Sandra Dion Planters

Thanks to the generous contibutions of individuals and businesses throughout the greater Mount Airy area, MAMSA purchased ten planters as a tribute to Sandra Dion and for the beautification of our downtown..  The planters are located in the heart of the historic downtown and are maintained by MAMSA's Design Committee.  Boxwoods are the center piece of the plantings enriched with petunias during the growing season.  Thanks again to everyone that made the Sandra Dion Memorial Planters a reality.

A Small Part of a Big Story

The downtown businesses that suffered devastating losses from the September 2, 2007 fire returned to new permanent quarters in the heart of historic downtown Mount Airy.  We applaud their determination and perseverance during the recovery and thank them for their commitment to our downtown.  There are hundreds of smaller stories related to that tragic day in September and here is one of them.

One of MAMSA planters was in front of Retro-Metro on that Sunday morning.  When the smoke cleared, you could see a damaged planter absent its boxwood and petunias.  Falling bricks and other debris crashed on the planter.  The next day, MAMSA members retrieved the planter to assess the damage.  To our surprise, it only suffered nicks to the metal and chips to the finish.

When our vendor learned about the damage to our planter, Keystone Ridge Designs in Butler, Pennsylvania offered to ship the planter to their factory, restore it to its mint condition, and ship it back to Mount Airy at no cost.  That planter is now directly across from Town Hall between the Gun Shack/Crosswind and the VFW.   Thank you Keystone Ridge Design for your generosity.

We lacked a boxwood for our restored planter.  Once again we saw an organization step up and volunteer to help.  Thank you Mount Airy Garden Club for your donation of the beautiful boxwood that graces the planter.

MAMSA and the community appreciate these acts of generosity by our local friends and our friends in Pennsylvania.  This is just one small story about our recovery from that terrible day in September.   But, it is an important story of how people near and far can make a difference in a community like Mount Airy.  Working together, we have put the awful day behind us and Mount Airy is back.

Please take a moment to enjoy the planters with their beautiful boxwoods as you visit your downtown.

Bricks and debris cover the damaged planter.