Thursday, February 23, 2012
6C
Pride &Progress
Clarinda Middle School music students look at Glenn Miller’s trombone, on display at the Glenn Miller Birthplace Museum in Clarinda, during a field trip to the museum earlier this school year. Providing music educational opportunities to area school districts is one area museum and Glenn Miller Birthplace Society officials are hoping to expand their offerings in the coming years.
Museum provides tourism, economic boost to community
Plans to begin raising funds for Phase II of museum development to be launched soon BOB ESCHLIMAN Publisher
What would it be like in Clarinda if Glenn Miller hadn’t been born here? It’s a question Glenn Miller Birthplace Society president Marvin Negley often asks himself. The answer usually leaves him feeling blessed that the community can lay claim to a small piece of the American legend’s story. “If he hadn’t been born here, there would be no reason for the Glenn Miller festival,” he said. “And, there have been a lot of wonderful things that have happened in Clarinda as a result.” Like the thousands of visitors from around the world who have come to Clarinda to celebrate the life and music of Glenn Miller. And from those many visits came relationships with friends from all across the world, including “Bill Baker” from the Netherlands. Like the piqued interest of one Japanese business man, Hideomi Aoki, who so fell in love with Clarinda and the Glenn Miller Festival after one visit that he decided to call the community his second home. And from that relationship launched other relationships with our friends in Japan: the Sister City relationship with Tamana City, the biennial visits from the Tamana Girls High School Band, and the student exchange program between Tamana Girls High School and Clarinda High School. And, without a Alton “Glenn” Miller to celebrate, there certainly would be no
reason to build a Glenn Miller Birthplace Museum, which brings hundreds of visitors to Clarinda each year. “We’re truly blessed to have this opportunity, as a community,” Negley said. Ground was broken on that museum at the opening of the 2009 Glenn Miller Festival. And, the finished facility was opened to the public one year later at the 2010 festival. With a number of static displays, including photos, vinyl records and sheet music, and memorabilia from Glenn Miller’s musical career, Phase I of the museum project was quickly completed. But, Negley and museum director Dwight Sump believe the time is quickly approaching to launch the second phase of the museum’s development. “We don’t have an active fund drive at this point, but it’s something we will be launching down the road,” Negley said. “We will probably start writing grants at the first of next year.” He said when writing grant applications, it’s helpful to show the museum is providing some of the funding on its own. He put an estimated price tag for Phase II at roughly $250,000, of which about 90 percent could come from grants. “But if someone would like to donate the whole amount right now, I don’t think we would turn it away,” Sump joked. Negley said a batch of grant applications were written a little more than a year ago, which were highly competitive and provided plenty of useful feedback
for future grant-writing opportunities. But Sump pointed out the museum is always accepting donations. “A lot of what we’re looking at were things we didn’t do when we initially opened the museum because they were too expensive,” Negley said. “We’ve been working with the Robert Bodnar Company in Omaha, and they have already done some preliminary work on Phase II. So, we already have some ideas in mind for what we would like to do.” Phase II of the museum project will entail a number
of new static displays, as well as some new, high-end additions. Negley said the museum would like to be able to include some “white statue” displays, as well as some computerized interactive displays. Ultimately, the goal is to attract a younger generation of music fans to come and learn about the roots of today’s popular music sound. The challenge is that many of the younger generation may have heard Glenn Miller or “big band” music, but haven’t connected the name with the music. That’s where Negley thinks interactive displays will be most useful. “They could play a song and then guess its name,” he said. “Or, they could pick a song title and simply listen to the song to help them make the connection.”
Some areas of intended expansion include delving deeper into Miller’s early band days, before he became a national sensation. And, the museum is looking for an opportunity to display some of its memorabilia from his final days in the military. “We have an Air Force uniform that has been donated to us by a military group out of Omaha,” Negley said. “It includes all of the medals and ribbons he had earned through his military service.” “We need to be able to attract visitors from a long ways off,” Negley said. “ W e have to have a museu m people a r e talking about – w e have to be that good.” “We’re off to a good start,” he added, “but we’re going to be even better if we’re able to raise the funds.” Another challenge the museum faces is its location. Clarinda is not situated in close proximity to an Interstate highway, which is where most highly successful museums are located. So, the museum must work doubly hard to attract visitors who are on the road. One way they hope to do that in the coming months is through the installation of highway information signs along U.S. Highway 71 and Iowa Highway 2. “We once had a couple of women come in from North Dakota. They were just taking their time, driving across the Midwest, and
stopped uptown,” Negley said. “Now, if there were other people like them out there, who see our sign, they’re already in their car, so it’s much easier to swing in and stop by. They’re already almost here.” To do that, the Iowa DOT requires a certain level of attendance already be achieved by the attraction. Sump said he was already in discussions with DOT officials about getting those signs up. Another way the museum is working to promote its offerings to tourism groups is by partnering with other community attractions to develop group travel opportunities. And, the museum continues to put out marketing materials in a wide area in an effort to draw visitors. “Attendance will start picking up against in the spring,” Sump said. “And, we’ll have hundreds of people here just for the Glenn Miller Festival.” While some would judge the museum’s success through its paid attendance numbers, Sump quickly pointed out the museum offers a larger service to the community, as well. “We host a number of meetings, and family gatherings, and a host of other activities, like the regular legislative briefings,” he said. “We also have a church youth group that meets here every week, and the museum would be a wonderful option for local piano teachers to host their recitals.” Negley said he’s most appreciative of the support the community has shown to both the museum and the Glenn Miller Birthplace Society over the years. “We’re known all over the world now because of this,” he said. “It’s a great thing we’re developing here.”
Lied: 2011 was biggest year yet for center Continued from 3C help with rainwater drainage so summer games can be rescheduled and played on a timelier basis. With tennis season just around the corner, athletes can practice without a partner thanks to a tennis rebounder area that was built and added to the west tennis court. The inside of the Lied Center has seen numerous improvements as well, from a new flat roof above the lobby to a sanded and newly finished gym floor. The gymnasium also received a new air conditioner and the locker room doors leading into the pool were replaced with new fiber glass doors to prevent rusting in the future. With all of that accomplished, there’s still much more on Pullen’s to-do list. He has plans to modernize the barbeque grills in the
city parks and replace the playground-area wood chips with recycled rubber chips. He would like to lay new flooring and paint the walls and ceilings in the west locker rooms, replace the dome roof over the pool and purchase a new treadmill as well as a new recumbent bike. The carpeted floors in the group fitness room were replaced with hardwood flooring when Group Fitness director Sara Bridie implemented the eleven weekly classes that are now bringing many new faces to the Lied Center each day. Since their start two years ago, Group Fitness classes have continued to provide a fun and friendly environment to Lied Center patrons, members and nonmembers, who like to challenge themselves with hourlong workouts. Having already imple-
mented organized workouts for adults, the Lied Center staff looked into starting a new program for the youth this past winter. Clarinda high school coaches worked with Pullen to coordinate fourth through sixth grade basketball teams, bringing traveling teams from surrounding school districts to the Lied Center in late January for an all-day tournament. “People from out of town come in [to the Lied Center] and are surprised by all that we have,” Pullen said. The Lied Center currently holds 703 memberships, up from 678 at the end of 2011, with patrons coming from 23 different communities as far away as Farragut, Red Oak, Corning, Bedford and Burlington Junction. The 2011 calendar year was the biggest year for revenue, Pullen said, as the Lied Center brought in nearly $324,000.
In January, the Lied Center hosted a youth basketball tournament that brought people from throughout the region to Clarinda. Based on current membership levels, the Lied Center regularly serves residents from 23 different communities in Iowa, Nebraska, and Missouri.
“A lot of what we’re looking at were things we didn’t do when we initially opened the museum because they were too expensive. We’ve been working with the Robert Bodnar Company in Omaha, and they have already done some preliminary work on Phase II. So, we already have some ideas in mind for what we would like to do.” Marvin Negley GMBS President