What began as a small idea at a Clarence Main Street Design Committee meeting, grew into a collaborative project honoring the history of the Lincoln Highway in Clarence. Clarence Main Street strives to continue to build the walkability and ambiance of the business district. A safe district benefits visitors and residents, young and old. The pop of color throughout the downtown area will serve as a traffic calmer, catching the eye of travelers, as well as celebrating Clarence's special connection to the history of the Lincoln Highway and its route through downtown. Clarence remains one of only two communities in Iowa whose Main Street coincides with Highway 30 AND the original route of the historic Lincoln Highway.
The project was a true collaboration, beginning with the street cleaning by the Clarence Fire Department, barricades provided by the City of Clarence, sweeping, painting and taping by the North Cedar Cross Country team led by coach Brittany Potts and high school math teacher, Alex Curley. A team of talented bakers rewarded all that hard work with delicious treats and Clarence Main Street Board members jumped in wherever they were needed.
The Lincoln Highway Heritage Crosswalk project would not have been possible without this entire team and support from the Iowa Lincoln Highway Association, the Keep Iowa Beautiful Paint Iowa Beautiful program, Diamond Vogel Paints and Cedar County Lincoln Highway representative Joe Goodlove.
Utilizing oil-based road marking paint from Diamond Vogel, the designs quickly took shape and added vibrant pops of color to the street. With permission from the Lincoln Highway Association, the iconic Lincoln Highway "L" logo was painted in the center of each crosswalk using a mockup stencil and small brushes.
The crosswalk project was a terrific way for the young citizens of the community to contribute to the safety and ambiance of the business district, and to learn more about the role Clarence played on the development of the historic Lincoln Highway.