Two permanent tributes to Bob Dylan unveiled in Hibbing

Members of the Year of Dylan committee added a permanent tribute to highlight Bob Dylan’s legacy on the Mesabi Bike Trail in Hibbing.

A rock right next to the Hibbing kiosk lent itself perfectly to a Dylan quote, and has now been engraved as tribute to the artist and his hometown.

According to organizers, the Railroad Authority arranged for the engraving, and it was one of the Hibbing Dylan Project members, Molly Johnsrud, who found that perfect rock for the tribute.

"I just thought I’d come here to take a walk, I just walked around and this was right there," said Johnsrud. "I mean it’s got the perfect surface to be engraved and it just was meant to be. We are very thankful it all came together."

Members of the organizing groups said that the project came together quickly – in just about 3 months since the talks began in July.

State Representative for district 6A, Julie Sanstede, highlighted the significance of the tribute being on the Mesabi trail.

"It’s 135 miles of trail across the Iron Range and right in the heart of it is Hibbing," Sanstede said. "It’ just a great place to remember him. I spoke about making some commemorations along the trail to represent the accomplishments of the Iron Range and this is just another great way to remember all that we have and whats wonderful about our history and our culture."

And the tributes continued on Saturday – over in front of Hibbing High School another beautiful commemoration to Dylan was revealed on the steps of his alma mater, honoring the singer’s 2016 Nobel Prize in literature.

On one side of the display, a brick wall features the announcement of the Nobel Prize in Literature that Dylan was awarded in 2016. The opposite side of the wall features a series of stainless steel panels that contain lyrics from more than 50 of his songs.

There’s also a bronze chair, similar to one he would have sat in, that faces the school so people who use it will "have their backs to the lyrics, a physical representation of the songwriting process," said Katie Fredeen, president of the Hibbing Dylan Project.

The volunteer group spent five years and raised about $100,000 to design and build the tribute.