(Red Oak) Artist Ray “Bubba” Sorensen II is painting the much anticipated Freedom Rock in Red Oak. The “Freedom “Rock” is located at Fountain Park in Red Oak. Sorensen selects a theme specific to stories relative to each county.
“People who take this Freedom Rock Tour don’t want to see the same rock at each stop,” said Sorensen. They want to see what is specific about a particular county and what veterans’ stories are here.”
In 1999, Sorensen II set out to paint the “Freedom Rock,” a 60 ton-plus boulder in Adair County. In 2008, Ray and his wife started a mural painting business and began thinking about painting “Freedom Rocks” in all 99-counties. Montgomery was the only county west of Des Moines without a freedom rock until now.
Sorensen plans to wrap up his quest for a Freedom Rock in all 99 counties sometime next year. Recently, he announced the painting of an additional rock, the 100th rock as a celebration of the end of his 99-county tour. He plans to have an auction for the towns that missed out on getting the freedom rock in their community.
(Photo is of Freedom Rock in Lewis)
