Heritage Park project shows Brillion’s spirit

This story first appeared in the July 17, 2025, print edition of the newspaper.

By David Nordby

The Brillion News

BRILLION – Derek Emmer, a lifelong Brillion resident, wanted to get involved with a project in the community that he could assist with.

That’s when the Heritage Park corner came to be.

Those who have driven past have noticed the new features of the corner of Main Street and National Avenue – a new flagpole with LED lighting that shines the American flag bright during the night, concrete sidewalks to enhance accessibility and a gazebo with tables for social gatherings.

The park project started in 2022 and was completed in time for this summer. 

"I always like to have respect for the American flag, and that's what kicked the whole thing off was just driving by and looking at the flagpole leaning at an angle," Emmer said. "It always bothered me that it wasn't lit up at night. The whole area was kind of overgrown with all the brush and the trees and all that stuff. It just wasn't maintained. I just thought that I would see what I could do to improve it." 

Emmer's dive into a community project was first approved by Brillion City Council then fundraising came along. More than $50,000 was raised in cash donations, but that doesn't capture the full story, Emmer says. 

"I was taken back by a lot of the support a lot of the area businesses gave towards the project," Emmer said. 

Professional Plating was one of the first, and donated the flagpole, the major anchor of the project. 

"It was truly a collective effort, and both time and money were essential in bringing this vision to life," Emmer said. 

People donated their time and money, all starting with Emmer spreading the word with phone calls and social media posts. 

"There's people who may not be able to give as much as others ... but they really stepped up. They came forward in a big way to help the project," Emmer said. 

Others like Kempen Excavating donated their time and service. 

People would stop by or honk their horns when they saw Emmer working at the corner. 

"Just stuff like that, that was pretty cool," Emmer said. 

As the project neared its completion at the end of May, Emmer was looking for one final touch. He found what he was looking for using the famous red cursive lettering to spell Brillion. Emmer said that "during the day, the sign is a symbol of the community's spirit; at night, it transforms into a glowing emblem of Brillion's warmth and unity." 

People have asked Emmer why he settled on that logo. 

"I grew up with that logo in Brillion. It's kind of a classic logo with (the font)," Emmer said. "I just kept coming back to that old cursive font ... It just made that whole corner pop for some reason." 

Now that the project is complete, Emmer is still getting positive feedback from the community, including at last weekend's fireworks show at Deer Run. 

"People come up to me and tell me how nice it looks and people thank me. There was a lot of support along the way," Emmer said. 

Emmer says he would strongly encourage others to dive in if they are thinking of a project in the community. 

"I would say pursue it and don't look back. For myself, this project was on my mind for some time. I was nervous about it, there's no doubt about it. It's a big thing to take on but when I jumped in with both feet, I knew it was go-time and I wasn't going to stop. I think it all comes down to a sense of pride in your community. I knew I could make that area of the park look better," Emmer said. 

Emmer said he learned with the project to embrace the collaboration with others and ask for help with fundraising. 

"The project highlights the satisfaction of giving back to the community and will last for generations. Certainly something that each and every person that contributed (will) be proud of," he added. 

Emmer said he can't thank those who helped enough as they were the heartbeat of the project.

"The revitalization of Heritage Park is a testament to what we can accomplish when a community comes together," he said. 

There still could be work to be done. Revamping the nearby tennis courts or organizing a music in the park-type series for the gazebo could both be possible in the future. 

Brillion has always been home to Emmer, and the project he said, was him showing his Brillion pride. 

"I just like the smalltown feel. I just never saw myself living in a big city. Growing up in Brillion, you just kind of have that connection and I raised my kids in Brillion as well. I just kind of wanted to leave something to the city, a project that I took on myself."