For Adair County residents, a familiar sight has been refinished for the new year.

This year marks 25 years of the original Freedom Rock, and painter Ray “Bubba” Sorensen is set to finish painting this year’s mural by Memorial Day. He says that for this year he wanted a constant theme all the way around the rock, and decided to focus on Medal of Honor recipients who gave their lives in service. Sorensen says the veterans featured this year are WWI veteran Freddie Stowers, WWII veteran Samuel D. Dealy, Korean War veteran Jack Glennon Hanson, Vietnam veterans William H. Pitsenbarger and Miguel Keith, and Afghanistan veteran Navy Seal Michael Murphy.

Sorensen tells Raccoon Valley Radio that he’ll be at the rock for the holiday.

“I’ll be out here Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. And Monday at 1pm, as long as there’s no rain, and I don’t think there’s forecasted to be any rain, I will paint the ashes of Vietnam veterans onto the helicopter on the north side, and that will bring the total up to, I think, around 135 different Vietnam veterans’ ashes mixed into the green paint on the north side of the rock.”

Sorensen paints the original Freedom Rock uncommissioned, but works as an independent mural artist for other projects as well. While he is at the Freedom Rock this weekend, he will meet with visitors, and sell calendars, patches and other merchandise to help offset the costs for the original Freedom Rock project.