Sidney Native Plays Angel for Living Memorial Gardens

MIKE MOTZ

Sidney Sun-Telegraph

SIDNEY-- One of Sidney's and Cheyenne County's most popular attraction is the Living Memorial Gardens at Legion Park in Sidney, adjacent to Legion Field. In season, the gardens are a unique blend of flowers and plants personally designed and cared for by private citizens. Nature lovers can stroll along the pathways of the park and enjoy the natural beauty the gardens have to offer. Located right next to the former site of the original Sidney Swimming Pool, there's a gazebo next to the gardens that provides a great place to catch some shade and rest for a spell on a hot summer's day.

LMG Board President Colleen Langdon and a group of volunteers work tirelessly to maintain the gardens and surrounding area and rely upon donations and grants for upkeep and maintenance. However, when bigger projects are necessary, Langdon needs to approach all different types of businesses, charitable organizations and trusts, and individual donors to get the funding required. It is not an easy task, requiring a lot of leg work and follow-up, but occasionally a blessing will come from seemingly out of the blue, and get the LMG the funding it needs to progress.

Recently, the LMG has undertaken a few ambitious projects requiring substantial funding. From a complete renovation of the old Bath House to renovating the walkways around the gardens, these projects require substantial sums to initiate, and Landon and her group have been relentless about raising funds, securing grants, and contracting with the people necessary to move the projects forward.

The efforts have paid off. Recently, Langdon and her group received funding from the C.A. Story Foundation, a foundation started by C.A. Story, a former insurance and real estate businessman in Sidney. The foundation awarded $15,000 to the LMG for the renovation projects. Even more, a private donation of $25,000 came into the LMG group a few months ago, and Langdon just received news that the same donor had pledged an additional $100,000 to the restoration projects.

The donors are Michele and John Hollatz, who reside in North Carolina near Charlotte. Michele grew up in Sidney, and her maiden name is Highland. The Hollatz family was in Sidney over the holidays and took a tour of the Memorial Gardens and the renovation projects, including the Bath House.

"Yeah, that's where we would go and change when we were kids...and the bleachers are still here. The boys would stay on one side, and we would be on the other. This brings back a lot of memories," Michelle Hollatz said while touring the Bath House and the grounds. Hollatz has siblings living in Sidney and visits the area on holidays and other special occasions.

"We always like to come here when we visit, we walk the trials a lot when we're in Sidney. My mom, Gwen Highland, has a plaque at the Angel of Hope so we visit, and it's always really pretty out here, " Hollatz said.

"We're always looking to give back to our communities and initially donated to the Living Memorial Gardens. Then I was talking with my sister and she mentioned the vandalism that happened and the other big projects being undertaken and decided to get more involved," said Hollatz.

Sidney community members should recall back in the Spring of 2024 a series of vandalism incidents occurred in the Living Memorial Gardens, which upset many citizens and sparked more involvement and watchfulness by the community and law enforcement.

Hollatz said, "When I reached out to Colleen and she told me about the Bath House renovation and other things they had planned, I thought that it would be a great way to give back to the community. A lot of people helped us along the way to be successful so whatever we could do to give back would be great."

The family returns to Sidney often and always comes to visit the gardens and the Angel of Hope.

"My mom loved flowers and she would always come out here, so we decided we should do something in her honor so we would make this donation on her behalf."

In addition to the generous donation by the Hollatz Family and the donation in Gwen Highland's name, Langdon said that there have been so many organizations and individuals that have donated, and they currently have $191,376.80 pledged or on hand for the projects. Some of the groups and individuals that have generously donated include Security First Bank, Points West Bank. The Dr. Thompson Foundation, the City of Sidney, the Nebraska Community Foundation, Katy and Greg Scripps, the C.A. Story Foundation, Triple O Building Supply, Fidelity Charitable, and City of Sidney Department of Tourism.

The renovation and refurbishing projects are ready to move forward, and early in January there is a scheduled walk-through of the grounds and the projects with City of Sidney officials. The Living Memorial Gardens are a unique gem for all to enjoy here in Sidney, built and maintained by the efforts of a group of volunteers with a tremendous base of support in Sidney. We will continue to inform the community of the next steps and progress of the projects, starting with the upcoming walk-through with city officials.