Making Rosebud glow

 

Laureen F. Guenther

Times Contributor 
 
Lights were turned on for two 8-foot high angels and three 12 and 24 foot stars in Rosebud’s Angel Square, beside Rosebud Theatre, Oct. 25, just in time for Rosebud Theatre’s Christmas show, It’s a Wonderful Life, which opened Nov. 1.
The 24-foot star represents the Bethlehem star that guided the Wise Men to baby Jesus.
The stars and angels, designed by LaVerne Erickson and created by Craig Palmer, a metal sculptor and blacksmith from Standard, are the latest in a series of projects by the Rosebud Community Enhancement Society, funded by a Wheatland County community enhancement grant. Erickson said, “we’d applied for $36,000, and we got $12,000.” Using volunteer labor and corporate donations, “we made that $12,000 go a long way.”
This spring, residents Charlotte and Stan Riegel planted flower boxes around the village. Bill Daugherty set up a fitness centre in the community hall, and his wife Cheryl Daugherty repainted the town sign. Other volunteers constructed a small park, planting about 100 trees and installing nine new park benches that were donated by Rona. Other residents planted many flower bulbs they look forward to seeing come up in spring.
With donations from Knibb Developments, volunteers prepared ground for a community picnic site, which they’ll build, along with a gazebo, next year. And next Christmas, the stars and angels in Angel Square will be joined by more figures that point us to the very first Christmas.