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Floyd gets a little closer to reality

Floyd of Rosedale Planning Committee selects artist for sculpture

-Messenger photo by Peter Kaspari
Members of the Floyd of Rosedale committee pose with a model of what the sculpture will look like once it’s installed. Pictured from left to right are Terry Moehnke, Shelly Bottorff, Jennifer Dutcher, Scott Johnson and Dave Flattery.

Fundraising is set to kick off for the creation and installation of a sculpture in Fort Dodge that will pay homage to an iconic sports trophy.

The fundraising plans were discussed Wednesday during the Floyd of Rosedale Planning Committee meeting, which is overseeing the installation of the Floyd of Rosedale sculpture at the North 32nd Street roundabout.

The committee has selected Dale Merrill, of Mount Vernon, to design the sculpture. He owns Liberty Iron Works, also in Mount Vernon.

The sculpture will commemorate Floyd of Rosedale, a pig in the 1930s that was given to the then-governor of Minnesota, Floyd Olson, by Iowa’s then-governor, Clyde Herring, following a bet over a football game between the Iowa Hawkeyes and Minnesota Gophers.

The pig, who was named Floyd after Minnesota’s governor, was from Fort Dodge and owned by Allan Loomis, the owner of Rosedale Farms, located on the current site of the Rosedale Rapids Aquatic Center.

-Messenger photo by Peter Kaspari
This model of the Floyd of Rosedale sculpture was created to help with fundraising efforts.

Speaking via teleconference, Carissa Harvey, the city’s strategic planner, said everything is ready to go for the fundraising campaign to start next week.

A list of potential donors has already been compiled, and letters soliciting donations will be mailed out next week after committee members look over the list for any errors.

“Everything’s kind of ready to go,” Harvey said. “Everybody just needs to review that and we’ll get those all sent off.”

The board agreed that, two weeks after the letters are sent out, they will make follow-up phone calls to try and generate donations.

Even though fundraising letters haven’t been sent out, Harvey said the committee has already received some donations.

“To date, we’ve received a grant from the (Fort Dodge) Community Foundation,” she said. “And private donors provided funds before we’ve even asked for them.”

Harvey said the project will be funded 100 percent with donations and funds raised for the project.

Committee members also unveiled miniature figurines of Floyd of Rosedale. Dave Flattery, who serves on the committee, suggested giving the figurines to those who donate at least $500 to the project.

The board also briefly discussed donor recognition and what levels would constitute what forms of recognition, such as being put on a donor board, being acknowledged at the dedication ceremony or being listed on the website.

Additionally, Harvey told committee members that the artist contract with Merrill is still being worked out, as well as a potential timeline for the project.

The committee will meet again on July 3 to recap fundraising efforts.

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