The True Story
For over forty years the Midwestern village of Wauconda had a large cross on each of its two water towers. Every Christmas the villagers decorated their crosses with Christmas lights. In 1989, an atheist organization threatened to sue Wauconda - to force the removal of these beloved crosses.
The village did remove their crosses from the towers; instead, they put them up everywhere: homes, shops, restaurants, barns - the town was aglow with Christmas crosses.
The villagers' surprising response is the inspiration for this heart-warming children's fictional story.
So, The Cross and the Water Tower was inspired by a true story that took place in Wauconda, Illinois in 1989. We kept the name of the town as a tribute to the true story; however, The Cross and the Water Tower is a work of fiction. Our characters are symbolic. Pastor Stevens and Father Schmidt represent faith. Casey represents hope. Tracy represents love. Mr. Herbert represents the spirit of aggressive secularism threatening Christianity today. For this reason, he is drawn as a shadow on the cover.
