BITES&SITES SITES SCAVENGER HUNT US POSTAGE PAID DECORAH, IA PERMIT #6
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www.driftlessjournal.com | news@driftlessjournal.com | 563-382-4221 | Tuesday, September 19, 2023 | Vol. 5 Issue 38
A life of loves leads to the collection of a lifetime [of memories] memories] Boyd Wasson and his
By Denise Lana
tractor collection.
special
George Bernard Shaw once said, “We don’t stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing.” Decorah resident Boyd Wasson must have modeled his life after this mantra. At 87, Wasson is as much a child as he ever was, with his enviable collection of antique tractors and a self-designed and hand-built electric train in his family room.
Wa s s o n was one of three brothers who grew up working the family’s traditional cornand-beans, hogs-andcattle farm. As a young boy, he was intrigued by all things mechanical, dismantling old lawn mowers, clocks, anything within his grasp. “I was five or six when I started taking things apart – I even
Edition
took apart my mother’s watch that was a graduation gift, but I never put it back together,” Wasson reminisced. “I was completely unaware of its significance.” As he grew older and began driving the tractors on the farm, he would perform all the mechanical work on them. Merely a means of transportation, the tractors were simply a means to an end in Wasson’s eyes. After going away to college and majoring in industrial arts, his loves expanded to wood and metal working, machine
shop, drafting, electricity and electronics. In his words, he majored in “being a Jack-of-alltrades and a master of none.” He soon met and married Trudy Sondrol, a “Jill-of-alltrades” in her own right. She ran a thriving dressmaking business while he taught high school electronics classes. He moved on to become a shop teacher and technical writer at Collins Radio, while Trudy began winning various blue ribbons with her rosemaling prowess and quilting talents. She also collected Porsgrund Norwegian
porcelain plates and pewter plates and dining ware. Together, husband and wife then dove into the real estate business for nearly two decades, but Trudy never stopped painting and quilting. Trudy passed in 2009, and in 2012 Boyd moved to Decorah and started collecting tractors. “It takes me back to the farm,” explained Wasson. “I like tinkering with them, there is always something that needs attention.” With a quiver in his voice, Wasson’s eyes fill with tears
as he continued, “Sometimes I will find a hill in town, drive my tractor up there and listen to the tractor bellow. It’s loud, but it’s a thrill. I love the sound.” Walking through his house, one can’t help but be overwhelmed by the multitude of lavishly painted wooden pieces that decorate each wall, Trudy’s swirling signature painted at the bottom of each one. Wasson’s kitchen is framed by the
Collection
continued on page 6
Vesterheim opens new Commons Building with week-long celebration Vesterheim, the National Norwegian-American Museum and Folk Art School on Water Street in Decorah will celebrate the opening of the new Commons Building with numerous activities Sept. 23-Oct. 1, both on-site and online. There will be free museum admission this entire week. A public dedication of the Commons will be held Saturday, Sept. 30, at 1:30 p.m., on Water Street in front of the Commons Building. There will be a ribbon cutting and welcome presentations from the Norwegian architect firm Snøhetta and Vesterheim staff and trustees. Activities will follow throughout the campus from 2 to 4 p.m., with refreshments, tours and entertainment including Decorah’s Nordic Dancers, Eden Ehm on Hardanger fiddle and Luren Singers.
Other events On Saturday, Sept. 23, Norway’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Anniken Huitfeldt will visit Decorah in celebration of Vesterheim Commons and the rich legacy of Norwegian emigrants who came to America. She will give a public presentation and Q&A about Norway’s foreign policy objectives at 11:30 a.m., in the Noble Recital Hall in the Jensen-Noble Hall of Music on the Luther College Campus. The Minister of Foreign Affairs is responsible for Norwegian foreign policy, the promotion of Norway’s interests internationally and the foreign service, which includes 78 embassies, nine permanent missions and delegations and eight consulates general. Also on Sept. 23, the exhibit “A New York Minute: City Scenes by Bernhard Berntsen”
opens in the new gallery space on the second floor of Vesterheim Commons. Berntsen was a construction worker, sculptor and fine art painter who was born in Oslo in 1900 and immigrated to the United States in 1919. There are more than 150 oil paintings, crayon drawings and sculptures by Berntsen in the Vesterheim collection. For this first solo show of his work at Vesterheim, the focus will be on his sketches on newspaper and unique views of the growing metropolis of New York City. On Sept. 24 at 2 p.m., photographer Randall Hyman will give a Gallery Talk online for the exhibit “Sámi Dreams: Portraits of Resilience in the
Vesterheim
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The new 7,600 sq. ft. Vesterheim Commons Building physically links the past and the future – connecting the museum collection to the Folk Art School. Visit the new Commons Building during a week-long celebration beginning Saturday, Sept. 23. (submitted photo)
Emergency alerts for Winneshiek County residents There’s an app for that! By Kate Klimesh
to their family’s specific needs.
The “Ready Winneshiek County” app launched in early September and provides residents of Winneshiek County with critical information to help them prepare for, respond to and recover from local emergencies and disasters. Users can access upto-the-minute news, maps, videos, digital guides and more, and use a “Make Your Plan” module to build an emergency disaster plan tailored
Every second counts Winneshiek County Emergency Management Coordinator Sean Snyder posted the availability of the app on the Emergency Management Facebook page, reiterating that communication with county residents during an emergency is paramount to any disaster situation. The biggest problem when every second counts is being able to com-
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municate quickly with a large group of people in diverse areas of the county. Introducing the “Ready Winneshiek County” app. The app is available for free on both Apple and Android-based smartphones. Simply search for “Ready Winneshiek County” in Google Play or the App Store, download the app and follow the few initial instructions as prompted. That’s it...you’re all set for instant emergency communications.
For instance, did you know Winneshiek, Allamakee, Howard, Chickasaw and Fayette Counties are currently under an open burn ban due to the lack of rain this season? If you had the Ready Winneshiek County, you’d know! The Ready Winneshiek County app is a countywide resource tool. Inside
Alerts
continued on page 9
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