Spirit of Minnesota Tribute Bell
The Verdin Company to cast The Spirit of Minnesota Tribute Bell
255-pound bronze bell will honor past, present and future veterans
(CINCINNATI – Nov. 19, 2018) – The Verdin Company will stoke its furnace to 2,200 degrees on Nov. 27 to cast a 255-pound bronze bell as part of a special tribute to veterans. The Verdin Company is casting The Spirit of Minnesota Tribute Bell at its factory in Cincinnati (3900 Kellogg Avenue).
As Minnesota’s third-largest private employer and a Minnesota Yellow Ribbon Company, Wells Fargo is sponsoring the creation of The Spirit of Minnesota Tribute Bell. This sustainable mobile platform will allow Minnesotans a distinctive way to honor past veterans, salute the present and inspire future veterans.
The first Wells Fargo-sponsored veteran tribute bell was cast by Verdin in 2017 at the Iowa State Fair. The Spirit of Iowa Tribute Bell continues to travel across Iowa creating outreach and awareness opportunities for veterans, active service members and military families. The bell concept has now moved north to Minnesota.
Minnesotans were encouraged to visit their nearest Wells Fargo branch the week prior to Veterans Day to donate military memorabilia (such as military dog tags, medals or coins) to be melted down as part of The Spirit of Minnesota Tribute Bell.
The casting of the Minnesota bell begins at 10 a.m. on Nov. 27 with an opening ceremony and presentation of military memorabilia collected at Wells Fargo branches in Minnesota. The Verdin Company will melt these metal pieces down so they can forever be enshrined in the bell with the Minnesota spirit. The casting of the bell will follow at 4 p.m.
Because the bell needs time to cool, the bell breakout ceremony will be at 11 a.m. on Nov. 28. Local veterans and Wells Fargo team members will take turns using a large sledgehammer to break the mold to expose the bronze bell.
The Verdin foundry crew will then get to work with grinding, polishing and painting the bell royal blue, a color Minnesotans voted for on the bell’s Facebook page (@SpiritMNBell).
The Spirit of Minnesota Tribute Bell will mount on a small trailer so it can travel across the state of Minnesota for years to come, creating outreach and awareness opportunities for veterans, active service members and military families.
“It’s also an opportunity to say ‘thank you’ to service members and veterans in honor of their selfless service to our nation,” said Jeff Chavannes, military community programs manager for Wells Fargo. “I’m proud of Wells Fargo’s continued investment in veterans’ initiatives across the company since 2012. Wells Fargo has contributed more than $130 million to military and veteran-related nonprofits in support of housing, career transition, and financial education.”
The Verdin Company will live-stream the making of this bell here: https://www.youtube.com/user/Verdin1842/featured
The Spirit of Minnesota Tribute Bell live stream timeline:
- Nov. 27, 2018
Opening Ceremony, 10 a.m. EST
Bell Casting, 4 p.m. EST - Nov. 28, 2018
Breakout Ceremony, 11 a.m. EST
Bell Progress, 4 p.m. EST - Dec. 4, 2018
Bell makes its way to Minnesota, 9AM
About The Verdin Company
The Verdin Company of Cincinnati, Ohio, was founded in 1842 and is one of the oldest family-owned companies in America, spanning six generations. The Verdin family is committed to helping the military and their families by creating special tributes for various communities around the country.
About Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.9 trillion in assets. Wells Fargo’s vision is to satisfy our customers’ financial needs and help them succeed financially. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, investment and mortgage products and services, as well as consumer and commercial finance, through 8,050 locations, 13,000 ATMs, the internet (wellsfargo.com) and mobile banking, and has offices in 38 countries and territories to support customers who conduct business in the global economy. With approximately 265,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 26 on Fortune’s 2018 rankings of America’s largest corporations. News, insights and perspectives from Wells Fargo are also available at Wells Fargo Stories.
