New “Welcome to Humboldt” signs could be in the making thanks to Allie Utley, granddaughter of the late Dick Davis, baseball historian and founder of Humboldt’s Walter Johnson and George Sweatt Fan Club. Utley most recently spearheaded the erection of a sign along U.S. 169 south of town recognizing hometown baseball greats Johnson and Sweatt. Utley, an Iola native who now lives in Overland Park and is an active organizer, plans to apply for a grant through the Kansas Department of Commerce’s Rural Murals program to help replace Humboldt’s aging signs on the south and north entrances to town. They were installed in 2009. Discussion at Monday’s Humboldt Council meeting was favorable and included talk of a more modern look for the welcome signs. The city would match the state’s share of funding if Utley were successful in securing the grant, which has a limit of $7,500. As for the baseball greats, Utley said Tuesday afternoon that she hopes they can be incorporated into a new design. “Obviously, they are near and dear to me. Perhaps the welcome sign can be a snapshot of Humboldt that gives a subtle nod to Walter Johnson and George Sweatt. They had a large impact on the town, but certainly are not its only focus.”
Source: The Iola Register
