Arts & Culture
Collector marker pins capture big stories in tiny images
The creation of the Lehi Historical Marker collector pins is a team effort driven by a desire to do justice to Lehi’s history.
Nicole Kunze, a member of the Lehi Historical Society Board, came up with the idea to have enamel pins to go with each marker. “I’ve collected enamel pins for years from visiting National Park sites, Disneyland and Disney World, and even European cities. I envisioned the iconic Broadbent’s sign as a pin, and my imagination went a little wild from there.”
“When Nicole first suggested making lapel pins to correspond with the markers of the Lehi Historical Marker Program, I didn’t get it,” remembered Lara Bangerter, director of the Lehi Historical Society. Then one day, Robb Strong, a member of the Lehi Historical Society Board, brought his collection of 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games pins to the office, and it clicked for Bangerter.
“That’s when I caught the vision and thought it would be amazing to have a collector pin for each of our historical marker unveilings,” said Bangerter.
The next step was finding a graphic artist who was willing to donate a lot of time for the project. “The first, and maybe only, person I thought of was Heather Newall,” remembered Kunze.
“When Nicole asked me if I’d design some enamel collector pins for the historical markers, I was all in. I’d never done anything like it before, but I knew I wanted to be a part of it,” said Newall, a Lehi City Councilmember.
The first Historical Marker Pin was the Broadbent’s sign in soft enamel, but the unveiling ceremony for Broadbent’s was postponed when there was a big snowstorm the night the event was scheduled in February 2025. It wasn’t until the next unveiling, the Jordan River Bridge Historical Marker Unveiling, on March 15, that people became aware of the commemorative pins for the first time.
“After the Jordan River Bridge marker event, when I saw how people responded, how a simple pin could bring out stories and smiles and memories, I knew we had something special,” recalled Newall. “The kinds of pins I wanted to make were intricate, colorful and full of story, and they were becoming too expensive to produce.”
Instead of becoming discouraged, she learned all she could about pin design and manufacturing. “We stopped sending them through a middleman, and I began finding manufacturers who could produce the highest quality pins without the premium prices. I’m now working directly with three different manufacturers, depending on the style and design of the pin. I talk things over with Lara and Nicole, get their sign-off on the designs, and then I oversee the production process.”
Each historical marker pin tells a big story with a very small image. When Newall started designing the Wines Park pin, she wasn’t sure what to feature.
“The more I researched, the more things started to fall into place. I found the old cement bandstand and asked my parents about it. They remembered listening to bands play at the park. When Lara told me she always thinks of Wines Park as the starting point of the parades, I knew that had to be part of it too. The Lehi Silver Band, children playing, the energy of Round-Up week. It’s all part of the Wines Park story, and that story needed to live in the pin,” said Newall.
With the pin for the George Goates Farm marker, Newall couldn’t just do an image of a beige sugar beet and call it good. “I wanted to create something that captured how that story feels. When I hear the words, ‘That’s all of them, Uncle George,’ I get choked up. That wagon wasn’t just the last load of beets. It was a symbol of love, of neighbors showing up when one family was in the middle of their darkest days. That moment needed to be honored with something real.”
Newall has gone through the archives, studied photos and made sure every design is rooted in something real. Kunze adds her suggestions, and Bangerter always has ideas.
“It’s not out yet,” said Kunze, “but the Tithing Barn pin has a historically accurate scale that I found in my reading. When I saw Heather’s art for that pin with the scale on it, it made me so happy.”
The Round-Up Rodeo pin has special meaning for Newall. It is a bit of a departure from the other pins. “I had a vision from the beginning—a moving pin. Something dynamic and bold. I went to Mike Southwick, president of the Rodeo Committee, with my idea, and he presented my request to the committee. I’m so grateful they gave their approval. The cowboy and bronco are iconic in Lehi, and using their likeness made the pin feel official and authentic.”
“Heather and Nicole have really run with this project and done such an amazing job. I’m so thankful for their vision. Heather has designed visually appealing pins filled with historic significance, and I couldn’t be more pleased,” said Bangerter.
Newall sees the marker pins as a legacy project, something meant to carry real stories and lasting memories. “I want someone years from now to hold one in their hand and feel a connection. Not just to a place, but to a person. To a moment,” she explained. “It’s not my memories I’m trying to preserve. It’s your memories. That’s the spark I chase in every pin, and once I’ve captured it, those stories live in the pin. The history is already here. My job is just to bring it to life in a way that people want to hold onto.”
