Ground broken on Discovery Center building project

Under bright sunshine and before a large and enthusiastic crowd of supporters and contributors, the first shovels broke ground at the site of the forthcoming Discovery Center at Fourth Avenue and Kent Street in the heart of downtown Osceola. The ceremony took place June 27, on land that just a few weeks earlier had been cleared to make way for the new multi-faceted building.

Key donors who stepped up early and contributed generously to the Inspire capital campaign were the first to grasp the gold shovels, followed by village officials and community leaders. State Senator Sheila Harsdorf was also on hand to participate.

Fittingly, a future generation of community leaders, the Osceola High School Marching Band, got the celebration off to a rousing start as they marched down Chieftain Street to Fourth Avenue. Emcee Robert Bullard welcomed the crowd and the program officially began as the band played “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

The program, designed to include all aspects of community life, recognized past and present achievements and visions for the future. Retired teacher and long-time Osceola resident Robert Bullard, Village President Gary Beckmann and Mark Kravik, business leader and chair of the Inspire capital campaign, spoke to each of the topics, respectively. 

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