year in time for Memorial Day with the purpose of thanking U.S. veterans and their families for their military service and sacrifice.[4][5] The rock is painted by Ray "Bubba" Sorensen II from Greenfield.[6][7] Sorensen is not commissioned or paid to paint The Freedom Rock, he uses his own money along with donations and sales of Freedom Rock merchandise to fund the project.[8] After watching Saving Private Ryan as a 19 year old at Iowa State University in 1999, Bubba was moved and painted the first Freedom Rock before Memorial Day with the words "THANK YOU VETERANS FOR OUR FREEDOM" over a painting of the six Marines raising the United States flag atop Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima.[3][9][10]

In the Spring of 2013, Sorensen began The Iowa Freedom Rock Tour by painting a Freedom Rock (patriotic themed rock) in every county in Iowa at a cost of [11] US$5,000 plus lodging & supplies per rock, creating a unique statewide veterans memorial for the state. The rocks placed in each county will not be repainted every year.[12][13] He expected to take ten years to complete the painting of a freedom rock in each of Iowa's 99 counties, but in a 2016 update interview during only his fourth year of his Iowa tour, he expects to complete the Iowa tour in seven or eight years and has only ten more counties in Iowa to book.[6][7] As he completes the last four years of his Iowa tour, he will begin a nationwide 50 state tour.[6][7] He plans to paint some freedom rocks of the 50 state tour in warmer places than Iowa during December, January, and February, starting with Alabama in the winter of 2016–7.[7] On October 27, 2016, the Greene County's Freedom Rock which is located in front of the grain elevator in Jefferson became the 55th rock he has painted in Iowa.[14] On November 11, 2018, a Freedom Rock was unveiled at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery near Van Meter, Iowa.[15] In 2021 on the 20th anniversary of 9/11 attacks in 2001, he painted portraits on the first Freedom Rock, which is located near Menlo, honoring Oscar Austin, Pat Tillman, and others.[16] On September 18, 2021, he completed The Iowa Freedom Rock Tour with the unveiling of his 99th Freedom Rock in Iowa which is located at the Central City Fairgrounds in Linn County, Iowa.[9][17][18][19] His 100th Freedom Rock will be auctioned off with community bids accepted until November 1 and the announcement of the community purchasing the 100th Freedom Rock will be on November 11, Veterans Day, 2021.[19]

As of June 1, 2021, he has painted Freedom Rocks in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Missouri, and Washington.[16] As of September 27, 2021, he had painted additional Freedom Rocks in both Nebraska and North Dakota for a total of six states with Freedom Rocks.[19]

In June 2022, after Sorensen had painted a Freedom Rock in all 99 counties of Iowa,[20] he painted the 100th Freedom Rock in Altoona, Iowa, at Adventureland near the Adventureland Inn which is his last Freedom Rock during his Iowa Freedom Rock Tour.[4][5][21][22]

For the 25th anniversary Freedom Rock in 2023, Sorensen celebrated Medal of Honor recipients by painting images of WWI veteran USA Corporal Freddie Stowers, WWII veteran USN Commander Samuel D. Dealey, Korean War veteran USA Private First Class Jack Glennon Hanson, Vietnam veterans USAF pararescueman Staff Sergeant William H. Pitsenbarger and USMC Lance Corporal Miguel Keith and Afghanistan veteran and Navy Seal First Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 "Iowa artist celebrates Medal of Honor recipients in Freedom Rock's 25th year". KCCI. May 26, 2023. Archived from the original on May 26, 2023. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
  2. ↑ Anderson, Sylvia (July 5, 2009). "The rock that moves people". St. Joseph News-Press. Saint Joseph, Missouri. Retrieved December 16, 2009.
  3. 1 2 Mikkelson, David (October 7, 2002). "The Freedom Rock in Iowa: Do photographs show a rock painted with patriotic scenes alongside an Iowa highway?". Snopes. Archived from the original on May 26, 2023. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  4. 1 2 Mollenbeck, Andrew (June 30, 2022). "Iowa artist putting the final touches on the final Freedom Rock". KCCI. Archived from the original on May 26, 2023. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
  5. 1 2 "The Freedom Rock & Freedom Rock Tour. Artist: Ray "Bubba" Sorensen II. Thanking our Veterans, one painting at a time". Freedom Rock (www.thefreedomrock.com) website. May 26, 2023. Archived from the original on May 26, 2023. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 "Artist Bubba Sorensen Finishing Statewide Freedom Rock Tour at Astonishing Pace". Perry, Iowa: Raccoon Valley Radio. February 24, 2016. Archived from the original on May 26, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Zupkoff, Andrew (February 24, 2016). "Let's Talk Guthrie County 2/24/16 — Freedom Rock Tour Update". podcast. Raccoon Valley Radio via KMCD. Archived from the original on May 26, 2023. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
  8. ↑ Banusiewicz, John D. (November 17, 2003). "Artist Turns Iowa Graffiti Rock into Military Tribute". American Forces Press Service. Washington, D.C. Archived from the original on September 26, 2015. Retrieved February 24, 2016.
  9. 1 2 James, Bob (2021). "Linn County Freedom Rock: Learn More about Linn County's Freedom Rock". Linn County Fair website. Archived from the original on May 30, 2020. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  10. ↑ Sorensen, Ray (2021). The Freedom Rock. The Freedom Rock website. Retrieved September 29, 2021. Archived from the original on September 22, 2021.
  11. ↑ Curtis, Pat (July 4, 2014). "Sixteen Iowa counties now have their own "Freedom Rock"". Radio Iowa. Archived from the original on May 26, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2016.
  12. ↑ Sorensen, Ray "Bubba". "The Freedom Rock FAQs". The Freedom Rock website (www.thefreedomrock.com). Retrieved February 24, 2016.
  13. ↑ Munson, Kyle (November 29, 2012). "A different sort of rock tour: Painted boulders in all 99 counties in Iowa". The Des Moines Register. Des Moines, IA. Archived from the original on February 20, 2013. Retrieved November 29, 2012.
  14. ↑ Butler, Ben (October 28, 2016). "Freedom Rock Unveiled to Eager Greene County Crowd". Jefferson, Iowa: Raccoon Valley Radio. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  15. ↑ WHO 13 Digital Staff (November 12, 2018). "Governor Honors Iowa Veterans; New Freedom Rock Unveiled". WHO TV. Des Moines. Archived from the original on May 26, 2023. Retrieved September 29, 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  16. 1 2 Carlson, Coltrane (June 1, 2021). "Freedom Rock Artist Repaints Original Rock to Reflect 20th Anniversary of 9/11". Raccoon Valley Radio. Jefferson, Iowa. Archived from the original on May 26, 2023. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  17. ↑ James, Bob (June 19, 2019). "Linn County Freedom Rock Arrives at Linn County Fairgrounds". KHAK. Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Archived from the original on September 29, 2021. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  18. ↑ Miskimen, Gage (September 20, 2021). "After eight years, Iowa Freedom Rock Tour ends in Linn County: Ray Sorensen finishes his final county project over the weekend". The Gazette. Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Archived from the original on September 29, 2021. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  19. 1 2 3 Mantz, Logan (September 27, 2021). "Freedom Rock Tour Ends In Iowa". Raccoon Valley Radio. Jefferson, Iowa. Archived from the original on May 26, 2023. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  20. ↑ "Freedom Rock Tour pamphlet" (PDF). Travel Iowa (www.traveiowa.com): the Official Iowa Tourism and Travel website. October 21, 2021. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 26, 2023. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
  21. ↑ "Adventureland Resort". Adventureland (www.adventurelandresort.com) website. Altoona, Iowa. May 26, 2023. Archived from the original on May 26, 2023. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
  22. ↑ "Adventureland Inn". Adventureland (www.adventurelandresort.com) website. Altoona, Iowa. May 26, 2023. Archived from the original on May 26, 2023. Retrieved May 26, 2023.

41°28′30″N 94°27′08″W / 41.4749°N 94.4522°W / 41.4749; -94.4522

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