The Iowan | May/June 2014 vol. 62 | no. 5

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Welcome to Iowa’s Front Porch!

Pull up a chair and stay awhile. Take in the view from our front porch and discover true Midwest hospitality on the banks of the Mighty Mississippi.

Relax and enjoy one of our world-class festivals, thriving music scene, museums, craft breweries, great shopping and delicious cuisine.

We’ve got it all right here. Our riverfront baseball stadium was named a top 10 place for a “baseball pilgrimage” by USA Today. Thanks to our RiverVision plan, Davenport won a national livable city award from the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

Welcome to Davenport. Whether coming to visit, work, play or live, you will find it all here on Iowa’s front porch.

Take in the view at www.iowasfrontporch.com or www.visitquadcities.com

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contents MAY / JUNE 2014

volume 62 | number 5 iowan.com

ON THE COVER: Kayaking at Charles City’s WhiteWater at Riverfront Park, page 36.

Photograph by Justin M.T. DeVore, ccwhitewater.com THIS PAGE: Tubing at Charles City’s WhiteWater at Riverfront Park.

Photograph by Justin M.T. DeVore, ccwhitewater.com

002-003 toc.indd 2

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Features 26 Brian Duffy

by Jennifer Wilson

Following a 25-year career at The Des Moines Register, Iowa’s dean of editorial cartoonists

continues to delight, to provoke, and to create.

36 Surf Iowa

by Dan Weeks Charles City: America’s most unexpected water sports destination — and a gem of a town.

46 Outdoor Wedding Venues

by Deb Wiley We pick 39 great Iowa locations for an outdoor wedding. Picturesque barns, gorgeous gardens, an indoor/outdoor chapel, idyllic vineyards, a restful resort, and more.

Departments 4

from the editor

5 letters

Questionable Calculations

8 travel

Day Trips and Seasonal Celebrations

16 garden

So Berry, Berry Good

18 food

One Berry, Two Berry, Red Berry, Blue Berry

22 home

Midcentury Obsession 57 made in Iowa

Press On! 66 Portfolio 76 flashback: 1954

Maple Sugar, Tulip Time, and Hedgerows 80 escapades

002-003 toc.indd 3

Crime and Confession

3/31/14 3:22 PM

from the editor

PROUDLY PUBLISHED AND PRINTED IN IOWA

Consistent, yet surprising The most interesting people are a bit of a paradox.

Publisher Polly Clark

Editor Dan Weeks

Creative Director Ann Donohoe

Senior Graphic Designer Megan Johansen

Image/Photo Specialist Jason Fort Copy Editor Gretchen Kauffman

They know who they are, but they’re not afraid

to try new things. They’re well grounded and

consistent, yet delight and surprise us with new interests and abilities.

That paradox is part of what makes them so worth knowing — and so much fun to be around.

Advertising Executives Kimberly Hawn

Ronda Jans Meghan Keller Tom Smull Becca Wodrich Circulation Manager Katrina Brocka Subscription Services Nate Brown

Iowa and Iowans are like that, too. We’ve found so many stories about what’s

both traditional and surprising about Iowa that we’ve come up with three new feature story types to highlight them. Look for these in this and future issues: RENAISSANCE IN PROGRESS stories feature ways Iowa is making the most of natural and man-made assets

RENAISSANCE (in progress)

reworked its formerly industrial riverscape into a nationaltubing, rafting, white water kayaking — even surfing.

IOWA’S BEST stories feature our pick of the finest

BEST

experiences Iowa has to offer. The destinations on page

IOWAN

IOWAN ICON stories are about people, places, or things

ICON

Jim Slife Twilla Glessner Accounting Manager Allison Volker CEO

Production Manager

to offer a great quality of life. Charles City, page 36, has award-winning water sports destination where you can go

IOWA’S

46 feature world-class locations for idyllic outdoor weddings.

that are, well, iconically Iowan. This issue, meet and get to know Brian Duffy, page 26, Iowa’s nationally renowned editorial cartoonist.

Do you know of a story that fits one of these definitions? Tell me about it!

I’m all ears.

Sincerely,

Dan Weeks, Editor editor@iowan.com

The Iowan, ISSN (0021-0772), is published bi-monthly by Pioneer Communications, Inc., 300 Walnut Street, Suite 6, Des Moines, Iowa 50309. This issue is dated May 1, 2014, Volume 62, No. 5. All content © 2014 The Iowan/Pioneer Communications, Inc., and may not be used, reproduced, or altered in any way without prior written permission.

Periodicals Postage Paid in Des Moines, Iowa, and at additional mailing offices. We cannot be held responsible for the loss or damage of unsolicited material. POSTMASTER: Send change of address to: The Iowan, 300 Walnut St., Suite 6, Des Moines, IA 50309.

Prices: Subscriptions — Special rate when ordered direct or by mail: six issues per year for $24. International orders require additional postage. Please call for rates.

Single copies — on newsstands: $4.95; current issue by mail: $4.95 plus $3.50 S+H. Please call for quantity discount pricing.

Single past issues 2005 to present: $5.95 plus S+H, two for $9.95 plus S+H; prior to 2005: $14.95 plus S+H. New Subscriptions, Renewals, Gifts: iowan.com > SUBSCRIBE subscribe@pioneermagazines.com 877-899-9977 x211 Change of Address: iowan.com> CONTACT > Address Change subscribe@pioneermagazines.com 877-899-9977 x211 Past Issues: subscribe@pioneermagazines.com 877-899-9977 x211 Mail Orders: The Iowan Subscription Services P.O. Box 2516, Waterloo, IA 50704 Advertising Information: 515-246-0402 x202 or 877-899-9977 x202 advertising@iowan.com iowan.com Proudly printed in Iowa 10% PCW Paper Made in the USA

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THE IOWAN | iowan.com

3/31/14 3:36 PM

letters A TREAT What a treat it was to read your editor’s letter about the pop garden.

QUESTIONABLE CALCULATIONS

THE DAY THE LIGHTS CAME ON

I can understand the desire to

In response to your request to those

That is a great story! The whole issue

favorably compare a vacation in Iowa

of us who remember when the lights

is filled with great ideas for Iowa

with one in the Caribbean. But in

came on: In 1949 I was finishing my

travel, and the map with page locators

her calculations on page 45 of the

fourth year of high school at Ottumwa

is a fabulous idea — very

January/February 2014 issue, Ms. Barz

Heights Academy in Ottumwa when

useful to plan a road

seems to have gilded the lily more

my mother called me to tell me the

trip or incorporate

than a little bit. Ms. Barz could have

big news. She was so excited. It was

additional stops to an

made a comparison very favorable to

a great day for the farmers of Monroe

already planned trip.

Iowa even without apparently playing

County. My father, John Carr, was a

Great job —

fast and loose with the figures. The

member of the R.E.A. for years and

you rock!

—M.J. Caswell Des Moines

difference in travel times alone is

spent many hours informing the

compelling. It is also clear that the

neighbors of the benefits of rural

Caribbean vacation would have had

electricity.

to cost more than the stay at The Raj,

—Mary A. Carr Moore Scottsdale, Arizona

although only perhaps three times as

INCREDIBLY DUMB IDEA I was stunned when I tried to remove

much instead of the nearly eight times as much claimed.

—Roger Burkhart Gaithersburg, Maryland

the renewal material glued to the cover. Someone at your magazine

I’m sorry for the confusion. My trip to

needs to be removed from their job for

the Caribbean did cost nearly eight

this incredibly dumb idea. Rather than

times the spa visit that my daughter

use that flexible glue that peels right

and I enjoyed. But that visit was to the

off that literally everyone but your firm

Riverside Spa, not The Raj. You are

uses, it was decided to really glue this

correct that a trip to the Caribbean

to the cover. The result: I go to remove

would have been more like three times

it and it rips off, leaving the cover

the cost of a Raj visit. As you point

ruined. Brilliant!!! Thanks for ruining

out, though, no matter which Iowa

my new issue.

spa you choose, the Iowa experiences —Bob Saunders Iowa City

are a bargain —Amber Barz

I was 12 when the lights came on in 1947. What labor it saved! No more carrying water to flush the stool, or wood and cobs for the cookstove to heat water for the bath. I still have the kerosene lamp that I carried up the stairs with me every night. I was the milk-carrying person since I couldn’t get the rhythm to milk the cow. I carried 2 large buckets about a half block to the separator. We sold the cream, drank the skim milk, and fed the rest to the hogs. Even after the electric milkers came, I still had to carry the milk

Mr. Burkhart, a charter subscriber,

every morning and

Sorry about that! We’ve mailed you a

has been reading The Iowan since

night for two more

complimentary replacement issue, with

he picked up our May 1954 issue in

years. The three-

our apologies. And we’re doing away

Whitney’s Drugstore in Woodward

stanchion milking

with glued-on renewal reminders.

as a boy. We are delighted that he

parlor with cooler

Instead, we’re binding them to the

continues to read us with a sharp

and running water

outside of subscribers’ last issues with

eye and hope he enjoys our new

ended that chore.

the same staples that are used to hold

“Flashback” section (on page 76 in

Hooray!

the rest of the magazine together so

this issue) featuring snippets from

they can easily be torn off, leaving the

our earliest issues. If anyone else has

rest of the issue unblemished. —ed.

been reading The Iowan for several

—Alma Tallman Atlantic

decades, we’d love to hear from you as well. —ed.

May/June 2014 | THE IOWAN

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5

4/2/14 9:36 AM

letters Points of Interest in This Issue

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Adel — p. 48 Ames — p. 49, 53 Atlantic — p. 5 Audubon — p. 57 Bankston — p. 52 Bloomfield — p. 10 Burlington — p. 12 Carroll — p. 53 Castalia — p. 77 Cedar Falls — p. 23 Cedar Rapids — p. 8, 23, 53 Centerville — p. 48 Charles City — p. 4, 36 Clear Lake — p. 13, 49 Coon Rapids — p. 48 Council Bluffs — p. 13 Creston — p. 13 Dallas Center — p. 51 Decorah — p. 12, 48, 53 Des Moines — p. 5, 8, 9, 12, 14, 22, 23, 26, 49, 53, 55, 77 De Soto — p. 48 Dubuque — p. 14, 49, 53 Eldon — p. 10 Eldridge — p. 26 Elk Horn — p. 9 Fairfield — p. 10 Forest City — p. 9, 11 Guthrie Center — p. 80 Independence — p. 14 Indianola — p. 53 Iowa City— p. 5, 12, 14, 23, 46 Kalona — p. 12 Keokuk — p. 15 Keosauqua — p. 10, 53 Kimballton — p. 9 Le Mars — p. 11, 12 Long Grove — p. 51 Madrid— p. 49, 53 Manchester— p. 10 Missouri Valley — p. 48

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Moravia — p. 54 Muscatine— p. 49 Nashua — p. 51 Nevada — p. 16 Newton — p. 53 Odebolt — p. 49 Orange City — p. 77 Ottumwa — p. 5 Pella — p. 8 Perry — p. 33 Prairie City — p. 10 Shelby — p. 50 Shenandoah— p. 76 St. Charles — p. 53 Swisher— p. 15 Thurman — p. 53 Walnut — p. 10, 23 West Bend — p. 15 West Des Moines — p. 8 Wilton — p. 12

WRITE TO US! The Iowan 300 Walnut Street, Suite 6 Des Moines, IA 50309 editor@iowan.com iowan.com > Contact Facebook.com > The Iowan Magazine

THE IOWAN ONLINE Visit iowan.com and read a digital edition of the magazine on your computer, tablet, or smartphone.

THE IOWAN | iowan.com

3/31/14 3:38 PM

© 2010 Iowa Council of Foundations

For good. For Iowa. For ever.

What’s your passion?

Whether it’s arts and culture, education, children’s health, conservation, or anything else, community foundations help you support the causes you care about.

Give and receive. Making a donation through your local community foundation is rewarding—in more ways than one. Your gift creates lasting good, and with the Endow Iowa Tax Credit Program, generous tax incentives make it easier to give for less.

Contact your local community foundation or visit iowacommunityfoundations.org.

Iowa Community Foundations is a collaborative effort of the Iowa Council of Foundations

007_TheIowanMJ2014.indd 7

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DAY TRIPS

Events worthy of an excursion Just For Her Event SHOP, PAMPER, TREAT, REPEAT!

Pella Tulip Festival

Iowa Events Center Des Moines

CENTRAL IOWA’S DUTCH TREAT

Friday, May 2, 5–10 p.m.

Saturday, May 3, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.

Pella Thursday, May 1–Saturday, May 3, 9 a.m.–9:30 p.m. pellahistorical.org/tulip-time 641-628-4311 Free For three days each spring for the past 79 years, Pella becomes Holland, with tulips and Dutch history, attire, food, architecture, and traditions, including spectacular parades. Events include museum tours, a quilt show, 5K walk/run, auto and antique implement displays and a tractor rodeo, craft market, walking tours, flower shows, organ performances, live concerts, and more.

This is the second year for Just For Her, which includes a Vintage & Handmade Marketplace area, plus more than 150 local and national vendors for a weekend of shopping, pampering, and health and wellness. Guests can enjoy the Pamper Her Lounge’s $6 mini-spa treatments, drinks from the Skinnygirl bar, a jewelry raffle, an educational exhibit by The Iowa Clinic Women’s Center, entertaining stage presentations, and more.

GOT MUSHROOMS?

A FUNCTION IN THE JUNCTION

Czech Village Cedar Rapids

200 & 300 blocks of 5th Street West Des Moines

Friday–Sunday, May 16–18

Saturday, May 3

Free

Free

THINKSTOCK ®

Historic Valley Junction presents Mexican foods, artwork, live music, dancing, and family activities. The festival celebrates the Mexican heritage of many of the workers who helped bring the railroad to Des Moines beginning in 1846. Descendants of those workers still live in the neighborhood today, which is now a lively cultural and shopping area with a strong vintage feel.

The 37th annual Houby Days (pronounced HOE-bee, Czech for “mushrooms”) kicks off Friday evening with vendors, a three-day carnival, and live music

by Brass Transit Authority.

Saturday and Sunday mornings begin with an egg and houby breakfast followed by Czech music, song, and traditional folk dance as you wind your way through Czech Village shops and vendors. Saturday’s events include a car show and The Beaker Brothers Band. Sunday is Kids Day, featuring children’s games, cabbage roll races, the Hawkeye Pedal Pull, puppet theater, and an all-ages costume parade.

PHOTO BY JESSICA RILLING PHOTOGRAPHY AND CVNB MAIN STREET

czechvillagecedarrapids.com

valleyjunction.com/event/cinco-de-mayo-festival

008-012 day trips.indd 8

Free

37th Annual Houby Days

Cinco de Mayo Festival

8

THINKSTOCK ®

justforherexpodesmoines.com 913-961-1200

THE IOWAN | iowan.com

3/31/14 3:42 PM

PHOTO BY KYLE ERICKSEN

travel Mike Birbiglia

Tivoli Fest

HE’S JOKING . . .

WE HOPE!

INDULGE YOUR INNER DANE

Hoyt Sherman Place Des Moines

Friday, May 23–Sunday, May 25

Elk Horn and Kimballton

Saturday, May 17, 7:30 p.m.

danishvillages.com/tivoli-fest 800-451-7960

1501 Woodland Avenue hoytsherman.org

Free

$38–$43 Award-winning comedian, author, and filmmaker Mike Birbiglia takes the stage with painfully awkward stories in a show about jokes and how they can get you in trouble. Join Birbiglia as he visits Cats-a-chusetts, argues with a stranger about her nut allergy, hosts an awards show for angry celebrities, and learns that Fozzie Bear is a tough act to follow. Ira Glass of National Public Radio’s This American Life writes, “Birbiglia’s stories are even funnier live than they are on the radio.” Time calls Birbiglia “master of the personal, embarrassing tale.”

The New York Times describes him as a “supremely enjoyable monologist.”

Tivoli Fest is The Danish Villages of Elk Horn and Kimballton’s annual Danish celebration.

Enjoy Danish foods and specialties such as smørrebrød, aebleskiver, and medisterpølse; tour of the Danish Windmill, the Bedstemor’s Hus; and the Museum of Danish America. Also: Tivoli parade, Tour de Tivoli bicycle ride, folk dancing, entertainment stage, vendors, and gift shops.

CelebrAsian 2014 TRAVEL TO ASIA

Tree Town Music Festival NASHVILLE COMES NORTH Heritage Park Forest City Saturday, May 24–Sunday, May 25 1811 Sage Court treetownfestival.com 877-569-7767 $120 (two-day general admission), kids 5 and under free Set against the picturesque backdrop of Heritage Park, Tree Town Music Festival brings Nashville to Iowa with nonstop music from two stages and a country music party night. The star-studded lineup includes Brad Paisley, Toby Keith, Brantley Gilbert, Chris Young, Tyler Farr, Charlie Worsham, David Nail, JT Hodges, Leah Turner, Sarah Darling, and The Last Ride. In addition a Little Nashville stage brings the excitement of Nashville’s Broadway to Iowa. Also: beer tents, food vendors, rock climbing, bounce houses, and more. Camp on-site and make a weekend of it!

State Capitol Complex Des Moines Saturday, May 31, 10 a.m.–7 p.m.

East 9th Street and Grand Avenue iowaasianalliance.com 515-288-3188, ext. 101 Free Des Moines’ 12th annual Asian Heritage Festival allows you to experience more than a dozen Asian Villages, where you can sample authentic Asian history, culture, food, music, performing and martial arts, sports, and children’s activities from a variety of Asian and Asian-American communities.

May/June 2014 | THE IOWAN

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3/31/14 3:42 PM

travel Concert on the Prairie PHOTO BY WALNUT BUREAU NEWSPAPER

MUSIC UNDER THE STARS Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge Prairie City Friday, June 6, 4–9 p.m.

9981 Pacific Street 515-994-2918 $40; Reservations close May 25 Concert on the Prairie features Tropical Steel Caribbean Steel Band, an exhibition by selected Iowa artists and authors, and a free tasting of select Iowa wines on the beautiful open prairie and oak savanna of the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge. Proceeds support the educational displays in the refuge’s Prairie Learning and Visitor Center.

AMVETS Antique Show THE WHOLE TOWN’S A STORE Walnut June 6–8, 8 a.m.–6 p.m.

WalnutAntiqueShow.com 712-784-3710 Free This annual Antique Show features 300 plus dealers from 20 plus states on 17 blocks and three large halls in charming Walnut. You’ll find everything from highend, meticulously restored Victorian furniture to small collectibles in one of the largest shows of its kind in Iowa. Free parking and lots of food vendors make this a strollable family event as well as a draw for serious collectors. Bring your tape measure and roof racks — even “disinterested browsers” have been known to snag a bargain or treasure they simply couldn’t live without.

Rhubarb Fest RHUBARB . . . PIZZA?

Southeast Iowa Museum Crawl

Baum Park Manchester

(BUT YOU CAN DRIVE IF YOU WANT)

Saturday, June 7, 9 a.m.–1 p.m.

Saturday, June 14, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.

301 Anderson Street 563-927-4141 Manchester’s annual Rhubarb Fest features rhubarb pie with ice cream, rhubarb jam, rhubarb bread, and rhubarb brats. And that’s just the food. There are also rhubarb contests, kids’ games, a crafts show, a rhubarb wine tasting, a 5K and 1K run/ walk, a 20- and 35-mile bike ride, a rhubarb store, a kayaking demonstration, a salsa-making demonstration, music, and a horse-drawn parking shuttle. Call ahead to sign up for the run/walk and the bike ride!

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Various Locations Davis County Historical Society, 205 South Dodge Street, Bloomfield, 641-664-1855 Pearson House Museum Complex, 718 Dodge Street, Keosauqua, 641-431-0581 The American Gothic House Center, 300 American Gothic Street, Eldon,americangothichouse.net, 641-652-3352 Maasdam Barns Museum and Visitor Center, Fairfield, jeffersoncountyiowa.com/barns Historic Hills Scenic Byway, iowabyways.org/historic-hills Free Four locations along the Historic Hills Scenic Byway in southeast Iowa feature hands-on history at each stop.

Churn butter, make rope, visit a Civil War encampment, watch horses heave hay into the lofts of historic barns, and see the American Gothic house. Visit the locations in any order — and don’t forget your camera!

THE IOWAN | iowan.com

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3/31/14 3:42 PM

Ice Cream Days

Figge Art MuseuM eXHiBitiON

GOODIE GOODIE WITH SPRINKLES ON TOP! Le Mars Wednesday, June 18– Saturday, June 21 lemarsiowa.com 712-546-8821 Free Enjoy four days of family-friendly fun that centers on everyone’s favorite summer treat. Eat your way from one free ice cream social to the next in the town that calls itself the Ice Cream Capital of the World. Stop in for an ice-cold root beer in Miller’s Lunch diner at the Plymouth County Historical Museum. Enjoy music from the ’50s and ’60s while strolling through a collection of vintage cars at Bob’s Drive Inn. Listen to a 50-piece concert band in Foster Park. There are also basketball and wrestling tournaments, kids’ fun fest, children’s book readings, a motorcycle stunt team, an outdoor movie, and more.

Download an event brochure for complete details.

International Festival WE ARE THE WORLD Forest City Saturday, June 28, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.

Sunday, June 29, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.

Heritage Park, 1225 Highway 69 heritageparkofnorthiowa.com 641-590-5194 Canned goods for food bank donation This first-ever, family-friendly two-day festival connects people through what we all share — food, music, dance, art, and games. Performers include Ross Sutter (Scandinavian, Scottish, Irish, and American traditional and popular songs), The Nordic Dancers of Decorah (traditional Norwegian folk dances), and Kris Meyer (storytelling). Also: parade, food vendors, educational demonstrations, animals, petting zoo, and arts and crafts booths. In addition, many Heritage Park buildings will be open for tours. They include two log houses, a trapper’s cabin, houses from 1900 and 1930, a country store, and eight museums with subjects ranging from steam threshing to doll houses.

Innovators and Legends is an exhibition organized by the Muskegon Museum of Art that features over seventy works using weaving, knitting, soft sculpture, embroidery, felting and other techniques.

Sponsored by Also sponsored by

Schafer Interiors Wynne Schafer

Mary Bero, Stuffed Head; Self-Portrait, 2006, cotton, silk.

Courtesy of the Collection of Marcia Docter.

Photography: Courtesy of the Artist

Davenport, Iowa • 563.326.7804 www.figgeartmuseum.org

May/June 2014 | THE IOWAN

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3/31/14 3:42 PM

travel WE ALL SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM! Do you have a special place to grab a cool cone?

Here’s the scoop on some Iowa favorites.

BLUE BUNNY ICE CREAM PARLOR Le Mars 115 Central Ave., NW 712-546-4522

SNOOKIES MALT SHOP Des Moines 1810 Beaver Ave. 515-255-0638

Blue Bunny Ice Cream is one of Iowa’s

On a hot summer night you can count

oldest and best-known brands.

on a line at Snookies in Des Moines’

Discover the history of the 100-year-

Beaverdale neighborhood. Each year

old company and the origin of the

in April ice cream fans camp out in

Blue Bunny name at the Blue Bunny Ice

tents in front of the store to earn the

Cream Parlor — and enjoy a tasty treat.

privilege of first customer of the year

Hours: (April–September)

and free ice cream for the season. Take

Monday–Saturday 9 a.m.–10 p.m.,

your pooch along for a free cone.

Sunday noon–10 p.m.

Hours: Monday–Saturday 11 a.m.–9 p.m., Sunday noon–9 p.m.

Celebrating 60 years in 2014, Christy

WHIPPY DIP Decorah 130 College Dr. 563-382-4591

Creme features a different homemade

Start with a footlong or a taco in a bag,

sherbet every day; vanilla, chocolate,

then choose from a long list of sweet,

and twist cones are also on the menu.

cool soft serve treats in purist flavors

Hours: Monday–Saturday

plus mix-ins. A favorite of Luther

10 a.m.–10 p.m., Sunday and holidays

College students and Decorahites.

11 a.m.–10 p.m.

Hours: Daily 10 a.m.–10 p.m.

GRANDPA’S HOMEMADE ICE CREAM Burlington 600 S. Roosevelt Ave. 319-754-0970

WILTON CANDY KITCHEN Wilton 310 Cedar St. 563-732-2278

So many nutty flavors, Grandma can’t

Most everything at the Candy Kitchen,

even decide: peach, butter pecan,

on the National Register of Historic

rocky road, mudpie, absolutely nuts,

Places, is homemade, including ice

and peanut butter cup. And banana!

cream, toppings, and phosphate

Grandpa’s also serves cookies and

syrups. George and Thelma Napoulus

other treats.

have been married 64 years and

Hours: Daily 10 a.m.–9 p.m.

running the shop where they met

HEYN’S ICE CREAM Iowa City 811 S 1st Ave. 319-354-1981

almost that long.

Hours: Daily 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

ice cream for 25 years. The shop now

YOTTY’S ICE CREAM Kalona 501 B Ave. 319-656-2512

boasts 40+ flavors, including Twister,

It’s the only place in the world to get a

Chocoholic, Oatmeal Pie, Lemon

Kalona Bar: soft serve ice cream frozen

Custard, and the specialty blend,

hard, dipped in chocolate, and rolled

Monster Mash. No-sugar-added,

in graham cracker crumbs. It’s sold in

low-carb, and dairy-free offerings are

singles or by the dozen. Get the dozen.

also available.

Hours: Monday–Saturday

Hours: Daily noon–10 p.m.

11 a.m.–9 p.m., Sunday noon–9 p.m.

Heyn’s has been serving homemade

12

NOMINATE YOUR FAVORITE! Let us know your favorite local ice cream joint and tell us what you like best about it. We may feature it in a future issue of the magazine.

Bonus points for photos! Send your entry to editor@iowan.com.

THINKSTOCK ®

CHRISTY CREME Council Bluffs 2853 N. Broadway 712-322-2778

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travel

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SEASONAL CELEBRATIONS CLEAR LAKE

CRESTON

JULY 4TH CELEBRATION

PIONEER DAY

City Park

McKinley Park

Wednesday, July 2–Sunday, July 6

Friday, July 4, 1 p.m.–4:30 p.m.

205 Main Avenue clearlakeiowa.com Clear Lake’s premier festival includes a midway, amusement

601 McKinley Street 641-782-4000

rides, bingo, open-air craft show by the lake, live music

Free

nightly in the band shell, a traditional Independence Day

Creston’s annual

parade down Main Avenue, and a huge fireworks display

Pioneer Day features

over the lake. Special entertainment includes the Hepperly

demonstrations and

Band on Wednesday, the Blue Band on Thursday, the Clear

music representing Union

Lake Municipal Band on Friday, and Arch Allies on Saturday.

County’s heritage in the

THINKSTOCK ®

Fourth of July

Union County Historical Complex and Museum in McKinley Park. The authentic buildings are reminiscent of a prospering Iowa village during the 1890s. They include a schoolhouse, log cabin, turn-of-the 19th-century house and barn, the 1878 Spaulding Methodist THINKSTOCK ®

Church, plus a train station, general store, harness shop, barbershop, blacksmith shop, fire station, machine shed, gristmill, and museum with hundreds of artifacts and Union County memorabilia.

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travel DES MOINES

DUBUQUE

YANKEE DOODLE POPS

DUBUQUE FIREWORKS AND AIR SHOW SPECTACULAR

Thursday, July 3, 8:30 p.m. (main concert) East Grand Avenue and East 12th Street dmsymphony.org Free

A.Y. McDonald Park Friday July 4, 5:45 p.m.–dusk Volunteer Drive dubuqueairshowandfireworks.com 563-690-0800

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West Terrace, Iowa State Capitol

Details not finalized at press time; see website for schedule.

Music Director and Conductor Joseph Giunta and the Des Moines Symphony Orchestra take the stage for the 21st annual Yankee Doodle Pops, Iowa’s largest single-day concert event. The event includes a prelude concert and a variety of food vendors and culminates with central Iowa’s premier fireworks display.

Bring your blankets and lawn chairs and join 100,000

INDEPENDENCE 154TH ANNUAL INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION Downtown Wednesday, July 2–Sunday, July 6

or more other Iowans for a night of patriotic music and

celebrateindee.com 319-334-7178

celebration.

You know that a town named Independence knows how to do Independence Day up right — this year the celebrating

80/35 MUSIC FESTIVAL Western Gateway Park Friday, July 4, 12 p.m.–11 p.m.

Saturday, July 5, 12 p.m.–11 p.m.

12th Street and Locust 80-35.com

lasts five days! Folks have been lining the streets here every 4th of July since 1860 for the parade. Other events include a reading of the Declaration of Independence, outdoor band concerts, a Poker Walk, a fun zone with inflatable rides and games, car races, and volleyball, horseshoe, and golf tourneys. See website for full schedule.

Ticket prices vary, plus multiple free stages The seventh annual 80/35 music festival takes place in downtown Des Moines. The two-day progressive indie and jam lineup features nearly 40 national, regional, and local bands on multiple stages performing to 30,000 attendees.

IOWA CITY

Summer of the Arts

2014 IOWA CITY JAZZ FESTIVAL Downtown Thursday, July 3, 4 p.m.–10:30 p.m.

Friday, July, 12 p.m.–10:30 p.m.

Saturday, July 5, 12 p.m.–10 p.m. summerofthearts.org Free Named one of the Top 10 Festivals in the Nation by Downbeat magazine and often featured on National Public Radio, the Iowa City Jazz Festival on the Pentacrest in front of Old Capitol presents a variety of well-known jazz musicians and an infusion of up-and-coming talent on four stages. Past performers include Grammy-winning Neville Brothers, Poncho Sanchez, Paquito D’Rivera, Joe Lovano, and Yellowjackets and Grammy-nominees John Scofield, Bill Frisell, Kenny Werner, Greg Osby, and Brad Mehldau.

Schedule not finalized at press time; see website for details.

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travel KEOKUK 4TH OF JULY CELEBRATION Rand Park Friday, July 4 keokukiowatourism.org 319-520-5133 Free The Kiddie Parade begins at Middle Road and Washington Street and makes its way to the park. Decorating bikes and wagons begins at 12:30 p.m. Entertainment and bounce houses, vendors, and kids’ games begin at Rand Park at 2 p.m. and continue throughout the day. Fireworks start at 9 p.m.

SWISHER BOURBON & BLUES FEST Cedar Ridge Vineyards Friday, July 4, 11 a.m.–9 p.m.

Saturday, July 5, 11 a.m.–9 p.m.

Sunday, July 6, 9 a.m.–1 p.m.

1441 Marak Road crwine.com 319-857-4300 Cedar Ridge Vineyards is celebrating its select bourbon with a special menu, tastings, and live blues throughout the weekend at the 7,000-squarefoot winery, distillery, tasting room, and event center in the Swisher countryside near Cedar Rapids and Iowa City.

WEST BEND 4TH OF JULY CELEBRATION Various sites Friday, July 4, 8 a.m.–7:30 p.m Saturday, July 5, 9:30 a.m.–dusk Sunday, July 6, 8 a.m.–10 a.m. westbendiowa.com 515-887-2181 This year’s events will include a barbecue on Main Street, parade, carnival games, and fireworks on Saturday. Check website for more details.

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THINKSTOCK ®

So Berry, Berry Good

by DEB WILEY

Enjoy glistening jewels from your summer garden Nothing compares to the first sweet-tart bite of a sun-ripened berry picked fresh off the plant. It’s the taste of summer cleverly tucked inside a small package of good-for-you nutrients.

They’re gorgeous, too: the gleam of crimson strawberries, the soft dappled red to yellow faceted raspberries, and the deep neither blue nor purple hues of blueberries that look like maybe they’ve already been dashed with powdered sugar.

These fruits and more grow in profusion at Berry Patch Farm, a 140-acre slice of agricultural heaven near Nevada, where Dean and Judy Henry first started selling strawberries in 1968. We could think of no better folks to ask about how to grow berries in Iowa.

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garden Raspberries

Strawberries

Raspberries are relatively easy to grow, according to

Strawberries are “all over the map” when it comes to types

Dean, who grows three to four acres. “You just have to

and how to grow them, Dean says. He grows 12 acres

restrict their growing space,” he says, thanks to spreading

of them and recommends setting plants about every 16

underground root systems.

inches in rows about 3 or 4 feet apart. Each plant will

There are several types of raspberries, each with

produce daughter plants called runners that form more

different growing seasons, colors, and care requirements.

plants. Mulch the rows in winter to protect and fertilize

The fall-bearing varieties are the easiest, Dean advises:

the plants, then remove the mulch in spring. Each row will

“Just mow off the old canes in spring and enjoy them in

produce fruit for about three years.

the fall.”

When choosing a variety, consult the Iowa State

The farm grows many varieties, but Dean says the

“best tasting ever” is ‘Sparkle’, an old-fashioned cultivar

University Extension list (under “Best Berries for Iowa,”

that grows on hardy plants that produce small, very dark

below right). Dean suggests trying newer ones bred for

red and softer berries. “You’ll never see one in a grocery

disease and insect resistance, flavor, and production.

store because of that,” he says.

Blueberries

Best Berries for Iowa

Blueberries take quite a bit more effort. They have

These berry varieties are recommended by Iowa State

not traditionally been grown in Iowa because the soil

University Extension service.

is generally too alkaline and its structure too heavy.

RASPBERRIES: Summer-bearing red: ‘Boyne’, ‘Latham’,

But it can be done — as Berry Patch Farm’s 14 acres of

‘Killarney’. Fall-bearing red: ‘Heritage’, ‘Caroline’, ‘Autumn

blueberries proves — with a soil amendment program. If

Bliss’. Purple: ‘Brandywine,’ ‘Royalty’. Black: hardy in central

you have the time, till wood chips and garden sulfur into

and southern Iowa only: ‘Black Hawk’, ‘Bristol’, ‘Jewel’.

the soil to increase acidity and drainage, then wait a couple

Fall-bearing yellow: ‘Fall Gold’, ‘Anne’.

years for the wood chips to decompose before planting.

BLUEBERRIES: Highbush: ‘Duke’, ‘Patriot’, ‘Bluejay’,

‘Blueray’, ‘Rubel’, ‘Elliott’. Half-high: ‘Polaris’, ‘Northblue’,

“Blueberries have roots that don’t take up water easily,

and they love organic matter,” Dean says. For faster, but

‘Northcountry’, ‘Northsky’, ‘St. Cloud’.

more expensive results, use sphagnum peat moss instead.

STRAWBERRIES: June-bearing: ‘Earliglow’, ‘Honeoye’,

If you have clay soil, add potting soil.

‘Surecrop’, ‘Redchief’, ‘Allstar’, ‘Jewel’, ‘Kent’. Everbearing:

Dean takes a cautious approach when buying new

‘Fort Laramie’, ‘Ogallala’. Day-neutral: ‘Tribute’, ‘Seascape’.

plants, isolating them for a season to be sure they are

To download free PDFs from ISU Extension on berry care:

pest- and disease-free.

store.extension.iastate.edu/Product. Then search for rg503

Although half-high varieties grow in Iowa, Dean prefers highbush types that reach 5 to 7 feet tall.

Perhaps the best way to learn how to grow blueberries

(blueberries), PM 0717 (strawberries), and rg501 (raspberries).

Visit Berry Patch Farm

in Iowa is to come to Dean’s annual spring blueberry

Want to see how the pros grow berries or taste a few

workshop. It covers the many nuances of soil, planting,

varieties before you decide what to plant in your garden?

pruning, and other basics. Because Iowa’s spring weather

Berry Patch Farm is open spring, summer, and fall at

is so variable, he waits to set the date, usually early April.

62785 280th Street, Nevada, 50201 (515-382-5138).

Check berrypatchfarm.com for details.

Hours, seasonal offerings, and directions are posted at berrypatchfarm.com. You can buy picked or pick-your-own fruit at the farm or from the Henrys at farmer’s markets in Ames and Des Moines. They also sell their produce through several community supported agriculture groups and the Iowa Food Cooperative.

Deb Wiley is a regular contributor to The Iowan.

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THINKSTOCK ®

One Berry, Two Berry Red Berry, Blue Berry

by VERA MORTON Strawberries and blueberries are the two most-consumed

Sweet, juicy, and bright red, strawberries should be

fruits in the U.S. for good reason: They taste good, they’re

picked only after fully ripened; they won’t continue to ripen

great for you, and they grow abundantly. Here are a couple

once picked. Whether you pick strawberries up at your local

of fun, easy, incredibly tasty recipes that will help you

farmer’s market or straight from the plant, they should be

make the most of these fruits. But first, a bit about what

plump, sweet-smelling, evenly colored, with caps — and

you’re eating.

ideally, ½ inch of stem. Strawberries are delicate and only last a few days. To maximize shelf life, store them, covered,

Strawberries: the unberry

in a single layer, don’t wash until just before eating, and

The strawberry is technically not a berry, but an “aggregate

stem after washing.

accessory fruit.” That’s because the seeds are housed on the outside of the fruit, not inside as with true berries.

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food Strawberries can be frozen, dried, roasted, juiced, jammed, made into pies and syrups, and added to ice cream and shakes. But to get the most nutrition from strawberries, eat them raw. These ruby red powerhouses are loaded with vitamin C, manganese, and dietary fiber and more of the

Strawberry & Roasted Red Pepper Bruschetta Sweet and savory, these bruschetta are the perfect accompaniment to brunch. They also hit the spot as an afternoon snack and make a delicious light appetizer before dinner.

Makes about 4 cups topping

Blueberries come in two general varieties. Most cultivated blueberries

Delicious served warm on ice cream, pancakes, and waffles or straight from the fridge on yogurt and shortcakes.

Makes about 4 cups 1 lb. strawberries, hulled and quartered 2 c. blueberries

2 c. strawberries, small-diced

antioxidant fisetin than any other fruit.

True-blue berries

Warm Berry Compote

1½ c. roasted red sweet peppers, small-diced ½ c. cucumber, peeled, seeded,

and small-diced

1¼ c. sugar zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon, minced 2 T.

each fresh lemon and orange juices

are the highbush variety; lowbush

2 T. olive oil

blueberries are much smaller, bear

1 T. fresh lemon juice

¼ t. ground cinnamon

smaller, tarter fruit, and are prized for

1 t. agave nectar

pinch of salt

their inky color. Both varieties grow in Iowa.

Just like strawberries, blueberries should be firm and uniform in color.

You know blueberries are ready to

salt and ground black pepper,

to taste 1

baguette, sliced into ½-inch- thick pieces

olive oil

pick when they practically fall off

8 oz. goat cheese, room temperature

in your hand. They’re covered in a

1. Toss together strawberries,

dusty bloom that protects them; wash

red peppers, cucumber, the

this off just before eating. You can

2 tablespoons olive oil, lemon

refrigerate them for up to two weeks

juice, and agave nectar; season

or freeze them.

with salt and black pepper to taste.

Blueberries are every bit as versatile as strawberries and may be even more beneficial to your health. They’re a great source of manganese, vitamin C, vitamin K, copper, and dietary fiber. Filled with antioxidants and phytochemicals, blueberries are good for heart health, brain health, controlling cholesterol, improving insulin response, and preventing cancer.

2. Brush both sides of baguette slices with olive oil and season to taste with salt and black pepper.

3. Lightly brown baguette slices on a baking sheet in a 400°F oven for about 15 minutes, turning half way through.

4. Spread toasted baguette slices with goat cheese.

5. Top baguette slices with

1 t. vanilla extract

1. Bring all ingredients except vanilla to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar.

2. Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer and gently crush berries with a potato masher.

3. Simmer compote 10 minutes; remove from heat. Stir in vanilla.

BERRY TRUE • There is an average of 200 seeds on a strawberry.

• White-fruited strawberry cultivars may be an option for those with strawberry allergies.

• Items labeled “blueberry,” like jam, can contain fruit from other blue berries in the same genus as blueberries, including huckle- berries and whortleberries.

strawberry topping and serve

• The United States produces

at room temperature.

more blueberries than any other country.

Vera Morton writes rhymes like Seuss; She cooks her berries by ones and teuss.

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3/31/14 4:51 PM

Midcentury Obsession John Sayles had two choices: Open a store. Or drown. story and photography by DAN WEEKS

“I’m not a retailer,” says John Sayles right off the bat. “I’m a graphic designer and a collector of midcentury design.”

He looks around his 3,200-square-foot store, Beaverdale Vintage. The place is dripping midcentury modern: Far-out chrome light fixtures dangle tantalizingly from the ceiling.

Equally mod acrylic art lamps seem to sprout from the shag-carpeted floor. Furniture, art, tableware, accessories, and clothing from the ’50s to ’70s are everywhere.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg. Sayles owns two more buildings in this charming Des Moines residential neighborhood — a ’50s house and a converted doctor’s office of the same vintage that houses his design business.

Both are packed with midcentury collectibles. He opened the store to save himself from his own obsession.

“Modern designers — Raymond Loewy, Russel Wright, Donald Deskey, Henry Dreyfuss, George Nelson, Ray and Charles Eames — they were some of the best of all time,” he says. “They could design anything: fabric, furniture, fixtures, cars, airplanes, everything. But they were best known for their furniture. It still looks fresh and new, even today. And the quality — there’s nothing like it. Teak. Glass. Chrome.

Solid stuff. I’ve become kind of obsessed with it. It’s an ‘ism,’ like alcoholism.”

For 30 years he’s been going to modernism shows and antiques and thrift stores all over the country, collecting vintage lamps, tables, sofas, chairs, fixtures, art glass, tableware, dishes, framed art — even vintage men’s and women’s clothing and jewelry, which today take up about a quarter of his store’s floor space.

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Teak, shag, and chrome abound in Beaverdale Vintage, but almost everyone is drawn to the colorful, suspended Parrot Chair, designed in 1970 by IB Arberg.

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home “So I had to open this place,” he explains. “I’m at an age — I need to pare down. I thought of donating it all to a museum, but what museum needs 500 place settings of different-colored Russel Wright Iroquois tableware?”

He’s also found a lot of his collection — make that “inventory” — right here in Iowa.

“We Iowans,” he says, “we like to stay up with the times like everyone else. But we’re thrifty. We never throw anything away. So when we redid our houses in the 1980s or whenever, all the midcentury stuff went into the basement.

And it’s still there. I’ve bought stuff off people’s porches.

Gorgeous, gorgeous stuff. And thrift stores! This Russel Wright pilsner glass?” he says, snatching a tall, graceful shape from a shelf. “It’s incredibly rare. I’d never seen one.

I found it at Goodwill, 39 cents. I said, ‘I’ll wrap it myself, thanks.’ But you have to know what you’re looking for.”

No, you don’t. You just have to know about Sayles’ shop. It’s all there, it’s all in great condition, and it’s all at reasonable prices. Still, the store is somewhat of a littleknown secret in its own hometown.

“There are months I sell more online — to people all over the country — than I sell out the door here,” says Sayles.

“I’ve thought of buying a house in Palm Springs and opening the shop there. The stuff would command twice as much as here. But I’m from here. I grew up on the east side. I went to Tech High. Like everybody else, I lost a lot of great ’50s stuff at half a buck a pop when my parents sold it at a yard sale after I grew up. Maybe that’s my problem. Maybe I’m trying to get it all back.”

A Florence Knoll bar cart/sideboard holds a Lucite ice bucket and a crackled-glass Blenko pitcher under an acrylic light fixture — an authentic midcentury tableau.

If so, the experiment has been a bit too successful.

Sayles’ inventory still outstrips his floor space. And he’s constantly buying more. But there’s hope for him yet: The midcentury aesthetic is catching on.

“My clientele sees this kind of design in home

MORE MIDCENTURY SHOPS: ARTIFACTS 331 Market Street, Iowa City,

magazines,” Sayles says. “They see it in Target. They

319-358-9617, artifacts-iowacity.com

recognize its quality. But they want the original stuff, not

FUNKY FINDS VINTAGE AND RETRO

knock-offs. And they realize they don’t have to travel all over the country to get it like I did. They can just come in here.”

515 18th Street, Des Moines, 515-777-0667, funkyfindsvintage.com

Beaverdale Vintage, 3702 Beaver Ave., Des Moines,

MAD MODERN 227 14th Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids,

515-979-8958, facebook.com/BeaverdaleVintage

319-533-8162, facebook.com/MadModern

MISS WONDERFUL 216 Main Street, Cedar Falls, 319-529-7293, facebook.com/misswonderful216

THE VINTAGE BULLDOG 203 Antique City Drive, Dan Weeks is editor of The Iowan.

Walnut, 712-784-3132, facebook.com/ thevintagebulldogwalnut

May/June 2014 | THE IOWAN

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IOWAN

ICON

Brian Following a 25-year career at The Des Moines Register, Iowa’s dean of editorial cartoonists continues to delight, to provoke, and to create.

by JENNIFER WILSON | photography by KATHRYN GAMBLE

It’s a quiet room, open and airy. Brian Duffy stands silhouetted at a bank of windows. He’s watching an ornate mansion across the street, as he does every day when he comes to his office to work.

Step over and take a look and you’ll see a perfect view of Terrace Hill. A big black SUV idles out front, waiting, presumably, for Governor Terry Branstad.

“My career has gone hand in hand with his,” says Duffy, nodding toward the man who’s provided so much fodder for his political cartoons. “He was elected in ’82, and I came to the Register in August of ’83.

“I keep an eye on him from here.”

Getting Started Duffy is a striking guy, with large, soft features on a tall, trim body. He looks like he’d be an easy guy to draw, all contrasts, like a character from one of his own cartoons.

In person, he’s thoughtful and genial — a sharp, goofy dude who can rattle off how many days Branstad will have served by the end of his current term in office (7,303) or an obscure quote by Alexis de Tocqueville — and then make a pot joke in a cartoon that features Noah’s ark.

26

Born in Chicago, he first came to Iowa as a boy, traveling with his godfather to a family reunion in Eldridge.

“I’d never seen anything remotely like a farm,” he says. On the drive out of Chicago, first the buildings disappeared, then the pavement. He rode down his first gravel road and spent the weekend obsessed with chickens, scaring the birds so much with his constant scrutiny that they didn’t lay another egg and eventually ended up on dinner plates.

“My family called me Chicken Chaser,” Duffy says.

Perhaps scrutinizing what most interested him was the first indication of his future calling. Or maybe it was his hobby of copying comics. He studied the line quality in Lil’ Abner and obsessed over Mad magazine.

He especially loved daily comics — he’s color blind, and in black-and-white he wasn’t missing anything.

Duffy went to high school in Milwaukee, then on to college — three of them, in fact: the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In Madison he also did a cartooning stint at The Daily Cardinal.

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Duffy works on a cartoon in his sunlit studio. He uses a computer for some aspects of his images, but many of them get drawn the old-fashioned way.

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Cartoonists are a dying breed, says Duffy. His career has already outlasted the production of many of the tools of his trade. He is constantly adding to his collection of antique drawing pens, replacing those he’s worn out.

He majored in political science, taking classes until he was about a junior. He didn’t graduate and says he didn’t feel he needed to.

That’s the kind of guy he is — independent.

“I was going to college to build up an arsenal of knowledge for what I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” Duffy says. “Unfortunately, none of those classes teach anything you need to know to become an editorial cartoonist.”

He married a girl he met in high school. He and Sharon bonded in art class, where she couldn’t draw a straight line and he couldn’t throw a pot. They’ve been married 38 years this year. In the Milwaukee suburb of Waukesha, they began their brood, which grew to four daughters, while Duffy took a management job in a J.C. Penney warehouse.

Meanwhile, he honed his cartooning skills at night, after the family was in bed, working in a pool of light at a drawing desk in the dining room.

28

“I was training myself for that job. I was drawing cartoons that no one would see and that would never be published. But I knew if I got the call, I’d be required to draw five or six cartoons a week, and I wanted to be ready,” he says. “For some reason, I just kept plugging away.”

What college didn’t offer in the way of training and mentorship, the city of Milwaukee did: It had two newspapers, each with its own cartoonist. Duffy gravitated toward The Milwaukee Journal’s Bill Sanders, one of the greats of his time, whose office door was open to aspiring kids. Duffy had been one of them, starting in his high school years.

“They put my office on the tour route [for the public], but eventually he just started coming in on his own,” Sanders says from his home in Fort Myers, Florida. “We sat down and talked and he showed me some of his material. I tried to be encouraging. But his stuff looked about like mine did when I started out — which is not a compliment, actually.”

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Editorial cartoons require an artist’s skill, a poet’s brevity, a social critic’s perspective, and a caricaturist’s wit.

It’s a genre that seems to have no analogue in the digital world.

Still, the affable skinny guy with black hair made an impression. Duffy says kids get an idea that cartooning is some sort of exotic career. “But the political cartoon is a vehicle for opinion, putting the cartoonist as a critic, and if you don’t have that initial thrust for what you’re doing, you just draw Garfield the Cat and are a cartoonist, but you’re not a political cartoonist.”

Duffy was different.

“I detected an undercurrent in Duffy,” says Sanders. “He had something that, if you’re looking for it, you know what it is. He had that fire in the belly.

He’s done well, and I’m very proud of him.”

Sanders showed Duffy the tools he’d need to work — Unishade and Duoshade papers that reveal a pattern when brushed with solvent, Koh-I-Noor ink that produces the best black saturation, Windsor Newton sable brushes. But mostly Sanders taught Duffy how to get an idea across quickly.

“The trick is to make sure your subject will be well understood by readers so you don’t need a lot of words,” Duffy says. “Then you take that idea and distill it until you bleed off all the words you possibly can.

What you’re left with is the highest-octane product you can create.”

The Register Years When there was an opening at The Des Moines Register, he says the paper had hundreds of applicants.

Duffy had a leg up because he was selling comics to the Waukesha paper, which was Register-owned. He planned to hold on to the plum Register position until retirement, even though his first week on the job was less than ideal.

“They sat me out in some open-air building at the state fairgrounds with a drawing table. This was summer of 1983. It was like 110 degrees with the heat index, and I was out there drawing cartoons with sweat

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“Local color is where cartoonists really shine,” says Duffy, who is a master of the inside joke.

dripping down my face and people walking by to tell me I had big shoes to fill with Frank Miller gone,” he says. “That was my first experience with the readership of Iowa and how they looked at their cartoonists.”

Duffy cartoons bend toward the weather, environment, or politics. Duffy says he’s a political moderate, and while his work is smart and has bite, it’s not harsh or garish. He won’t hit us over the head with a club, but he will poke fun — for instance, at Congressman Steve King’s English-only laws. He’ll gently remind us that it’s all déjà vu, producing a cartoon about Iowa’s Babel Proclamation of 1918, when Gov. William Harding banned immigrants from speaking other languages. Then he’ll draw a connection to today’s NSA by adding officials from a century ago listening in on Iowa’s German housewives chattering over party lines.

His style worked well at the Register, and he thought his venerable front-page position was permanent — he was one of only four cartoonists

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(including legends Ding Darling and Frank Miller) in 100 years of print. He was 55 and had been at the paper 25 years when he was fired in 2008 during a round of budget cuts and didn’t get to keep his original work. He says he was the only Gannett cartoonist who didn’t.

He’s an independent, freelance cartoonist now, and he misses bouncing ideas around a newsroom.

“It helped to talk to reporters about a story, to jog something loose that might pull me in a different direction. Or to see if what I was saying in a cartoon was understood. You can tell by their expression at first blush; if I don’t get it right, it’s a puzzled look.”

The process He generally starts the day poring over news, then runs errands while ruminating. “You have to feed the beast — and feed it quite a lot of information,” he says.

“I give it a hefty breakfast of news. By the time it’s digested, I’ll come up with something that’ll fuel my cartoons.”

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The fewer words a cartoon requires, the better, Duffy says.

During the gathering stage, he makes rough sketches like hieroglyphs, images and a bunch of words to capture ideas before they’re lost. Then he sits down at the big drawing desk with a view of Terrace Hill.

Each cartoon takes maybe two hours in the drawing, depending on the level of detail.

He sometimes works on a computer-connected graphic tablet that he can draw on directly, freehanding with a stylus. Tablets allow you to work faster, he says, because you don’t need Wite-Out for mistakes. But putting on color digitally — he’s formatted labeled palettes so his color-blind eyes know what hues he’s using — takes longer than it does when working on paper. He chooses the tool best for each task; every cartoon is a mix of paper and tablet work — the black lines are mostly pen on paper, the color mostly comes from the computer.

“I can hear that pen tip on the paper, and I still love the sound,” he says. He’ll use a paper with more

“tooth,” or texture, for heavier cartoons so he can use a heavy brush and lay down thick lines for a disturbing rough look, as he did for cartoons about the Challenger explosion and the 9/11 attacks. Smooth papers, he says, are for “everything else.”

Sometimes he mixes up his paper-brush textures just to keep it interesting. “If I get too comfortable with something, I’ll switch pen tips or papers just to give me that feeling of oh, this is so cool.”

He isn’t sure where his ideas come from and remains suspicious of those who say they do. It’s a muse, or something like it, but it’s also a rigorous practice.

“I’m not a big believer in writer’s block or cartoonist’s block,” he says. “Sometimes I have to force it, but it’ll always come. I don’t know how, or when, but it’ll come. Of all the years I’ve been cartooning, I’ve never missed a deadline. I’ve never walked into an editor’s office and said, ‘I don’t have an idea today.’ ”

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Another Duffy trademark: the unstated punch line.

Life after the Register The abrupt end of his Register career was an unexpected blow, but it hasn’t stopped Duffy from producing. “I’ve always wanted to do this, and I’m going to continue to do it,” he says. “Maybe I’m pigheaded that way. Only the future will tell if I can.

“If there’s anywhere I can do this, it’s in Iowa,” he adds. “Iowans have a way of taking to heart the people who have touched them.”

For about four years he produced digitally animated cartoons — the first in the nation — for KCCI NewsChannel 8 in Des Moines. “That was something I came up with by using different software programs,” he says.

These days, much of his income comes from the syndication of his work to 400 newspapers nationwide.

That’s something he has mixed feelings about. It is an important part of his income and the reason he can

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remain one of only a handful of full-time editorial cartoonists in the country. But he says it’s bad for editorial cartoonists as a whole.

“The ones who are syndicated, like me, made it easy for newspapers to dump their cartoonist and get it cheap through syndication. But they’re not getting anything local, and that should be a newspaper’s bread and butter. Local flavor is where cartoonists really shine.”

Duffy remains loyal to his original Iowa audience as well, selling cartoons about Iowa issues directly to local papers. That’s why, even post-Register, Duffy’s cartoons still stretch river to river — they run in 34 Iowa newspapers, and Duffy is always open to inquiries from more.

“It keeps me grounded here and allows me to be a voice on issues I’m not hearing people talk about,” he says.

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Duffy’s new studio in a mansion across from Terrace Hill allows him to “keep an eye on” Governor Terry Branstad. In this cartoon, he imagines the governor’s response.

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He’s working on two books: A Cartoonist’s Guide to the Iowa Caucuses, an event he’s covered since 1984, and Ghost Roads: A Collection of Paintings and Essays from a Lost Iowa. Des Moines-area readers can find him in the weekly newspaper Cityview. He can fit 7½ of his lateera Register cartoons onto the full page he’s allotted for this new gig.

He says he has no ego about his work, but the very nature of it is audacious — claiming you have a singular voice that deserves to be heard on a wide scale.

A great editorial cartoonist is a vanishing breed these days, and Duffy’s many avid followers think Iowa is lucky to have him. He remains as smart and independent as ever, the lines perhaps sharper these days, the quality of the drawings if anything a bit stronger. His work continues to delight, provoke, and at times infuriate, which is exactly what editorial cartoons are supposed to do.

Ironically, as difficult as it was to become an editorial cartoonist in the 1980s, it is perhaps even more difficult to remain one now, the nature of newspapering being what it is today.

But Duffy isn’t in it for easy. He still has the same fire as he did before he made a national name for himself.

“I can still see myself sitting in the dining room in Waukesha, the only light in the house the one over my desk, no sound whatsoever, my world encapsulated into the space a 100-watt lightbulb will illuminate,” he says, looking out the window where the governor’s black SUV has rolled away.

Then Duffy gets back to work, drawing Iowans to that solitary pool of light.

Jennifer Wilson (jennifer-wilson.com) is a Des Moinesbased freelance writer. Her book Running Away to Home

DUFFY THE FINE ARTIST Duffy started picking up a paintbrush 10 years ago to capture what he feels and sees during his long, solitary bike rides on the gravel roads of rural Iowa. “It’s kind of scary, the solitude out there,” he says.

He takes photographs for notes that inform watercolors that have a cartoonist’s flair — they’re edged in ink and stronger for it. He recently sold several at Perry’s Art on the Prairie festival, where he was the visiting artist. It’s a practice he intends to continue.

DUFFY ONLINE You can find Duffy’s comics, paintings, and illustrations — or contact him if you like — at brianduffycartoons.com.

received the Best Nonfiction of 2011 Award from the American Society of Journalists and Authors and the Emerging Iowa Author Award.

Kathryn Gamble (kathryngamble.com) is a freelance photographer based in Des Moines.

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Surf IOWA

Charles City: America’s most unexpected water sports destination — and a gem of a town story and photography by DAN WEEKS

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A paddleboarder surfs the rapids in Charles City’s WhiteWater at Riverfront Park. An experienced boarder or kayaker can ride the rapids’ standing wave as long as skill and balance allow. Spectacular wipeouts are also common — and part of the fun. Stepped limestone banks allow easy river access and prevent erosion during high water.

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A well-equipped tube rider prepares to jump into the chute. He’s standing on a concrete and native limestone jetty that funnels the river into rapids, increasing its velocity and roiling the water.

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The water is glassy calm, but as soon as we push off from the shore, the riverbank starts sliding by. As we slip under the footbridge, the channel forms a broad vee. That narrows into a flat tongue of water that dips down four feet, then shoots skyward — a steep wave with a foaming, tumbling crest.

“Do you think we are — ah, positioned right?” my wife, Randi, asks nervously as we — holding hands, but draped over our own inner tubes — accelerate into the chute.

“Oh no!” I yell in mock horror. “We’re being SUCKED INTO THE VORTEX!” The river plunged us down, then up, then spun us around. Lying on our rented tubes, we found ourselves surfing a standing wave, water boiling around us like a giant Jacuzzi. We were held in equilibrium by the steep face of the wave pushing us downhill and forward and the drag of the water pulling us uphill and back.

We hung there for what seemed like an eon, just as a perfect ski run or a soaring Frisbee throw seems to escape time. In front of us, we could see hundreds of tons of water, the entire Cedar River watershed, pouring toward us in a smooth, rolling wave of sculpted water.

Overhead, on a footbridge, spectators leaned over the railing and waved and cheered. Fishermen cast flies into the eddying backwaters from the river’s sculpted limestone banks. On the grassy slope behind them, picnickers passed one another egg salad sandwiches and lemonade. And behind them, under trees bordering a riverside parking lot, kayakers wriggled into their spray skirts and canoeists hefted their boats toward the water.

Then a shift in the current flipped us over the wave’s curl and down the rills on its back. We rode the tubes — our own miniature white-water rafts — through two more rapids before drifting to a beachy climb-out spot a couple of city blocks from where we started.

Yes, city blocks.

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Welcome to downtown Charles City, where the traffic includes kayakers, stand-up paddleboarders, tube riders, and a few crazy dudes who bodysurf down the rapids in nothing more than a swimsuit.

As we stroll up the riverwalk to do it all over again, we notice a 15-passenger van with Illinois plates pull up with seven boats on the roof rack. “We’re on our way back to Chicago from two weeks in Colorado, and we had to stop here and check out the river,” the driver says as he loosens tie-down straps on his kayaks. “It’s supposed to be the best white water between here and the Front Range.”

Water power The story of how a city built on industry turned itself into a recreational destination isn’t as strange as it might sound. It starts and ends with the Cedar River.

Charles City was an early center of tractor manufacturing. The river was originally dammed to power mills and, later, factories.

COURTESY CHARLES CITY WHITEWATER

Inner tubes and other floatables provide a no-skillrequired thrill ride. Three rapids, each with its own character, make for a waterborne roller coaster.

Kayakers are among the waterpark’s most enthusiastic users. The rapids were designed to offer a variety of water features and technical challenges. The sloping, grassy riverbank forms a natural area for spectating — and for resting between runs.

But the mills and tractor factories eventually left, leaving the city with a hole in its tax base and a couple of unused and dangerous low-head dams right in the center of town.

The city removed the dams and to the delight of locals and visitors alike replaced them with a white water park: a series of safe, scenic, and surfable rapids, the first white water course built in Iowa.

Recreational Engineering and Planning (REP) of Boulder, Colorado, reshaped the river with more than 10,000 tons of limestone. REP’s Gary Lacy says the firm has designed dozens of white water courses all over the country since 1983, and Charles City’s site compares well with any of them.

REP’s hydrologists designed bank and river-bottom features to funnel swimmers and river riders safely into and out of the rapids. Those same features also have environmental benefits: They help slow the river flow and prevent bank erosion during spring runoff and heavy rains.

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PHOTO BY KATHY STEVENS

Above the town’s remaining dam are miles of river ideal for flat-water paddling, with clear water flowing over sand, stone, and gravel bottoms and past limestone outcroppings and scenic countryside.

At first, some rod-and-reel folks objected, sure that the project would ruin the fishing. But now they say walleyes, northern pike, smallmouth bass, channel catfish, and crappies are more catchable than ever, thanks to fishways that allow fish to migrate and spawn, natural-looking jetties to cast from, and fishfriendly backwaters.

A national award In February of this year, the project won an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Award for National Smart Growth Achievement. “After decades of fighting against the often-flooded Cedar River, Charles City transformed it into an asset,” says the EPA. “Using land acquired through Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) flood buyouts, Charles City created a vibrant, inviting riverfront park with a white water course. . . . a model of how to strategically use flooded properties to create a sustainable,

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economically valuable amenity for the environment and the community.”

Downstream a bit from the rapids, there’s a stormwater fountain and ravine that’s both a play area and a sediment trap that slows runoff and helps keep topsoil out of the river. That part of the park has become so popular that community volunteers have continued to develop it, adding a labyrinth, amphitheater, disc golf course, and rain garden. A broad, paved riverwalk connects the park with walking paths leading to downtown and with a nearly 6-mile bike path.

Even though the whole park is free and open to the public 24/7, it adds three-quarters of a million dollars to the city’s tourism revenue. A local carwash does a booming business in inner tube and life jacket rental near the river’s south bank; a couple blocks from the north bank, you can impulse-buy a kayak at the local K-Mart. (See “Take the plunge!” on page 42 for more information on where to get river gear.)

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COURTESY CHARLES CITY WHITEWATER AT RIVERFRONT PARK

This draft of the river plan shows how the current is shaped by jetties, rocks, and underwater boulders that funnel the current into three white-water features. Eddies allow river users to exit the current into calm water if they choose. Fishways create countercurrents that allow fish to move upstream through the rapids.

WHILE YOU’RE THERE There’s more to Charles City than the river. It’s an

Park. A few blocks away, the Floyd County Historical

outgoing, progressive town with a long history of

Museum documents Charles City’s pioneering tractor

investing in quality-of-life amenities and makes for a

manufacturers and other local history.

great getaway.

THE ARTS: The Charles City Arts Center in the

OUTDOORS: Bike or walk the 5-mile Charley

1904 Carnegie Library building on the square has a

Western Recreational Trail for a scenic trip around the

gallery of regional work. And Charles City’s new library

town and along the river. Enjoy a round of disc golf

hosts a spectacular collection of original works by

at the course adjacent to the water park. Play a set of

Dali, Matisse, Picasso, and Rembrandt — all free for

tennis on a replica of the Wimbledon Centre Court at

the viewing during library hours. Take a walking tour

the All Iowa Lawn Tennis Club. Stop at the Saturday

of an impressive collection of public art on display

morning farmer’s market. Take in the town’s history,

all over town. Enjoy a movie or live show beyond the

which is literally engraved in words and images in

flamboyant facade of the Art Deco-era Charles Theatre.

polished granite stones set in walkways in the town’s

FOR MORE INFORMATION: charlescitychamber.com

picturesque downtown park square, called Central

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MARK YOUR CALENDAR Here are two weekends that are particularly festive:

COURTESY CHARLES CITY WHITEWATER AT RIVERFRONT PARK

CHARLES CITY CHALLENGE: WHITEWATER WEEKEND WhiteWater at Riverfront Park, 700 Riverside Friday, June 6– Sunday, June 8 ccwhitewater.com WhiteWater isn’t the only Charles City attraction: A 4th of July celebration in Central Park is full of old-fashioned fun such as this bed race.

641-228-4234 Men, women, and youth come from all over to compete in more than a dozen events, including a kayak rodeo, a “king of the wave” competition, timed runs through a gated course, and best stand-up paddleboard surfing.

A laid-back resort On a sunny summer day, Charles City WhiteWater at Riverfront Park gives the town the laid-back, festive atmosphere of a resort. Cars decorated with colorful, Aladdin-slipper-shape white-water kayaks pull up in the riverside parking lot behind the library. Unsinkable yellow white-water canoes filled with big air bladders rest on the grassy bank, their owners fiddling with gear, swapping stories of earlier runs, and eyeballing the river stage to plan their next route. Waterborne boats run the chutes, then mill about in the eddies before plunging in again. Families float by on tubes and air mattresses.

Charles City Park Board Chairman Bob Kloberdanz says, “It’s better than anyone thought it would be for a white water course in Iowa. . . .

We’ve done it right.”

4TH OF JULY CELEBRATION Central Park Thursday, July 3– Sunday, July 6 charlescitychamber.com 641-228-4234 Charles City’s Fourth of July feels like a citywide block party to which everyone’s invited. Out-of-towners feel at home immediately in the downtown city park, where there are lots of kids’ activities, band concerts, a parade, bed races, other fun contests and amusements, and the annual Red, White & Blues BBQ on Saturday night with great food and live music.

This is the Fourth of July as it’s meant to be celebrated.

Dan Weeks is editor of The Iowan.

TAKE THE PLUNGE! Plan your trip at ccwhitewater.com or contact the Charles City Tourism Coordinator Ginger Williams: 641-228-4234 or ginger@charlescitychamber.com. Charles City WhiteWater at Riverfront Park’s official website offers lots of information, including a river cam that shows what the river looks like in real time, flow reports with explanations of what various flow levels mean for rapids runners to help them fine-tune their visit, and businesses that cater to visitors with kayak, tube, and canoe rental and purchase information. You can also request a visitor guide and riverfront map.

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May/June 2014 | THE IOWAN

043-045 Charles City ads.indd 43

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3/24/14 2:46 PM

See the Charles City from its early days. Historic displays from a pioneer’s log cabin to Legel Drug Store, the railroad and of course, tractors built in Charles City.

OPEN

all year!

1313 Gilbert St • Charles City, IA

641-228-6193

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2379 Timber Avenue Charles City, IA 50616 641.228.3336 www.catt.org

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THE IOWAN | iowan.com

043-045 Charles City ads.indd 44

641-228-1099 | fchs@fiai.net Open all year Monday thru Friday 9:00-4:30 with weekend hours in summer

www.floydcountymuseum.org

2/6/14 10:12 AM

Carrie Lane Chapman Catt Girlhood Home and Interpretive Center

Key coordinator of the woman suffrage movement, Catt played a leading role in the successful campaign to win voting rights for women. Open Memorial Day–Labor Day, 10–4; Sunday 12–4; and by appointment.

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Floyd County MuseuM 500 Gilbert St. Charles City, IA 50616

We feature over 29 local artists Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri 10–5, Sat 10–3 809 Wisconsin, Charles City, IA 641-330-9122 www.schillersgallery.com

3/12/14 Schiller_MJIowan_2014.indd 12:14 PM 1

3/24/14 9:26 AM

3/31/14 4:07 PM

Sherman House Bed � Breakfast

A turn of the 19th century home lovingly renovated with the finest 21st century amenities. We offer Iowa hospitality, luxurious comfort and superb made-to-order breakfasts. Each of our five rooms has its own distinct theme and charming atmosphere as well as a private bathroom and gas fireplace.

Breakfast is made to order with fresh Iowa ingredients.

The Sherman House’s attention to detail, personal service, and respect of your privacy will make your visit to Charles City memorable.

Located one block from Charles City’s downtown area and whitewater course. Call us to make your reservation.

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May/June 2014 | THE IOWAN

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Outdoor Wedding Venues

by DEB WILEY

Invite Iowa’s natural beauty to your ceremony

Here come the bride and groom, past a vineyard, barn, or rose garden.

Five Iowa couples invite you join them at a few of Iowa’s best outdoor wedding venues and hear what it’s like to get married there.

Celebration Farm, Iowa City You might assume that Celebration Farm was designed to host weddings and other events, and you’d be right.

But the impetus came years earlier, thanks to Schwab’s Rule of Stuff: “You always have 25 percent more stuff than you have room for,” says Dick Schwab, the mastermind behind the stunning location that opened in August 2011 and includes a double round barn, a timber frame barn, and an outdoor amphitheater.

To hold his stuff, Dick decided to build historic-style barns on his farm near Solon. He started with a double round 18-sided barn and a 40-foot round barn with cedar shingles. Then came a 54-foot 12-sided barn, a 72-foot round barn with 16 sides inside, an octagon privy, and so on until eventually he had a village of — how many barns, Dick?

“Um, big and small . . . I have . . . hmm . . . seven big . . . and eight small, yeah, um . . . we have lots of barns.”

After every building was finished, Dick hosted a barn dance.

“I started getting about 150 calls a year to do events, and after I built a 100-foot-diameter true round barn, I started getting 300 calls a year,” he says.

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PHOTO BY EMILY CRALL

Celebration: It’s Built Right into the Name

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Rachael and Lucas Fewell said their vows last August in front of a trio of limestone Gothic arches at Celebration Farm near Iowa City.

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PHOTOS BY EMILY CRALL

The Celebration Farm’s timber frame barn, left and above, is just the right size for a wedding reception of about 150 people. A larger double round barn can hold twice as many guests.

So with along with partners Mark Hamer and Tom Werderitsch, he found property where he could handle those requests just a few miles away, along Highway 1 between Iowa City and Solon. And of course they started building more barns.

The double round barn holds 300 people; the timber frame barn hosts 150. Both were built with wood harvested within 20 miles of the site, and the dance floors were salvaged from the 1900 Solon High School gymnasium. But it was the amphitheater between the two with its triple Gothic stone arches that caught the eye of Rachael and Lucas Fewell, who married there August 4, 2013.

“The venue is just so beautiful,” Rachael says.

“We really wanted an outdoor wedding, and nothing else compared.”

Like other couples that choose an outdoor ceremony, they sweated the idea of their 150 guests melting in summer heat. But this is Iowa, and the weather was predictably unpredictable. It was a perfect, breezy day in the low 70s.

The Fewells are typical of other young people clamoring to be married at Celebration Farm (the venue is booked most Saturdays through 2015, with Fridays and Sundays going fast), Dick says. “I think they’re

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more environmentally conscious,” he says. “Being outside feels good to them.”

Another advantage is the all-in-one setting: “In less than 100 yards, you’re at the reception.” The barns are climate controlled, but it’s easy to step outside onto a patio to talk. “Unlike renting a ballroom at a hotel, here you have the entire place to yourself,” Dick says.

Getting married in an Iowa barn also appeals. “The most common reaction we get from people is for them to roll back on their heels and go ‘Wow!’ ” Dick says.

Then they kick up those heels and celebrate.

Celebration Farm 4696 Robin Woods Lane NE, Iowa City, 52240 319-631-8116 • thecelebrationfarm.com

MORE IOWA FARM/BARN VENUES Barnes’ Place, Adel, barnes-place.com Bessie’s Barn, Centerville, bessiesbarn.com De Novo Barn, Decorah, denovobarn.com Sawmill Hollow, Missouri Valley, sawmillhollow.com Stonehaven Barn, De Soto, stonehavenbarn.com Whiterock Conservancy, Coon Rapids, whiterockconservancy.org

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Reiman Gardens, Ames There’s an advantage to getting married in a garden: The flowers are already there.

That’s one reason why Ann and Ryan Conklin chose the rose garden at Reiman Gardens in Ames for their June 29, 2013, ceremony.

“We enjoyed having blossoms that we didn’t have to put there,” Ann says. “We didn’t have to decorate, just set up the chairs.”

The couple met at Iowa State University and had visited Reiman Gardens as students. “Reiman is pretty awesome,” says Ryan. “We both really like the outdoors; we both really love the butterflies and flowers.”

It was a good location for their families, who hail from Urbandale and Marion. “We had a connection to that area, and it seemed less complicated than other locations,” Ann says. “It fit our personalities and what we hoped to do with our wedding.”

Adds Ryan, “It was surprising how easy they made it for us.”

Reiman Gardens hosts about 40 weddings each year at five garden locations, according to its private event and tour coordinator, Lee Chapman. The rose garden is most popular, but the gardens’ membership coordinator, Megan Cummings, has chosen the Hunziker House with its outdoor living room and paving court for her upcoming May 24 wedding to Justin Miller.

“It’s just our parents and close friends, about 25 people, so we’re having the ceremony right in the outdoor living room,” says Megan. “I don’t need a lot of decorating; everything is right here for me.”

She’s not worried about the weather. “If it rains, I can use the conservatory, where it’s nice and warm.”

Rain? No problem. The flowers will be happy.

Reiman Gardens 1407 University Blvd., Ames, 50011 515-294-2710 • reimangardens.com

PHOTO BY AMANDA CLARK

Get ting Married in a Bouquet

Ryan and Ann Conklin chose the Jones Rose Garden at Reiman Gardens for their ceremony, where a fountain and rill serve as a focal point.

OTHER IOWA GARDEN VENUES Central Gardens of North Iowa, Clear Lake, central-gardens.org Dubuque Arboretum, Dubuque, dubuquearboretum.net Gazebo on the Green, Iowa City, 319-338-7889 Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, Des Moines (outdoor gardens available in 2015), dmbotanicalgarden.com Greenwood Park Rose Garden, Des Moines, dmgov.org Iowa Arboretum, Madrid, iowaarboretum.org Japanese Garden at Muscatine Art Center, Muscatine, muscatineartcenter.org Prairie Pedlar, Odebolt, prairepedlar.com Salisbury House and Gardens, Des Moines, salisburyhouse.org Western Gateway Park and John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park, Des Moines, dmgov.org

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PHOTOS BY AMANDA CLARK

Willow Creek Glass Chapel near Shelby is a nondenominational rural retreat surrounded by fields, wildflowers, and natural light. Receptions are held in a banquet barn.

Goin’ to the Chapel

Willow Creek Glass Chapel, Shelby If someone made a movie about Shane McCool and how he became one of the owners of a little glass chapel set in the rolling hills of western Iowa, it would open something like this: It’s 2003. Shane is living the single-guy life on the island of Maui when he gets a phone call from his parents, Gene and Peg McCool, asking him to come home to Iowa so they can build a little glass wedding chapel on the farm that’s been in their family for more than a century.

“At first I thought, ‘This is crazy,’ ” Shane says.

“I thought, ‘There’s no way anyone’s going to come there.’ But I was so wrong.”

Even though it’s winter, Shane hops on a plane and builds Willow Creek Glass Chapel at the farm. And, yes, there is a fairy-tale ending.

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On June 26, 2010, Shane stands on an oak stage that he built at the far end of the chapel and joins his life with Maritza, now his wife and mother of their three children. “It was almost surreal,” he says.

It gets better. When they first meet, Maritza tells Shane she had heard the ads on an Omaha radio station and had decided that if she ever got married, she was going to do so at Willow Creek Glass Chapel.

Handling weddings and receptions — about 50 every year — is now a full-time job for both Shane and Maritza.

They believe their little nondenominational church, which seats up to 220 people and has windows on all four sides, is the only glass chapel in Iowa.

“It’s a photographer’s dream,” says Amanda Clark, an Osceola-based photographer. “If I could shoot a wedding there every week, I would be the happiest girl in the world.”

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Rachelle and Jeremy Davis, who married last fall at Willow Creek Glass Chapel, chose a wildflower theme to echo the wildflowers outside the facilities.

In 2015 the McCools plan to add a setting for open-air weddings near the private pond. “We’ve been getting increasing inquiries about getting married outside,” Shane says. Receptions are usually held in the nearby banquet hall barn.

The setting is idyllic, with 4,000 trees planted in the past decade, lots of native wildflowers, and frogs and dragonflies for insect control. “We wanted everything to be native,” Shane says. The secluded location at the end of three miles of gravel road is easy to find, but “we want people to feel like they’re lost.”

The sense of being out in nature and a location that lent itself to a family reunion drew Rachelle and Jeremy Davis, married September 7, 2013.

“We were both adamant that we wanted a church or chapel,” Rachelle says. “We liked the seclusion, too.

We were a couple promising something to God, and it’s hard to do that in the city with so many distractions.”

“All you see are rolling hills, soybeans, and flowers,” says Jeremy. “We wanted people to have a good time.”

And they did, with family and friends playing horseshoes and bocce and socializing at the reception barn with the doors flung open.

It’s like a movie. Roll credits.

Willow Creek Glass Chapel 4072 325th St., Shelby, 51570 712-483-2435 • willowcreekglasschapel.com

MORE IOWA CHAPELS WITH A COUNTRY FEEL Candle Lit Way Wedding Chapel, Dallas Center, candlelitwayweddingchapel.com Olde St. Ann’s Church at Dan Nagle Walnut Grove Pioneer Village, Long Grove, scottcountyiowa.com The Little Brown Church in the Vale, Nashua, littlebrownchurch.org

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PHOTO BY TIM DODD

Rolling hills and scenic rows of grapes at Park Farm Winery near Dubuque are almost all the decoration this bride and groom needed last year.

Here’s to a Winery Wedding!

Park Farm Winery, Bankston It’s a relatively new vintage. The blend of weddings with wine began six years ago, when Dave Cushman’s sister, Annie Berendes, wanted to get married at their family business, Park Farm Winery near Dubuque.

“We weren’t anticipating doing weddings” when the winery was built, Dave says. So they added a huge steel deck that’s 30 to 40 feet above the ground (in the steeply rolling Dubuque hills) and rented a big tent.

Suddenly the winery was THE place to get married. “It was a little surprising,” says Dave.

After hosting 35 to 40 weddings for a couple of summers, the Cushman family decided they’d allow weddings only on Saturdays in June and September, when the weather is most likely to cooperate.

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The winery offers beer and its own award-winning wines, plus pizza from the wood-fired oven, but most wedding parties choose to bring in their own caterer.

Any couple lucky enough to get one of the coveted weekends is rewarded with stunning views of Iowa’s natural beauty. One location overlooks gentle slopes of the 10-acre vineyard; the other faces west over the rolling hills of a wooded valley with a little church on the horizon. “One of the selling points is the pictures they can take out there,” Dave says.

Michelle Balk Sutton grew up in Dubuque but lives in California now. When it was time to schedule her wedding to Jake Sutton on August 25, 2012, she found the perfect melding of a California — or Tuscan — winery vibe with the beauty of Iowa’s wooded, rolling hills. “I’m a very outdoorsy person, and I really wanted an outdoor wedding,” says Michelle, who is a biologist.

“I thought this was the perfect location.”

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PHOTOS BY AMANDA MCLEOD

The chateau-style architecture Park Farm Winery, above, lends a European vibe to the setting. Michelle and Jake Sutton, right, chose the winery because of its blend of forest and vineyards. Michelle says being flexible is the most important element of an outdoor wedding: “It will be memorable regardless of what’s going to happen.”

Weather was the biggest concern. Their 100 guests sweated a little through the 86-degree day, but it was overcast. The second worry was about how older relatives would make the trek down a gravel road to the ceremony location, a concern erased when the winery supplied golf carts.

“No one complained at all,” Michelle says.

The oohs and aahs from the scenery overcome any minor discomforts from a bit of heat.

“A lot of the guests come in shock and awe at what the place is like,” says Dave. “Some have a preconceived idea that we’re in a bunch of flat cornfields, and their comment is, ‘Wow, I had no idea.’ ” Park Farm Winery 15159 Thielen Rd., Bankston, 52039 563-557-3727 • parkfarmwinery.com

IOWA WINERY VENUES Cedar Ridge Winery, Cedar Rapids, crwine.com Eagle City Winery, Iowa Falls, eaglecitywinery.com Jasper Winery, Des Moines, jasperwinery.com La Vida Loca Winery, Indianola, lavidalocawinery.com Prairie Moon Winery, Ames, prairiemoonwinery.com Santa Maria Vineyard and Winery, Carroll, santamariawinery.com Snus Hill Winery, Madrid, snushillwine.com Stone Cliff Winery, Dubuque, stonecliffwinery.com Sugar Clay Winery and Vineyards, Thurman, sugarclaywinery.com Sugar Grove Vineyards, Newton, sugargrove.com Summerset Winery, Indianola, summersetwine.com Two Saints Winery, St. Charles, twosaintswinery.com Whispering Pines Winery, Keosauqua, whisperingpineswinery.biz Winneshiek Wildberry Winery, Decorah, wwwinery.com

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PHOTOS BY MINDY MYERS

Charlotte and Jed Tompkins were the first couple to be married outdoors at Honey Creek Resort State Park in June of 2012.

A Honey of a Location

Honey Creek Resort, Moravia As soon as Charlotte and Jed Tompkins arrived at the end of the long and winding road that leads you to Honey Creek Resort, the state-owned destination at Lake Rathbun, they knew they were “home.”

“We were sold as soon as we drove up,” Charlotte says. “We were looking for natural beauty.”

They both grew up in Nebraska but wanted to hold their wedding in Iowa, where Jed was going to medical school at Des Moines University.

Their decision made Honey Creek Resort history.

On June 2, 2012, “we were the first full outdoor wedding there,” she says.

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There was, of course, a backup plan in case of bad weather. But Charlotte says, “It’s just so beautiful there, we were really hoping to stay outside.”

The morning of the wedding was overcast. But when the guitarist strummed the processional at 2 o’clock, the clouds parted, the sun come out, and “it was ridiculously perfect,” Charlotte says.

With 105 guest rooms in the lodge, 28 cottages, and 20 lakeside RV campsites, the Tompkinses’ 200 guests were invited to stay on-site and enjoy the golf course, indoor water park, and nature activities.

“Jed and his friends are huge golfers, and the course there was ranked in the top 10 best new courses in America,” Charlotte says. “The wedding was Saturday, but we and several of our friends stayed Thursday through Monday. People golfed all weekend, went

THE IOWAN | iowan.com

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PHOTO BY BONNIE ISAAC

With Honey Creek Resort in the background, the party continued inside a tent for the wedding of Charlotte and Jed Tompkins on June 2, 2012.

YOUR OWN BACKYARD Your ideal wedding location may be right out your back window.

boating, and enjoyed the hiking and biking trails. We were pleasantly surprised that so many made a mini vacation of the weekend and took advantage of the amenities.”

The beauty of the outdoors with the advantages of a resort makes Honey Creek a wedding destination, says Morgan Crall, Honey Creek’s wedding coordinator. She helps plan 35 to 45 weddings per year, drawing couples from Des Moines, Omaha, and Kansas City. “We usually see a bride that’s looking for a rustic but elegant theme,” she says.

The resort offers three outdoor locations: an upper lake-view terrace that seats 25 to 75, a lower lake-view location for 300, and a covered pavilion for 100 to 300 guests.

“We talk to this day that we are going to renew our vows there just so we can get everyone together for another family vacation and party,” says Charlotte. “Our friends and family rank our wedding venue as one of the best they have been to because of the versatility and sheer underrated beauty.”

The Tompkinses’ sunny yellow-and-white color theme seemed perfect for the joyful emotions of the day. “Yellow has always been one of my favorite colors,” says the bride.

And it’s the color of honey.

Honey Creek Resort 12633 Resort Dr., Moravia, 52571 641-724-9100 • honeycreekresort.com

Megan Johansen, The Iowan’s senior designer, and her husband, Erik, were married in her parents’ backyard in Des Moines because:

• Megan is close to her parents and has always loved the yard.

• Much of the wedding planning took place there, so having the ceremony there felt natural.

• Other venues had restrictions on catering, timing, setup, tents, even police presence, or were prohibitively expensive; here, the couple called the shots.

That flexibility allowed them to hold the wedding in the late afternoon, when the combination of leafy shade and glowing light made the place look its best. They hired a trolley to shuttle guests from nearby parking; a patio gave guests a defined place to mingle before the ceremony. The result: “Perfect for us,” says Megan.

“Guests loved the intimacy and familiarity of it, and we all felt

Deb Wiley and John Schmidt were married May 29, 2004, in Des Moines at

relaxed and at home there. We

St. John's Lutheran Church with a reception at Hoyt Sherman Place because

had a plan B, but the weather was

she was worried about the weather. The day was cool and cloudy.

perfect, so we didn’t need it.”

May/June 2014 | THE IOWAN

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The International Festival connects people through what we ALL share — food, music, dance, art, and games.

Come celebrate our rich American history and the many international heritages of the region with contemporary events and activities that will create lasting memories.

Our family-friendly festival will include a walking parade for all, a petting zoo and educational demonstrations. Many of Heritage Park’s historical buildings will be open for tours.

FREE ADMISSION! We only ask attendees to bring canned goods to donate to local food banks.

Forest City, Iowa June 28–29, 2014 heritageparkofnorthiowa.com/events/international-festival

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Press On!

The basement of an Audubon farmhouse is an unlikely location for an artisan designer-printer with a national reputation. Or is it?

by Dan Weeks

As young Iowa State University graduates in graphic design and interior design, Iowa natives Meg and Chad Gleason aimed far. “We thought we were headed to Brooklyn [New York — not the one in Poweshiek County] or Europe to do an internship in the arts,” Meg said recently, sitting at the living room table in her Audubon farmhouse. Big windows overlook the farm’s barns and Holstein calf operation. Meg had her eye on doing artisan letterpress printing; Chad, furniture design.

But their graduation coincided with the recession of 2008, and their internships in exotic locations fell through as firms downsized. The couple ended up joining Chad’s family’s farming operation, where Meg initially fed bull calves and Chad supervised construction projects.

It didn’t seem like an auspicious beginning to a career in the arts. But six years later, Meg’s design studio, Moglea (MOE-glee), is crazy busy printing her own designs of letterpress-printed notecards, stationery, notepads, and other paper products.

It started with one century-old press (“the smallest morsel of letterpress equipment you can get,” says Meg) and designs she dreamed up while doing farm chores. Today the business has expanded to include eight employees and three antique presses. Meg does all the designing; all of them work hard to fulfill orders from retailers in 30 states plus Canada and Australia. They’re building a combined design studio and print shop that will allow them to put more old presses to work and hire additional employees.

Moglea’s designs often combine handwritten (and here, foil-stamped) script with the embossed impression left on the paper by an antique press. Watercolor accents are hand-applied.

How have two Iowans not yet 30 years old cracked the New York-centric high-design business and landed accounts with such hip nationwide retailers as Anthropologie, Fresh Produce, and Urban Outfitters?

By being themselves. Meg’s design talent is obvious and irrepressible. But their success is also as much a result of several other qualities, all home-grown. The couple is

May/June 2014 | THE IOWAN

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made in Iowa COMMITTED. Meg and Chad married while they were both college students. They bought a farmhouse and joined the farming business soon after graduation — an agonizing decision, especially for Meg. (“I really love Chad,” she says, remembering her year of farm chores.) They bought their first press and Meg presented her work at a New York trade show before she’d sold a single product. The two make all decisions jointly and are totally devoted to seeing that together they fulfill their dreams. “We’re both all in on everything,” says Chad, who helps buy, transport, set up, maintain, and at times operate the presses and has designed and is overseeing the building of Moglea’s studio while continuing to farm — a job he loves.

ENTREPRENEURIAL. They each grew up watching family businesses grow and thrive as a result of ingenuity, focus, sacrifice, hard work, and cooperation. Chad’s family farmed; Meg’s mother ran several small-town businesses in southern Iowa over the course of her career.

IOWAN. “Farming, we grow our own feed, we fix our own machines, we build our own buildings,” Chad says. “When there’s a challenge, you figure it out.” They bring the same

Meg Gleason at her farmhouse table. Her business was born in the basement, has taken over the garage, and is about to get its own custom-designed building.

attitude to launching a design business. They’re also very practical. “I tend to design backwards,” Meg says. “I envision the package, then add the design.” The two say that in rural Iowa, they’re on a design island, with few outside influences, but like it that way. It allows them the freedom of coming up with original ideas such as Moglea’s Letterquettes — sets of coordinated, tear-off envelopes and stationery in a neat, convenient, booklike kit.

What’s next? More commitments to grow into: Their new building is big enough to accommodate a design studio, a pressroom, a classroom for design and printing workshops, and living space for interns — plus a woodworking studio, where Chad hopes to produce some of the furniture designs he dreams up during all-night shifts in the planter or combine. Biggest of all: The Gleasons recently adopted Shepard, age 4, and Ev, age 2, a brother and sister from the Congo, who play on the sunlit floor as Meg and Chad talk to a visitor.

“Our life here is all a lot of work,” Meg reflects, “but it all works together. We love it. We’re committed to it. We’re here for good.”

For more information: moglea.com

Dan Weeks is editor of The Iowan.

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Meg’s first creations were cards she gave to Chad when they were dating. Her work has an ebullient spirit, often combined with natural themes inspired by rural Iowa.

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discover DISCOVER discover DISCOVER discover DISCOVER discover Delaware County Historical Society Nine Buildings (Restored Lenox College): Civil War Monument and Resources. Local, School, Farm, Railroad, Pharmacy and Natural History displays.

Listed on Iowa Scenic Byway and National Register Historic Places 563.926.2639 www.delcoiowahistory.org

The Iowan May/June 2013 www.muscaneartcenter.org Client: Delaware County Historical Society Open Tuesday—Sunday Section: IMA Treasures 563-263-8282 Date: 3-28-2013 Proof #: 2

The Art of Living Well On view through June 15, 2014 Grant Wood, Tree Planng Group, lithograph, 1937

Jasper County Historical Museum

ools Attend steam engine sch 14.

June and September 20 seum.com Go to jaspercountymu for details!

We're that windmill place off of I-80 641-792-9118 / info@jaspercountymuseum.com

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discover DISCOVER discover DISCOVER discover DISCOVER discover discover WATERLOO, IOWA Battle of Old Bradford Civil War Reenactment May 17–18, 2014 9 AM–5 PM

Old Bradford Pioneer Village

Museum & Gift Shop Open May 1–Oct 1, 2014 Hours: M–Sat 9–5 Sun 1–5

Now Handicapped Accessible 2729 Cheyenne Ave. Nashua, IA 50658 641-435-2567 Paid for, in Part, by the waterloo hotel motel tax

BradfordPioneer_MA_IOWAN_2014.indd 319.234.6357 | GROuTMusEuMDIsTRIcT.ORG

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12/26/13 10:35 AM

See the largest collection of National Bank Note issues on permanent exhibit in the U.S. Come see America’s commemorative paper money depicting:

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* Landing of Columbus * Embarkation of the Pilgrims * Signing of the Declaration of Independence * Other great events in our history

FREE ADMISSION

Open mid-May until mid-September Tues. - Sun., 11 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

www.thehigginsmuseum.org 1507 Sanborn Ave. • Okoboji, IA 51355 712-332-5859 ©2006 William R. Higgins Jr. Foundation, Inc. All rights reserved.

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scover DISCOVER discover DISCOVER discover DISCOVER discover DISCOVER Shelby County Historical Museum

Log Cabin Day Sunday June 1, 2014 Historic demonstrations including soap and broom making, rope making, corn shellers, oats fanning mills and more.

Enjoy historic music and lots of great food!

Come see the Deen Loom and Nelson gas engine, both manufactured in Harlan.

Come for the festival, stay and explore our Civil War reenactment camp, 1850s log cabins, horse-drawn farm equipment, military exhibits, presidential signatures, pioneer artifacts, Native American artifacts, and genealogy and research center.

1805 Morse Avenue Open M–F 8am–4pm Harlan, Iowa 51537 free admission (712) 755-2437 www.shelbycoiamuseum.org

Kinney3/5/14 Pioneer Museum

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Join us for: Pork BBQ—May 4, Vintage Car Day—June 1, Olde Fashion Ice Cream Social—July 13, Kids Day—August 17 Cider and Donut Day—September 28 Open Tues-Sun, 1–5 PM, May–September 8 miles West of Mason City on Iowa 122 1 mile east of I-35, Exit 194 641-423-1258

Visit the

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George Curtis Mansion

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3/12/14 4:04 PM Prairie Trails Museum of Wayne County

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Open Daily Tours by appointment, please call for details and schedule.

Available for private party rental

Open Daily 9-5 • i-90 exit 14 (605) 642-West (9378)

Gettysburg shrapnel, Lincoln's signature, draft cards, leg irons, & other Civil War artifacts.

Hours: Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday 1–4pm, First Friday's Art Walk 6–9pm.

Highway 2 East, P.O. Box 104 Corydon, Iowa 50060 641-872-2211 | ptmuseum@grm.net

www.prairietrailsmuseum.org

112 S. Court Street, Fairfield, IA 52556 641.472.6343 fairfieldmuseum@gmail.com www.FairfieldMuseum.com

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discover DISCOVER discover DISCOVER discover DISCOVER discover discover EXPERIENCE LIFE ON THE FRONTIER

The Dollies

at the Fort Museum!

This unique display is now open near the 1905 Study Hall.

Anatomically correct, these 81 hand-carved “Dollies,” also known as the “Firewood Floozies,” are 5/8ths human size and complete with handmade clothing, jewelry, and furniture. The artist, Robert Smith, farmed near Battle Creek and created the collection over 20 years. Visit one of the Midwest’s largest county heritage museums to see these treasures and more!

Visit an 1855 log home, 1857 sutler store & country school, general store, cabinet shop, blacksmith shop, livery stable, and more. 19 buildings in all.

OPEN DAILY APRIL 26–OCT. 11, Mon.–Sat. 9–5, Sun. 11–5

Plymouth County Historical Museum

Fort Museum & Frontier Village Located on Business Hwy. 20, Fort Dodge, IA 515.573.4231| www.fortmuseum.com

335 First Avenue SW, LeMars, Iowa pchmuseum@gmail.com

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HOBO MUSEUM A unique museum dedicated to preserving the history of the American hobo.

The Iowa Children’s Museum Playing is learning! Family attraction full of active learning exhibits, including Take Flight!, inspire every child to imagine, create, discover, and explore though the power of play.

Open Monday–Friday 10 am–5 pm (Memorial Day–August 15) Or by appointment

1451 Coral Ridge Avenue Coralville, IA 52241 319.625.6255 www.theicm.org

Britt, Iowa 641-843-9104 www.hobo.com

Granger House Museum 2/4/14

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This 9-acre site, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, celebrates the role of the draft horse during the Golden Age of Iowa Agriculture.

OPEN MAY TO NOVEMBER. Tue & Thur 1–4 pm and Sat 10–4 pm Located at the intersection of Hwy 1 & US 34 www.JeffersonCountyIowa.com/barns 641-919-8262

DISCOVER

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Tours are available January–April by appointment; schedule yours today! �

Marion’s Granger House, its furnishings and the story of its residents provide a snapshot of the Victorian lifestyle experienced by many middle-class families in Iowa and the Midwest during the 1880s.

Open seasonally, May–December 970 10th Street • Marion, IA • 319.377.6672 grangerhouse@marionhistoricalsociety.org grangerhousemuseum.org • marionmuseums.org

Swedish American Museum 1/10/14

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Museum Exhibits Gift Shop Coffee Shop

Dallas County

We have something for everyone!

Outdoor activities, museums, artistic experiences, unique shopping, local wineries and so much more!

107 James Avenue Swedesburg, Iowa 319-254-2317 Open 9–4 Mon, Tue, Thurs, Fri, Sat

515-465-3577 www.discoverdallascountyiowa.org

Find us on facebook: Swedish American Museum and Historical Society

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62 Museum Iowan.com Iowa Association

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swedish@iowatelecom.net

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GERMAN AMERICAN HERITAGE CENTER We host family reunions!

Group Tours Welcome!

712 W. 2nd Davenport, IA gahc.org • 563.322.8844 Special Advertising Section Special Advertising Section

3/31/14 4:24 PM

scover DISCOVER discover DISCOVER discover DISCOVER discover DISCOVER HUMBOLDT COUNTY HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION

Preserving the past for future generations.

OPEN June 1–September 30 Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri, Sat 10 am–4 pm Sun 1:30 pm–4:30 pm

905 1st Ave N Humboldt, IA (515) 332-5280 www.humboldtiowahistory.org HumboldtCo_MJIowan_2014.indd 1

8641 Swanson Blvd Clive, Iowa 50325 515-251-6951 www.clivehistoricalsociety.com Tours by appointment only

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See it for yourself! 10am–4:30pm daily 216 S. 2nd Street, Winterset TOLL-FREE (877) 462-1044

www.johnwaynebirthplace.museum

3/12/14 2:37 PM

AGRICULTURAL INNOVATION on DISPLAY – SEE IT TODAY!

Wapello County Historical Society Wapello County Historical Museum presents exhibits for all ages: railroad memorabilia, doll and toy collections, 1920 fire engine and John Deere exhibit.

210 W. Main Street , Ottumwa, IA 52501 641.682.8676 wchs@pcsia.net www.WapelloCountyMuseum.com

Bring this ad and receive $2 off adult admission.

“Interactive Museum of Agriculture” HeartlandAcresUSA.com Phone: 319.332.0123 Independence, Iowa

The Iowan May/June 2013 Client: Wapelllo Co. Historical Musem National Section: IMA Treasures Balloon Date: 3-25-2013 Museum Proof #: 1

• Participative quizzes • Family-oriented • History of Ballooning • Gift Shop • Kid’s Corner in the U.S. from • Video Presentations 1783 to present • Interactive displays • Research Library 1601 N. Jefferson Way Indianola, IA 50125 515.961.3714 museum@NationalBalloonMuseum.com www.NationalBalloonMuseum.com

Est. 1858 by German immigrants and on the National Register of Historic places this beautiful church features hand crafted wooden altars, 16 stained glass windows and years of history.

Available for weddings and special events!

Private tours available.

319-461-3281 30832 242nd Street, Harper, IA

clearcreekheritageassociation.org

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Open 7 Days a Week Year-Round 641-842-6176

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3/20/14 2:30 PM

Come take a historical look back at the people, places and progress of the West Bend area.

Hours: Sat–Sun 1:30–3:30pm Memorial Day–Labor Day or by appointment anytime 107 3rd St SE 515-200-9234

Grotto of the Redemption

Saints Peter & Paul Heritage Association

SSPeterPaul_MJIowan_2014.indd 1 Special Advertising Section

West Bend Historical Site

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Come see the world’s largest Grotto and visit the Grotto Museum with its large collection of minerals, gem stones and fossils.

West Bend, Iowa 515-887-2371 www.westbendgrotto.com

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63 THE IOWANwww.IowaMuseums.org July/August 2011

3/31/14 4:24 PM

CELEBRATE RAILROAD HERITAGE Kalona Historical Village

The Kalona Depot was built in 1879 and moved to the Historical Village in 1969, displays include a large collection of unique lanterns.

715 D Ave • Kalona, IA 52247 319.656.3232 • kalonatours@kctc.net • www.kalonaiowa.org

Watson Station Miniature train rides for children and adults Collections and memorabilia displays Located in City Park • Missouri Valley, IA (20 miles north of Omaha/Council Bluffs at the intersection of Hwy. 30 and Interstate 29)

OPEN weekends and holidays Sat. 10–6pm and Sun. 12–5pm

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The

Operating Toy Train Museum in Iowa

Open May 24–September 1 10:00am – 6:00pm Daily 515.674.3813 www.trainlandusa.com 3135 Highway 117N (exit 155 off I-80)

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Don’t miss the Calamu s Depot!

Section

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CELEBRATE RAILROAD HERITAGE www.muscaneartcenter.org Open Tuesday—Sunday 563-263-8282

Railroads

of

Muscatine County

June 29, 2014 - January 11, 2015

TRAINS on the

FARM Model Toy Trains, Depot and Railroad Artifacts Museum Children’s Toy, and Ag collections Circus & Wild West Layouts Join us for a time of fun, nostalgia, history “On The Farm” Tours lasting 2, 5 or 8 hrs are available — call for more information.

30215 170th Street I Clarksville, IA 50619 319.278.4847 www.trainsonthefarm.com

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portfolio

Summerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Coming The Iowan staffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s picks of the 2013 state fair Photography Salon entries

In 2014, the Iowa State Fair will celebrate its 75th photography salon with an all black-and-whitethemed show. For information about how to enter one or more of your black-and-white photographs in the 2014 photography salon: iowastatefair.org.

The Iowan sponsors the Iowa Places class award.

Jumper Krista Long, Des Moines

May/June 2014 | THE IOWAN

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Perturbed Rachel Ritland, Stanhope

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Reflection Kylie Morgan, Ankeny

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Ground View Alex Egeland, Ames

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Jackson County Iowa — Simply Beautiful!

Handmade, Wood Fire Pizza

EAST IOWA REALTY eastiowarealty@gmail.com 125 2nd St, Maquoketa 563-652-0000

“Stop in for a peace!”

BOMBFIRE PIZZERIA

Sabula, IA 563-249-8688 www.bombfiresabula.com

We have a team of dedicated agents ready to help you with all of your real estate needs: Residential • Farmland Commercial • Building Lots We specialize in farmland www.eastiowaland.com

JoQuilter Fabrics

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Stop by this cozy quilt shop in downtown Bellevue.

Home of ‘‘Big Stitch’’ hand quilting.

Hours: May–November 11:00 am to 5:00 pm Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun, & Mon By appointment on Tues & Wed December–April hours can vary (please call first)

128 South Riverview Bellevue, IA 52031 563-872-3473

Gravert’s Apple Basket Orchard

2/20/14 9:44 AM

Rediscover an era of elegance

Jacuzzis • Suites • Candlelight Dessert FREE wi-fi Check out our FIVE STAR reviews Visit squiersmanor.com for special packages

(563) 652-6961

418 West Pleasant St. • Maquoketa, IA 52060

U-pick or pre-picked Over 20 varieties of apples, fresh cider and so much more!

Open Sept–Nov Friday–Monday 9am–6pm Hwy 52, 7 miles north of Sabula, Iowa

www.gravertorchard.com 2.29"x4.75"-2_Layout 1 1/14/14 3:15 PM Page 1

MAQUOKETA

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ONE OF A KIND

Area Chamber of Commerce

2014

Spring Color Fling Run May 31, 2014 Race starts at 11:00 am at Timber Lanes.

The after party includes music, food, fun and games for everyone!

15th Annual Timber City

Adventure Race June 21, 2014 Canoe, bike and run a 5K by yourself or as a part of a team through the beauty of Jackson County.

• Located on the Great River Road and Grant Wood Scenic Byway • Historic Downtown

Annual Events June – Jackson County Pro Rodeo July – Heritage Days Celebration August – “Fishtival” Arts Festival

Maquoketa Motor Madness June 27–28, 2014 Live music, car show vendors, display art, burnout pits, camping, dirt track activities 563-357-3775 www.maquoketamotormadness.com Check the Calendar of Events on our website!

Maquoketa Area Chamber of Commerce 117 S. Main Street • Maquoketa, IA 52060 800-989-4602 • maquoketachamber.com Maquoketa_MJIowan_2014.indd 1

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Jackson County Iowa — Simply Beautiful!

You’re always welcome.

NEW in 2013 Indoor pool, free wi-fi fitness center, free breakfast 4115 N Riverview Bellevue, IA

JULY 23RD – 27TH, 2014

www.baymontinns.com

BIGGER & BETTER for 2014 Shot Gun Red Variety Show

"Where the only thing better than the food, is the view."

Wednesday, July 23rd Featuring Gretchen

4115 N Riverview, Bellevue, IA 563-872-5800

Tickets still available.

To order by phone call: (563) 652-4282 More information online at: www.jacksoncountyiowafair.com

www.offshorebellevueia.com 3/20/14 2:15 PM THE JACKSON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

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Two Fine Museums Jackson County History Museum: Two stories and a large machine shed of engaging exhibits tell the story of Jackson County, Iowa. Period rooms, 2-headed calf, 1914 Case steam engine, authentic log cabin and so much more.

1212 East Quarry Street / Fairgrounds Maquoketa, Iowa 52060 563-652-5020 museum@jciahs.com Clinton Engines Museum: An Iowa Great Place, the restored administration building of one of the largest small engine manufacturers in the world is now a fine interactive museum; Race a Go-Kart, build an engine, view some of the 18 million engines built here. Also home to the Jackson County Research and Genealogical Library.

605 East Maple Street Maquoketa, Iowa 52060 563-652-1803 www.clintonengines.com

Wilson

Saturday, July 26th

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Why go out for ordinary when you can have

Extraordinary?

118 North Riverview Bellevue, Iowa 563-872-3164 www.WaterStreetBellevue.com

Admission is $3 for one / $5 for both - ample parking, handicapped accessible.

Hours of operation 10 - 4 Tues through Fri 12 - 4 Sat & Sun Closed Mon. and major holidays WaterStMarket_MJIowan_2014.indd 1

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May/June 2014 | THE IOWAN

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Jackson County Iowa — Simply Beautiful!

Kalmes Restaurant & Catering Stop in for a good old-fashioned home cooked meal!

 Specializing in Ribeye Steaks Sunday Brunch 8–11:30am

Whispering Meadows Resort LLC River Ridge ATV Trails LLC

100 North Main Street St. Donatus, IA 52071 563.773.2480 563.872.3378 www.kalmesrestaurant.com TaborHomeWinery_MJIowan_2014.pdf

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34580 100th St., Spragueville, IA Steve & Kathy Tebbe (Owners) 563-357-3784 whisperingmeadows@yahoo.com www.whisperingmeadowsresort.com 3/26/14 www.riverridgetrails.com 12:42 PM

4:48 PM Fascinating Midwest2/11/14 WhisperingMeadows_MJIowan_2014.indd Winery Experience Special Your

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The 2/7/14 Decker Hotel 1875

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3:12 PM

Come visit this Historic Hotel built in 1875.

We offer beautifully decorated rooms, great dining and a popular lounge. Lunch daily 11-2 Monday thru Saturday. Dinner 4:30-8:30 Tuesday thru Thursday, and 4:30-9:00 Friday and Saturday.

Breakfast buffet every Sunday from 9:00-1:00.

Lounge open Wednesday thru Saturday 4:30-close.

Happy hour daily.

Hurstville Interpretive Center Educational Exhibits • Nature Trails Outdoor Play area • Free admission Open weekdays - 9-4 • Weekends Noon - 5 U.S. Highway 61, 1 mile N. of Maquoketa.

Nature Center/Visitor Center 563-652-3783 Visit jacksonccb.com to learn more.

563-652-1875 www.deckerhotel1875.com

61 Drive In

Old City Hall Gallery

The Iowan July/August 2013 CLIENT: Hurtsville Interpretive Center SECTION: Maquoketa PROOF #: 1 DATE: 5-28-2013

121 S. Olive St The Iowan May/June 2014 Maquoketa, Iowa CLIENT: The Decker Hotel 1875 563-652-3405 SECTION: Maquoketa PROOF #: FINAL DATE: 2-7-2014

What's Showing?

Call 563-652-3535

Since 1950 – one of only four drive ins in Iowa!

Located 5 miles south of Maquoketa Dennis Voy – Owner

Artist: Rose Frantzen www.oldcityhallgallery.com

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Join us for the 8th Annual Creek Fest at Brush Creek Winery!

INSURANCE - REAL ESTATE 210 West Platt St. Maquoketa, IA 52060 Office(563) 652-5684 (800) 684-0693

www.theengelagency.com

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The Iowan May/June 2014 CLIENT: The Engel Agency SECTION: Maquoketa DATE: 2-11-2014

August 30–September 1 Saturday, Sunday & Monday: 12–6 pm.

Grape stomp competition, music, wagon rides, venders in the vines, great food & fun! www.brushcreekwinery.com

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Nobody works harder (or smarter)

to manage your risk. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our people make the differenceâ&#x20AC;?

Excellent Service! Competitive Costs!

Insurance Agents & Brokers 300 Walnut Street Suite 200 Des Moines, Iowa 50309-2262 800-767-1724

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flashback: 1954

60 Years Ago in The Iowan

The May 1954 issue featured a tulip-bordered lawn on the cover and the magazine’s first use of a color photo on the inside front cover.

Inside, a full-page ad from Tidy House Products in Shenandoah introduced homemakers to the miracle of “genuine polyethylene” plastic bags.

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A hand-colored photograph illustrated “It’s Tulip Time in Orange City.”

The article promised “a full quota of tulips” and “a well-rehearsed operetta.”

Iowa is the only state to boast two tulip festivals, in Pella and in Orange City.

Des Moines-based Allied Mutual entertained with cartoons about everyday dangers.

“104 Years of Maple Syrup” celebrated the Greens’ Sugar Bush Farm near Castalia. Sixty years later, the Greens are still at it.

They recently served 844 people from six states and four countries during the annual Pancake Days celebration at the farm.

“The Case for Larger High Schools” by two professors of education rebutted an earlier article about the benefits of small schools.

An article on a planting initiative envisioned a landscape devoid of barbed wire. “The multiflora rose will be as the hedgerows of England and Normandy — beautifying the countryside as well as providing a practical fence.”

May/June 2014 | THE IOWAN

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Come Touch the Heart of America From dairy farms and museums to vineyards and tractor assembly tours, the story of American agriculture is brought to life at more than 100 sites and attractions in this 37-county region of Northeast Iowa. An Affiliated Area of the National Park Service.

Hawkeye Buffalo Ranch

C ALL FOR TOURS

Fredericksburg, Iowa (563) 237-5318 www.hawkeyebuffalo.com HawkeyeBuffaloRanch_MJIowan_2014.indd 1

Stop and pick the flowers!

3/5/14 3:18 PM

Take a step back into small-town Iowa History!

Miss Effie's Country Flowers & Garden Stuff A unique “U-Pick” flower farm.

One full acre of heirloom flowers and herbs.

Come enjoy our Grant Wood landscape and cut the perfect blossoms for your bouquet!

Visit our new retail store — The Summer Kitchen, for unique gift items and handmade goodies!

Visit the Historic Burkard Riegel Blacksmith Shop 210 Mill St, Clermont, IA Open Memorial Day–Labor Day for self-guided tours.

Guided tours by appointment.

Call (563)423-5561

27387 130th Ave • Donahue, IA 52746 563-282-4338 • www.misseffiesflowers.com Hours: Th–F 9–5 pm, Sat 9–3pm, Sun 12–3pm

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IOWA’S ORIGINAL BARN QUILT PROJECT

BARN QUILTS OF GRUNDY COUNTY

For more information, please contact: 705 F Ave/ PO Box 85 Grundy Center, IA 50638 319-825-3606 www.grundycountyia.com

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CLIENT: SECTION:

Treasure the past.

Imagine the future.

Experience history through our innovative and educational exhibits.

408 Main Street La Porte City, IA 50651 Hours (May-Nov.): Tuesday & Thursday 10–4 pm Saturday 10–2 pm 319.342.3619 www.lpcmuseum.com

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3/12/14 2:27 PM

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

3/31/14 4:40 PM

35th Annual Spring Arts & Crafts Festival May 24–26, 2014 5th Annual Lazy River Beer & Wine Fest June 28, 2014 12pm–4pm River Front Marina — Marquette, IA Come enjoy great brews, wines and food while listening to live music!

Annual Fall and Leaf Arts & Crafts Festivals first 2 weekends in October 2014 Historic Town * Live Music * Beautiful River For more information: 563.873.2186 www.mcgreg-marq.org

THE CHRISTMAS DOCTOR

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3/25/14 10:26 AM

The True Story of Dr. J.P Weber

by Tom Weber Dysart Historical Center Historical and Agricultural Museums Restored Country School & Memorial Rose Garden Silos & Smokestacks Area Site An Iowa Great Place 612 Crisman St. Dysart, Iowa 319-476-7345 www.dysartiowa.com/museum

Dr. Weber was born and raised in Creston, Iowa.

Available on amazon.com “You have a wonderful father to remember.

I am very moved.”

— Liv Ullmann

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3/17/14 4:23 PM

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Summer Programs SummerSongs!

Upcoming Events World Songs Concert

Lynnville Historical Society

Summer camp for grades K-3

August 4-8, 2014

Auditions for fall semester begin in May.

Contact us at 515-221-3922 or heartlandyouthch@qwestoffice.net to sign up for an audition.

Visit Joinhyc.org for more information

EXPERIE NC

Season E al 16 Cel ebratio

SAVOR

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A Renaiss

in Progre ance ss The Music Man

Comes Home!

PLUS:

Scary iowa Venues Halloween The Art of Richard Kelley

UP drinks WARM hot delicious with 4 page 16

RELAX spa at an Iowa page 40

these

page 20

WOMEN FARMERS

Lighter on the Land?

page 24

GET GROWING

Plants! Ideas! Inspiration!

page 50

A GARDENER’S MECCA

Decorah’s Don’t-Miss Destination

page 40

COME VISIT US TODAY!

Corner of E Bennington and Sage Roads Waterloo, IA 319-529-1876 john.ginna.walker@gmail.com

319.234.4567

GA SPEC RD IA EN L ISSU E

Give a Gift Today! ONLY $20 Every Issue of The Iowan delivers the best of Iowa with suggestions of places to go … people to know … the stories, the tastes, the sights, and the sounds of the great state of Iowa.

To give a gift subscription go to www.iowan.com or phone 877-899-9977 (USA) or 515-246-0402 (International).

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9 Holiday Recipes

GROW eplants easy hous

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SummerTunes!

Sheslow Auditiorium Drake University

2/7/14 12:00 PM

Bennington No. 4 is a one room school built in 1911.

Located on its original site and restored to period 1945–1955.

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August 3-8, 2014

May 11, 2014 4:30 PM

Open 2–4pm Sundays Memorial Day–Sept. or by appointment 200 East St Lynnville, IA 641-527-2766 LynnvilleHistorical_MJIowan_2014.indd 1

Summer camp for grades 4-8

3/31/14 1:33 PM

May/June 2014 | THE IOWAN

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escapades

Crime and Confession A feud, a conspiracy, and a not-so-perfect crime

by CARROLL MCKIBBIN | illustration by DAVE TOHT

Our feud with Colina began in the Guthrie Center kindergarten in 1945 when we boys, perturbed by female classmates expecting a free ride on the merry-go-round, chanted, “All girls get off and push.”

Mrs. Chase, our teacher, found us ungentlemanly and asked the ringleaders to step forward. We didn’t. Colina did, pointing us out like suspects in a police lineup.

The little girl with the dark hair and matching eyes ratted us out year after year, causing us tense trips to the

Students shot into our hands, one after another, as we followed our rhythm of catch and set, catch and set.

Then we heard, “Easy does it.” Colina was on the way!

A second later she rocketed through our open arms and crash-landed bumpety-bump on her bottom.

superintendent’s office, stay-after-school sentences, and an

I ran to her with a feigned “Are you okay?”

occasional well-deserved paddle whack on the behind.

Pink hollered up the fire escape, “Hey, slow it down up

The last straw: Our sixth-grade school Christmas party shoot-out was scuttled when the little snitch squealed. We

there. We missed one.”

Colina would have none of this scripted innocence. She

boys had given dart gun gifts to each other, with Colina

rose to her feet, rubbed her rear, and accused: “They did it

as primary target. Mrs. Murphy, fully informed by Miss

on purpose, Mrs. Murphy.”

Blabbermouth, confiscated our weapons before a shot was fired. Bent on retribution, we planned our revenge.

The sixth-grade classroom on the second floor of the

Our teacher turned a skeptical eye my direction, but I covered my tracks with a series of I’m sorrys. We had committed the perfect crime, or so we thought. But our

school included a tubular fire escape, three feet in diameter

consciences never forgave us. Finally, at our fiftieth high

and sloping 30 feet to the playground below.

school reunion in 2006, Jack “Gator” Applegate and I

During fire drills two boys, “catchers,” exited first via the slide and stood ready at the bottom, catching zooming

apologized to Colina Hunt Abbot on bended knee.

She smiled. “I knew all the time,” she said.

classmates. Two other boys, “pushers,” remained at the top of the escape and assisted students into the slide.

Pink and I, the catchers, would accidentally-on-purpose not catch Colina. Fizz and Gator, the pushers, would signal her arrival with an innocent-sounding “Easy does it.”

The conspiracy was set. All we needed was the usual

Carroll McKibbin has written two books about growing up in Iowa: Lillian’s Legacy and Apron Strings.

Dave Toht is an illustrator, writer, book publisher, and blogger (davetoht.tumblr.com).

unannounced fire drill. Weeks passed. Then the fire alarm sounded. Pink and I sprang from our seats, slid quickly to the bottom of the escape tube, and took our positions.

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3/31/14 4:41 PM

It’s Simple. Just be Here.

2014 Schedule 12 19 26

APRIL

Practice Night Lucas Oil Knoxville Championship Cup Series Season Opener plus 305’s KCCS #1 - Pella Motors Race For Your School Night/Lion’s Club Night Lucas Oil Knoxville Championship Cup Series #2 plus 305’s KCCS #2

MAY 03 10 17 24 31

Lucas Oil Knoxville Championship Cup Series #3 plus 305’s – Slideways/Pella Printing Night Lucas Oil Knoxville Championship Cup Series #4 plus 305’s, plus Dirt Trucks Lucas Oil Knoxville Championship Cup Series #5 plus 305’s – Knoxville McKay Insurance/Allied Insurance Night Lucas Oil Knoxville Championship Cup Series #6 plus 305’s Pizza Hut Night Lucas Oil Knoxville Championship Cup Series #7 plus 305’s – Pella Corp & JDRF are Racing to a Cure for Diabetes Night National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and Induction Banquet

JUNE 07

JULY 31-AUG 2

13 14 15 20 21 28

Lucas Oil Knoxville Championship Cup Series #8 plus 305’s – Titan Machinery Night Vintage Flat Track Motorcycle Race Mediacom Shootout World of Outlaws Sprint Cars plus 360’s KCCS #9 AMA Pro Flat Track Motorcycle Knoxville Grand Nationals Nostalgia at Knoxville Lucas Oil Knoxville Championship Cup Series Mid Season Championships plus 305’s – Farm Bureau Night KCCS #10, Knoxville Raceway Hall of Fame Induction Banquet Lucas Oil Knoxville Championship Cup Series #11 Marion County Cattlemen, Corn and Soybean Growers Night 360 Twin Features Night

JULY 05 11 12

AUG 6-9

15 17 19 26 31

Lucas Oil Knoxville Championship Cup Series #12 & 13, Town Crier 410 Twin Features, Fill the Stands for Hospice Night Marion Co. Fair Entertainment – Hairball in Concert Lucas Oil Knoxville Championship Cup Series #14 plus 305’s HyVee Night, Marion Co, Fair Marion Co. Fair Entertainment – Full Blown Rodeo Harris Clash Lucas Oil Knoxville Championship Cup Series #15 plus 305’s - 3M Night Lucas Oil Knoxville Championship Cup Series #16 – Candi’s Flowers Night 24th Annual Arnold Motor Supply 360 Knoxville Nationals

AUG

09 23 24

24th Annual Arnold Motor Supply 360 Knoxville Nationals 24th Annual Arnold Motor Supply 360 Knoxville Nationals plus 305’s Knoxville Championship Cup Series Capitani Classic 410’s KCCS #17 54th Annual FVP Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey's General Stores – RacingJunk.com Qualifying 54th Annual FVP Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey's General Stores 54th Annual FVP Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey's General Stores – SPEED SPORT World Challenge 54th Annual FVP Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey's General Stores Lucas Oil Knoxville Championship Cup Series #18 – Walmart Night Knoxville Enduro

19 20 25 26 27

Monster Jam Monster Jam 11th Annual Lucas Oil Late Model Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s General Store 11th Annual Lucas Oil Late Model Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s General Store 11th Annual Lucas Oil Late Model Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s General Store

01 02 03 06 07 08

SEPT 25-27

SEPT

Schedule subject to change. Check website for schedule updates.

November/December 2013 | THE IOWAN

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3/31/14 4:43 PM

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3/31/14 4:44 PM