2021 marks 53 years since Gordonsville resident and Southside Lions Club member, Hollis Blair, constructed what is known as the ‘Gordonsville Cross’. Blair has overseen the maintenance of the cross since it was erected in October of 1968.
In recent years, Blair has trained fellow Southside Lions Club member, Drew Apple, on how to change the bulbs and maintain the cross.
The cross stands 14 feet tall and 10 feet wide and consists of 57 large bulbs. It was originally built out of 2×6 redwood boards but in 1973 a tornado came through the area and broke the cross. After the storm cleared, Blair got with the late Holland “Tudy” Smith at Bonnell Aluminum to get some aluminum braces to support the cross structure. To this day, the cross still stands strong with the original redwood braced by aluminum angles.
See video below of Southside Lions Club member, Drew Apple, changing bulbs on the cross on November 26, 2021: 
