LECLAIRE, Iowa (AP) – A 7 1/2-ton rock has been lowered into place along the Mississippi River in LeClaire as residents work to establish another “freedom rock.” When it’s completed, it will be the 49th Iowa county with a rock covered by a patriotic mural painted by artist Ray Sorensen. He wants to paint such murals in each of Iowa’s 99 counties.
As a crane lowered the boulder into place Saturday, LeClaire resident Tonia Kennedy told the Quad-City Times it’s been a year since she began working to create a freedom rock in LeClaire. Kennedy and others who have joined the effort are trying to raise $15,000 to cover Sorensen’s expenses and other costs. Businesses have donated the cost of acquiring and delivering the boulder.