Mayor's Message
As I write this, we are leading up to Memorial Day weekend, the traditional start of summer fun…family barbecues, road trips, boating, fishing and many other fun summer activities…which I heartily endorse! Memorial Day will be over by the time you read this, but I hope even today, you will take a moment to reflect upon and talk with your family about those that we honor on this special holiday. Those men and women who courageously put their lives on the line for the freedoms that we enjoy in this great country. I always love to see the American flags posted at the graves of our veterans in the cemeteries that we visit each year. I usually wander around and just read the names of each Veteran and try to imagine what they were like…most of them young with lots of life and dreams ahead of them, all sacrificed that you and I can enjoy the wonderful life that we have today.
I think it’s also important to remember and appreciate those left behind when a husband, father or son goes off to serve. I picture in my mind, because of my family lore, my grandmother sitting by the big, scratchy Philco radio listening as the announcer read off the war casualties for that day and praying that one of her 5 sons’ names would not be one of those read. Can you imagine that stress for a mother and father? I appreciate all those who make up the aptly named “greatest generation”. What legacy will you and I and our families leave to those who come after us? We have the opportunity to be another “great generation”. Let’s make the most of it! Don’t forget to display your American flag proudly on Flag Day coming up on June 14th. I love to see our flag displayed all around town during the holidays. Thank you to the BYU Idaho administration for making the I-Center available for the Madison High graduation event. Our graduates of today truly can be another “great generation” if they continue achieving the way the class of 2025 has done. It was amazing to hear of the many accomplishments of these students. Congratulations Graduates, Teachers and Madison Admin and Staff for another year well done! I also appreciate the general attitude of honesty I see in our community. I noticed one of the graduates sitting in front of me placed her cell phone on the chair armrest while she went up to get her diploma. Some might say that is foolish, but I like the fact that she had complete trust in her classmates and others that her phone would still be there when she returned even with hundreds of her classmates filing past it on their way to the stage. Let’s work hard to keep that feeling of trust in each other in our community. I am very proud of our students and all of you parents can be proud of them as well. We still have room for improvement as I occasionally hear reports of students getting bullied at school. I hope that each of us as parents and grandparents will teach our kids to be kind to all others, not just their friends. As graduate Bryce Wilson stated in his address, “We all need to have the readiness to express appreciation and show kindness”. Well said Bryce! I had the opportunity to attend the Rexburg Tabernacle Orchestra concert recently. I am always amazed at what professional talent we have here in our small city. If you missed it, the good news is there will be another concert in November so be sure to watch for it. The Upper Valley Ladies Choir performed their spring concert recently as well with a bunch of well-done numbers aided by Brian Pyper playing just about every instrument you can imagine. That was a fun concert! Check out the cultural arts offerings in the area on the website “rexburgarts.com”.
The Mayor’s Youth Advisory Board and Parks Department hosted a service project last week where we planted lots of flowers in the tree planters on Main Street. Those will be growing and blooming throughout the summer and our planters and baskets will be soon appearing as well. We want Rexburg to be a clean and beautiful place…please help us by beautifying your property and picking up trash if you see it blowing down the street, sidewalks, etc. Thank you so much for all your help. You’re the best!
Have a great summer! Mayor Jerry Merrill
Meetings:
City Council 6/4 & 6/25 6:30pm
Planning & Zoning 6/5 & 6/19 6:30pm
Announcements:
CITY OFFICES WILL BE CLOSED ON JUNE 19TH FOR JUNETEENTH.
UTILITIES: We want to help keep our sanitation crew safe and we’re asking for your help! Please refer to our website or Facebook post to take note of the things that should NOT be in your regular trash can. Below is a flyer that also describes what it prohibited. Trash cans are for household trash only!!
RECREATION: It’s BACK! We're excited to bring back the Foam 5K! The course will start and finish in front of Rexburg Rapids! After you finish your race, join us for our post-race party at Rexburg Rapids. We will keep the DJ going and the foam flowing! JUNE 21ST 2025
ARTS PROGRAMS:
Art Exploration for Kids Tuesdays / 3 PM / City Hall / registration
Creative Corner for Teens Tuesdays / 4:30 PM / City Hall / registration
Intro to Watercolor for Adults Thursdays / 10 AM, 7 PM / City Hall /registration
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