The grand marshal of Galva’s 2026 Independence Day parade was an easy choice for the Freedom Fest Committee.
Aaron Kewish, a lifelong Galvan, was selected to lead the annual parade, full of floats, performers and honorees such as the Freedom Flight participants.
Quiet and unassuming, Kewish, 48, is the son of Tom and Sheri Kewish. His sister Autumn and sweetheart Amy Newton make up his nuclear family and biggest cheerleaders.
“They have encouraged every venture and pitched in whenever possible,” he said.
However, the young man’s life is also full of friends and supporters. In his youth he found out just how much these individuals meant as they helped him make it through difficult times by giving him a safety net and a second chance.
He will tell you that his love for Galva and its history has given him the energy and the skills to give several historic buildings a second chance as well. A master craftsman, he completed his first restoration of the old waterworks building on Center Avenue. He purchased it from the city in 2019. Spending many man hours of hard work, he sandblasted and reinforced the 130-year-old structure inside and out, restoring it to its original look.
Inside, an array of items such as gas pumps, vintage cars, advertising signs and Galva memorabilia greets visitors. His large collection of McDonalds memorabilia fills one entire section, many in their original size.
A testament to the magnitude of the project, and in honor of his great grandfather, Robert Kewish, who immigrated to Galva from the Isle of Man, a 20-foot fiberglass Manx Viking poses outside the building. Named King Orry, the statue’s shield displays the Manx symbol and the name of his main business, Kewish Concrete. King Orry greets visitors to the area and gives Amtrak passengers a treat as they travel through town.
His second venture was to restore the former City Services gas station located on the curve of West Division Street. Years ago, it was converted to a private residence and Kewish did a complete restoration of the building, returning it to its original 1923 look.
Careful attention to detail brought back the style of that time, complete with a glass windowed garage door, vintage gas pumps and original brick siding. It is now a busy bed and breakfast rental, known as Cozy Corner Gas Station.
Never without a project, he purchased the former Grace Methodist Church on Southeast Second Street. Built in 1867, Kewish views the building as a historic jewel and one of his best purchases. Currently used by community groups for meetings and parties, he is mulling over different ideas for the structure. He also has revived several houses in town, including his own, adding rentals to the properties he maintains.
“They were going to be demolished, and I couldn’t let that happen,” he said.
A busy concrete worker, he wasn’t into collections in the beginning.
“All of this started when I found a 1939 Chevy truck in a barn twenty years ago,” says Kewish. “I thought I would buy an old gas pump and a sign or two to go next to it and my collecting took off from there.”
The young entrepreneur often travels with American Pickers, Robbie and Frank, and has been searching with them all over the U.S.
“We have been from Arizona to Maine, with several trips to Pennsylvania,” he said. Together, the trio finds a wealth of antique treasures in barns, sheds and makeshift warehouses where many end up in his waterworks building. Featured in magazines such as Smoke Signals, a Pontiac Car Magazine, he sponsors warm weather car cruises with friend John Wirth. “I hope to expand that venture if and when time allows.”
When the Freedom Fest Committee members Melissa Halsall and Annette Smith approached him about being the grand marshal, he admits to being a bit surprised.
“When these women told me that they wanted me recognized for the hard work I’ve put into restoring so much of Galva’s history, it was an honor I was not expecting.” He added that it felt good to know that people noticed the things he has done.
He admits that his projects require a lot of work and long hours. But it doesn’t appear that he will slow down any time soon.
“I love the challenge,” he says, adding, “Saving history is my passion, and I want to help Galva be remembered.”
Giving parts of the city a second chance is labor. Obviously, a labor of love for Aaron Kewish.
