IHS basketball: Iola boys knock off Prairie View.
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THE IOLA REGISTER Locally owned since 1867
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
www.iolaregister.com
John Vogel, from left, Bill Walden and Jeannie Myers speak Tuesday at a Downtown Iola summit hosted by Thrive Allen County. REGISTER/SUSAN LYNN
Believing in downtown Brainstormers share views at summit By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
Ideas flowed like an open spigot Tuesday evening as a gathering of 120 or so of Iola’s greatest supporters brainstormed on how to sustain the downtown business district. The occasion was a Downtown Iola Summit, hosted by Thrive Allen County. The summit was prompted by the growing number of vacancies that have cropped up in the downtown business district. As of last week, Iola has 29 vacant storefronts within a block of the courthouse
Old car collection on display for ACHS By SHELLIE SMITLEY The Iola Register
The Car Barn Museum is the site of the The Winter 2017 meeting of the The Allen County Historical Society, Inc., at 2 p.m. Sunday. “It’s a loose schedule but we call it a meeting. Essentially it’s just going to be an open house,” Curator Kurtis Russell said. Renee Debler and Steve Bulk, volunteers at the barn, will provide tours, or visitors can walk around by themselves. The barn contains auSee CARS | Page A4
A large crowd fills the Allen County Courthouse for Tuesday’s Downtown Iola Summit. REGISTER/ SUSAN LYNN
square. Five years ago, there was not a single vacancy around the square, noted David Toland, chief executive officer of Thrive Allen County. Some of the vacancies occurred because the owners have retired, others have died or moved away, “and there were some business failures,” Toland said. “Those things happen.”
For comparison’s sake, there are 35 vacant storefronts in downtown Fort Scott, 42 in Chanute and 49 in Pittsburg. Columbus has 17 empties. While Toland noted most of those communities are larger than Iola, “this shows that our challenges aren’t necessarily unique.” Tuesday’s summit, essentially a two-hour brainstorming session, was in front of an
overflowing crowd jammed into the Allen County Courthouse downstairs assembly room. DESPITE the downtown vacancies, Iola still has 109 occupied storefronts in and around the square, most of which offer professional services (banks, for example), retail shops, insurance or law offices, non-profit venues,
hair salons, restaurants or government offices. Iola also has 850 housing units within a half mile of the square, allowing as many as 1,900 people to walk downtown at a moment’s notice. Add in U.S. 54, and it gives a golden opportunity for groups or businesses to reach out to those riding the 5,000 or so vehicles each day through the heart of Iola’s downtown, Toland said. Toland noted many in town don’t realize the strengths already in place, from the square’s distinctive Victorian architecture (“We’re used to it, but it is remarkable.”) to the cultural attractions, connections to recreational trails, and downtown’s designation as the largest town square in the country. “We’ve got it on a billboard,” Toland said. “But how can we take advantage of it?” Tuesday’s summit also See SUMMIT | Page A8
From here to Maine: Love and walking By RICK DANLEY The Iola Register
The novelist Martin Amis once described his lifelong friendship with fellow writer Christopher Hitchens like this: “My friendship with the Hitch has always been perfectly cloudless. It is a love whose month is ever May.” It’s a phrase that comes to mind when you meet the good-tempered Dewayne and Vicki Smith, whose sunny 22-year romance is refreshed every morning when they leave their home on North Jefferson and set out for the fast-paced walk that has been a staple of their union ever since they first met. Rain or shine, through high winds or snow, the See COUPLE | Page A4
Quote of the day Vol. 119, No. 72
Iolans Vicki and Dewayne Smith enjoy a brisk walk through downtown Iola Tuesday morning. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN
“I like coffee because it gives me the illusion that I might be awake.” — Lewis Black, comedian 75 Cents
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