Mason City Foundation receives 40K grant

(ABC 6 News) – The Mason City Foundation received a $40,000 grant to honor one of the city’s most famous residents.

The grant honors Tony Award-winning Broadway star Meredith Willson on what would have been his 121st birthday.

That funding will provide general operating support for Mason City’s Music Man Square, Meredith Willson Museum, and Meredith Willson’s boyhood home.

“Meredith Willson and his wife Rosemary shared a deep love of Meredith’s hometown and visited often,” said Sarah Lyding, executive director of The Music Man Foundation. “We’re proud to continue our support of Mason City and its cultural centers, where people can learn more about Meredith’s family, his career, and his famous, Tony Award-winning musical.”

The Music Man Foundation is named after the Tony-winning musical written by Meredith Willson. Meredith’s widow, Rosemary, started the Foundation in 1998 as the Meredith and Rosemary Willson Charitable Foundation and substantially increased the Foundation’s endowment upon her death in 2010.