Relaxing Retreat
Koi pond brings peaceful presence and fun new fish friends
Kelsey Tish,
FNP-C Family Practice
Brooks, ARNP FNP-C Specialty Pediatrics
Our roots were established as far back as the 1920s. The providers of Newton Clinic have been caring for this community for more than 80 years.
We want to make you better when you are sick, keep you healthy when you are well, help you grow your family when a little one is on the way, and help you say goodbye in peace when your journey is done. Future
Our clinic continues to grow to meet your needs. Whether you want a male provider or a female one, a new graduate or a veteran doc, we have the right health-care provider for you.
Every patient has a choice. Thank you for turning to Newton Clinic. Thank you for letting us treat you...like family.
Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, 9 a.m.-noon Same-day appointments always available! (641) 792-2112 • 300 N. 4th Ave. E., Newton www.newtonclinic.com www.facebook.com/newtonclinic
Steve Hill, M.D. Family Practice
T. Y. Chan, D.O. Internal Medicine
Orville Bunker, M.D. Family Practice
Min Pak, M.D. Family Practice
Mureema Solberg, M.D. Family Practice
Zack Alexander, M.D., CCD Family Practice
Andrew Cope, D.O. Family Practice
Duane Jolivette, M.D. Family Practice
Nicole Ferguson, D.O. Family Practice
Luke Perrin, M.D. Family Practice
Tara Gravenstine, M.D. Family Practice
Michael
Dr. Ben Schwab D.O. Family Practice
ARNP,
Jodi Holloway. ARNP, FNP-C Family Practice
Laurie Siddall, ARNP, FNP-C Family Practice
Dr. Zach Bliek Podiatrist
Dr. Patrick Cogley Family Practice
Dr. Dennis Dornbier OBGYN
Dr. Sydney Rice D.O. Family Practice
Kenzie Huyser DNP, ARNP, FNP-C Family Practice
Design by Jamee A. Pierson Editor
Hive & Petal owner Catherine Schut brings her passion for connection and sustainability to her growing flower farm
About a decade ago, Catherine Schut started down a path that would bloom into a successful business and ongoing process of learning and growing along with her land. Hive & Petal, a boutique flower farm dedicated to growing florals, is the product of a lot of hard work and passion for building a sustainable organically inspired farm.
“I’m the type of person who likes to have projects lined up, things to do, things to keep me busy,”
Schut said. “We were looking for a way to continue to add value to the property and I love growing beautiful things.”
Her journey started when she and her husband, Paul, purchased a 100-year-old acreage near Prairie City with “good bones” in need of restoration. Through many surprises, trials, errors and plenty of successes, she now has fruitful flower gardens and busy bees, along with her friendly farm cats and talk-
ative chickens.
“In the beginning, having space like this, it was really hard to envision what it would be like because we bought this property as is. We took on a lot of the history and unknowns,” Schut said. “One of our biggest problems was almost one of the acres was completely concrete.”
Little did the couple know that in a different life, an area of their
Kellogg couple finds peace and relaxation with a backyard koi pond, despite the labor that comes with owning one
Harvey and Sandy Olsthoorn are at peace when they’re at home, and that is partly due to the relaxing sounds coming from a small waterfall in their backyard and the brightly colored fish swimming in their private pond. It’s even affixed with a porch swing and a small side table that is just perfect for a glass of wine.
The couple lives in their own personal paradise in rural Iowa, and during the summer they spend their days outside enjoying the sights and sounds of their own koi pond. While certainly not plentiful here in Jasper County, koi ponds are not totally uncommon. They take a lot of work, but the Olsthoorns say it’s worth it.
Their pond was built in July 2007. Back then they only wanted it so they could have a small waterfall in their backyard and create a relaxing atmosphere. The sounds of flowing water make their secluded Kellogg home all the more cozy. In the summers, the Olsthoorns spend nearly every meal outside.
“I love waterfalls,” Sandy said. “Always have. If we go on a trip and I find there is a waterfall that I can go see, I’m going to go see it.”
Harvey added, “When we went to Hawaii, they had a pond there with like 10 different pools, and each pool was a different height so there were waterfalls. The biggest one was like 10 feet at the very bottom. And
they had koi in there that were 20 to 24 inches long. And they were beautiful.”
It was so calming being around those tropical pools and seeing the flashes of orange and white scales. Maybe they could bring that happiness home to Jasper County, Iowa. Of course they knew they didn’t want a 10-foot waterfall, but they could certainly design a more modest and scaled down version for themselves.
However, the koi wouldn’t get integrated into the pond until a couple of years later. Sandy and Harvey had a friend in Lambs Grove who had a pond of their own with goldfish. He told them that whenever they got their pond built to give him a call and he’d give them a couple of fish to stock it with.
Two days after the pond was finished, their friend brought two, five-gallon buckets full of moderately sized goldfish. One of them was about 16 inches long. Sandy recalled how their friend went on and on about how great it was to have a pond full of goldfish. I love my pond! I sit out there alldaylong!
Sandy nodded her head politely.
“He starts telling me some of the names he had for some of the fish,” she said. “I went, ‘Oh… OK.’ But you know what? Now I’ve got names for my fish, too!”
Originally, they only had goldfish in the pond. They had talked about adding koi
for some time, but it was always so expensive. When they found out the local Theisen’s was selling them for cheap, they wasted no time in securing their koi. They ordered three koi to start. It wasn’t long before they multiplied.
The waters were full of giant and beautiful orange fish. But it takes work to keep it that way. In the wintertime, the water must be aerated or else the fish will die. Harvey and Sandy keep the water pumps flowing throughout the ice and snow storms. Solar panels help alleviate those energy costs.
In order to properly maintain their koi pond, the Olsthoorns deep clean it every spring. It requires them to transfer all the fish to a big stock tank — which gets its own waterfall, of course — and then they power wash the pond surface to get rid of any buildup. It can take days for them to clean their pond.
“Every year we take out at least 70 fish — sometimes almost 100 fish,” Harvey said. “Some of them are really small. But we’ve got some big ones.”
The biggest one of all is a koi named Tiger, named for the striped pattern on his scales. He was a “gift” from a family member who couldn’t keep Tiger around other fish since he had a habit of eating them.
Camp one, camp all — RV at Quarry Springs Park now open for campers
Summer is here and there is no better time to load up the RV and try out a new camping site. RV@QSP the new RV campground at Quarry Springs Park in Colfax is open for business and everyone involved with the project can’t wait to see people pull in, hook up and enjoy everything the park has to give.
“We are very excited,” Quarry Spring Park Board Vice President Kimberly Seebeck said.
The RV campground, which has been in the works for several years, got a big boost when the Iowa Economic Development Authority announced in 2022 the recreation area was awarded $400,000 for improvements to the park. The funds helped make RV@QSP a reality
along with a modern shower house and bathrooms and an ADA-accessible dock.
The RV campground includes 40 sites and a restroom/shower facility at the park. Each site has 30 & 50 amp electric hook-up, a fire ring and picnic table. Potable water spigots for filling tanks are available on site and the camp host can help with use. A dump station is available for use by paying campers. It is $10/dump for non-campers.
RV camping is $40/night unless otherwise posted. The camping season will run from May 15 through Oct. 31.
Primitive camping is also available and will continue to be $15/night for all standard campsites except site 7 which is for large group camping
and $30/night. Self-registration for those campsites is available near the entrance of the primitive campground.
Primitive campsites are restricted to tent camping or pull behind campers under 15 feet in length that do not require hook up.
“There are many folks that have helped us get in here including the city staff, mayor and council and our own Col-
fax Park and Rec Board,” Seebeck said. “This park has so much potential. This project will provide steady revenue that will allow us to continue to make other improvements.”
For more information about booking an RV campsite or on Quarry Springs Park, visit www.quarryspringspark.com. — Jamee A. Pierson
Quarry Springs Park RV camp sites have many amenities including electric hook-ups, a restroom/shower facility, access to the many park activities such as fishing, kayaking, hiking and more!
Can you introduce yourself and tell us a little about your background in Newton?
My name is George Sorensen and I’m the CEO of the Newton YMCA. I was born in upstate New York and grew up in Neptune Beach, Fla. My wife and I both met in Jacksonville; we both worked at the Y. We were girlfriend and boyfriend, and she took a job in Tampa, Fla. at the Y, so I followed her down there. Got married and lived there for about 10 years. Then we moved to Wichita. She actually worked for the Y in Wichita, and I opened a health and wellness center called Opti-Life. For about the first five years I was doing that project and then went back to work for the Y. The last five years in Wichita I opened a YMCA on the campus at Wichita State University and then worked for an established Y the last two-and-a-half years. My wife wanted to take a step back and be more of a mom to the kids, so I’ve always wanted to see what that next level of being a CEO would be like and started to look around. Then I found this opportunity. The Y is a cornerstone in this community, and it reminded me a lot of where I grew up in Neptune Beach because we had our own city council and our own mayor and police officers and firefighters and our own high school. I wanted to see my kids in that type of city, so when they offered me the job we snatched it
up and here we are.
It sounds like the YMCA has been a big part of your life. Can you tells us more about your experience with those facilities?
Interestingly enough where I grew up in Neptune Beach we didn’t have a Y. So I didn’t know much about the Y until I stepped into one to interview for a job. I quickly realized it aligned with my core, which was really to help people but then also be involved with athletics. How can I have a better job than to do those two things? The Y is much more than that though. We’re building a community, starting with childcare at six months old and all the way to centenarians. We impact a whole lot of different demographics in people. As I kind of got into the Y, that’s really in my DNA. I want to help people and see people be healthy and fit. I want to be able to be an encouragement to young kids and people maybe past their prime and still wanting to have quality life. I had a couple different jobs at the Y in Jacksonville, Fla. I was associate membership director. I was a membership director. Then I became a program director over youth sports and aquatics and adult sports. Then I became a branch director. I did a little bit of everything there. Then I went to Tampa and spent 10 years doing pretty much the same thing … Then I was able
to do what I did with the Wichita Ys. I’ve had a lot of great experiences. How have those experiences helped you here in Newton?
I actually think the one experience that really has helped transition into this role the best is the Opti-Life position. Even though it was a for-profit, we were raising money — capital dollars — to build that facility, and we were building a staff team from the ground up. It’s also setting the foundation for what Opti-Life was. So putting standard operating procedures together, things that you have to go out and research your insurance and all the things that make a business run. So being at this level of a CEO, all those things are on my plate. I have to make sure I understand all of those pieces. I was able to do that and get a different perspective sitting in that seat at Opti-Life that I can transition to here. Are there a lot of differences between the YMCA in Newton and those in Wichita or Jacksonville?
There are! I would say the biggest difference is they are what you call an association. So you have a home office and then surrounding branches. Wichita, for example, there is a home office and then 11 Ys, and then childcare is separate from that. Whereas, we’re a singular location
Complete in a basket with fries, Benola’s tenderloin has rich flavor and just a little extra on the bun to make it a filling meal. A gem of Baxter, Benola’s knows how to make a memorable tenderloin.
The tenderloin capital of Jasper County. No matter is sure to be a tasty
Voted Iowa’s Best Breaded Tenderloin in 2009 by the Iowa Pork Producers, the best known sandwich on Goldie’s menu is without a doubt the tenderloin. Two meals in one, the tenderloin is large and in charge and makes the shop in Prairie City a destination location.
Iowa? That might just be where you travel, there tenderloin on the menu.
It may be Iowa’s Best Burger Cafe, but the Kellogg roadside restaurant has a tenderloin that will make you wonder if the shop has the right name. Don’t miss out the next time you’re traveling down I-80.
Craving your favorite Iowa State Fair tenderloin but can’t wait until August?
Head to Maid-Rite in Newton for Chuckies Famous Breaded Pork
Tenderloin, a staple of the state fair and available everyday at Maid-Rite.
Book Trader Tan America
property had been used as a cattle lot and farrowing house. After years of no use, the lots started to get covered with soil. By the time they took over as owners, the area looked like fertile land.
“It had beautiful tall grass and we just thought it needed mowed,” Schut said. “One day I went out to dig and stuck something into the ground and heard a thunk. I was just like ‘Oh, no.’”
The hurdle took a while to get over with chunks of concrete removed as the couple worked on the property. Once the area was cleared, Schut could get to work planning out her future flower farm.
“Year by year, this space is turning into my dream flower farm,” Schut said. “At the peak of the season, my field is brimming with seasonal florals. A lot of my flowers are highly aromatic. I like it and my bees like it.”
In developing the farm she has taken an active interest in make it sustainable and using eco-friendly materials.
“I’m committed to sustainability on my three-acre farm,” Schut said. “I prioritize soil health, pollinators and plant care to
Cont. 11 Cont. 5
and considered an independent. Everything kind of falls under one umbrella here. All those things that I just mentioned, we’re trying to influence those here. Which is great! You have a little bit more, I don’t want to say control, but you do. We’re in a smaller footprint so if we had multiple other locations we’d be stepping on each other a whole lot more. Independent life there is a little more pressure because there isn’t as big of a safety net. So the Manatt family making a large donation to this Y has helped this Y be able to be sustainable and also think towards the future and what that looks like. Part of that is my job now — mine and the board’s — to continue to remain a cornerstone in the community. What is the YMCA’s role during the summertime? It feels like we see more activity this time of the year.
One of the things the Y does is we’re able to cross a lot of different demographics. The Y is about family. How do we continue to add value to a family membership or a family experience?
produce top-quality florals using organic inspired growing methods.”
It’s a choice that not only benefits her land but also her other passion — her bees.
“I’m not only a flower farmer, I’m also a beekeeper. My resident beehives thrive on the farm, sharing my passion for flowers,” Schut said. “The honeybees happily buzz from bloom to bloom in my fields, collecting nectar and pollen. Blooms that don’t meet my quality standards provide food for the bees, who, in turn, reward us with their delicious honey.”
The blooms that do make the cut are used in her floral business. Schut currently provides high-quality floral bunches to designers in about a 30-mile radius of her home to be used for their businesses. It is her hope one day to be able to invite the public to her farm to pick their own flowers and enjoy everything she has built.
“The farm is now alive with activity. The bees buzz amongst the flowers, and free-range hens chase bugs and lay eggs,” Schut said. “It’s demanding work, but incredibly rewarding — I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
— Jamee A. Pierson
We’ve got childcare and youth sports and a pool and a gymnasium and the fitness center; a lot of different areas that we can connect that family. Summertime is a big time for us with camps. Moms and dads need to be able to go work, but they need to have affordable childcare that is in a safe environment. So the Y helps provide that for about 170 kids per day. Our goal would be to continue to grow that. We’re looking to expand that with a teen or tween age group that tends to get lost. We’ll be focusing on some programs this year that will start to incorporate that. It’s a marathon not a sprint, so we have to figure out what that looks like year over year and how that actually applies to this building and what the future of this building might look like as it relates to those things. That’s really what’s kind of happening right now. That sounds exciting!
It is! It’s super exciting! In Opti-Life, you’d come in with a clean slate and kind of create whatever you wanted. Here, the core values of what a YMCA is are here. But we’re in an ever-changing world and things change on a day-by-day basis. So
trying to predict the future is a little bit hard. But we know that those core values aren’t going to go away. So how do we expand upon those and maybe take advantage of those things that maybe haven’t happened in the past that will enhance what we do? I think a lot of that is really going to wrap around just collective impact, which is how we work within the dynamic of the city and working collaborative efforts with them. We had a meeting with KOA about some camping stuff that we can do in the future, and maybe even a little bit this year. We already have some childcare in the school district, so how do we expand upon those kinds of things? Resources are tight for everybody. Our goal is how do we become a key player? We don’t have to be the leader by any stretch, but how do we support? How do we come together to collectively impact the community? Those are some of the things we’ve been talking about, and I think some of those things will start to happen this summer. But it’s really a long-term play.
— Christopher Braunschweig
Whether
Anytime
Harvey and Sandy took him in to live in their pond where he wasn’t the biggest fish in the sea anymore. Or, rather, pond.
Nowadays, he is definitely the biggest fish in the pond. And it’s not because he kept eating the other fish. No, no. Harvey and Sandy kept him well fed enough that he wouldn’t snack on his fellow pond dwellers anymore. He
developed a taste for vegetarian dog food. It’s what all the koi eat. They can’t get enough.
Even with all the labor that goes into keeping a koi pond, the Olsthoorns can’t imagine their home without it.
“It’s a lot of work, but you reap the benefits,” Sandy said. “…And I’ve got my swing and my little wine table there. With the fish and waterfalls there, it’s very relaxing.”
— Christopher Braunschweig
Front row: Kristen Reeves, Jack Reeves
Back row: Tanner Spurlin, Tim Clark, Sonny Swank, Hilary Swank, Jaden Reeves, Evan Husak, Carl Cable
HOUSEHOLD LIQUIDATION
About 1950 it was “completely modernized both inside and out.” A 21’10”x30’ masonry and wood addition was made to the north side of the building at an estimated cost of $2,000 in 1956. In 1959, the front entrance of the building was altered. The Newton Daily News considered Bond’s “one of the most modern clothing stores in the state.”
them for 50 years.
Steve Rooker worked at the store from 1974 through 1978 during the summer while a college student. He was impressed that McPherren “would bend over backwards to take care of customers. Nights, weekends, whatever it took.”
In 1911, Reece Bond (18771957), a native of Monroe, came to Newton from Reasnor, where he managed the Roberts store. Starting in 1912, he clerked in the Fred A. Jones Clothing Co. in the C. M. Hinsdale block, 200 N. 2nd Ave. W., working his way up to manager.
On September 26, 1917, Bond purchased the stock of clothing owned by Jones & Williams, of Albia, Iowa, doing business as The Bell Clothiers. He was manager of the store ever since this firm bought it of Fred Jones in 1916. This was the beginning of The Bond Clothing Co.
“My ambition and aim will be always strictly dependable merchandise in right assortments, right styles, and with right courteous treatment as well as fair and honest prices to all,” Bond announced in the Newton Record on September 27, 1917.
“In behalf of the outgoing firm I want so [sic] thank our friends for the liberal support
and patronage we have enjoyed with you and to earnestly ask a continuance of these pleasant relations in the future.”
On January 1, 1927, William Ronald “Ron” McPherren (1900-1987), Bond’s son-inlaw, who had come to Newton in 1923 from Villisca, Iowa, purchased the interest of Jones. The firm moved to 122 N. 2nd Ave. W. in 1932.
In March 1934, McPherren bought out the interest held by J. Williams, and on May 1, 1945, he purchased Bond’s holdings in the firm. From that time until he retired February 1, 1980 he was sole owner and operator of the business.
Bond’s was the first downtown business to have installed a burglar alarm, in 1936.
Steve Rooker, who started working weekends at the store while a senior at Newton High School, was impressed that the business “made it through the depression.” He noted that McPherren was “very active in relief efforts.”
McPherren was Jasper County War Bond chairman during World War II.
The store was remodeled twice in the decade prior to the Newton Centennial (1957).
“By offering quality at fair price we have become one of the leading men’s clothing stores in this section,” McPherren wrote in 1952. “We invite your patronage. You’ll find a welcome and quality men’s wear always.”
The staff at that time was comprised of W. R. McPherren, owner; Ole Nelson, assistant manager and display man; Pete Paschal, accountant; and Bob Johns, Paul White, and Fred Wiklund, salesmen.
“It was a classy place operated with an incredible amount of experience and professional knowledge,” Dave Boyd, a salesman at Bond’s from 1970 to 1973, commented recently on social media.
In response to a comment that Bond’s was the best place to buy Levi’s, Boyd replied, “Funny the number of people who would drive to Des Moines for sales when we had [the] same items on the shelf every day at lower prices!”
He recalled that McPherren had a contract with the Daily News to run X inches of ads every week that featured Levi’s regularly but still customers coming in for something else would claim they didn’t know Bond’s had the blue jeans.
Boyd also remembered that McPherren had a plaque from Florsheim Shoes recognizing him for doing business with
Rooker, who now lives in the Twin Cities, remembered Conrad Bock, a lifelong resident of Newton who was a staple at Bond’s for years.
A longtime clothier who clerked at Wormhoudt’s before joining the Army in World War II, Bock came to work at Bond’s in 1956. Starting as a salesman, he soon became the store’s display manager.
Rooker recalled that Bock “was in charge of the Maytag Red Carpet Uniforms on the 2nd floor.”
Rooker also worked with White, Wiklund, and Gary Wallace. He said Steve Godwin “filled in” at Christmastime. Andy Rooker, Steve’s brother, also worked for the company after 1978.
I recall Gary Wallace calling me up to tell me he’d found something at the store that he thought I’d be interested in: boxes of undyed union suits (!). For the uninitiated union suits were a type of onepiece long underwear, most often associated with menswear in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Interested? Absolutely!
Wallace said McPherren was about the best boss he ever had.
In 1980, the store became Kaput-McAdams Ltd., Don McAdams, president, and Roger Kaput, secretary-treasurer and store manager, complete line of men’s and young men’s quality clothing.
By Larry Hurto Newton Historic Preservation Commission & Main Street Design Committee
Avery Wilson Collection, Newton Public Library
The A.C. Bollhoefer building is shown as the Bond Clothing Co. building.
