A Perfect Day for a Ribbon-Cutting

Photo courtesy Caroline Bredekamp.

Friday, September 13th at 10:30 a.m. over 70 people gathered to celebrate.  It could not have been a more perfect day for a ribbon-cutting.  After 7 1/2 years of planning, fundraising,  researching, searching, rebuilding and restoring, Forest Grove School No. 5 stood immaculate under the bluest sky anyone could ever remember. We could not help but think that THIS is what it must have been like for those earliest students of the 1873 schoolhouse to walk through its welcoming doors, ready to take their seats and learn.

Sharon Andresen welcomes the crowd at the official ribbon cutting of Forest Grove School. Filmmakers Tammy & Kelly Rundle filmed the event for their documentary "Resurrecting Forest Grove". Photo courtesy Caroline Bredekamp.

The Iowa Standard School plaque was secured to the door--a gift from Bill Sherman, Country School preservationist and advocate.  The bell was rung and that one sound ringing through the countryside caused many eyes to dampen and goosebumps to rise.

Getting ready to cut the ribbon! Photo courtesy Caroline Bredekamp.

The speeches were given. The gratitude and recognitions shared.  And then, the moment all gathered together had waited for, the ribbon cutting and the schoolhouse doors officially opened. It was a magical day--beyond belief.  Everything perfectly planned and executed, just as the rebirth of Forest Grove itself.

Barbara Blunk Andersen listens to Bill Sherman talk about the significance of the Iowa Standard School plaque at the special luncheon that followed the ribbon cutting ceremony. Photo courtesy Caroline Bredekamp.

Bravo to the hardest worker we know, visionary Sharon Andresen, for all you have done; all you have dreamed and seen through from the very beginning until the end of this phase. It is a stunning achievement.  You brought so many smiles to so many faces on this day.  Bravo to the Blunk family, and the Forest Grove School Preservation committee and board, many who have volunteered time and talent all of these years.

Architect Doug Steinmetz opens the luncheon. Photo by Caroline Bredekamp.

We will repeat what we shared at the end of the lovely celebratory luncheon that followed the ribbon cutting and tour of the breathtaking Forest Grove:

Here is to the visionaries, the dreamers, the planners, the givers, the grantors, the helpers, the consulters;
To the problem solvers, the fixers, the builders, the painters, the caretakers;
To the promoters, the teachers, the storytellers and the believers.
Today is YOUR day. YOU brought Forest Grove back. You raised it up. You never stopped believing... it is a true lesson to be learned and inspired by.

CONGRATULATIONS to everyone who had a part in “resurrecting” this beautiful icon sitting so proud on the Iowa landscape ready to 'teach' all of us again.

Tammy & Kelly Rundle of Fourth Wall Films, producers of the new documentary feature film Resurrecting Forest Grove, have been documenting the restoration of Forest Grove School No. 5 since work began on the schoolhouse seven years ago. The film project is in the production phase and a fundraising campaign is underway to raise matching funds for a grant the project received from Humanities Iowa. Click HERE to learn more about the film project and how YOU can help!

 

 

Bettendorf school rescue complete: 'You folks did this'

Ribbon-cutting ceremony at Forest Grove on September 13th. Photo courtesy Kevin E. Schmidt, Quad City Times.

By Alma Gaul
Quad City Times

An unlikely long shot paid off Friday when supporters of the once-collapsing Forest Grove School in Bettendorf snipped the ribbon at the entry of the restored, 1873 one-room country school.

Peals from the school's original bell rang out across the countryside as Sharon Andresen, the Bettendorf woman who spearheaded the seven-year restoration effort, told the crowd of about 70 that although she is "often the face and voice of the project," the community should know that "you folks did this."

About $225,000 has been spent, with untold amounts of in-kind donations of time and materials, Andresen said. Money was raised through grants; the sale of historic tax credits; direct "asks"; Birdies for Charity, the fund-raising arm of the John Deere Classic golf tournament; trivia nights, and car washes.

Going forward, the building that was restored to the 1923 time period will be used as a museum/interpretive center, telling the story of one-room country schools and the farm life that surrounded them. At one time, Iowa was dotted with about 13,000 one-room country schools; they closed in the 1950s after state-ordered consolidation.

Read the rest of Alma's article HERE!

Tammy & Kelly Rundle of Fourth Wall Films, producers of the new documentary feature film Resurrecting Forest Grove, have been documenting the restoration of Forest Grove School No. 5 since work began on the schoolhouse seven years ago. The film project is in the production phase and a fundraising campaign is underway to raise matching funds for a grant the project received from Humanities Iowa. Click HERE to learn more about the film project and how YOU can help!

The Old Wood Burning Stove Crowns the Classroom at Forest Grove

Tom Cox restored the vintage wood burning stove, delivered it to the school and intalled it with the help of Charles Watkins. Ben Taylor assisted with the stovepipe installation.

So much work has been done on the interior of Forest Grove School this summer and as the September 13th ribbon-cutting ceremony bears down, the final fittings of school desks, framed portraits of Presidents Lincoln and Washington, books, maps, a 1920s 48-star American flag, a rare globe and all the country-school trimmings are in full force.  But today's installation of a vintage stove was the crowning touch for this historic icon. Forest Grove School gave us goosebumps... AGAIN!

Have you ever lifted a cast-iron stove? Didn't think so!  Tom Cox and Charles Watkins did and carefully moved it into place at the front corner of the classroom.  The installation of the vintage wood burning stove and the stovepipe took approximately 2 1/2 hours.  

Charles Watkins, Kris Albert and Sharon Andresen, representatives of Forest Grove School Preservation, are very pleased with the new 'addition' to the one-room school.

Forest Grove School's ribbon cutting ceremony will take place on Friday, September 13 at 10:30 a.m. followed by a luncheon at Davenport Country Club, to celebrate the official opening of the Pleasant Valley Township Forest Grove School No 5. Each lunch reservation is $25, payable to Forest Grove School Preservation by Monday, Sept 9th. Please mail reservation checks to Forest Grove School Preservation, PO Box 603, Bettendorf, IA, 52722. The luncheon starts at 12:00 PM and is located at 25500 Valley Drive, Pleasant Valley, Iowa.

Tammy & Kelly Rundle of Fourth Wall Films, producers of the new documentary feature film Resurrecting Forest Grove, have been documenting the restoration of Forest Grove School No. 5 since work began on the schoolhouse seven years ago. The film project is in the production phase and a fundraising campaign is underway to raise matching funds for a grant the project received from Humanities Iowa. Click HERE to learn more about the film project and how YOU can help!