NW Iowa News

City of Sioux Center issued the following announcement on July 27.

Growing up in Sioux Center means having a place to call home, and Willis and Joanne Alberda had this same vision in mind for their kids.

After moving to Sioux Center in 1964, the family would drive to Montana to spend Christmas with family. One year, daughters Lorilynn and Leila asked why they couldn’t stay home – in Sioux Center – for Christmas. Willis and Joanne realized Sioux Center had become their children’s home, and they wanted it to stay that way.

On Monday, July 27, Willis and Joanne and family dedicated two metal bird sculptures to Children’s Park to create a permanent connection in Sioux Center. They want to leave a legacy in the place they call home.

“We are who we are because of how we grew up here,” said Lorilynn Spronk, eldest daughter of Willis and Joanne.

Willis and Joanne discovered this style of sculpture on the regional Artisans Road Trip. The sculptures, created by William Lieb, of Spirit Lake, were inspired by a great blue heron that occasionally stood by the water near their lake house.

Even though they are made of metal, the sculptures move with the wind as if they are flying.

After watching their girls grow up in Sioux Center and create lasting memories in the community, Willis and Joanne thought the sculptures were an ideal representation of their lives.

“This community gave you roots,” said Mayor David Krahling in his speech at the dedication, “then wings to fly.”

Willis and Joanne are artists and involved members in the community, having worked at Dordt previously and Willis serving on city council for many years. Dedicating artwork to Sioux Center was a way to express the vision they had for their children and for the community – to have a place to call home.

Photo: Willis (left) and Joanne Alberda (right) share about the Birds sculptures the Alberda family dedicated to the City of Sioux Center in Children’s Park.

Original source: https://www.siouxcenter.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=490