2024 EDDYAwards When the River Action jury gets together to choose Eddy winners, it has one barometer— tenacity. Who persisted? Who stood up? Who stood out? Who are the heroes taking risks, taking charge, and walking the line between the known and the unknown? Below are the amazing individuals and organizations that have moved against the current, as in an eddy, with a departure from the main current of thought or life to do outstanding work on the Mississippi River. 2024 EDDY AWARDS
— by Kathy Wine
Art: Musco Sports Lighting and The City of Muscatine Melding art, architecture and music into perfect concert with one another on the Norbert F. Beckley Memorial Bridge was a Christmastime delight in Muscatine last year. A collaboration of Musco Lighting and the City of Muscatine resulted in a choreographed display, part theatre, part dance, part painting, but mostly just cool. It was forged by some incredible artists and engineers from Musco Lighting, Muscatine Power and Water, Stanley Consultants, Greater Muscatine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the City of Muscatine. Inspired by Leadership Muscatine, Class of 2005, to install the initial, colored lighting, the team’s decision to do more came from Pat Cooley, software manager, who while putting conduit in place. But the public who crowded the park below came and stayed for the changing colors and variety of music, sometimes for two or three presentations. With the popularity of the show, organizers are looking to expand to other holidays. We can’t wait to see what they will do next. envisioned choreographing light to music. The biggest challenge was adapting to the movement of the bridge
Stewardship: Mary Lind In 2003, tired of seeing so many unhappy gardens on her Ben Butterworth Parkway
walks, Mary Lind couldn’t help herself and began deadheading and weeding on her strolls. She then enlisted the help
of her book club, promising they would only have to take care of three of the ower beds. In 2008, Mary created the Garaden Guardians program through Keep Moline Beautiful. To help the city with the care of the many gardens, she planted signs that asked, “Would you like to adopt this garden?” During COVID, when park maintenance had to be reduced, Mary wrote a letter to the editor asking for help. Her initiatives resulted in all 17 gardens being adopted. It’s one thing to see a problem; it is quite another to actually change things and inspire others to come along. Initiating anything and everything in her power to be of service to the Garden Guardians merits Mary Lind an Eddy Award for going against the current to achieve excellence on the riverfront.
4 eddy Magazine | www.riveraction.org
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