Coffee fuels small town news
Bookmobile chugs on, stronger than ever
A new home offers so many options
A GUIDE FOR LIVING IN SIOUXLAND
RURAL
ROUTES MINISTERS, MAIL CARRIERS AND DOCTORS ARE AMONG THOSE MAKING SMALL TOWNS TICK
TIEFENTHALER MEATS STARTS SMALL AND GROWS OH-SO-BIG
NOVEMBER 2017
SIOUXLAND LIFE IS ON THE WEB! VISIT WWW.SIOUXCITYJOURNAL.COM/SIOUXLANDLIFE SIOUXLAND LIFE OCTOBER 2017
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SIOUXLAND LIFE
CONTENTS November
2017
If you know the names of everyone in your town, you know one of the joys of small town living. No stop signs? No traffic? No congestion? Those are givens. But what about the goods and services you come to depend on? This month, we look at the people who help make those places thrive. We visit with a minister who serves four congregations, a physician who visits several towns and a mail carrier who catches everyone in between. Join us for our rural routes – a look at small town life, Siouxland style.
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VOLUMES OF FUN If you thought folks were tied to e-readers, think again. Books are back, according to Woodbury County Bookmobile officials, and they’re ready to be read.
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CAREER CHOICE Operate a bigtime business out of a small town? It’s possible, particularly when you start small and work your way up, as we learn from one Siouxlander.
ON THE COVER The Rev. Kim Dewey serves four congregations, including Silver Creek United Methodist Church near Galva, Iowa. She’s one of many Siouxlanders who help make small towns prosper. Photograph by Jim Lee
FEATURES
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HOME one more home RURAL ROUTES on the road RURAL ROUTES authentic tastes RURAL ROUTES goods, services RURAL ROUTES booking it RURAL ROUTES meeting meat RURAL ROUTES festivals
29 RURAL ROUTES coffee talk 32 RURAL ROUTES artful ideas 35 RURAL ROUTES four congregations 40 RURAL ROUTES heart care 42 RURAL ROUTES student travels 45 HEALTH medical answers 47 PARTING SHOT
PUBLISHER Cynthia Donovan EDITOR Bruce Miller EDITORIAL Dolly A. Butz, Tim Gallagher, Earl Horlyk, Mason Dockter PHOTOGRAPHY Tim Hynds, Jim Lee, Justin Wan DESIGN Emily Shullaw ADVERTISING SALES Nancy Todd ADVERTISING DESIGN Kayla Fleming
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©2017 The Sioux City Journal. Siouxland Life is published monthly by The Sioux City Journal. For advertising information, please call (712) 224-6281. For editorial information, please call (712) 293-4218.
BIG PLANS, BIG TRAVELS Siouxland teen learns plenty about the world through travel, school activities and one-onone conversations. Meet Carson Miller.
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HOME
one more home
HOMEOWNERS FIND
PEACE, QUIET AND ‘
IN NEW WHISPERING CREEK D
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A tiled backsplash in the kitchen.
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Text by Tim Gallgher | Photographs by Tim Hynds
The kitchen at the Bob and Sandi Cannon home on Wanamaker Way in Sioux City’s Whispering Creek neighborhood is bright and light, like the rest of the home.
‘SAFETY’
K DWELLING
SIOUX CITY | Bob and Sandi Cannon find the best of both worlds on the edge of Sioux City. In minutes, they can be at work in a city of 80-some thousand; either at school, where Sandi is a teacher, or at the Tyson Events Center, where both Bob and Sandi work, serving the public reveling in ball games, concerts and the like. They also have peace and quiet, the kind they likely had more than three decades when setting up shop in their first home, in the little town of Dakota City, Nebraska. “It’s quiet, it’s peaceful, it’s awesome out here,” Sandi says as she sits at the kitchen table, looking out on a manicured and landscaped lawn that measures nearly one acre, a tract that separates these homeowners from the plush layout of hole No. 9 and the adjacent driving range serving Whispering Creek Golf Club, an 18-hole spread deemed Iowa’s best by the Iowa Golf Association one decade ago. It was three decades ago the Cannons occupied their first home in Dakota City. The color scheme – and maybe the quiet here – matches that of their first residence, which featured neutral grays. This two-story structure, their second at Whispering Creek, blends shades of light browns with grays and off-white hues, their attempt to keep a bright light shining throughout their home. In fact, other than the bedrooms and one bathroom, there are no shades to draw in
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NOVEMBER 2017
SIOUXLAND LIFE
An open floor-plan where the living room flows into an eat-in kitchen and small dining area.
ABOUT THAT NAME Locals may wonder about the name Wanamaker Way, the street upon which Bob and Sandi Cannon reside in the Sioux City neighborhood that surrounds Whispering Creek Golf Club. Like the Cannon’s former street, Nicklaus Boulevard, named for Jack Nicklaus, who is often called the greatest golfer of all time, Wanamaker Way has a golf origin. New Yorker Rodman Wanamaker helped establish the Professional Golfers Association one century ago. The Wanamaker Trophy, given to the winner of the PGA Championship, is named in his honor.
the Cannon house. You see a window looking out onto the golf course and that’s exactly what you get, a window that looks out onto the golf course no matter what time of day or night. “We went with a lot of glass (in doors) and with so many windows and light paint because I like it bright; I don’t do dim,” Sandi says while walking toward a corner of the living room where homework is tackled on occasion. “Believe it or not, there’s just this one spot where it does get dark, only at night. Never in the daytime.” Bright lights pop throughout the dining room, kitchen, bedroom and basement areas, illustrating the couple’s desire for a well-lit
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The Cannons’ five-bedroom home sits on a 1-acre lot near the No. 9 hole at Whispering Creek Golf Club.
structure, a home that has 2,100 square feet of living space upstairs, 1,800 square feet in the basement. The five-bedroom floor plan features three bedrooms on the main floor, including the master bedroom and master
bathroom. There are two bedrooms downstairs, along with a living room that features a kitchen and, very soon, both a bar and pool table. There’s also a sizeable underutilized room in the basement that Sandi and
Bob agree will one day either be a den or a toy room. The Cannons, after all, are still getting a bit settled into the home, having moved here on March 1, relocating after residing on Nicklaus Boulevard in
Your Kitchen in 2018 Your kitchen is most likely the most important room in your house: where the kids do their homework, where your friends come for coffee, where you pay your bills and — for most of us — where we cook our meals. It’s also the first thing that home shoppers look at, and that’s why the experts on the National Association of Home Builders’ Design Committee pay close attention to color, pattern, lighting and appliance trends. Here’s what these experts are seeing as they look to the kitchen of 2018: Open floor plans The kitchen as a gathering place is here to stay, say these designers. And as islands get bigger, some are swapping the kitchen table and “command center” desk for a comfy armchair or two where you can sit and scroll through your tablet or phone while you enjoy a cup of tea. Storage remains very important, and the clean lines of today’s kitchen design — fewer knickknacks and less clutter on the countertops — mean more home owners are asking for bigger mud rooms with ample 8
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shelves for everything from canned goods to vases.
clean lines, with a focus on maximizing storage.
Technology The “smart home” is becoming more evident in today’s kitchen. Just as thermostats and security devices can be controlled via a smart phone, so too can ovens, refrigerators and other appliances. This trend, designers say, is only growing.
And as more families use their kitchen as a hub for entertaining, the “beverage center” is coming into its own this year. Having a cabinet and countertop section with a sink, icemaker and mini-fridge lets your guests pour their own drinks or hungry children get their own snacks without congesting the other areas of the kitchen.
And that oven? It’s still likely to be stainless steel, but in a black stainless steel, which is now among the most popular colors of kitchen appliances. Other popular shades include deep jewel colors, especially navy blue, in high-end ovens. Counters and Cabinets Granite countertops remain a classic choice for the traditionalist, but there are plenty of new options to choose from. Quartz countertops have improved remarkably since they were first introduced — coming in larger slabs so having a seam between countertop pieces is less likely. When it comes to cabinets, top designers are saying that intricate designs and fancy knobs are very “last century.” Think flat panels and
SIOUXLAND LIFE
You can find a builder or remodeler to help you find more design ideas as you think about your new home or remodeling project at http://www.siouxlandhba.com/members/.
Todd Hagaman President
Todd Hagaman Construction
712-255-3852 siouxlandhba.com
Holiday
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The front entry and a dining area are shown.
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SIOUXLAND LIFE
Whispering Creek the past two years. “This is the first – and maybe the last – home we’ve built,” Sandi says with a laugh. “We learned a lot in this process, but we got what we wanted.” The Homestead Home from Wayne, Nebraska, was ultimately tackled by contractor Kenny Webster of Iowa Builders in Sergeant Bluff, where the Cannons resided for 14 years. Lewis Electric, C.W. Suter Services and Premier Plumbing all played leading roles in helping the Cannons make their way through the construction process.
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The Bob and Sandi Cannon home on Wanamaker Way in Sioux City has a 1-acre lot bordered by a cart path serving golfers at Whispering Creek Golf Club. Bob Cannon will decorate the front pillars with lights this Christmas.
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SIOUXLAND LIFE
Even if the wind were to howl here, which is does on occasion, the Cannons can’t tell, as the home is more than adequately insulated. The home is also more than adequately insured from a safety standpoint. The story about the couple’s oversized safe room elicits a chuckle from the Cannons as they explain how their building lot changed a bit after the basement was dug. “We didn’t plan to have a safe room, but our easement got moved five feet after it was staked,” Sandi says. “We had the hold dug and it should have been filled in, but it wasn’t so we made it into a safe room,” Bob adds. The resulting basement space, which is unfinished, measures 200 square feet. This portion of the home, set off with a steel door, even has electricity and cable access. Sandi points to all the wood at the top of the safe room, code requirements as the room is positioned just below the concrete of their sizeable front porch. “People are building these now,” Sandi says of their safe room, an oddity that’s become a bit of a focal point for them. She laughs and listens for any outside noises. There are none to be heard, not in this fortress. “If the world ended, we’d still be here,” she says with a smile. Far left: The living room features a fireplace and a view of the backyard.
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SIOUXLAND LIFE
NOVEMBER 2017
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RURAL ROUTES
on the road
AD
Above: United States Postal Service carrier Traci Launsby delivers mail in South Sioux City. Launsby has been working for the USPS for two years and said the job involves much more than just putting an envelope in a slot. Left: Launsby drives what the post office calls an LLV (Long Life Vehicle), otherwise known as a mail truck.
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A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A RURAL MAIL CARRIER
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SOUTH SIOUX CITY | Traci Launsby thought that being a rural mail carrier would be a pretty simple gig – put the letter in the mailbox, drive to the next house, repeat. As it turns out, there’s a lot more to delivering mail than that. “It’s definitely not as easy as it looks,” she said. Launsby has been a rural mail carrier out of South Sioux City for two years, delivering mail on what’s called an “auxiliary route” – a small mail route formed when a new housing area is developed. The route takes her to the outskirts of South Sioux City, an area the USPS still considers “rural,” in terms of route classification. She begins her day around 7:30 a.m. at the South Sioux City post office. The first item on Launsby’s agenda: sort the mail. “I think a misconception that people have is that the mail is all sorted and it’s all ready to go in your truck, and our truck is piping warm and we just take our coffee and we stick our hand out the window,” she said with a laugh. “And it’s not like that. We actually have to sort.” After all the coupons, magazines, newspapers and so forth are sorted using special sorting cabinets, the mail is loaded onto the LLV (Long Life Vehicle, or, in layman’s terms, mail truck). Step two: make sure the truck is good to go. “You load everything in your truck, and make sure you have gas. We always check our lights, our blinkers, check our tires, check the oil, the fluids,” she said. “Just to make sure everything’s ready to go so we don’t have any problems.” Some rural carriers don’t use the mail trucks on their routes, choosing instead private cars that have been modified for right-handed steering. This modification can be a bit pricey, and the general maintenance on these cars is the owner’s responsibility, with the USPS reimbursing
Text by Mason Dockter | Photograph by Tim Hynds
United States Postal Service carrier Traci Launsby delivers mail on what’s called an “auxiliary route” – a mail route formed when a new housing area is developed.
the drivers per diem. On Launsby’s route, which takes her only about seven miles away from the post office, she uses a mail truck. “If I did want to do some other routes that do a lot of driving on gravel, then I would need to use a personal vehicle,” she said. “You can sit in the center of some vehicles and drive them, like Buicks are really good because they have the open seat... my preference is, there is no way I would want to do that without having something that was converted to a right-hand drive.” Step three: deliver the mail. On a typical day, Launsby said she delivers “thousands” of pieces of mail to her 89 stops, with a total of 522 boxes. “Where I deliver mail, I have a few apartment complexes,” she said. And as anyone who has lived in an apartment knows, mail comes not-infrequently addressed to a previous tenant. “They move in and out often,” Launsby said. “A lot of people don’t forward their mail properly. So there’s a lot of mail that gets thrown back or written on – and writing on the mail is not a good
idea. Reasoning for that is, if we’re trying to get that to the right person, if there’s writing all over it, when the computer tries to scan it, it makes it difficult for the computer.” Even then, the postal workers try hard to get the mail to its intended recipient – succeeding at times even when there’s no street address or zip code. “Not every piece of mail that we get or every package that we get is addressed correctly,” she said. “All of us here – I mean everybody – we always try to make sure, if it’s not addressed correctly... we always try to get it to the right person, we always try to go the extra mile for people.” That diligence explains how a birthday card might arrive even when improperly addressed. “Our clerks will sort through all of that – I mean they’re amazing, they’re wizards, they have to know all the city routes, all the rural routes,” she said. And the US Postal Service creed, “Neither snow nor rain nor heat...” has pretty much proven to be true for Launsby. In two years, there was only one occasion when the weather stopped mail delivery at South Sioux City. “The truck that brings us all of our mail, parcels, everything, they weren’t able to get to us, so we weren’t able to deliver” on that occasion, she said. Step four: Day over, return to the post office Launsby usually finishes her route in the early afternoon, and takes the LLV back to the post office. For the next few months, Launsby’s route will probably take longer than usual. The holiday season – a busy time for the post office – is just getting underway. Gifts and treats sent hither and yon make for a much busier workday for a postal worker. “As we’re ramping up toward the holidays, it’s so busy,” she said.
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RURAL ROUTES
authentic tastes
IF YOU GO
WHAT: Los Amigos Mexican Restaurant WHERE: 105 West Main St., Elk Point, S.D. WHEN: 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays PHONE: 605-356-2503
JALISCO
MEETS
ELK POINT Photo above: Chef Carlos Sanchez Jr. has been manning the grill at Los Amigos Mexican Restaurant for years. According to his dad (and Los Amigos owner) Carlos Sanchez Sr., that level of continuity is important to any business. “We want our food to taste the same every time a customer orders a favorite meal,” Sanchez said.
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w
The most authentic Mexican food can be found in a small S.D. town Text by Earl Horlyk | Photograph by Justin Wan
When Carlos Sanchez opened Los Amigos Mexican Restaurant more than 20 years ago, many Elk Point residents had never eaten authentic Mexican food before. “They were used to the Tex-Mex stuff you’d get in fast food places,” Sanchez said inside the dining room of his eatery at 105 West Main St. “I wasn’t interested in Tex-Mex.” He wanted to make the cuisine of his native Jalisco, Mexico. “I’m sure people thought the food was going to be too spicy or too foreign,” Sanchez said. “Over time, my customers came to realize that Mexican food is delicious.” Which is why Los Amigos has seen an increase of diners longing for such distinctive entrees as its Arroz Con Pollo (tender pieces of chicken sauteed with veggies, a homemade Ranchero sauce, a bed of rice, refried beans, pico de gallo and tortilla); Chile Verge (lean pieces of pork simmered in a green tomatillo sauce, bell peppers and onions); as well as the flavorful chicken and beef fajitas. “People may move away from Elk Point but when they come back, they want the Los Amigos fajita,” Sanchez said. “They just love the taste of my food.” This is quite the switch for Sanchez, whose previous experience was in restaurants with strictly American menus. “I worked in restaurants in California, making American
That included a seafood dish which had shrimp sauteed with onions, bell peppers, mushrooms and lemon juice in garlic butter and a spicy Ranchero sauce. “I was going to name the dish Camerones Carlos after my son,” Sanchez said. “Instead, I told dad to name it Camerones Atengo after his hometown in Jalisco,” Carlos Jr. interjected. Over the years, Sanchez said he has traveled to remote locations on vacations. Whenever he’s away from home, he’ll inevitably wear a Los Amigos cap or a Los Amigos T-shirt. “I’m always surprise when people recognize Los Amigos,” he said. “They’ll say, ‘We stopped by there on our way to Sioux
Falls or the Black Hills or traveling the Interstate.” Sanchez grins at the memory. “That’s a sign you’ve made it,” he said. “People from around the country recognize a little Mexican place in Elk Point.” As Sanchez walked into the bar area, he was greeted by loyal customers who’ve been regulars practically from the very beginning. “When I opened Los Amigos, people probably thought I was crazy,” he said. “They don’t eat in Elk Point, do they?” “But they came to appreciate that I offered Mexican food that was authentic as well as delicious,” Sanchez said. “You just need to be patient and keep the faith.”
The Home Builders Association of Greater Siouxland consists of quality builders, subcontractors, and suppliers. If you are thinking about building a new home or have a remodeling project, please contact the association for a list of reputable contractors. Carlos Sanchez, owner of Elk Point, S.D.’s Los Amigo Mexican Restaurant, said patience, faith and plenty of authentic food were the keys to his success.
food,” he said. “Perhaps, moving to the Midwest made me remember what I left behind.” Initially setting down roots in Sioux City, Sanchez scouted locations for a new restaurant. “Everybody was willing to let me buy a space in Sioux City, but I couldn’t afford it,” the husband and father of three explained. “The best I could do was rent a place.” When Sanchez discovered a rental space was opening up in Elk Point, he jumped a the chance. “This was all the space we had originally,” he said, showing off what is now a party room in a larger building. “The original Los Amigos was tiny.” After a few years of steady business, Sanchez eventually purchased his building, expanding the dining room, bar and meeting room. “It was a real struggle for a long time,” he allowed. “Through a lot of hard work, we made a go of things.” Through the sacrifices that he and his wife made, the couple was able to able to send their children to college. One child is a psychologist, another is in medical school, while Carlos Sanchez Jr. is the master of the grill at Los Amigos. “For the record, I started working here as a teenager,” Carlos Jr. said with a mischievous smile. “But really, I started busing tables earlier than that.” In fact, Carlos Jr. has helped his dad create a few menu items.
Visit us online at www.siouxlandhba.com for a complete list of members or e-mail us at hbasooland@siouxlan.net 3900 Stadium Dr., Sioux City, IA
712-255-3852
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NOVEMBER 2017
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RURAL ROUTES
goods and services
A GROCER’S LIFE Service and community sets a smalltown grocer apart from the chains
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Text by Earl Horlyk | Photograph by Jim Lee
KINGSLEY, Iowa | Chet Davis, 72, has a habit of greeting each customer entering his grocery store by name. This is an easy habit to get into since he has owned Chet’s Foods in the middle of downtown Kinglsey for nearly 40 years. “Some of my customers have been with me since day one,” Davis admitted. “Many times, I’ve waited on multiple generations of the same family.” Leaning against a counter, Davis said he didn’t set out to become a grocer. It was just something he fell into. “Like a lot of people, working in a grocery became my first part-time job as a teenager,” he said. “Unlike a lot of people, working in a grocery became my career.” Indeed, Davis experienced the corporate side of groceries while working for the Omaha-based supermarket chain Hinky Dinky for many years. “I was at (Sioux City’s) Hinky Dinky
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when I decided to branch out on my own,” he said. “I was a young guy with a family to feed and thought running a small-town grocery store seemed like a good fit for me.”
popping up,” he recalled. “Then, there were the Hinky Dinkys and the Piggly Wigglys slowly acquiring more and more space.”
THE GOLDEN AGE
Nowadays, Davis is competing with such supermarket heavy-hitters as HyVee, Fareway and Walmart. “Independent grocers can’t compete with the big guys when it comes to prices,” he said with a grimace. “I may be able to work with a local distributor for a good deal on soda pop but Hy-Vee has the leverage to work with the manufacturers directly. “That means I’ll never have the cheapest prices,” Davis said. “It’s a sad fact, but I don’t have the clout because I can’t guarantee the volume.” This is even more apparent at the Chet’s Foods location Davis owns at 741 Frontage Road in Moville, Iowa.
When Davis opened Chet’s Foods at 128 Main St., there were two other grocers in the Plymouth County town of 1,400. Now, Davis has the market all to himself. “Every small town had multiple grocery stores and every city had many small neighborhood groceries,” he said, shaking his head. “That’s not the way things are anymore because independent markets can’t compete with the big guys.” Davis noticed the tides were beginning to shift back in the 1960s. “Yeah, I remember when the A&Ps and the Council Oak stores started
SIOUXLAND LIFE
STAYING COMPETITIVE
Left: Chet’s Foods owner Chet Davis said he takes pride in being a small town grocer. The store has been a Kingsley, Iowa mainstay for nearly 40 years. Right: When was the last time you saw a phone with a dial. Chet’s Foods still has one and owner Chet Davis said it is still works.
“In Moville, we’re near (a national dollar store chain),” he said. “It’s hard to compete with a chain store.” LOCAL EQUALS CONVENIENCE However, Davis knew he had something many national chains don’t have. “People knew me and they knew my family,” he explained. “We were local people, and customers like shopping local.” To be honest, some of Davis’ customers didn’t have a choice. “Many of my customers are older,” he reasoned. “It isn’t easy or practical for them to go all the way to Sioux City or Le Mars to shop at a supermarket chain. Shopping in town is just more practical.” That’s especially true since Chet’s Foods offers grocery delivery Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. In addition, some of the shoppers in Davis’ store are young mothers. “We’re a full-service grocery store that is right in town,” he said. “Having to drive 20 miles to Sioux City or 20 miles to Le Mars is a hardship when you have a small child in tow.”
Davis knows a lot about family. He and his wife are the proud parents of four children and eight grandchildren. “Like me, many of my kids and grandkids had their first jobs at the grocery store,” he said. “That’s nice for them since they get real work experience. But it’s fun for me because I get to spend some extra time with them.” THE PRIDE OF A HOMETOWN GROCER On a back wall of Chet’s Foods is a bulletin board that is filled with letters and postcards from school booster clubs, service groups and churches. All of them
thank Davis’ store for donating food or providing service to the community. “I take pride in being a local hometown grocer,” he said. “We may be fewer in numbers but we’re still vital.” “People ask me if I’ll ever retire,” Davis said in a wistful manner. “Don’t know if I’ll ever retire completely, but I plan on taking more days off.” So, what does that mean? “I’ll be working five days a week instead of seven days a week,” Davis said. “This community has been good to me and I plan on being here as long as I can.”
DETAILS There are fewer and fewer locally owned grocery stores, but Chet Davis is proud that Chet’s Foods has been serving customers in both Kingsley, Iowa, and Moville, Iowa, for years. Located at 128 Main St. in Kingsley, Chet’s Foods is open seven days a week. The Moville, Iowa Chet’s Foods is also open seven days a week at 741 Frontage Road. Right: Kim Schroeder and her son Eli, 6, of Kingsley, go through the checkout lane as C.J. Phelan rings up their groceries at Chet’s Grocery in Kingsley, Iowa. Owner Chet Davis said many young moms and housebound seniors have come to rely on the convenience of shopping at Chet’s.
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RURAL ROUTES
booking it
WOODBURY COUNTY
BOOKMOBILE SERVES RURAL READERS
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Text by Dolly A. Butz | Photographs by Jim Lee
MOVILLE, Iowa | Framed photos of bookmobiles past and present hang on a wall at the Woodbury County Library. Library Director Donna Chapman, who has been driving the bookmobile since 1995, hopes to have a new vehicle to deliver books to residents living in rural areas of the county within the next year or two. The first Woodbury County bookmobile was purchased in 1951; there have been four bookmobiles since then. The bookmobile has planned stops in Danbury, Correctionville, Sloan, Hornick, Pierson, Lawton, Bronson, Anthon and, of course, Moville during the 2017-2018 school year. “If people want us to drop off books, they can call us,” Chapman said. “If it’s on not too bad of a road, we will bring books to them or to the closest library.” The Woodbury County Library recently received $100,000 in Missouri River Historical Development grant money, which Chapman said she will use to replace the current Thomas Built bookmobile purchased 20 years ago. She hopes to have the new vehicle decorated
with a cornfield and some rolling hills. “I’m writing more grants to finish it off. They’re above $200,000,” she said of bookmobiles, which come equipped with built-in bookshelves, seating and wheelchair lifts. “We order it the way we want it.” Chapman estimates that the current bookmobile, which is white with aqua blue and fuchsia detailing on the outside, holds 5,000 hard and paperback books. “You’ll find something for everybody,” she said with a chuckle. “We have juvenile books for anybody 3 years old and up.” In spite of the advent of ebooks, Chapman said real books are as popular as ever. She said “The Magic Tree House,” a series of mystery books that chronicle Jack and Annie’s adventures around the globe and through time, are in high demand among children who board the bookmobile in school parking lots. Chapman has a scanner ready to check out their selections. “Kids still like to turn the pages. They still like the feel of the book,” she said. “A lot of them like the new ones, so we’re trying to keep our selection updated.”
Woodbury County Library Director Donna Chapman plans to purchase a new bookmobile in the next year or two with funding from Missouri River Historical Development, a non-profit agency dedicated to promoting Sioux City and Woodbury County through community grants.
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SIOUXLAND LIFE
Left: The bookmobile holds an estimated 5,000 books. Woodbury County Library Director Donna Chapman has been driving the bookmobile since 1995.
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When they encounter the Woodbury County bookmobile for the first time, library assistant Lisa Rippke, who helps stock the bookmobile, said children are awestruck by the number of books the vehicle holds. “It’s pretty amazing to see them look at the bookmobile for the first time,” she said. “They can’t believe how many books are on the bookmobile and that they can pick any one of them that they want. It’s indeed a library on wheels.” Chapman said some of the children remark that the bookmobile reminds them of another vehicle that they’ve used for vacations. “One of their comments is always, ‘You could turn this into a camper and you could read all night,’” she said. Chapman said a generator keeps the diesel-powered vehicle’s lights on and air-conditioning running. She doesn’t recall ever having to replace the current bookmobile’s tires, although she said the county gravel roads do take their toll on the vehicle. “That’s probably why we’ve had so many generator problems. It does get really dusty in there,” said Chapman, who was once stranded along the side of the road while delivering books near Pierson, Iowa. She called for a tow truck. “Most of the time, if it’s the generator I can continue running the motor, so that’s good.”
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SIOUXLAND LIFE
RURAL ROUTES
meeting meat
TIEFENTHALER FAMILY FINDS
‘QUALITY’ AT HOLSTEIN Business developer has an old teacher to thank for success
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Text by Tim Gallagher Photographs by Tim Hynds
HOLSTEIN, Iowa | To say Tiefenthaler Quality Meats is a business known around the country isn’t a stretch. That’s what a host of U.S. awards and a customer base in 48 states will do for you. But, did you know that one of best small-town business success stories maybe wouldn’t have happened were it not for a well-connected high school teacher? John Tiefenthaler, a native of Galva, Iowa, who owns and operates the business with wife Shelly and their children, smiles while settling into a story that explains the origin of this full-service processing center, wholesale and retail site on Highway 59 at Holstein’s northern tip. “I was a senior at Galva-Holstein High School back in 1981 and he had a trades and industries program where you had to have a job in order to be in the program,” John Tiefenthaler says. “My choice was to work either at the meat locker in town or the elevator.” After a brief chat with his mother, Tiefenthaler headed downtown to see Bob Bagenstos, who ran the local locker plant called Food Locker Service, an enterprise most towns had 36 years ago. Bagenstos, who took over the operation from his father, Ray, was an outgoing, gregarious business owner, eager to greet and welcome anyone and everyone into his plant. He met the G-H High School senior with a hearty handshake and booming voice. “We’d love to have you!” he exclaimed. John Tiefenthaler, a teen, was
John Tiefenthaler and his daughter, Jordan Bremer, stand along U.S. Highway 59 in front of Tiefenthaler Quality Meats in Holstein, Iowa. The business calls Holstein home, having expanded four times despite offers to lure it to larger cities.
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scared half to death. But, he didn’t go visit the elevator as he assumed he had the locker job, all he needed for his including in the trades and industries program, one aimed in broad strokes at seniors not necessarily intent on attending college. “A few days later, my teacher asked me, ‘So, where is your job?’,” Tiefenthaler recalls. “And then I said, ‘I think it’s at the locker, but I’m not sure.’” That teacher, Harold Treiber, said he knew Bagenstos. So, Treiber went to the locker plant to inquire about Tiefenthaler joining the crew. “Mr. Treiber came back and said to me, ‘You got the job,’” Tiefenthaler recalled. That was 36 years and several expansions ago. Tiefenthaler began making sausage and cutting meat for Bagenstos. They became partners in 1983 and John became sole owner in 1991 as Bagenstos remained on staff to continue assisting his prize pupil, teaching him all he could about the business until he retired in 1996, the year John’s wife, the former Shelly Brummer, a Holstein, native, joined her husband in the business. “Technically, Food Locker Service is still our name,” John Tiefenthaler says. “We’re doing business as Tiefenthaler Quality Meats.” Doing business? And how. John and Shelly have welcomed their children, Jordan Bremer and her husband, Jesse Bremer, into the fold, as well as their son, Austin Tiefenthaler and his girlfriend, Tasha Ronfeldt. Additionally, Doug Pauley, an uncle, is part of the award-winning mix, a team that ultimately consists of 25 employees in a sprawling plant complex built in 2004 and built on to four to five times in the past 13 years. Tiefenthaler Quality Meats still slaughters pigs, cattle and a few goats and sheep for livestock growers that come from as far away as three hours. None of that meat, John says, leaves the facility until the customer returns to purchase it. “We also buy some boxed product, because of demand,” John says, noting, for example, how Tiefenthaler Quality Meats had to have 450 ribeyes for a recent fire department feed. That volume would represent about 15 head of cattle, an amount the plant might not be equipped to handle in a short time span. The Tiefenthalers have competed in local, state and national cured-meats championships over the past 12 to 13 years, giving rise to products such as No Mess Chili Dogs (a hot dog with chili and cheese inside) and seven different flavors of Skinless Bratwurst, some of the many meat products the firm produces and sells in stores such as Fareway and HyVee all across Iowa. 24
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Samples of Chili Cheese Summer Sausage.
IF YOU GO Tiefenthaler Quality Meats is located at 504 N. Main St. in Holstein, Iowa. For information, see tqmeats.com or call 712-368-4621. The site is open 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday.
“We send gift boxes all over the country,” John adds, noting how recent gift boxes have gone to executives running global firms like Neiman Marcus and Oakley Sunglasses, to name two. The biggest change, or development in John Tiefenthaler’s time with the firm, probably came in 1998 when he added a smoke house to the operation. To that point, he had kept more than busy butchering, running the saw, the grinder, patching the roof and painting the store when not greeting customers. “The smoke house gave me a new job,” he says. “It was something different I could learn.” Six years later, he and Shelly won their first state award for meats. “We were going to the Iowa Meats Processors Association Convention, going there to learn and talk with other business operators like us, but we didn’t enter any products in the contests,” he says. “That changed in 2004 when we took some product and won four or five awards.” They haven’t looked back and are likely running out of wall space upon which they can place the plaques for those cured-meats titles. Tiefenthaler Quality Meats, for example, won a four-state competition for the best Smoke Brat Skin-On. In a national show in 2016 in Omaha, Tiefenthaler
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Quality Meats earned grand champion accolades in three Bone-In Ham classes. John and now son Austin have prepared the firm’s Smoked Turkey, which has won the top Iowa awards the past seven or eight years. Beyond the awards is the satisfaction the family feels in seeing customers who continue to make Tiefenthaler Quality Meats a destination. There have been times when customers have driven three to four hours just to shop here. One couple from around Sibley, Iowa, says Holstein is on their way no matter which direction (except north) they travel from home. “Austin and Doug trade off grilling duties during our annual June sale and we’ll see people from Nebraska who take a day off from work to drive here and sample meat in our tent as they grill,” John says. “There are people from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, (241 miles from Holstein) who come for it.” In addition to making, marketing and selling their products, the team also puts together “How To” instructional sessions, both on-line and in-person. In many ways, the former high school student who trekked here for his trade and industries class has become a teacher, as has his staff. “We want to be an information source,” John Tiefenthaler says. “We want your meat to turn out for you so that your guests recommend it to others.” That full-circle thought has Tiefenthaler smiling, sitting with daughter Jordan Bremer, as they reflect on the growth and versatility they’ve found while growing business in Holstein, their town. After all, this is an enterprise that has fed families, in some cases, across five generations. “If Mr. Treiber hadn’t gotten me the job,” John asks, “where would I be?”
Tiefenthaler Quality Meats calls Holstein, Iowa, home, having expanded four times despite offers to lure them to larger cities.
John Tiefenthaler displays packages of No Mess Chili Dogs.
Above: John Tiefenthaler and his daughter, Jordan Bremer, stock a freezer with skinless brats at Tiefenthaler Quality Meats in Holstein, Iowa.
Left: Recipe cards offer different ways to prepare the meat.
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RURAL ROUTES
festivals!
Libbie Philips and her mother, LeAnne Philips put a straw hat on a scarecrow the 7-year-old Akron, Iowa girl built. It was one of the more than 50 scarecrows on display at the 17th annual Great Akron Scarecrow Festival.
RURAL FESTIVALS
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DRAW VISITORS, STRENGTHEN COMMUNITY TIES Text by Dolly A. Butz | Photographs by Tim Hynds
SIOUX CITY | Chicken feather and egg shell projects created for a Wayne, Nebraska, art show in 1981, spawned a free three-day festival that has been going strong for 36 years and drawing attendees from across the United States, and even the world. Now that’s something to cluck about. “The group wanted to expand it a bit and do something that might generate some overnight stays. They love a parade, so they added a parade, and came
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up with the National Cluck Off,” recalled Irene Fletcher, Wayne Area Economic Development assistant director. “Every year it seems to grow.” Fletcher said organizers are already planning for the 2018 Wayne Chicken Show, which will take place the weekend of the second Saturday in July. Festivities kick off with “Henoween,” a Friday night celebration that features live entertainment, games and fireworks. Decorated concrete chickens are also
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auctioned off during “Henoween” to cover the cost of the Chicken Show. Fletcher said other popular events include the Saturday parade, which is held on Main Street and garners more than 100 entries, and the National Cluck Off, a clucking contest open to both children and adults. Past winners, Fletcher said have walked away with $400 in prize money and appeared on “The Tonight Show.” “There are some actual rules,” Fletcher said of the Cluck Off. “They must be
Children get their faces painted during the Great Akron Scarecrow Festival held in Akron, Iowa, in September.
SIOUXLAND FESTIVALS 2018
Joel Vavra participates in Cluck Off during the 2017 Wayne Chicken Show.
Cherokee Jazz and Blues Festival (Cherokee, Iowa) – Jan. 19-20 – This weekend festival includes pub crawls on Friday and Saturday night, a jam session on Saturday afternoon and a big band dance on Saturday night. A music clinic is offered for high school students on Friday. Orange City Tulip Festival (Orange City, Iowa) – May 17-19 – This celebration of Orange City’s Dutch heritage features music, dancing, authentic Dutch costumes, two daily parades, a nightly musical theater, a carnival midway, Dutch delicacies, thousands of tulips and a dozen replica windmills. Ice Cream Days (Le Mars, Iowa) – June 13-16 – The Ice Cream Capital of the World’s annual flagship event features a parade, Grill-n-Chill Rib Rally, Art in the Park, live musical performances, a kids fishing derby and more.
Wayne Chicken Show (Wayne, Neb.) – July 13-15 – This annual free, family-oriented event in downtown Wayne features an airport fly-in, food and craft vendors, a clucking contest, parade, world’s largest chicken dance, cement chicken auction and more. Sweet Corn Days (Estherville, Iowa) – Aug. 2-5 – Free sweet corn, inflatable fun, delicious food vendors, a live band and many other activities in downtown Estherville. Great Akron Scarecrow Festival (Akron, Iowa) – Sept. 15 – This day of family fun in Akron City Park features homemade food, kids’ activities, train rides, more than 50 vendors and a scarecrow decorating contest. For more information about these Siouxland festivals and others, visit traveliowa.com.
Left: Emma Harris, 7, adds a notebook to a scarecrow depiction of an Akron-Westfield student as her mother, Katie looks on.
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heard across the barnyard, must sound and act like a chicken, and there’s also a time limit.” The Akron Friendship and Service Club started the Great Akron Scarecrow Festival in 2000 as a way to bring the community together and raise funds for the betterment of the Akron and Westfield communities. The highlight of the family friendly festival, which takes place the third Saturday of September in Akron City Park, is a scarecrow-decorating contest. After the judging and awarding of prizes, the scarecrows are auctioned off. LeAnne Philips, a member of the Akron Friendship and Service Club said the contest is a fun way for participants, who draw ideas from movie or pop-culture themes, to show off their creativity. “One year, somebody used an electrical breaker box as the body and then used lots of different electrical supplies and wires to create the scarecrow,” she said. Philips said the festival has really become a fall destination event for people living in the region. She said more than 50 vendors travel from places like Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Omaha, Nebraska, to sell crafts and products at the festival. “There’s no admission cost to come
Cement chickens are pictured during the 2017 Wayne Chicken Show. Provided
in,” said Philips, who said tickets are required for food, as well as some of the games and activities. “It’s a great way for the entire family to come and spend the day in the park.” Over the years, Philips said proceeds from the festival have funded improvements to Akron’s municipal swimming pool, sponsored children’s theater
performances, purchased medical equipment for Akron Emergency Medical Services and supported many other projects and organizations. “It’s just turned into a great way for our community to come together and celebrate fall, as well as bring visitors from across the region to Akron each year,” she said.
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RURAL ROUTES
coffee talk
Castana’s
COFFEE COLLECTION The latest news gets shared around the kitchen table
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Text and Photographs by Tim Gallagher
Cake, cookies, bars and coffee come with conversation each day at one of four homes in and around Castana, Iowa, a town of 147 residents in Monona County.
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CASTANA, Iowa | The Archway from the old bank serving Castana still stands, a focal point in Archway Park at the center of this tiny Monona County community. Built in 1879, the Savings Bank building through the years contained a barber shop, U.S. Post Office, hardware store, cafe, cream station, lodge, telephone office and pool hall. According to a plaque gracing one of the brick sides of the old arch, the building was demolished 41 years ago and given back to Castana in 1986. That’s the type of historical direction you get when stopping for coffee in Castana, a community whose “coffee shop” for the past 15 years or so hasn’t been a shop at all. On this day, the coffee shop forms in the kitchen of Nancy Hanson on South Third Street. She’s part of a four-woman rotation unit charged with brewing coffee and serving up cookies, rolls, brownies and such. The group isn’t “charged” by anyone in particular. The challenge is a self-made one, a tradition of sorts in this community that traces its roots to a dear late friend,
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Four women gather each morning in Castana, Iowa, often with guests who drop by, for coffee, snacks and conversation. Clockwise from left are Dorothy Reed, Cathy Hanson, Phyllis Dobrovolny and Nancy Hanson. The quartet continues a “home brewed” tradition started in Castana by the late Thelma Miller.
Phyllis Dobrovolny, 89, of Castana, Iowa, leaves the home of Nancy Hanson after a Friday morning coffee session. Dobrovolny is one of four regular hosts for the daily coffee in the Monona County town of 147 residents.
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Thelma Miller. “Thelma hosted coffee in her house for about 15 years,” Cathy Hanson surmises. It’s what Thelma did to keep talk and friendship brewing in her community, long after the cafes and grocery store closed shop. Thelma, an Iowa Caucus host in the Democratic side for years, saw no trouble in opening her kitchen for guests each morning. When her baking skills eroded a bit with age, women like the Hansons, Phyllis Dobrovolny and Dorothy Reed stepped up, offering to bring the cookies and the bars as long as Thelma had the coffee pot on. Miller was 103 when she died in September. A coffee pot serving as a vase held flowers not far from her casket at the head of Castana Community Chuch, which was full for her funeral.
The Hansons sang that day for their lifelong friend and guide. “Thelma did this morning coffee gathering in her home for 10 to 15 years,” Cathy Hanson said. “And at the start, she didn’t host every day.” Eventually, though, it grew into that, a round-table discussion about current events and family developments. Thelma, an excellent baker known for her sour cream raisin pies and pecan rolls, was happy to see people still connecting. When she transitioned late in life to a nursing home facility nearby, Hazel Hanson, the mother-in-law to Nancy and Cathy Hanson, took over. Hazel hosted Castana’s coffee klatch each day for four months until she went into a nursing home. “Her door was always open,” Nancy Hanson said of her mother-in-law. “And she always was known for saying ‘Thank-you, thank-you.’” With Hazel leaving her home, the Hansons (they are sisters who married brothers) decided to offer coffee in their home. They were joined by Reed and Dobrovolny. Each woman hosts coffee in her home, one day Monday through Thursday. Then, on Friday, the site rotates to one of their homes, meaning that one woman hosts twice per week each month. On this morning in Nancy Hanson’s home, the foursome talks about harvest schedules, Castana history and the giant turkey dinner feed at Castana Community Church. “We got the turkeys ordered today,” Cathy Hanson said. “We’ll do 200 pounds of turkey and feed right around 300 people.” It’s quite an undertaken for Castana’s lone church, one that serves a community that once boasted having three churches. “There are lots of ‘used tos’ in Castana,” Nancy Hanson said as she poured another cup of coffee. “We went 125 years with no stop sign in town,” Cathy Hanson interjected. “We had celebrated our 125th and then a two-way stop sign was put up.” That was seven years ago. Decades ago, Edalene’s Sweet Shop, owned by Edalene McNutt, kept Castana residents well-fed with daily lunches, candies and coffee. McNutt was known for a banana cream pie that didn’t have bananas. “We still have a bar, Lilly Jack’s Saloon,” Nancy Hanson said.
Nancy Hanson’s kitchen is noted with a framed drawing of a coffee cup. Hanson serves as a host for a regular coffee crowd that assembles daily in tiny Castana, Iowa.
Cathy Hanson walks past the coffee pot in the home of her sister, Nancy Hanson, as a morning coffee collection draws to a close in Castana, Iowa.
Reed talked about the men serving the local American Legion Post and how they offer a fish fry once per month from September through March, on the third Thursday of the month. The event generally attracts 130 diners who top off the meal with a dessert contributed by a woman with the local American Legion Auxiliary. “Money raised by the Legion goes to kids in Monona County for
scholarships,” Cathy Hanson said. Those children might be from Castana, Mapleton, Onawa, Turin, Blencoe, Whiting, Ute, Soldier, Moorhead, Rodney, anywhere in Monona County, really. It’s but one example of how folks in one of Siouxland’s smallest towns continue to work for – and to make a difference for – their larger community, one cup of coffee, or one fish fry at a time.
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RURAL ROUTES
artful ideas
SMALL TOWN
ARTISTRY
Eclectic exhibits abound at the Le Mars Art Center
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Text by Early Horlyk | Photographs by Justin Wan
LE MARS, Iowa | Housed inside a former Carnegie Library built in 1903, the Le Mars Art Center is, in itself, a work of art. A building that was listed on the National Registry of Historic Places in 1979, this adaptation of the Renaissance Revival style is a terrific example of what small-town library architecture was life in the early 20th century. But if you asked Judy Marienau about her favorite feature at the center, located at 200 Central Ave. S.E., she’ll say it has to be the high ceilings. “The high ceilings are wonderful
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when you’re hanging art pieces,” she said, inside a room filled with colorful quilts. “The high ceilings add to the beauty of art.” Since becoming the art center’s administrator (and sole employee) in 2014, Marienau has been slowly adding more function to the historic building. The main floor consists of two art galleries, a shop, activity room and space dedicated to performances or receptions. The lower level has an art room, party room, meeting space and a small pottery area. “The Le Mars Art Center is very
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much a work in progress,” Marienau admitted. “I think I’m OK with that.” Sue Betsworth, a Le Mars accountant and a member of the Le Mars Arts Council, is also fine with the eclectic nature of the center. That is, if there will always be space for her jewelry making. “I love coming to the art center and making my costume jewelry,” Betsworth said, stringing beads onto a chain. “It’s so quiet here and I like to spread out my stuff.” Increasingly, the art center is becoming used as an all-purpose community
IF YOU GO WHAT: Le Mars Art Center WHERE: 200 Central Ave. S.E., Le Mars, Iowa WHEN: Noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays PHONE: 712-546-7476
Left: Le Mars Arts Council board member Sue Betsworth talks about the artwork on display at Le Mars Arts Center in Le Mars, Iowa. Right: Unusual art pieces can be seen inside and outside the Le Mars Art Center. The art center is run by the Le Mars Arts Council.
center. With its central location, it is currently used for Mommy and Me workshops and art classes for kids and adults. It also offers an open studio for a host of local artisans. However, Marienau is pleased that regional and national exhibits are bringing pieces to Le Mars. “An art center our size is often deemed to be too small for many traveling exhibits,” she explained. “We may be small but we offer a lot.” In fact, Marienau said part of the charm of the Le Mars Art Center comes from the friendliness of small-town life. “Walking into an art center in a larger city can be intimidating,” she said. “There’s nothing stuffy about our art center.” Which is something Marienau hopes will never change. “Up until the mid-1970s, this location was originally the home of the Le Mars Public Library,” she explained. “We’re keeping a part of Le Mars history alive and we’re filing it with art.” Judy Marienau, administrator of the Le Mars Arts Center, shows off the center’s pottery kiln. Far left: The exterior of Le Mars Arts Center is, in itself, a work of art. The former home of the Le Mars Public Library, the 200 Central Ave. S.E. building is on the National Registry of Historic Places.
At left: Judy Marienau, administrator of the Le Mars Art Center, said the friendliness of a small town is an underrated element of the Le Mars Art Center.
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RURAL ROUTES
four congregations
TWO PASTORS
FOUR CHURCHES
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Text by Mason Dockter | Photographs by Jim Lee
The Rev. Kim Dewey pictured at Silver Creek United Methodist Church near Galva, Iowa on October 11. Dewey, the leader of the “PASS (Peterson, Alta, Schaller, Silver Creek) Parish” of four churches in Northwest Iowa.
ALTA, Iowa | For some time, the Almighty was calling Kim Dewey to the ministry. She resisted the divine calls at first, but after a while she surrendered to the request. Perhaps it’s a sort of “divine comedy,” then, that Dewey, a Missouri native who now lives in Alta, would go on to become the lead pastor of a parish of four churches – only seven years into the job she wasn’t sure she’d take. Dewey is the lead pastor of the Schaller United Methodist Church, Alta United Methodist Church, Silver Creek United Methodist Church and Peterson United Methodist Church – also known as the PASS (Peterson, Alta, Schaller, Silver Creek) Parish. She was appointed to this position on July 1, the day the newly linked churches became a parish. Before that, the Silver Creek and Peterson churches were independent (albeit with part-time pastors), while Alta and Schaller were united with Dewey at the helm. Her job as the leader of the new parish is all the more surprising given all the other jobs she’s held down over the years – she referred to the ministry as her “32nd career.” “I have been a waitress, I’ve been a childcare provider, I’ve worked in nursing homes, I’ve worked with children with disabilities,” she said. “I have been in insurance, I have been in jewelry sales. I worked at Walmart as a customer service person for five years.” And now, she oversees worship services for four churches, with a collective 130 or so regular attendees. ‘ALL CONGREGATIONS ARE AGING’ Is it hard to be a pastor for four different churches? “On a good day,” Dewey said. Rural churches throughout the land
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The Rev. Kim Dewey pictured at Silver Creek United Methodist Church near Galva, Iowa.
are faced with the problems Dewey sees in her flocks – fewer and fewer people in the pews. “Everything else about Northwest Iowa has changed – we have less farms, we have less schools, we have less central hubs of business and our demographics have changed completely,” she said. “So the church is having to change, and although the basic tenets are the same, the way we do church might have to change, in that there’s less folks to go around.” That means there is less of a need for full-time pastors to serve each and every church, which is why congregations share pastors, like Dewey and her co-pastor, Kristin Boysen. Every Sunday, Dewey takes the pulpit at two of the four churches, while Boysen takes the other two. The sermons and other worship materials they use are essentially the same from one congregation to the next. Now that the four churches – still more or less independent, but sharing a pastor – are united in a parish, Dewey and Boysen have been working to get the churches to socialize with one another. “Our goal is to create community between the four churches,” Boysen said. While the Peterson and Silver Creek churches have retained a fair contingent of younger congregants – as much as 25 percent under 40 – older folks are the rule, while younger parishioners are the exception. “In Northwest Iowa, all congregations are aging,” Dewey said. There are congregants less than 50 years old, Dewey said, but they seek out a different kind of religious experience than their elder peers. “The folks under 50 are more interested in outreach and mission, and feeding folks – physically feeding folks, as well as spiritually – building a house, cleaning up a ditch, or going on a mission trip to Haiti,” she said. “Versus sitting in worship on Sunday morning.” So the people Dewey and Boysen see in worship on Sunday mornings are a bit more advanced in years. “We see the older folks are dying, so we’re losing them, and the younger folks get confirmed and don’t come back, so we lose on both ends,” Boysen said. Nowhere in the parish is this more stark than in Schaller, where a typical Sunday sees about 12 congregants. At one time, the church saw 35 or 40 per week. In any church, a decline like that means some tough questions will be on the table. “Once you probably hit about 20, you’re always thinking, ‘What do we do to prolong this – and when have we prolonged it too long?’” Dewey said. “When is God saying there’s some place else for you to do ministry besides right here? You can sustain a church with 10 to 20 in worship on Sunday, but how well are you doing ministry outside the walls? Because church is about what we’re doing for all God’s kids, not just the ones that are right inside our church.” It’s a thorny situation – and the Schaller church
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building itself (designed to hold closer to 100 congregants) is growing old, so what offering and donations come from the 12 or so attendees is earmarked for maintenance and upkeep. But to move the flock to a new home could be crushing for some, so they have to explore all options. “You’ve grown up in this church, your parents were married in the church, you were baptized in the church, you were confirmed in the church, your children were baptized and confirmed in the church, they’re getting married in the church,” Dewey said. “The church isn’t the building, but that’s hard to realize,” Boysen said. COMING TOGETHER One of the ironic things about small churches with poor attendance is how many people are technically registered as members of the church. Between the four churches, there are probably 400 people registered as members. “Membership (at Schaller) is about 110,” she said. “Some of those people, of course, are in nursing homes, some have maybe moved to be closer to family, or some have moved for job opportunities and they’re still just on the rolls, and some might even be going to other churches.”
Pastor Kim Dewey and associate pastor Kristin Boysen pictured at Silver Creek United Methodist Church near Galva, Iowa. Dewey is the lead pastor of the “PASS (Peterson, Alta, Schaller, Silver Creek) Parish,” and she and Boysen each preach to two of the four small churches on Sundays.
But trying to do outreach, essential though it may be, is no small task for a pastor of four churches. “Ministry is a full-time job, as in 24/7, 365,” Dewey said. That means her time has to be used wisely. “Most of the folks that I serve, they
would rather me spend two hours with them at a potluck dinner, and really get to know them and hear the story of what their grandbaby did at the concert this week, than they would like to see me in a meeting somewhere,” she said.
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RURAL ROUTES heart
care
Mercy Medical Center cardiologist Frank Addo visits satellite clinics in Primghar, Storm Lake, Hawarden and Le Mars, Iowa, several times a month.
GOING TO THE
PEOPLE Right: Cardiologist Frank Addo and Holly Prouty, manager of cardiac testing, stand by a portable echocardiography machine. Addo takes the machine, which allows him to perform an ultrasound of the heart, to Mercy Heart Center’s satellite clinics.
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Modern medical techniques travel the old-fashioned way Text by Dolly A. Butz | Photographs by Justin Wan
SIOUX CITY | Mercy cardiologist Frank Addo folds up an echocardiography machine and places it in a carry case before getting into a hospital-issued vehicle and driving with an echo technician to satellite clinics in Primghar, Storm Lake, Hawarden and Le Mars, Iowa, several times a month. “It’s a small machine, but it does a lot of magic,” Addo said of the echocardiography machine, which allows him to perform an ultrasound of the heart. “We go with a vascular probe, so we are able to look for stenosis in somebody’s carotid arteries and decreased blood flow in the arteries to their legs.” Mercy Cardiology began serving patients at satellite clinics in December 2010. In addition to Addo, two other Mercy cardiologists also see patients in rural areas. Other satellite clinics are located in Pender, Wayne, Oakland and Macy, Nebraska; Elk Point, South Dakota; and Kingsley and Cherokee, Iowa. “Patients tend to live very far away from a major facility, so they may have to drive long distances. In older populations, that may not be possible or convenient for them to do. That is where outreaches become very important,” Addo explained. “Iowa has one of the oldest populations; and we’ve learned over a long time that patients can’t get to us if we do not go to them either because of their failing health or just not having the support.” Most of Mercy’s satellite clinics, which are predominately located in hospitals, have treadmills on site, so Addo said he and his colleagues can conduct stress tests. He said patients can also receive an electrocardiogram, a test that records the heart’s electrical signals, and laboratory work at satellite clinics. Patients who need a nuclear medicine stress test or a cardiac angiogram, he said, will need to go to a medical facility such as Mercy Heart Center. “Otherwise, we will see you out there and try to do everything out there,” said Addo, who cautioned that chest pain, heart palpitations, dizziness, shortness of breath and fainting are symptoms that shouldn’t be ignored. Addo said his rural patients are generally referred to a satellite clinic by primary care providers, who often call his office and schedule appointments for the dates he is in a particular city or town. He said he usually sees patients from around 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., or until the work is done. On occasion, Addo said a “savvy” patient arrives at a satellite clinic without an appointment, after seeing a notice about the clinic in a local newspaper. “I’ve had patients walk in without referrals and say, ‘I hear the doctor is here today. I’d like
Mercy cardiologist Frank Addo visits satellite clinics in Primghar, Storm Lake, Hawarden and Le Mars, Iowa, several times a month.
to see him,’” he said. “It’s something we need to do. They really need our help, and that’s all there is to it.” When he’s out on the road, Addo said he keeps in contact with his nurse in Sioux City in order to meet the urgent needs of patients receiving care at Mercy Heart Center. Being able to remotely access patient records through the hospital’s computer system via laptop, he said is vital to manage in-town patients. “If I’m out there and there are calls about a patient that I don’t remember, then I can go to the computer, assess it and give the nurse advice as to what to do,” he said. “If it’s somebody who really needs to come, either I have one of my partners take care of the patient or some people are sick to the point where they have to go to the emergency room.” Besides juggling patients at multiple locations, Addo said getting authorization from health insurers to conduct testing at satellite clinics is sometimes challenging. Before a patient walks into the clinic, he said cardiologists don’t always know which tests he or she needs. He said they try to anticipate those tests and get approval beforehand, but not all insurers allow this. “Patients get disappointed, because most of the time they want everything done the same day. More and more, we have to jump through these loopholes to get these tests authorized for patients,” said Addo, who advises patients to go to the nearest emergency room if their symptoms worsen in the days and weeks while waiting for authorization. “It’s all about safety and communication.”
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RURAL ROUTES
student travels
OKOBOJI GRAD STUDIES IN
JORDAN, N.M.
Okoboji High School graduate Carson Miller, 16, spent seven weeks studying the Arabic language and traveling in Jordan in July and August. Taken by a friend, this photo shows Carson atop a pillar in Petra, a historic and archaeological city in southern Jordan. The city is famous for its rock-cut architecture and water conduit system.
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Carson Miller, 16, eyes career as foreign diplomat ARNOLDS PARK, Iowa – Sixteenyear-old Carson Miller has always been interested in other cultures and studies. While working with the FFA on agricultural relations, Miller, a May graduate of Okoboji High School, said she saw the effect Iowa has on the rest of the world. “I really wanted to see firsthand life in another country – especially one so different from my own,” Miller said. The Okoboji area resident decided several years ago that the best combination of her interests would be international relations and Miller foreign affairs, crosscultural communications and international problem solving, conflict resolution and understanding. She had a particular fascination with Arabic studies, as a result of what she sees as the lack of Arabic influence locally. Not content to sit idle, Miller spent seven weeks studying the Arabic language and culture in Jordan, this summer, as a part of the National Security Language Initiative for Youth, or NSLI-Y. The program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State for high school students to study abroad for the summer or a full academic year. She was able to specify Arabic studies and Jordan over Morocco, with classes at the Qasid Arabic Institute. Most of the instruction there was in modern standard Arabic, the dialect used many by many government agencies and media outlets, “because it would better allow me to work in politics in the future an communicate first-hand to meet more in the middle on political issues.” Miller said she received some push back when she first told friends she was going to study Arabic – and even more when she explained that she would be studying in Jordan. “I fielded questions
by Russ Oeschlin, Journal correspondent
like, ‘Aren’t you ever afraid? why would you ever want to learn that language? and who are you ever going to talk to?’ “That was very interesting because I knew I had the desire to communicate with people on a different level, and communicate with people who wouldn’t normally find someone who spoke their language in this area,” she said. “It’s really opened up an entirely new world of possibilities to me because suddenly for millions and millions of people I have insight into their language and learning about them and hearing them from them and using what I hear to help resolve conflicts at hopefully a political and national level.” Jordan, she noted, is a very modern Arab nation, with modern homes and infrastructure much like in America. “It was a wonderful, welcoming community.” The only obstacle she faced was being the only Qasaid student to be housed for seven weeks with a family that spoke very little English. Miller said her two older host brothers and younger host sister, “were most forgiving. They’d repeat words over and over again – thousands of times – to correct me when my pronunciation was off.” EARLY GRADUATION In the Okoboji school district, Miller was promoted from eighth to ninth grade in her first three days of the school year. She then earned her diploma in just three years, after completing an intense course workload that included college-level courses through nearby Iowa Lakes Community College. Carson also was involved in a wide array of extra-curricular activities in high school, including soccer, cross-country, student government, Youth-in-Philanthropy, FFA, large group speech and debate. In addition to maintaining a 4.0 grade point average, Miller earned
six years of full-ride college scholarships as she studied for what she hopes will be a long career in the diplomatic corps. After being named to receive a full Shelby Davis scholarship, Miller began classes at the United World College - USA, UWC-USA, in Montezuma, New Mexico, on Aug. 23. Instead of applying directly to UWC-USA, students are selected by committees in their home countries based on academic achievement, leadership, curiosity and involvement with global events and cultures. UWC-USA students earn an international baccalaureate diploma after successfully completing six subjects in different academic disciplines. In addition, they must complete a Theory of Knowledge course and write an extended essay to meet specific co-curricular requirements. The scholarship was created with a $40 million endowment for 25 students to study at the UWCUSA each year, and another 25 to study at any of the other 16 UWC sister campuses around the world. Miller cites her family as well as the entire the Okoboji school system for her successes. She describes her parents as “wonderful. They have always been very supportive – not necessarily forcing opportunities, but always showing me the potential and the opportunities, then giving me the resources I needed to take advantage of those possibilities.” Carson’s father Kiley Miller, says his daughter is entirely selfmotivated. “We have not pressured her. We just set a positive example for the value of education.” A former newspaper editor, Kiley Miller is president and CEO of the Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation, a regional economic development group. Carson’s mother, Carry Miller, had been a teacher in the Clay Central-Everly schools, and just started a new role working with
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Jaicee Post, DDS
Wheelock, Bursick & Post Dentistry
Recent Okoboji High School graduate Carson Miller, left, works with two classmates from Korea and Taiwan at the United World College in Montezuma, New Mexico, to create a sidewalk murals with the assistance of two other UWC students. Miller in August began studying at UWC-USA. Students are selected by committees in their home countries based on academic achievement, leadership, curiosity, and involvement with global events and cultures.
talented and gifted students and teaching English Language Learning in the Okoboji district. Carson also has two brothers, Caleb, 14, and Sawyer, 12. The family moved to the Okoboji area from southeast Iowa. “When I was home-schooled in Mount Pleasant, my mom always allowed me to do a lot of independent study and focus on some of the things I was interested in – geography and literature and world cultures,” Carson Miller said. “I did a lot of independent research study and projects on those things.”
NATURAL CURIOSITY Her curiosity about other cultures comes somewhat naturally. Her father spent several years as a Korean linguist for the U.S. Army, while at the same time her mother was working many miles away from the base teaching English to Koreans in Seoul. “It’s been important to us that the kids see themselves as part of a global community, and that the world is an accessible place,” Kiley Miller said. After she completes her studies in New Mexico, the hard-driving student has a softer outlook on what’s ahead. “Inshallah” – an Arabic word,
meaning, “if Allah wills,” or “God willing” – is the word she uses. “I hope to be studying international relations and foreign affairs, possibly economics, and definitely a minor in Arabic or Middle Eastern studies. Miller said the University of Chicago is currently her top choice after UWC-USA, but added that she is also looking at a lot other schools along the East Coast – looking at all the options, “to find the best for me.” “That’s what’s great about this,” she said. “All my other friends are stressing over college applications. I’ve bought myself a little time.”
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HEALTH
medical answers
‘DOC, I’VE GOT A QUESTION …’ answers to your medical questions
If your joints crack, does that indicate a problem? Or is that just normal? Joints can be quite noisy at times, but the good news is that it is generally harmless. There is fluid called “synovial fluid” in our joints that acts as something of a lubricant. When gas bubbles in this fluid burst, it produces the characteristic cracking noise. Expanding the joint space, like when you crack your knuckles, will cause these bubbles to burst and crack. Other times this sound can be produced by tendons rubbing over bones. As long as you are not having significant pain in the joint, cracking does not indicate any problems. Now the caveat is if you hear a pop or a crack during an injury to a joint – think a football player’s knee popping after being hit or a crack after falling on your hip – this could indicate damage to the joint and should be examined by a doctor. Is it healthy to work in an office that’s too cold? What is too cold? I ask that question to show that our perception of temperature changes from person to person. That’s why Frank in the office next to you likes it 73 degrees, and Janice across the hall prefers it 68 degrees. Neither person is right or wrong, from a medical standpoint. While there is plenty of evidence that shows decreased workplace productivity to offices that are too cold or too hot, I cannot find any evidence to support health consequences of office temperature variances, within normal indoor climate-controlled offices. It is true that people who work outside can have health consequences related to the temperature (think of the effects of heat on construction workers in August or cold on electric company workers after that January blizzard). Hypothermia can result in temps as low as the 50s. Thankfully very few offices keep the temperature that low, and if yours does I would suggest finding a new place to work. 46
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Should you try to take off skin tags yourself? Or do you risk having them come back worse? Skin tags are benign overgrowths of normal skin. They are usually found in the creases of skin, such as around the neck, armpits and groin. They can also be seen on the face and eyelids. They are more common in people with diabetes. There is no evidence that taking skin tags off cause them to come back. Skin tags only need to be removed if found bothersome by the person. I do not recommend trying to remove them yourself, mostly for risk of infection and bleeding. Your doctor can remove skin tags, usually by cutting them off using sterile equipment or freezing them off. If needed, your doctor can use topical anesthetic for pain, and has items available to help with any excess bleeding. Why have they changed immunization dates for kids? I noticed we had to fill out a paper that indicated we had certain ones done this year. But why do they move them up and who makes the decision? The standard childhood vaccination schedule used by American physicians comes from the US Center for Disease control. The CDC frequently examines, clarifies and updates the vaccination schedules for infants and children, adolescents and adults as well as a catch-up schedule. Research continues to be done on vaccinations, including safety and efficacy in relation to when they are given. When new research indicates a better or simpler way to achieve full immunization, those changes are implemented into the schedule. This includes changing the recommendations based on certain medical conditions the child (or adult) may have. An example of a recent change: If children start the HPV vaccination series before age 15, we now only recommend two doses for full effect. The
SIOUXLAND LIFE
MEET THE DOC Dr. Chris Wolf is a native of Sioux City and graduate of East High. He completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Iowa in integrative physiology and medical school at Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine. He is a resident Family Practice physician at Siouxland Medical Education Foundation. He resides in Sioux City with his wife and young daughter. vaccine schedule is like everything else in medicine: we utilize our best research and knowledge in caring for patients, but certainly with new research and the development of new treatments, what we do changes over time. I take my child for “well baby” visits, but when does that end? To quote the great Squints from the childhood classic “The Sandlot,” well visits go on “for-ev-ver.” After age 2, well visits become less frequent than the first two years of life. This does not mean, however, that preventive visits stop. Most primary care doctors would like to see all children at least once a year for “well child” visits. This goes through adolescence as well, especially for kids who need medical clearance to participate in school sports and activities. Activities physicals can often be integrated into a yearly well visit. Please do not think that after you turn 18 you are home free from seeing the doctor, my loyal adult reader. We still want to see adults at least once a year for preventive care. Seeing patients for well visits allow doctors to identify issues before they become bigger problems, keep an eye on your overall health and make sure you are up to date on necessary labs, immunizations as well as recommended preventative screenings like mammograms and colon cancer screening. So I urge you, if your child has not been in to the doctor in more than a year, schedule them an appointment. While you have them on the phone, go ahead and schedule yourself for a well visit as well. WHAT KINDS OF HEALTH QUESTIONS DO YOU HAVE? Submit your questions and they may be used in this monthly feature. Write to Siouxland Life at 515 Pavonia St., Sioux City, Iowa 51102.
PARTING SHOT By
Bruce Miller
DESPERATE TIMES REQUIRE DESPERATE
(EXERCISE) MEASURES
e
Every morning for the last eight weeks I have awakened with some sort of pain – knee pain, hip pain, arm pain, back pain. It is, I assume, a by-product from a personal training class I signed up for in late summer when I realized my winter clothes didn’t fit. Desperation set in: Buy new clothes or lose the weight. Because the program promised to “transform” my body and help me get a handle on my love handles, I signed up. Never mind that the thing takes place at 6 a.m. three days a week. A desperate person is willing to get up at a desperate hour. The first day we had a test of our abilities. None of mine were remotely impressive. I could barely do a plank, felt like my back was going to give out in a wall sit and got ankle pains when I started to run. (If these terms are alien, join the club. I don’t think anyone actually sits against a wall in real life, but there you go.) The first “real” day of class involved running and various forms of exercise I shunned in school. I realized a note from my parents wouldn’t do any good with this bunch, so I gutted it out and was as exhausted as I was wringing wet. (I threw the T-shirt. No amount of Tide was going to get the stink out of that.) Day Two brought its share of fun, too, but because the trainer mixed things up I didn’t feel like I was on the treadmill of death, just waiting for the quick stop to take me. At the end of two weeks, I had lost four pounds. At the end of three, I had gained one. Realizing 20 pounds in eight weeks was not a realistic goal (come on, I can dream, can’t I?), I focused on other things – like getting up each morning, having something to eat and getting to class in time for the hypnotic “warm-up” on a treadmill. I still felt sleep-deprived but I came to view this as an important time of day. If I got the exercise out of the way before I even started my day, I was ahead of the game. At 5:30 a.m., traffic is non-existent, stoplights seem synced and no
one cares how truly awful you look with bedhead and a wrinkled T-shirt. At the gym, there are people who look like contestants in “American Ninja Warrior.” They’re fit and they know how to wear Spandex. I assume they must live in constant pain all the time. Now when I look at someone who is buff, I realize a look like that doesn’t come without at least a couple of bottles of Advil. And I’m fine with it. My jaunts may not have transformed my body into something that would make it on the cover of Men’s Health magazine (think of the agony those guys must be in), but they have made their tight winter pants fit and eliminated the “I’m too busy to work out” excuse I’ve used for more than two years. As much as I’d love six-pack abs, I know I’m not even going to get growler-sized ones. I’m fine with that, as long as my gut doesn’t stick out so I can’t see the numbers on the scale. Like those maddening scales at the doctor’s office, ones at the gym are designed to frustrate. They weigh heavy, too, and no matter how many surfaces
you try, they still tell you to cling to the more complimentary one you use at home. Exercise, I’ve learned, can’t be routine. Once you start getting into a rut (“I’ll get on the treadmill for an hour”), your body rebels and won’t react favorably. You’ve got to mix things up, working different muscles each time you make the attempt. If you spend all of your time on an elliptical (notice the facility with which I reference the machines), you’re not going to get results. You’ve got to do those things you hate (and Burpees, I’m looking at you) in order to shake up your body. While I’m not planning on entering the “Wall Sit” competition in the 2018 Olympics, I do think there’s merit to the exercise. If you’re perched against a wall – with no chair to hold you – there’s no way anyone can see your stomach. They’re probably too busy calculating how many Advil tablets you’re going to need after the two minutes are up.
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Carve out your share of thousands of dollars when we stuff the giant prize wheel with a figurative Thanksgiving feast on Friday, November17.Every15minutes from 6:00 to 11:00pm, we will draw the name of a guest who will spin the prize wheel up to four times. The spaces on the wheel will illustrate the various aspects of a complete Thanksgiving dinner with cash prizes attached to each. Win the total of your four spins. But, watch out for the bankrupt space! If a lucky guest lands on all the spaces needed for a basic turkey banquet – turkey, stuffing, potatoes and corn – he/she will win $2,500 in cash. Get into the drawings by visiting a kiosk to claim one free entry daily. Plus, earn additional entries whenever you play slots or live blackjack.
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