Photo courtesy of Jefferson Garden Club

A noticeable addition has been made to the Jefferson Garden Club’s Memorial Garden on Lincoln Way in Jefferson.

Three eight-foot tall and three-foot wide steel panels have been installed, as a continued beautification effort near the Raccoon River Valley Trailhead. Garden Club member Jacque Andrew explains why they wanted to create these steel panels for the Memorial Garden where an ash tree once stood.

“We wanted to be a part of the art movement in Jefferson. We wanted to have something that was appealing, and interesting, and something that people could look at and just contemplate. It’s a quiet garden, it’s a very peaceful place. The panels would give people something to look at as they drive by, and also people who are on bikes, they could appreciate them as well.”    

The three panels were made by Shane Olson of Olson Iron Works. They depict Iowa’s seasons with grass, sunflowers and cattails. Funds for the project came from the proceeds of the 2018 Holiday Tour of Homes event for the Garden Club. Andrew adds the final part of the project will be  some landscaping around the concrete bases of the panels.