Brothers Marlyn, Rod and Bill Renken with their wives, Mary, Sarah and Janice. Story begins on page 18
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IMPACT CONSTRUCTION AT 25: EFFICIENT CONSTRUCTION AND NEW IN-HOUSE DESIGN
By Bob Fitch
Twenty-five years of building homes and ag buildings has taught Rick Kattenberg the importance every single worker plays in the chain of construction. “You need good people behind you because you're only as good as your weakest link.” It needs to go well from the bidder to the concrete sub to the framer to the plumber to the sub putting on the putty. “On every project, I always think about the hundreds of hands that touch it. Each person must do a good job to make that experience positive.”
Rick’s wife, Debbie, said, “Our subcontractors make the whole building process go great. Rick’s relationships with the subs are so important.”
Impact Construction had a modest start. “Right out of high school, I went into a partnership with my brother, Josh, who was operating a company he called Falcon Construction. Our first vehicle was a 1986 Lincoln Town Car.” In 2001 or ’02, the brothers graduated from the Town Car to a 1986 Chevy Blazer pulling an old 1976 pickup box. “We
Deb and Rick Kattenberg with their children, Heather, Jaci, Owen and Leah.
pulled that around for a while and finally moved up to a ’96 pickup. We had very humble, small beginnings. We were doing shingle jobs and just odd repair stuff. When I started at age 18 right out of high school, I actually hated doing construction work,” he said.
especially with the breeding schedule and recordkeeping. “I just do what they tell me,” he said. In addition to working at the dairy, Christina does embryo work on show cattle for Jim Verhout. She lives in Hull.
Oldest daughter, Amber, is nurse practitioner in New Ulm, Minnesota. She and her husband, Chad Bynes, have two children, Olive and Brennan.
After his brother sold out to him in 2003, his attitude began changing. “In the beginning, my brother was the brains and I was the brawn. When he quit, I had to become both. I discovered I enjoyed the challenge of just figuring stuff out. Learning how to do pitches and stairs, all that was fun. It was more challenging, and so it pushed me to the next level.”
EVERYTHING ON THE BACK END
Son Johnny and his wife, Branigan, purchased an acreage and feedlot near George last summer. They custom feed cattle for the Van Kekerix family and he helps at the Boogerd farm with spring field work and chopping silage. Branigan also works for Schwartz Family Farms as a field manager at some of their area hog barns. In addition, the couple raise sheep. Grant enjoys assisting his son and daughter-in-law at the feedlot. “When they work the cattle, I get to go over with my horse and help them. Branigan says it goes way better if she has a horse or two to run the pens up. She’s a little bit like my wife, she’s the boss lady.” Norma said, “Sometimes you guys need that.”
Debbie said Rick learns and grows on every project. “Many of the methods and approaches he used 10 years ago are completely gone now. Even what you did on last year’s project might be changing into something different tomorrow.”
Grant and Londa’s son Joeb lives near Doon and is in the process of buying the Dean De Bruin farm acreage site. Joeb will raise heifers for Boogerd Dairy. He feeds cattle for the Van Kekerix family and custom raises hogs for Borderline Swine.
Rick said Debbie’s role in the company is vital. “She does the office work and book work. Every loose piece, she picks it up. She takes care of everything on the back end. She says she's just a mom, but
she’s really the CFO of this company. She manages every dollar that comes through our business and every dollar that comes through our home.” Debbie added: “You wouldn’t want me framing a house. Don’t cross into my lane and I won’t cross into yours, we work well together.”
VETERANS ON THE CREW
employees at Impact Construction are veterans in the building trades.
Aside from Rick, the veteran is Tony Halbur, who joined the company 20 years ago. Rick said, “He’s been my mainstay employee since then. For a lot of years, it was just Tony and me and a couple summer guys. We were so efficient as a small team.” Even though Rick and Tony have been working together for two decades, “I’m still not sick of him! We’ll go to the lakes to work and we’ll chat all
Daughter Sarah lives at home and works fulltime on the farm. Londa said, “Sarah does anything and everything for us: Feeding, hauling manure and calf work. She has become our goNorma and John Boogerd with John’s 1966 John Deere 4020 Diesel.
The heartbeat of Impact Construction is the two crews of carpenters in the field. Most of the
Rick with his residential construction crew: Tony, Josh, Kody, Zach, Seth and Samuel (in front).
the way up and back. Or, if one of us is not in the mood for talking, I’ll put my earbuds in, and he plays a game on his phone. And that's fine too.” These days, Tony is typically focused on the end stage of projects installing trim.
“As you get bigger, it’s hard to control efficiency, but you get more projects done and keep learning and changing to maintain efficiency which is so important to me. We’ve had some really good guys,” Rick said.
A year ago in January, Rick and Debbie restructured and split the team into two crews. Josh Ymker is the jobsite foreman for residential projects and Marius Versteeg was the jobsite foreman for large ag construction. “They each enjoyed different tasks, so we split them and it was going so well,” said Rick.
However, last August, the company suffered a shocking loss when 14-year company veteran Marius Versteeg died as the result of a fall at a worksite. According to Rick, “In the first half of the ‘00s, Impact was almost strictly in the residential market, doing a lot of remodeling jobs, shingling, siding and then building spec homes. Marius pushed us to dive deeper into ag construction He loved big ag projects. The bigger, the better. So we went after it, especially big shops and big cattle barns. The change has helped us stay busy because sometimes ag is slow and other times residential is.” Going into spring 2025 without Marius’ good advice and good attitude has left a big hole in their team and hearts.
BIGGER SHOP AND NEW DESIGN SERVICES
Impact Construction sets itself apart since it’s willing to do commercial, steel frame, wood frame houses, residential and ag. “I always stress that quality is so important. Keeping customer service and quality where it needs to be sustains work for us years down the road. You never know where a customer might hear about you or where your name will appear in conversation,” said Rick.
In 2012, Impact added an office and shop on Highway 18 on the west side of Hull. Even with market uncertainties, they plan to double the size of their shop this year. With the lumber market going through so many price swings, the larger shop will allow them to hold more material and hopefully control input costs.
Over the past two years, Impact has also developed a “hand-holding” service for their
Rick with his ag construction crew: Brayan, Dallas and Kaiven.
customers. According to Rick, “We were running into issues with lumber yards not getting quotes done and not getting prints done. It was taking three and four months to get anything back. Debbie suggested we hire our own designer/ draftsperson. We decided to go for it.” They hired Kristin Paulsen, who provided the chance for the company to expand its services to full designs, full 3D drawings, full 3D walkthroughs and interior design work which includes helping customers choose flooring, paint and fixtures. Her part-time job quickly became full-time and they are now thinking about adding an assistant for her.
A native of Orange City, Kristin previously worked at the Dwellings floor store in Alton. Rick said, “It's awesome to sit down with our clients and go over their plans, go over pricing, and then Kristin takes it from there and finishes the design. She meets with the flooring store, the plumber and the cabinet maker. She helps clients with everything from paint to fixtures to furniture to decor on the walls. Right now, she’s working to streamline the process because there are literally thousands of decisions that need to be made when you’re building a house from scratch.”
Debbie added: “With the cost of many new homes in the area rising to $800,000 and on up, you have to give the customer the best experience you can when they're spending that kind of money and are taking that risk. Our clients come to really trust Kristin.” Rick said, “We've always tried to set ourselves apart with efficiencies. Now we can take that to the next level by offering this service in-house.”
Impact Construction’s footprint is typically within a 60-mile radius of Hull including the lakes area.
“Every spring, you worry if the phone will ring,” he said. “We’re committed to staying on top of our game. We try to avoid rushed projects which tend not to go smoothly. The planning stage is so important.” Debbie added, “It’s a privilege to be a part of our clients’ real estate portfolio. The trust they place in our team doesn’t go unappreciated.”
Kristin Paulsen, interior designer at Impact Construction.
Deb and Rick Kattenberg, with their youngest child, Jaci, in the office at Impact Construction in Hull.
ROCK RAPIDS:
‘A LIVELY, ENTERPRISING, GO-AHEAD LITTLE CITY’
Editor’s note: For many years around 1900, big city newspapers featured smaller, up-and-coming towns. Since the coverage was universally positive, an educated guess tells me the big city newspapers charged the small municipalities for the privilege of this boosterism. Regardless, this story features a snapshot in time of Rock Rapids, as published in the Cedar Rapids Gazette on November 10, 1886. This story is largely published as it appeared in the Gazette page; except where I’ve summarized for length and clarity.
ROCK RAPIDS
The County Seat of Lyon County
A Live, Bustling Town in the Garden Spot of Iowa
A Good Field of Investment for the Rich Man, and the Place for The Poor Man to Become Rich
Rock Rapids is a town of about 1,200 population, and is located on a high table land at the junction of the Rock and Kanaranzi rivers. These rivers afford within a mile of the town an almost inexhaustible water power, that is now being utilized only to furnish power for two small flour mills. An oatmeal mill, a tow mill and a paper mill could be operated here advantageously … several flour mills would pay.
Local residents represent the adventurous, daring element of the staid, steady-going people of the east, who come west, and by energy and enterprise make homes, cities and states. They are people of education, culture and refinement … It is a lively, enterprising, go-ahead little city. The city is served by two rail lines. The first from Doon through Rock Rapids on to Minneapolis and then Chicago. A new rail line has just connected from Sioux Falls. The coming of the new road foretells the town will grow from 1,200 to 4,000 in five years.
There are no hills or stone to interfere with the most successful cultivation and yet there is sufficient elevation and depression of surface to admit the most perfect drainage. The county is well watered. Its streams, unlike many in the west, are rapid and their waters clear and pure, the largest flowing through broad valleys of rich bottom lands, bordered by fine groves of timber, and the smaller meander through all parts of the county furnishing excellent water for stock and giving a proper proportion of pasture, meadow and field.
The soil of Lyon County is generally a drift deposit covered with a black, sandy loam and vegetable mold, from two to four feet deep, but in the valleys, partakes more of an alluvial character and is frequently 10 feet thick with a gravelly sub-soil. … The peculiar admixture of soil materials gives a warmth and mellowness to the soil, so that it produces and matures crops fully as soon as the southern counties of the state … Another excellent quality of the soil is its capacity for enduring a severe drought … This year has been almost unparalleled in dryness, (yet) the crops of this region were perfectly immense.
This area has a glorious climate; and corn crops yield 40 to 80 bushes to the acre, wheat 25 to 40, oats as high as 98 bushels to the acre, flax 18 bushels, potatoes, barley, rye and all kinds of garden produce yielding in the same proportion. The winters are no colder than those 100 miles south and are so dry and bracing that they are not felt so much as in more humid and southern climates. The summers are warm, but tempered by the inevitable breeze that blows over the prairies all day … The forests are tinged with the most gorgeous hues
LYON COUNTY LAND
A promotional page highlighting the city of Rock Rapids, as published in the Cedar Rapids Gazette on November 16, 1886.
and all nature seems to wear the enchantments of a fairy land.
The real estate dealers offer wild lands for $10 to $16 per acre and improved farms ranging in price from $15 to $22 an acre.
YOUNG, ENERGETIC BUSINESSMEN
Rock Rapids is particularly fortunate in having a most enterprising class of business men. A large part of them are young energetic, pushing, “get there” men, who have implicit faith in their town and its future, and who are doing everything in their power to make their city, and the country surrounding it, boom.
The Lyon County Bank is owned by Mr. J.K.P. Thompson and has capital and surplus of $70,000. This bank was the first of its kind in the county and has pushed its way through hard times and adversity
… First National Bank has a paid-up capital of $50,000 with resources of $122,490.86. B.L Richards is the president and C.H. Huntington is the cashier.
Attorneys are Roach & Ramsey, Van Wagnen & McMillan, J.M. Parsons, E.Y. Greenleaf. Rock Rapids physicians are A.M. Vail, A. McNab, Willis G. Smith, W.W. Norris and C.G. Wallace.
General store owner C.G. Anderson has built up a large business by his excellent judgment in buying goods, and his genial manner. He makes a specialty of fine dry goods and notions, and handles groceries, both staple and fancy, clothing, boots and shoes, crockery and glassware.
Martin & Wanger goods are of the very best quality, bought at the closest figure, and they can in consequence give the best of bargains. Wyckoff & Fairlamb
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The Union Block in downtown Rock Rapids. All images circa 1886, as published in the Cedar Rapids Gazette.
Lyon County Courthouse.
handle drugs, books, surgical instruments and supplies, lamps and lamp goods, toilet articles, patent medicines and choice cigars. They also handle pianos, organs and musical merchandise of every kind, and carry a full line of oils and paints. Dr. A.M. Vail carries a fine line of drugs, medicines, paints, oils, toilet goods, perfumeries, holiday goods, books and patent medicines … Dr. Vail is a practical pharmacist and has more business than he can well handle, as his large medical practice takes a large part of his time.
A.F. Berdine’s hardware store deals in shelf and heavy hardware, shot, powder, guns, pistols, cutlery, glass, pumps and barbed wire. Mr. Berdine manufactures all kinds of tinware. Willis H. Smith of the post office book store, deals in all kinds of books and stationery, fancy goods, cigars, tobaccos, wall paper, holiday goods, blank books and school supplies … He also sells window shades and musical merchandise.
C.P. Merrill’s hotel has 22 rooms and the Rock Rapids House, operated by Mr. L.P. Kenyon, has accommodations for 100 people. His rates are $1.00 per day.
W.W. Gardner has been in the grain business here since 1879 and just opened a new elevator. Close Bros. & Co’s elevator has a capacity of 20,000 bushels. E. Partch & Son, who manage the “City” flour mills also run an elevator, as does F.H. Peavy & Co., of Minneapolis.
Rock Rapids also has a lumber yard, bakery, dentist, clothing house, painters, carpenters, dray lines, and a three-chair barber shop. There are two newspapers.
SCHOOLS, CHURCHES AND SOCIETIES
The schools of Rock Rapids are in keeping with the town. They are fully up to the times, and receive hearty support from the general public. The school building is a frame structure, two stories high, was built in 1881 at a cost of $7,000, and contains four rooms. There are 272 scholars enrolled. There is also a smaller building used by the primary department.
The Methodist Episcopal Church has a membership of 150, including a Sunday school of 100. Their building cost $2,200 and was improved with another $1,100 investment. The Congregational Church has 100 members. Its 57x94-foot building cost $4,000. Sunday school has 120 scholars. The Roman Catholic Church meets in the courthouse.
Fraternal societies include the Knights of Pythias, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, International Order of Odd Fellows, and the Grand Army of the Republic.
Methodist Church.
Congregational Church.
Rock Rapids school house. Residence of O.P. Miller.
W.W. Gardner’s new elevator.
Residence of Dr. C.G. Wallace.
Office of W.P. Riggs, land agent.
PHOTO BY DEAN ENGELMANN, TANGLETOWN GARDENS
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA
RENKEN BROTHERS ARE PROUD OF THE FAMILY’S VALUES AND THEIR HOMETOWN OF BRUNSVILLE
By Bob Fitch
Brothers Marlyn, Rod and William R. Renken Jr. are “true blue Brunsville.”
Rod Renken said, “We all three went to the Brunsville school through the eighth grade. We banked in Brunsville and we go to church here. We never left town.” His older brother, Bill, said, “We did
our business here at the elevator, lumber yard and repair shop. Yeah, we’re true blue Brunsville.” They all graduated from Le Mars Community High School.
Bill and Rod were born in West Le Mars. In the spring of 1944, they moved with their parents to a farm just south of Brunsville (where Rod lives today). In 1950, their parents
moved to a farm up the road, just to the north of Brunsville, where they spent the greatest part of their childhood. That’s where youngest brother, Marlyn, lives today. Bill’s wife, Janice, said, “There’s not too many families where three brothers are almost in the same section. Rod is on the south end, we’re in the middle and then Marlyn.”
Brunsville brothers Marlyn, Rod and Bill Renken with their wives, Mary, Sarah and Janice
In addition, there are not too many families where one generation accounts for 174 years of marriage. Bill and Janice have been married for 62 years; and both Rod and Sarah and Marlyn and Mary have been betrothed 56 years. Bill joked, “Janice came floating down the creek from Craig to a Brunsville dance. That’s how we met.” Rod and Sarah had a chance meeting at the Rathzeller Lounge in Sioux City. Rod proposed to Sarah at the Clay County Fair when they were stuck at the top of the Ferriss wheel. Her answer was, “Well, we could try it for a little while.” That was 56 years ago. Mary grew up in Sioux City and she met Marlyn when both were driving the loop with friends.
Bill credits Christian family values for the longevity of their marriages. According to Rod, “Growing up, we always went to church. Even when you were 22 years old, you went to church on Sunday. Our parents
never said anything and you never asked, ‘Do I got to go?’ You just went.”
The families all attend St. Peter’s Lutheran Church of Brunsville. For years, the church was the center of community activities with Luther League, Ladies’ Aid and the men’s group. The Renkens have served the church in many ways.
THE GOOD OL’ DAYS OF FARMING
Their father, William Renken Sr., was still using a team of horses when Bill Jr. was young. He drove the binder when he was just seven, then drove the bundle rack on the hay loader. When the hired man was drafted into the Korean War, Bill was drafted to drive the horses pulling the onerow cultivator. His father was pulling the two-row cultivator behind their Allis Chalmers tractor.
“Mother and I couldn't lift the
harness to put it on the horses. So Grandpa put wire stretchers off the roof of the barn, so we could lower the harness onto the horses."
When they were in high school, the normal time to milk cows was 6:00. But if they stayed out late with friends two nights in a row, the wakeup call came at 5:30. “If you were out three nights in row, milking time was at 5:00. Pretty soon we got the message,” said Bill. There were a lot of dances in Brunsville back in those days.
Bill reached the rank of sergeant E5 during his six years in the National Guard. He farmed 58 years, 52 of those in partnership with Rod. They farrowed 350 sows for 33 years, but were glad to find there was “life after livestock.” Bill’s son-in-law and grandson, John and Daniel Ahlers, farm much of his land today. Marlyn served in the Army National Guard. “I was green behind the
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ears, a kid fresh out of high school. It was a rude awakening. I learned real quickly to keep your mouth shut when you're in the army and don't volunteer for anything. But I still made rank every year.” After his initial stint, he returned home, but then was called up for 4½ years of active duty at Fort Carson. “Living in Colorado, we didn't have family close and, with a newborn baby, it was a learning process. We depended on each other and a few close friends.”
TAKE ME HOME, COUNTRY ROAD
Marlyn and Mary returned to Iowa after his service was complete. They started farming with his dad. Marlyn had cattle and hogs through the years and has a stock cow herd today.
Returning to Brunsville was an easy choice, said Marlyn. “I wanted our son to have the freedom that we had back here. Growing up, all the doors were unlocked, we played downtown, and every mother knew every kid and was keeping an eye on them.”
Those rules continued to apply as their own kids aged up. Mary said, “The town kids enjoyed spending time here. There was always something to do … playing hideand-go-seek, fishing in the creek, sledding on the pasture hills, and playing basketball in the barn. They also helped with walking beans and baling. Bill, you guys had that big toboggan that we hooked on behind the tractor and pulled through the fields and the streets of Brunsville.
How many people could you get on there? Seven or eight people at least. That was fun.”
Bill and Janice’s daughter, Debra Ahlers, said living so close to all of her cousins growing up gave them an extra set of siblings whom they’ve remained close to for their entire lives.
The Renken brother’s childhood home, across the road from the west end of Brunsville. Marlyn and Mary live here today.
SUMMERTIME
Marlyn continued the memories. “All during the summer, every evening as it started getting dark, our phone would start ringing with mothers in town calling to say, ‘Send so-andso home.’ The kids had a shortcut through the pasture, to where they jumped over the creek and where they went over the road. It was a well-worn path.” Meanwhile, Mary said, “Our kids knew when the street lights came on in Brunsville, it was time for them to come home.”
Togetherness was a necessity for the
three Renken families when work needed doing. Mary said, “Someone would start baling and we’d just move on from one farm to the next. Whoever’s farm you were at, that was the one that provided the noon meal and lunch in the field.”
Bill said, “We went to church together, we worked together, and yet we each led our separate lives. Our daughters, Deborah and Denise, disked and drove the baler. They cultivated all day while Rod and I were grinding feed. When they weren’t working for me, they babysat for some of the others.”
He continued: “In the early years, we were so poor, we didn't have any idea of going somewhere to do something different. But we had a lot of fun even with no money."
COMMUNITY PRIDE
Renken family members are proud of Brunsville. According to Marlyn, “We are fortunate in our little town. All the streets are paved and it's clean and kept up nice. We have a huge meat processing industry, along with the elevator complex and the bank.” Janice likes the monthly pancake breakfast and the good
One family, three lifetimes of farming at Brunsville. Childhood photo: Bill is behind Rod and Marlyn. Current photo: Bill, Marlyn and Rod.
The Renken brothers’ parents: Hilda and William Sr.
Mexican food on Monday nights. Mary said the Corner Café offers great food including prime rib on Friday and Saturday nights. Bill said there are nice offices downtown, a great golf course on the east end and an active American Legion.
Just like the streets and yards in Brunsville are well cared for, the Renkens show respect to their neighbors and friends by keeping their yards (“the gateway to Brunsville”) picked up, mowed and in bloom. Marlyn added: “I think it’s a way to show respect to our neighbors and friends.”
After divesting himself of livestock, Bill drove bus for Le Mars Community Schools for 15 years. Marlyn worked for 30+ years driving bus for the district, primarily driving for the high school athletic programs. Mary got her degree at Westmar and went to work for the state of Iowa as a social work case manager.
THREE MORE GENERATIONS
Bill and Janice Renken had four children. Twin sons Kevin and Keith are deceased. Both of their daughters and sonsin-law live in Le Mars: Debra and John Ahlers and Denise and Neal Anthony. Bill and Janice also have seven grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren (with two on the way).
Rod and Sarah Renken have four children, nine grandchildren and one great grandchild (and one on the way). Daughter Jackie and her husband, Bill Rieken, live in Le Mars. Also in Le Mars are son, Steve, and his wife, Shannon. Daughter Christine and her husband, Curtis Geisner, live at Salem, S.D. Daughter Sandra and her husband, Nick Johnson, live in Ireton.
Marlyn and Mary Renken have four children and eight grandchildren. Son Patrick and his wife, Naomi, live in Le Mars. Daughter Suzanne lives in Chicago. Son Ryan and his wife, Sara, live by James, north of Sioux City. Finally, daughter Nikki is married to Brian Eisma of Ireton.
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MIX OF OLD AND NEW MAKES AKRON OPERA HOUSE FUN
By Bob Fitch
The Opera House in Akron is a step back in time, a cultural cornerstone for the here and now, and a leap into the future for local arts programming.
The building is a landmark in Plymouth County, honored on the National Register of Historical Places. Unlike some cob-webby historical sites, the main auditorium is a place where today’s talented artists come together to entertain, dazzle, connect, reflect and inspire. Community theatre contributes to local tourism and sales, encourages civic engagement and community cohesion, boosts the local quality of life, and helps students develop critical thinking skills and a deeper understanding of other cultures. The musical “Shrek” is the next big show to light up the stage, with performances on April 10-13. Tickets typically sell quickly, so check www.akronoperahouse.org. Shrek is a show that appeals to both adults
and children. “I feel it's important to represent different genres and Shrek is definitely different from other recent shows,” said Val Philips, the show’s director. The last three spring productions were Jersey Boys, All Shook Up and Sister Act.
AN INFECTIOUS PLACE
The Akron Opera House is “an infectious place,” said Val, who has directed many shows at the downtown Akron theatre. “It gets in your blood. When I get up here to the top of the stairs, all of a sudden I just have energy.” She’s delighted when mother-daughter duos or two brothers or other family combinations sign up to participate in the same production.
The cast of Rumpelstiltskin practicing.
According to Opera House board member Doug Olson, “We have a strong core group of performers – your usual suspects and repeat offenders. But then we always have a handful of new people that have never been in anything before. That mix makes it fun.”
Doug has appeared in and directed many productions at the Opera House. He remembers helping with kids’ shows as far back as 1977. While he was in high school, he played the role of the gangster in the musical “Anything Goes.” He reprised the same role 20 years later. He directed the cast in Oklahoma to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the theatre’s re-opening. Doug works for Thermal Bond, a manufacturing company in Elk Point and has been on the Opera House board since the early 1990s. Val taught in Akron for 40 years. She retired, after which she and
her husband moved to Lewis & Clark Lake west of Yankton. “But retirement drove me crazy, so I unretired during the pandemic when they couldn’t find teachers.” She doesn’t have any professional training in theatre. “My background is in special education and history. My husband and I started acting in the Opera House productions. At the high school, I offered to help the musical director, but the principal put me on contract and I started directing up there. Along with our musical directors, Ryan Schuknecht and Kathy Johnson, I direct the high school musical in the fall and then we come up here to direct the spring show. Really, though, it takes the whole community.” There are 37 cast members in Shrek.
SO MUCH MORE
New Year, New Season.
Window restoration at the Akron Opera House and a photo from the building’s early days.
Taylor Kats seeding a ground cover crop.
The Akron Opera House performance of “Shrek The Musical” on April 10-13 features 37 local actors. Check www.akronoperahouse.org for ticket availability. Follow Akron Opera House on Facebook to stay informed about future productions and events.
Akron Opera House brings many events to the region. The 2024-2025 season included:
• Missoula Children’s Theatre. Each year, college students lead local children through casting, reading lines, memorizing songs, and rehearsing – all in one week’s time with performances at the end of the week. The most recent production was Rumpelstiltskin. About 45 students in grades 1-7 participated and several older students assisted in production and direction.
• Live & Let Slide Trombone Ensemble played a night of popular, classic and original music.
• Festival of Trees was the star of the show at Christmas time.
• Prairie Winds Jazz Big Band and Swing Dance Concert included dance classes prior to the big night.
• UPCOMING: Aaron Keer’s Dissonant Creatures (May 10th). A mix of modern classical, free form jazz, heavy metal and atmospheric rock.
BIRTH AND RE-BIRTH
Between 1865 and 1920, more than 1,200 opera houses were built in Iowa. These were live
entertainment venues for a variety of performances and communitybased public events. The term “opera” wrapped the proceedings with a shine of respectability. In the book, The Opera Houses of Iowa, authors George D. Glenn and Richard L. Poole make the case that Iowa’s opera houses were a microcosm of the popular theatre of the entire country. In their heyday, opera houses were at the heart of community culture, hosting big city productions, sermons, medicine shows, political gatherings, talent contests, town hall meetings and dances. New rail lines allowed traveling theatre companies to bring popular culture to the American Midwest.
In the early 1900s, a life insurance company from Des Moines financed the construction of opera houses across Iowa, including the one in Akron, which opened in in 1906 at a cost of about $18,000. Today, unfortunately, most of Iowa’s opera house buildings are gone and forgotten, or aging apartments, warehouses, run-down movietheatres, or memories of makeshift roller skating rinks. The Akron Opera House thrived for many years, before falling on hard times. It was brought back to life in 1969 under the leadership of Richard
Couples practicing for the Big Band & Swing Dance Concert.
Jacobs, who was teaching theatre at Akron High School. The building was rejuvenated, in large part, by volunteer labor.
Over the years, the street level of the property and the basement have been home to many different businesses: hardware, grocery, auto parts, taekwondo, cell phone, apartments, offices, furniture refurbishing, barber shop and egg packaging. “This was an industrious little place. And then we have this place of culture upstairs,” Doug said. “We're proud that the upper level is still being used for the same purpose for which it was built. We have a passion to keep it going for future generations.”
The Akron Opera House is in an unending cycle of updates, repairs
and restoration. The organization is working with The Franks Design Group, P.C., a firm specializing in historic buildings, to design a comprehensive strategy to preserve the historic elements of the building, add a community event space, and improve accessibility with new center entrance, wider stairs and an elevator. A new roof was put on last summer and new windows installed (some of them were covered for 70 years). While the building is debt-free, the Akron Opera House is always fundraising and seeking grants from all over the country. The Opera House and its programs receive significant donations from many local businesses, organizations and individuals. Currently, it’s raised about $450,000 toward the estimated
$1.5 million for the comprehensive renovation project, including more than $80,000 toward a capital campaign matching grant challenge from Gilchrist Foundation of Sioux City.
Last summer’s flood added to the renovation to-do list when the basement took on 12 feet of water. Unfortunately, water also rose two inches above the main level’s floorboards. That forced out long-time tenant, Akron United Church of Christ.
If you’d like to help the Akron Opera House reach its goal of $100,000 to unlock a matching grant from the Gilchrist Foundation, a tax-deductible contribution can be mailed to: PO Box 223, Akron IA, 51001 or donate online at www.AkronOperaHouse.org.
The Live & Let Slide Trombone Ensemble played a night of popular, classic and original music.
CHEESE MANICOTTI
INGREDIENTS:
1 carton (15 ounces) reduced-fat ricotta cheese
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided 4 cups marinara sauce
1/2 cup water
1 package (8 ounces) manicotti shells
Additional minced fresh parsley, optional
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350°. In a small bowl, mix the first 6 ingredients; stir in 1/2 cup mozzarella and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. In another bowl, mix marinara sauce and water; spread 3/4 cup sauce onto bottom of a 13x9in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Fill uncooked manicotti shells with ricotta mixture; arrange over sauce. Top with remaining sauce.
2. Bake, covered, until pasta is tender, 50 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, until cheese is melted, 10-15 minutes longer. If desired, top with additional parsley.
