"Pete's Pots" brighten Main Street

By KELLIE CASE

Through the combined efforts of the Adrian Chamber of Commerce, the Adrian Lions Club, and the Adrian Garden Club, the legacy of Gaylord “Pete” Hill, who passed away on March 23rd, has been carried on in an effort Pete so dutifully attended to from one year to the next. He did this independently of a particular group or club, but often recruited the help from fellow Lions or people he attended church with. With a small amount of cash donated from some Main Street businesses (and a little bit of his own money) as well as generous discounts from Yoss Thriftway and Michael G’s for dirt and flowers, Pete was able to add a little color to Adrian’s business district by way of the planters lining Main Street.
As a living memorial to Pete, and to honor his wishes, the planters on Main Street were filled on Monday, May 4th with amended soil and beautiful new plants that Liz Ray calls “thrillers, fillers, and spillers” for maximum impact. Many business people stepped out to inspect the work, giving opportunity to share the vision for this project that has been dubbed “Pete’s Pots.”
Each business has been provided an official watering container (milk jug) enthusiastically decorated by Ms. Kim Young’s 2nd grade class so they too might come to know the significance of the planters on Main Street. Each container has “Pete’s Pots” written on it. All have flower shapes, vines, squiggles, and more drawn on in every color of the rainbow. Some have curly ribbon tied on the handle while others have fun foam shapes glued to the surface.
From time to time in the heat of the summer, Pete would be seen hauling five gallon buckets of water in his pickup. He would make his way from one end of Main Street to the other, checking for dry pots that were in dire need of a drink. I would like to think that Pete Hill spent a good portion of his life looking for dry pots to water: starting the Adrian Taxi Service for seniors, changing out old street signs as an 80-year old, volunteering for the Meals on Wheels Program....in doing those deeds, he was merely “watering” different kinds of “pots”.

Pictured right: Kim Young’s 2nd grade class decorated watering containers for Pete’s Pots. Elementary artist Katelyn Krogsdale is pictured.

The planting crew is pictured (far right). Front row, left to right: Valerie Wood, Liz Ray and Jeannette Emerson. Back row, left to right: Perry Fritts, Bob Maffitt, Rosemary Fritts, Kellie Case, Ed Orstadt, Cecil DePriest and Kay DePriest. Not pictured: Ola Belle Arney.