City of Ruston to dedicate plaza in tornado remembrance

Ruston will mark the 5th anniversary of the EF3 tornado that ripped its way across the city on April 25, 2019, with the dedication of a plaza at the base of one of the structures that survived the storm.

The ceremony is set for 10:30 a.m. April 25 at the old Midwest Dairies smokestack on North Monroe Street.

A small seating area at the base of the iconic smokestack will honor Kendra Butler and her son, Remington, who died when a tree crashed into their Evans Street home, Mayor Ronny Walker said.

The Evans Street area is visible from the smokestack site, just blocks away. The smokestack is all that remains of the old Ruston Creamery that was later bought out by Midwest Dairies.

When the city undertook the Monroe Street Corridor project several years ago, Walker pledged to the save the smokestack and incorporate it into the green spaces along the corridor.

Walker said a plaque will be placed on the smokestack marking the storm, the victims and the city’s recovery.

Thought the official name of the plaza hasn’t been announced, it’s expected to incorporate the “ Ruston Strong” motto that became popular after the storm, and a remembrance of the Butlers.

The tornado tore across Lincoln Parish shortly before 2 a.m. on April 25, 2019. It snapped utility poles, leaving downed electric lines tangled in a spaghetti-like mess with limbs and other debris.

As much as 75% of Ruston was without power for several days.

The 6.68- mile storm path cut the city in almost a straight line from southwest to northeast, with the strongest damage occurreing just after the storm crossed Greenwood Cemetery near downtown and the smokestack.