Siouxland Life - October 2017

Cross country reflects changes in outdoor sports

Quilting isn’t just for warmth anymore

Candy is dandy but decays are lurking

A GUIDE FOR LIVING IN SIOUXLAND

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FALL APPLE CROP PROVES TASTY FOR SIOUXLANDERS

YOUR GUIDE TO HALLOWEEN MAKEUP

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SIOUXLAND LIFE

CONTENTS October

2017

If you’re ready for football, big sweaters and warm drinks, then you’re prepped for fall. This month, we look at some of the season’s traditions and, of course, we veer toward Halloween, too. Thanks to makeup experts at the University of South Dakota, we’ve got a step-by-step guide to looking ghoulish or ethereal. We’ve also got experts weighing in on everything from apples to quilting. So grab that warm drink and join us in falling for fall.

4 THE RIGHT HOME

When a Siouxland couple decided to craft the perfect home, they let their dreams guide them. An elevator, perhaps? This place has one.

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TAILGATING! Get the brats! Grab the drinks! There’s more to football than sitting in the bleachers and watching the game.

ON THE COVER Easton Derry, 1, of Omaha, the son of owner Tom Trapp’s niece, tests the crop at Trapple Orchard. Photograph by Tim Hynds FEATURES 4 HOME dream fulfilled 12 FALLING FOR FALL tailgating 14 FALLING FOR FALL apples 18 FALLING FOR FALL joining the FFA 22 FALLING FOR FALL quilting 26 FALLING FOR FALL farming 30 FALLING FOR FALL Oktoberfest

32 35 40 42 45 47

FALLING FOR FALL cross country FALLING FOR FALL makeup tricks FALLING FOR FALL groovediggers HEALTH tooth decay HEALTH medical answers 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 April Burford 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.

THE FEEL OF FARMING There is a rhythm to life on the farm. Peak season is fall. Come visit.

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OCTOBER 2017

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HOME one

to dream on

DREAM HOME BUILT FOR COMFORT, VISITORS

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Le Mars dwelling features elevator, bridge, three fireplaces and more Text by Tim Gallagher | Photographs by Jim Lee

LE MARS, IOWA | Seventeen years ago this December, Pat Winter came home after surgery that treated Stage 4 breast cancer. She knew chemotherapy loomed on the horizon.

A funny thing happened on the way to Winter’s recovery: She and husband, Gil, built a home in Le Mars.

“When I came home from the hospital after surgery, I came across a homebuilding plan in the Sioux City Journal,” said Winter, who, like Gil, is a lifelong

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resident of Plymouth County. “The plan looked perfect for us. I talked to Gil about it and he agreed.

“It was time,” she said.

The Winters had resided on their farmstead, operating a cattle feedlot southwest of Le Mars for 35 years. They’d done little in the way of entertaining, something they figured they might do if and when they were able to realize the home of their dreams on a vacant lot on the popular Willow Creek Golf Course.

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They decided to take the plunge. And not once have they regretted it.

“We sought a home, one in which would could continue our lifestyle while adding a chance for us to host and be more social,” Pat said while leading a tour through the three-story, three-bedroom home, a stucco structure that utilizes 7,000 square feet and a number of architectural and design elements than offer more than a hint of a Frank Lloyd Wright influence.

Gil and Pat Winter built their dream home at the end of Willow Creek Boulevard in Le Mars, Iowa. The home features 7,000 square feet of living space.

Below: Pat Winter stands just inside the front entrance of the home she and husband, Gil Winter, had built in Le Mars, Iowa, just off Nos. 4 and 5 at Willow Creek Golf Course in Le Mars.

Left: Stained glass, the excess from a project at a bank in Sheldon, Iowa, sets off the stairwell in the home. The stained glass casts a warm glow upon the nearby family room.

The basement has a bar and a back-bar that came from Missouri Valley, Iowa. The basement alone once served a party of 80 guests.

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“You can’t have a bad day in this home,” Pat Winter said. “I haven’t yet.”

It would be hard to, given the warm and varied color schemes, the creature comforts, the size, the view and much, much more.

The Winter home, after all, utilizes an elevator with a window, allowing one to look east up Willow Creek Boulevard as the elevator, made of cherry wood, scales and descends. The home also has an interior bridge that connects two portions of the second story atop a coral-colored family room whose ceiling towers at 20 feet.

There are 147 windows serving this home, offering unbeatable warmth through many of those windows which are located on the west and east sides of the home. Several of the family room windows have pewter inserts, a nod to Wright, one of the country’s foremost architects and designers.

Pat Winter makes up for any lost time as a host by opening the doors to their home for various meetings or social events held by the Beta Sigma Phi organization, the Floyd Valley Hospital Auxiliary, Le Mars Public Library Committee, Dorcas Circle at St. John Lutheran Church, the Christian Women’s Prayer Coffee and more.

“I’m also on-call for the Le Mars Chamber of Commerce,” said Pat, noting how she teams up with Mary Reynolds,

Above: The den allows Pat the space to tend to her appointments while serving a host of organizations ranging from the Floyd Valley Hospital Auxiliary to Beta Sigma Phi to Dorcas Circle to the Le Mars Chamber of Commerce and more.

of the Chamber office, to assist with whatever events she can throughout the year.

The Winters ordered the home design plan in January 2001 and began making their modifications, working with contractor Bill Neubrand, of Le Mars, on what turned out being his last, big home-construction project. Neubrand died in 2015.

“We began earth-moving here in August 2001 and by December it was all framed in,” Pat said, blessed the late summer and fall that year were largely dry.

The floor-plan has a living room, den, master bedroom and master bathroom on the main floor, along with a family room, kitchen, laundry room and more.

The upstairs features two bedrooms and a large office. The basement has a large bar serving a family room, game room, smaller dining area and exercise room.

The basement leads out to a massive patio and grill, while the upper floor has decks to look out onto the golf course.

A 17-foot fireplace, one of three fireplaces in the home, serves the living room and is, according to Pat, “the heart of the home.”

Her favorite room, however, is likely the family room, located just off an open kitchen, a kitchen not cluttered with tools of the trade, as most are tucked away in a walk-in pantry that allows

This is the view from the interior bridge over the living room. The ceiling measures 20 feet from the floor. The fireplace extends 17 feet.

The kitchen features islands, a breakfast nook and (not shown) a walk-in pantry where much food-prep takes place.

The kitchen transitions into the family room.

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The family room features a fireplace, a projection TV and window shades that move electronically.

Pat Winter shows the wine rack and small bar just off the kitchen in the home she and husband, Gil Winter, built in the early 2000s.

The laundry room in the home of Gil and Pat Winter in Le Mars, Iowa, offers ample room for Pat to sit and sew while waiting for the laundry cycle run its course.

whomever is doing food prep to do so behind a closed door.

“The family room has a projection TV and screen and a fireplace,” said Pat. “The drapes close electronically.”

The room has the aura of a theater with a working fireplace, a kitchen not six feet away, as well as a wine rack and bar. Could one want anything else?

While building the home in December 2001, Gil came home and told Pat he’d seen an elevator in another home.

Rather than start to work on three flights of stairs just inside the front entrance, Gil investigated the incorporation of

Pat said. “Gilbert went with a window design to allow people to look down the boulevard as the elevator moves upstairs.”

Another stairwell connects the floors on the other side of the home, near the kitchen and laundry room.

Speaking of laundry, there’s quite a touch just off the Winters’ master bathroom, a bathroom that has at its center a round wooden table, the table that served their home on the farm for more than three decades. Just inside the massive walk-in closet off the master bath is a dryer unit enclosed in a cabinet, a dryer

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An elevator came from the Schumacher Elevator Company in Denver, Iowa.

an elevator. Soon, the couple was off to Denver, Iowa, home of the Schumacher Elevator Company.

“We drove to Denver, took our cherrywood cabinets along and matched the wood of the elevator cab to our cabinets,”

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The master bedroom offers a fireplace, as well as a view onto the Willow Creek Golf Club.

The master bathroom features an older, circular table from the Winters’ home of 35 years, a farmstead southwest of the Plymouth County seat.

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that dries towels, towels which are then placed on heated towel racks.

Although the Winters didn’t embark on this project until 17 years ago, Pat Winter had kept notes for years. The coral color scheme in the living room and throughout the house, for example, is the color employed at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where Pat stayed several years ago while attending a conference as a member of the Plymouth County Soil & Water Conservation Commission.

“I made a book of all these things I’d want for our home,” she said, adding that the cobblestone look to their walkways outside mimic those she saw in Germany.

“That’s also where the towel warmers came from,” she said with a laugh. “The old German hotels had towel warmers.

And things like that aren’t expensive to add, if you do them while you’re in the building process. They’re much tougher if you add them on after building.”

The front entrance area makes a statement quickly with a river-rock granite piece in-laid into the hardwood floor.

Coupled with a chandelier above the

The dining area features a chandelier and a ceiling piece of hand-carved wood molding.

front entry, this welcoming area has a feel that water is flowing over rocks.

Hutches serving the dining area are both convex and concave in shape, again suggesting a flowing motion to facets of

the home.

“The ceiling (in the dining room) is hand-carved wood molding,” Pat said.

“Getting the circle in there (above the dining room table) was something our

builder preserved. We felt that with the chandelier, it needed that statement.”

Neubrand met that request and many others, such as the crown moldings on the columns inside the home.

“We cannot say enough about the work Bill Neubrand did for us,” Pat said.

“The way it is built, in angles, posed challenges for him that he met at every turn.

What he did made this so comfortable and enjoyable for us.”

That book of ideas Pat kept? Well, it can even be traced back to her high school days at Le Mars Community. For if a visitor remembers just one characteristic of this amazing home, it might be the colors. The breakfast nook, as an example, radiates in a combination of parakeet, coral and a yellow called June day.

“As we were building our home, I ran into Mrs. Grau, my art teacher at Le Mars Community High School, and I asked her about the use of colors as I’d never built a home before,” Pat said. “Mrs. Grau said, “Oh Pat, you can never go wrong with color. Don’t be afraid to use them.”

Pat Winter, in the throes of a battle against cancer, reached for her colored pencils and began “playing” on her floorplan, tinkering, adding and refining, shaping a house – a dream home – she and her husband would open for hundreds of others.

712-253-2014

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FALLING FOR FALL tailgating

Renee and Rick Niles converted an ambulance to use for tailgating at Morningside College football games.

TURNING A 40-YEAR-OLD AMBULANCE INTO THE ULTIMATE

TAILGATING PARTY VEHICLE

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Text by Earl Horlyk | Photographs by Jim Lee

SIOUX CITY | It’s pretty easy to spot Rick Niles prior to any Morningside College football home game.

After all, he and wife Renee regularly hold court in the northern end of Olsen Stadium’s east parking lot, along with other tailgating families.

However, none of the other tailgaters make it to game day in a converted 1979 ambulance that is being used as a party wagon.

“We stand out,” he said in a vehicle that says “Stang Nation” on its side “There’s no other way of explaining that.”

Niles purchased the used ambulance from an ad he saw on Craig’s List more than two years ago.

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People sign a converted ambulance owned by Renee and Rick Niles while tailgating prior to Morningside College football action against Truman State University at Olsen Stadium.

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“Believe it or not, this was originally white with an orange stripe and a decal which read Martinsburg (Neb.) Ambulance in big blue letters,” he recalled. “It only had 40,000 miles on it and I thought it would make the ultimate vehicle for tailgating.”

But first, Niles painted the vehicle jet black as a way of complementing the Mustangs’ team colors. Plus he moved the exterior red light to the inside of the ambulance.

Still, he had a few tricks up his sleeve.

“I have a remote control siren that I can activate every time the Mustangs make a touchdown,” Niles said. “Although I have to shout ‘fire in the hole!’

Tailgating begins early on game day at Morningside College.

before letting it blast.

“I don’t want to give anyone a heart attack,” he added.

You see, Niles simply wants to let off a little steam by cheering on the Mustangs and son Connor who is a wide receiver.

“We’re an athletic family,” said Niles, a probation officer by trade. “Nothing is more exciting than game day.”

Game day, for Niles, usually starts hours before the team hits the field.

“If a game starts at 1 p.m., I’ll be here (at the stadium) by 7:30 a.m.” he said.

“Along with the other tailgaters in our group, I’ll help set up the tents, chairs tables, you name it.”

Um, what about the food? You haven’t mentioned anything about food.

“Oh yeah, Renee and I are part of a group of other tailgating families,” Niles explained. “We start cooking early and every game has a different theme.”

During a match-up with the Truman State University Bulldogs, tailgaters were to try their hand at south-of-the-border cuisine.

“Tacos, burritos, nachos,” Niles said.

“Everything will be delicious.”

When he preps his food, Niles is greeted by both family and friends.

“I have a remote control siren that I can activate every time the Mustangs make a touchdown.”

RICK NILES

Brooke Happe leaves her mark on the ambulance owned by her parents while tailgating at a Morningside College football game.

“We have people from as far away as Minneapolis and Omaha to watch Connor play,” he said. “It’s part college football game and part family reunion.”

It certainly helps that Niles has a very liberal definition of family.

“Even if you’re not a part of our crew, come on in if you’re hungry,” he said. “We never turn anyone away.”

And that includes members of the Mustang team.

“It’s tradition that we set some food aside for the players,” Niles said. “We have players from all around the country who may not have family in the stands.

We’re feeding team members as if they were family.”

Niles said he always gets a charge right before the start of a game.

“You can feel it in the stands and you can feel back in the tailgating section,” he said. “Everybody’s rooting for the Mustangs to have a good afternoon.”

Just before a recent game Niles shouted out “Fire in the hole!” as he clicked on his remote control siren.

“Yeah, it’s going to be a good day to be a Mustang,” he said with a smile.

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FALLING FOR FALL apples!

Tom Trapp’s orchard grows several varieties of apples, cherries and pears.

TRAPPLE ORCHARD CARRIES ON

FAMILY TRADITION

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Text by Dolly A. Butz | Photographs by Tim Hynds

LITTLE SIOUX, IOWA | Growing is in Tom Trapp’s blood.

As a child, Trapp fondly recalls his father, Bernard, making wine from a variety of fruit he grew in his orchard.

In 2011, Trapp followed in his father’s footsteps by founding Trapple Orchard in Little Sioux. The orchard has more than 450 fruit trees and 20 varieties of fruit

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and produce, including Honeycrisp, Jonathan, Delicious, Granny Smith apples, as well as pears, cherries, plums, apricots, peaches and berries.

“Certainly Jonathan are very popular.

We’ve got a Red Delicious, which is called Adams Apple,” Trapp said in late August.

“The ones that we’re picking now are Gala, Blondee, Ginger Gold and another

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called Redfree.”

In Siouxland, apple season generally runs from the middle of August to late October. Although Trapp said apples come in waves during the fall, he said running an apple orchard is pretty much a year-round endeavor.

“We’ve got some Granny Smith apples that’ll come off the last week of

Leah Derry, Omaha, the niece of owner Tom Trapp holds her son, Easton, 1, as they eat apples at Trapple Orchard in Little Sioux, Iowa.

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Tom Trapp, center and his sisters, Jinny Wallar, right, and Shelly Leick show some of their orchard’s bounty.

October,” he said. “Oftentimes, that’s after the killing frost, so sometimes we’ll get them, sometimes we won’t – that’s what I’ve been told. I’ve yet to harvest any of them myself because we’re so new at this.”

In the winter, Trapp said he does a lot of pruning, which sets up the fruit for the following year. In the spring, he starts mowing between the trees and weeding around them to ensure they have good airflow. This process of constant tending,

which includes watering if conditions are very dry, continues throughout the summer. Fall is harvest time.

“They become ripe and they convert that starch to sugar – that’s what sweetens up the apples,” Trapp said.

While some orchards in Siouxland sustained crop damage from a storm that pelted the region with hail as large as a softball, Trapp’s apples went unscathed.

“It’s a good year for apples. We’ve got

APPLE FACTS

Tom Trapp displays a Hawkeye delicious apple grown on one of his trees.

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Apples come in all shades of reds, greens, and yellows. The apple variety Red Delicious is America’s most popular with 62 million bushels harvested in 2005 (originally named “Hawkeye,” the variety originated in Peru, Iowa in 1870).2,500 varieties of apples are grown in the United States. Apple varieties range in Source: trappleorchard.com

just a marvelous crop this year,” said Trapp, who takes a holistic approach to growing by spraying as little as possible.

Trapple Orchard is a membership orchard, meaning customers have to sign up in order to pick. They also have the option to adopt a tree. Trapp said the registration process is very simple and can be initiated on the orchard’s website.

When it comes to picking apples, Trapp said you need to carefully select

size from a little larger than a cherry to as large as a grapefruit. Apples are fat, sodium, and cholesterol free. A medium apple is about 80 calories. Two-thirds of the fiber and lots of antioxidants are found in the peel. Antioxidants help to reduce damage to cells, which can trigger some diseases.

IF YOU GO

Trapple Orchard, 1377 145th St., Little Sioux, Iowa, is a membership orchard.

For more information or to register to pick, call 402-502-4136 or visit trappleorchard.com.

Bernie Trapp, father of owner Tom Trapp, is part of the family business.

those that are ripe. Apples ripen from the outside of the tree into the center, so the apples out the outside of the tree ripen first. Ripe apples, Trapp said, will easily release from the tree.

“You just lift and give them a little twist,” he said. “If you try to pull them and they don’t come off easily, then they’re not ready.”

Since apple trees are susceptible to worm infestation, Trapp advised picking the best-looking apples possible. While it’s not uncommon for apples to have blemishes, be on the lookout for small holes and dark spots, which could signal the entry of a worm.

“When you look at the apples, you pick those that are going to be as perfect as possible,” he said. “We ask that whatever (customers) pick, they take. Any of the orchard owners will tell you the same – they don’t want a lot of discard on the ground.”

5 Home maintenance Projects to Do tHis Fall When stores start selling Halloween candy — a full two months before the haunted day — it’s a good reminder to start thinking about how to prepare your home for the upcoming change of seasons.

It may seem too early to focus on fall maintenance projects, but preparing for the chilly weather now will enhance and protect one of your biggest investments: your home. The best part is that many of these projects can be done at little or no cost, and they can help you save money on your energy bills.

Here are five projects to tackle before the leaves start to fall: 1) Caulk the Gaps Around Your Home Heated air can escape from gaps that develop where building materials meet. Some of the most common areas include where exterior siding meets windows and doors, around roof and foundation lines, around chimneys and where pipes protrude through walls or roofs. Check those locations to see if any gaps have formed and if so, apply the appropriate caulk or sealant.

2) Check Ceiling and Roof Insulation Heat rises, which means heat from your home also can escape through any vulnerable areas of the roof. The most efficient way to stop that heat loss is by installing ceiling and roof insulation

with an R-value of approximately R49 for ceiling and R20 for exterior walls. The R-value refers to the ability of any material to resist the passage of heat.

3) Weatherproof Your Windows and Doors If Ensure that your storm windows and doors are effectively keeping warm air in and cold air out. Look for any cracks around glass, sashes and window frames. Apply adhesive foam weather strips to the top and bottom window rails, or nail felt weatherstripping where window sashes and frames make contact. Newer homes are much more likely to have double or triple-paned windows, which can dramatically improve energy efficiency.

4) Keep a Close Eye on the Gutters Gutters and downspouts can easy become clogged over time, even if they have guards intended to keep out debris. Regularly inspect and clean gutters thoroughly, paying special attention to elbows and bends in the downspouts. Keep hangers fastened securely and plug any holes or cracks. You can also touch up any sections showing signs of rust with rustproof paint.

5) Augment Your Heating Unit Consider replacing an older or inefficient heating unit with a gas or oil furnace, or a heat pump with a high efficiency rating. If your system

already is efficient, be sure to inspect it regularly and change filters monthly. Consider investing in a smart thermostat that can help save you money by automatically adjusting temperatures at times while you are sleeping or when no one is home.

Performing routine home maintenance projects like these can have an immediate impact on lowering your energy bills and maintaining the safety of your family. They also offer the longterm benefits of prolonging the life of your home and enhancing its value.

If you need help with some of these projects, you can find a list of contractors in the Siouxland area by visiting http://www.siouxlandhba.com/members/.

Todd Hagaman President

Todd Hagaman Construction

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712-255-3852 siouxlandhba.com OCTOBER 2017

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FALLING FOR FALL joining

the FFA

FFA IN IOWA SEES RECORD ENROLLMENT NUMBERS

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Text by Mason Dockter | Photographs by Justin Wan

ANKENY, IOWA | During the 1980s farm crisis, with crop prices seriously depressed and a poor economic forecast for farming, farmers began to question whether their children should bother with the then-unprofitable venture of growing food.

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Enrollment in the Future Farmers of America plummeted, bottoming out in 1990-91 at 8,722 members.

Scott Johnson, executive secretary of the Iowa FFA Association, said it was a glum time for the agricultural sector.

“If you think about, the impact of the

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farm crisis and how that rolled into the ’90s – how many parents were telling their kids, ‘Don’t go into ag, there’s no future, there’s no place for you to come home and farm,’” Johnson said.

But, like crop prices, the fortunes of the FFA have reversed, and now the

Dan Witten, agriculture teacher, is the FFA adviser at Westwood Community School.

Ben Brekke, a sophomore at Westwood Community School and an FFA official, talks about his organization with eighth-grade students in Sloan, Iowa.

organization’s membership is at an alltime high, at about 14,900 statewide. According to the national FFA website, the organization has 649,355 members in the United States.

And the growth of membership looks to be sustained – the state FFA has had more than 14,000 members for over two years.

“The last time we were over 14,000 members was back in 1981, ’82,” he said.

“Just at the beginning of the farm crisis, basically.”

NEW CHAPTERS As evidence of the organization’s growth, Johnson pointed to the many school districts in Northwest Iowa that

have recently started FFA chapters, including Lawton-Bronson, Washington High School in Cherokee and Hinton High School.

Stephanie Bass, the FFA adviser in Hinton – which started its chapter last year – said the program was something everyone wanted.

“Community members had been really pushing for an ag program for quite a few years now,” Bass said.

The FFA’s inaugural year in Hinton saw about 20 enrollees, and Bass said she’s hoping for about 30 this year.

“I think they’re super pumped and super excited for this next year,” she said.

Students at the Hinton FFA can take part in a number of activities, including ag sales, job interviews, soil judging, public speaking and a number of other contests. They also participate in SAE (Supervised Ag Experience).

“That’s essentially where students go out and perform a job and they basically gain career skills by performing that job,” Bass said.

Probably none of the current high school students at Washington High School in Cherokee remember the last time the school had an FFA chapter, 10 or 15 years ago. The school revived its charter just this year.

Hannah Barnes, the FFA adviser at Washington High, said Cherokee wanted an FFA chapter and an ag program, just like Hinton did.

“A lot of community members had started requesting that the school offer agriculture classes for their students,” Barnes said. “Once I was hired, then the question started coming about: ‘Well, when are we going to start an FFA chapter?’”

The first FFA meetings at the school, Barnes said, saw only 11 or 12 students.

In early September, almost 40 students came to the FFA meeting – a number Barnes called “very exciting.”

“The kids at Washington High School are really just excited that they finally have a club that’s for them,” Barnes said.

‘A LOT OF FUN’ At Westwood High School in Sloan, FFA Chapter President Sam Burkhart said her favorite part of being in FFA is “going and helping in the community – it’s a lot of fun.”

“We usually volunteer around the community, so we’ll go and we’ll plant trees or we’ll help plant gardens around the community – we’ll just try to get more people involved in agriculture,” Burkart said.

Fellow Westwood High junior Lupita Munoz, the chapter historian, said that her FFA involvement has improved and sharpened her public speaking abilities.

“When I was talking in front of other people I was really nervous, but after doing some competitions in FFA I broke out, and it’s really fun,” Munoz said.

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Sam Burkhart, a junior at the Westwood Community School and the FFA chapter president, addresses eighth-grade students.

Munoz said her favorite part of FFA is the annual convention in Ames.

“It’s really amazing,” Munoz said.

“Especially the talent show, you see how many people have talent, they’re really good. And you meet a lot of new people.”

The fun seems to be contagious – private schools in Iowa, few of which have ever had an FFA chapter, are now interested.

“Kind of a new realm for us up in Northwest Iowa as well are the Christian schools looking at having their own program,” Johnson said.

‘IT’S NOT JUST FOR FARM KIDS’ The FFA has lately made itself into a sort of big-tent organization that incorporates diverse student interests – especially science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Town kids can be just as involved as those from rural acreages or large farms.

“I still, on a daily basis, have to remind the students that it’s not just for farm kids, because I think that’s the biggest stigma that FFA gets,” Barnes said.

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“We usually volunteer around the community, so we’ll go and we’ll plant trees or we’ll help plant gardens around the community – we’ll just try to get more people involved in agriculture.”

SAM BURKHART, FFA Chapter President at Westwood High School Dan Witten, the FFA adviser at Westwood in Sloan, said the mix of students in his chapter doesn’t match the FFA stereotype.

“We have a very low percentage” of students on a traditional, working farm, Witten said. “We get a lot of acreage kids or just rural kids, and town kids.”

Despite the push to broaden the

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Lupita Munoz, a junior at Westwood Community School and a FFA officer, encourages other students to look into the organization’s many opportunities.

group’s appeal, FFA hopefuls in larger school districts, including Sioux City, Cedar Rapids and Davenport, are mostly out of luck – there’s no chapter in those cities. Even in Des Moines, the reach of the program is fairly limited.

“I receive more inquiries now from larger school systems that are asking about it,” Johnson said.

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SIOUXLAND LIFE

OCTOBER 2017

21

FALLING FOR FALL quilting

Quilting instructor Jane Vereen, left, and owner Ann Brouillette work on quilts at Heart & Hand Dry Goods Company in Sioux City. The quilting supply store has seen a steady increase in the number of people pursuing the decorative and functional art.

MODERN TRENDS INFLUENCE TRADITIONAL AMERICAN HOBBY OF

QUILTING

s

Text by Dolly A. Butz | Photographs by Tim Hynds

SIOUX CITY | The clean, geometric, sometimes black, sometimes gray works of art draping beds and walls today are not your grandmother’s quilts.

Borders and flowers are out. Solid colors and modern designs are in.

“They’re not as into what you think of as floral applique,” Jane Vereen, a quilting instructor at Heart & Hand Dry Goods Company, said of the women in their 30s who are taking up quilting because they want to make a special keepsake for their new baby boy or girl. “It’s not necessarily a country look anymore.”

That country look, however, is still

22

OCTOBER 2017

popular with traditional quilters. Although quilting continues to grow in popularity, Heart & Hand Dry Goods Company owner Ann Brouillette, said the average quilter in Sioux City is between 60 and 80 years of age.

A 2014 Quilting in America survey found that there are more than 16 million active quilters in United States who spend a whopping $3.76 billion a year on the fiber art. “(Quilting) just keeps getting more and more popular. I think a lot of it is due to Pinterest,” Brouillette said of the image-collecting site, which is also frequented by artists, crafters and foodies.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

“We’ll get young people and older people who are retiring and want to take up quilting.”

A LOST ART As a child, Brouillette said she loved going to the fabric store to pick out patterns.

Brouillette’s mother made all of her clothing, and she, too, picked up sewing.

But at age 16, Brouillette drifted from making clothes to quilts.

“My first quilt was made out of all the leftover fabrics from making clothes,” said Brouillette, who went on to major

in fiber arts at Iowa State University and has been in the quilting business for 20 years. “I’ve been quilting ever since.”

Vereen also got her start sewing her own clothing in junior high and high school. Quilting didn’t appear on her radar until a friend asked her why she had never made a quilt. In the early 1980s, Vereen she sat down with a small group of young, newly married women to quilt for the first time. She found a supportive, social atmosphere in which to learn to piece together a blue and white calico quilt with muslin.

“One of the women in the group taught us one block at a time,” she recalled. “It just kind of took off from there.

I just enjoyed having something come together under my hands that didn’t have to fit my body.”

This process of hand-quilting, Brouillette said, is a lost art.

Today, quilters bring the top of their quilts, as well as the batting and the backing, to Brouillette’s store, 3011 Hamilton Blvd., to be stitched together in a pattern that runs across the quilt. A computerized quilting machine does the work,

Owner Ann Brouillette sews a binding onto a quilt at Heart & Hand Dry Goods Company in Sioux City. The quilting supply store has seen a steady increase in the number of people pursuing the decorative and functional art.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

OCTOBER 2017

23

Quilting instructor Jane Vereen displays a quilt constructed from precut strips of fabric at Heart & Hand Dry Goods Company in Sioux City. The quilting supply store has seen a steady increase in the number of people pursuing the decorative and functional art.

because frankly, Vereen said most women today don’t have time to hand-quilt.

“It’s really changed the face of quilting because people can do the part of quilting that they like the best, which is piecing the top together,” Vereen said. “The machine will stitch the stitching. It can be an overall complete same pattern over and over or if you’re really, really good at the computer part of it, you can individually place changes in the pattern all over it – that’s called custom quilting.”

GETTING STARTED A first-time quilter sees a beautiful photo of a finished project on Pinterest, walks into Heart & Hand Dry Goods Company and points to her smartphone asking, “How do I make this?”

While Vereen finds quilting to be a soothing, stress-relieving activity, she said not everyone will see it that way.

“A lot of them have stuck with us. We 24

OCTOBER 2017

see many, many of the same people,” she said. “Once in a while, we’ll get someone who’ll say, ‘This was not for me.’”

Brouillette cautions beginners to start small with a table runner until they learn how to put together the basics – squares, half-square triangles and flying geese. They’ll also learn the process of adding borders and sashing and the basic terminology of quilting.

“Don’t make your king-sized quilt,” she said. “You’ll start and you’ll give up because you won’t know what you’re doing. It’s very overwhelming.”

Brouillette said you’ll need the following supplies to quilt: • Sewing machine (cleaned and oiled) • Cutting mat • Ruler • Rotary cutters • Pins • Small scissors • Thread • Seam ripper

SIOUXLAND LIFE

• 100 percent cotton fabric • Pattern or pattern book • Iron • Ironing board Making a basic queen-sized quilt, Brouillette estimates would cost about $350 – which includes fabric and professional machine quilting. Landscape and abstract art quilts, which are hung on walls like paintings and entered in quilting competitions, cost much, much more to create.

Although Vereen said quilting instruction videos are available on the internet, she said independent brick and mortar quilting stores are the best places to learn how to quilt.

“We help them with problems they’re having with construction of the quilt. We offer space back here if they want to use one of our machines to work out what they’re doing,” she said. “It’s a hobby. It’s supposed to be fun. If it’s causing you to pull your hair out while you’re home

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Owner Ann Brouillette sews a binding onto a quilt at Heart & Hand Dry Goods Company in Sioux City.

QUILTING SHOW WHAT: Siouxland Samplers Quilt Guild Show 2017 WHEN: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 21 and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 22 WHERE: Sioux City Convention Center, 801 Fourth St. MORE: The 2017 show, themed “Rockin’ the Needle,” will feature 300 beautiful quilts, most of which will be judged. Ribbons will be awarded for Best of Show, Best in Category, Viewers Choice, etc. Admission is $5. For more information visit siouxlandsamplers.org.

because you can’t figure out what the instructions say, we don’t want that.”

Fabric selection is something Brouillette said new quilters struggle with. She can point them to a wide selection of precut fabric that lets them skip hours spent with a scissors. These precuts are called layer cakes, jelly rolls and charm packs, depending on their sizes.

“They’re ready to sew together. If you wanted to sew one to the other, you could,” Vereen said. “Lots of times we just take a pack of 5-inch squares and have (customers) start sewing them together in rows. We teach them how to press correctly and sew the rest together until they have a cover the size they want.”

Vereen said the time spent cutting, sewing and pressing is worth it.

“When you’re working on something for hours and hours at home and you bring it in and you stand up in front of other appreciators and hold it up and they all go, ‘Ooh! Aah!’ you’re back at that sewing machine the next day,” she said.

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25

FALLING FOR FALL farming

NOTHING BEATS FEELING OF

FALL FARM ON THE

g

Text and Photographs by Tim Gallagher

GRAND MEADOW, IOWA | For Jerry Campbell, nothing compares to the feeling he gets while making that final pass through the field each fall on the combine.

It’s a touch of satisfaction, a sense of accomplishment, and a bit of a depressing ache, really.

“It is a bit sad knowing you won’t be out in the fields again until spring,” says Campbell, a farmer from Pierson, Iowa.

Campbell, 83, helps pass the time each winter with his tractor collection.

He tinkers with engines, wheels and paint on the 30 John Deere and Case IH models he owns and has restored.

He occasionally scours the countryside for parts, entire units and/or upcoming sales.

This isn’t the only occupation he’s ever known; just the one he’s known longest and best.

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OCTOBER 2017

SIOUXLAND LIFE

Jerry Campbell, of Pierson, Iowa, stands with one of the John Deere tractors he’s restored. Campbell, a participant in tractor rides, exhibits his restored units each fall at the Grand Meadow Heritage Festival near Washta, Iowa.

OCTOBER 2017

27

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SIOUXLAND LIFE

“I started farming in 1958,” he says while standing next to his John Deere A, a unit built in 1935. “I got out of the service in 1956 and worked for two years, in Sioux City for a while and with Flewelling Earth Moving. I got a chance to rent 80 acres in 1958 and we got started. We were there a year before we moved closer to Union School (in Union Township) and we farmed there for five years.”

Campbell’s “we” includes his wife, Shirley. The couple, who’ve been married

Jerry Campbell, 83, of rural Pierson, Iowa, has restored John Deere and Case IH models, tractors he’s taken on tractor rides throughout the Midwest. Campbell enjoys how these units help link present-day farmers to those who worked the land seven and eight decades ago.

Above: Jerry Campbell, of rural Pierson, Iowa, visits with Lonnie Klaschen at the start of the 2017 Grand Meadow Heritage Festival at the old Grand Meadow school near Washta, Iowa, in early September.

Left: The John Deere brand is a popular one at area tractor shows, including the one serving the Grand Meadow Heritage Festival at the old Grand Meadow school near Washta, Iowa, each September.

62 years, have five children and 14 grandchildren. Four grandchildren recently accompanied them on a two-day tractor ride near La Crosse, Wisconsin, a trip that combines their love of family and love of agriculture.

“After being near Union School, we moved to a farm four miles east of Kingsley and we were there for four years,” says Campbell, a 1952 graduate of Kingsley High School. “And then we bought a 160-acre farm two miles west

and three-and-a-quarter miles north of Grand Meadow. We’re still there, raising corn, soybeans, a dog and some cats.”

Son Lee rents the ground and Dad helps trucking grain from the field at harvest. Jerry Campbell started September by getting a cortisone shot in his left shoulder that should ready him for the task of gathering in a better-than-average corn crop.

Having a shoulder in working order helps him as he embarks on other tractor restoration efforts, a labor of love.

Campbell has brought his own units back to life, while working his magic on those of other area farmers. He moved several from the farm to the Grand Meadow Heritage Festival, an annual rite of early September in this neighborhood.

“Each tractor has a story behind it,” he says, noting how he worked quickly to finish up one tractor in time for his 50th wedding anniversary celebration in July 2005.

The way they land in a restorer’s

hands is also colorful. Campbell recalls trying to purchase a manure spreader and a sprayer form his uncle, Roy Ideker, of Merrill, Iowa, years ago. Roy’s son, Craig Ideker, convinced Campbell to take a Case tractor off their hands when he bought the sprayer and spreader.

“I didn’t want that Case, but I knew that Roy Nafe had parts for it, so I took it,” he says. “Someday, it’ll go back to Roy’s family.”

In the meantime, Jerry Campbell can show it off and allow hundreds – if not thousands – of other farm enthusiasts, young and old, to inspect it and enjoy it, just as he enjoyed these mechanical marvels nearly eight decades ago.

“I remember when I was 4 years old that my grandpa, Henry Grubb, bought a G in 1938,” Campbell says. “He used it while cultivating his corn and he stood up while working, he was so proud. It might have been the only John Deere G shipped to Kingsley.”

Grandpa Grubb died in 1958, the year Jerry Campbell began his farming career. Having a similar G, purchased 17 years ago in Sleepy Eye, Minnesota, now restored and in his possession, links generations, a living, breathing artifact that helped change the fortunes of Iowa farmers as they worked the land all the way up to each fall’s final pass through a field of corn.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

OCTOBER 2017

29

FALLING FOR FALL Oktoberfest

REMSEN’S

OKTOBERFEST OFFERS POLKA, TREIPEN AND

r

MEN IN LEDERHOSEN

Text by Earl Horlyk

REMSEN, IOWA | There will be a whole lot of “ziggy, zaggy, ziggy, zaggy, oi, oi, oi”-ing going on in the Plymouth County town of Remsen on Oct. 29.

That’s when the community of 1,650 will hold an Oktoberfest celebration to showcase its German and Luxembourg heritage.

A traditional festival boasting food, drink and entertainment, the world’s very first Oktoberfest was held in Munich, Germany, as a way to honor of the Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig’s marriage to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. The festivities began on Oct. 12, 1810, and ended with a horse race five days later.

Munich’s official Oktoberfest was such a hit that it eventually became an annual event. Also, that five-day event turned into an 18-day extravaganza.

This year, Munich’s Oktoberfest began Sept. 16 and ended Oct. 3.

Wait, can this be right? Why in the world would Oktoberfest start in September? Most historians say September nights in Bavaria were simply warmer and not as dark as nights in October.

After all, you can spend more time in the outdoor beer garden when you’re not

30

OCTOBER 2017

SIOUXLAND LIFE

Everybody can become a Luxembourger for a day at Remsen, Iowa’s Oktoberfest, taking place on Oct. 29. Don’t know where Luxembourg is? Well, actually it’s a very small country surrounded by Belgium, France and Germany. Remsen was founded by former Luxembourgers.

Provided

OOM-PAH-PAH AT OKTOBERFEST WHAT: Remsen Oktoberfest WHEN: All-day, Oct. 29 THINGS TO DO: Arts and craft fair, beginning at 9 a.m. at the MMCRU Middle School, 511 Roosevelt Ave.; Children’s contest at 1:30 p.m. in St. Mary’s High School, 523 Madison St. THINGS TO DRINK: St. Mary’s High School beer garden is open from 1 to 9 p.m.

THINKS TO EAT: Family-style meals offering an American and German menu at St. Mary’s High School from 3 to 8 p.m. Tickets may be purchased beginning at 11 a.m.

Oktoberfest is the best time to wear lederhosen, according to Oktoberfest chairman Michael Matgen. These kids were dressed in their Luxembourg finest from the 2015 event. Provided

shivering in a cold autumn night.

While Munich’s Oktoberfest is known to attract more than 6 million people from around the world, Remsen’s Oktoberfest won’t be quite as busy.

According to 2017 Remsen Oktoberfest chairman Michael Matgen, the celebration has only been around for the past 44 years.

“Our Oktoberfest was started in 1973 by three local couples who wanted a way for the community to come together and have a good time,” he explained.

Unlike its inspiration, the Remsen Oktoberfest always takes place on the last Saturday in October.

According to Matgen, it also became a way to catch up with people that a person hadn’t seen in a while.

And what’s a surefire way of attracting a crowd? We’re guessing kids in funny costumes may do the trick.

“We have a prince and princess contest where the kids get all geared up in their Bavarian costumes,” Matgen said. “(The kids) will answer a few questions from the audiences and judges. Also, they’ll learn how to do the polka.”

If your idea of entertainment is more artsy, there will will be an Oktoberfest craft and vendor show at 10 a.m. Oct. 29 in the auditorium of the MMCRU Middle School, 511 Roosevelt Ave. People desiring more oomp-pahpah, may enjoy Jim Strehlke’s Alpensterne, a traditional polka band playing at St. Mary’s Catholic High School, 523

Madison St., starting at 1 p.m. Oct. 29.

OK, let’s say you’re in a particular weird mood and wanted to hear a polka version of Sir Mix-a-Lot’s “Baby Got Back.”

Surprisingly, you’ll be in luck at Remsen’s Oktoberfest. The Polka Police (brothers Jamie and Jason Burmeister) will do polka covers of Run-DMC, Michael Jackson and Taylor Swift songs at 5 p.m. Oct. 29, also in the Catholic high school auditorium.

Perhaps the thing that draws the most oohs and aahs at Oktoberfest is the food, offered from 3 to 8 p.m. at St. Mary’s High School.

“Our family style dinner offers an American menu of roast beef, chicken mashed potatoes, gravy and rolls,” Matgen said. “We also have a Luxembourg and German menu that includes bratwurst, German potato salad, sauerkraut, headcheese and treipen.”

Hold on we’re familiar with most of that food. But what’s headcheese and treipen, anyway? You’ll have to Google those for specific details.

Ultimately, Remsen’s Oktoberfest is all about fun.

“It’s a time when everyone gets dressed up in their best lederhosen and dresses,” Matgen said. “You drink and you dance. What more could you want?”

So, you don’t have to be German to enjoy Oktoberfest, right?

“You can be whatever you want to be at Oktoberfest,” Matgen said. “Check it out!”

THINGS THAT WILL MAKE YOU POLKA: The traditional Alpensterne band will be playing at St. Mary’s High School, starting at 1 p.m. The satirical Polka Police will follow at 5 p.m.

ONLINE: Remseniowa.org

SIOUXLAND LIFE

OCTOBER 2017

31

FALLING FOR FALL cross

country

The cross country campsite for the South Central Calhoun Titans boats of a tent and life-size fabric posters of the student-athletes.

CROSS COUNTRY

CAMPSITES MOVE WITH THE TIMES

h

Text and Photographs by Tim Gallagher

HOLSTEIN, IOWA | Sheryl Book began coaching high school cross country 26 years ago. She recalled leading her team toward the starting line at a race, often held on a golf course.

What did the athletes carry with them for this fall sport?

“Oh, they’d have a thin duffle bag and maybe a pair of tennis shoes,” Book says.

32

OCTOBER 2017

“They might not even have a second pair of shoes.”

Her runners would drop what they had near a tree or the starting line.

They’d head back to their bag when the race concluded, often 20-25 minutes later.

Things have changed. Walk through any high school cross country

SIOUXLAND LIFE

invitational these days and you encounter hundreds of blankets, personalized equipment bags, tarps, training kits, Gatorade carriers, large coolers, bags of ice, fold-out tables, chairs, specially designed team flags and tents.

One school, South Central Calhoun, even has life-sized fabric posters of their runners hanging from the Titans’

Delanie Coady, a junior at South O’Brien High School, checks her phone while relaxing and icing her left knee following completion of the 3.1-mile cross country race at the Tim Thomas Invitational in Holstein, Iowa, on Sept. 9.

Left: Girls step to the starting line at the annual Tim Thomas Invitational, one of western Iowa’s largest high school cross country races. The event took place on Sept. 9 at the Holstein Country Club in Holstein, Iowa. Right: The shaded campsite of the Westwood High School cross country program is a sea of back-packs, shoes, snacks and coolers.

team tent.

No, this isn’t your parents’ cross country campsite. These are small communities that dot the landscape surrounding one of high school’s most grueling athletic endeavors: The 3.1-mile race.

The campsite for Book’s runners from Westwood High School is typical. Spread out across a large tarp (the tarp belongs to Book) are athletes stretching, napping and visiting. Many sip chocolate milk, while others reach for a bag of ice.

They prop their heads – and knees – on backpacks made by Nike, Adidas or UnderArmor.

Small stakes with cut-out shapes of shoes, created in various industrial arts classes at Westwood, ring the perimeter of the tarp, letting other teams know this

is the Rebels’ territory. Well, those stakes and a black flag that waves at one corner and a “CC” metal stake in Rebel blue at another corner.

“The shoes were painted by coach,” says Elisa Davis, a Westwood freshman who completed her first race of the year at the Tim Thomas Invitational in Holstein on a September Saturday. “The blue shoes on the stakes are for boys and the yellow ones are for girls. High School runners get metal shoes on their stakes; junior high runners get wooden shoes on their stakes.”

Each stake contains a quote, or some stickers, along with a student-athlete’s name. Davis, for her part, has an inspirational quote written on her shoe. “Run Forrest run!” comes from the popular

movie, “Forrest Gump.”

On this day, the Westwood runners either left their tent in the bus or back at the school in Sloan, Iowa. The reason: The temperature on this day is mild, reaching only 70 during much of the race.

Additionally, there are plenty of shade trees on the 9-hole course at Holstein.

And, the Rebels were quick to find a campsite spot in a shaded area not more than 15 yards from the starting line.

“Everyone brings a blanket,” says Natalie Killian, a senior who passes the time following the varsity race with Westwood classmate Tyler Siegfried.

Killian is a 5-year cross country veteran, while Siegfried has run in this sport for six seasons.

“I bring more than one pair of shoes

SIOUXLAND LIFE

OCTOBER 2017

33

Westwood High School senior cross country runners Tyler Siegfried, left, and Natalie Killian, relax following the varsity races at the Tim Thomas Invitational in Holstein, Iowa, on Sept. 9.

we’re Your one-Stop-Shop

and I decided which to use based on what the course is like,” Killian says. “I also bring an extra pair of socks in case mine get wet while we’re walking the course before the race.”

Killian, who drinks chocolate milk from the cooler after each race, also brings a change of clothes, which she tucks away in her backpack.

“Even though it’s a hard sport, I feel good after I’ve finished a race,” Killian says as Siegfried reclines and snacks on a Nature Valley granola bar.

Delanie Coady, a junior at South O’Brien High School in Paullina, Iowa, lies in the sunshine while checking her iPhone after the girls’ varsity race. Coady, who hails from Primghar, Iowa, has pink tape running up and down her left knee, a knee topped with a bag of ice she grabbed from a team cooler.

“I have tendinitis,” she says, squinting through the sun.

When asked about difference in temperature on the South O’Brien tarp, compared to that found in the Westwood campsite, Coady nods. “It is kind of hot here,” she says. “We didn’t get here early enough this morning to get a shady spot.”

Despite being in the direct sun and battling tendinitis, not all is lost for this Wolverine. Coady, after all, sports a Tshirt for her favorite college team, wearing the colors of the Iowa Hawkeyes on the day they face intrastate rival Iowa State. The Hawkeyes pulled out an overtime victory on this day, one completed two to three hours after thousands of runners and fans have “broken camp” and left Holstein, another Tim Thomas Invitational in the books.

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OCTOBER 2017

SIOUXLAND LIFE

Westwood Middle School seventh-grader Braiden Dietschy catches a cat-nap on the tarp in the campsite serving the Westwood cross country program at the Tim Thomas Invitational at the Holstein Country Club in Holstein, Iowa, on Sept. 9.

FALLING FOR FALL makeup

tricks

University of South Dakota graduate student Abby Meyer demonstrates makeup techniques on USD senior Hannah Kieliszewski at the Warren M. Lee Center for the Fine Arts. Meyer advises the use of cake makeup for a scary Halloween look.

HOW TO

LOOK THE PART

v

DIY Halloween makeup guide

Text by Mason Dockter | Photographs by Jim Lee

VERMILLION, S.D. | Abby Meyer, a University of South Dakota student working on her master’s in technical theater design, has been doing theatrical makeup for a long time.

Looking to mix things up at Halloween even in her youth, Meyer took passé costumes in a different direction.

“When I was a kid, my mom would try and get me princess costumes and

things like that,” Meyer said. “And then I’d go into the bathroom and cover myself with red lipstick, and be like a ‘vampire princess.’”

Today, Meyer’s website boasts photos of her makeup works, which vary from colorful fairies to convincing gunshot wounds and scars.

Meyer is, in essence, a scary-makeup pro. With Halloween approaching, how

can a regular person, lacking Meyer’s talent and expertise, make their child or themself into a convincing zombie or a beautiful fairy for trick-or-treating or a party?

The following are some tips and tricks from Meyer for an extra-scary Halloween getup. For each of the following disguises, Meyer advises people get started earlier rather than later.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

OCTOBER 2017

35

FRANKENSTEIN’S MONSTER The “typical” Frankenstein still looks about like the character portrayed by Boris Karloff in the 1931 film – a large, squarish forehead, green or yellow skin, bolts sticking out from the neck, facial scars.

It’s a character near and dear to Meyer’s portfolio – she transformed actor Austin Vetter into the deformed, decaying, stapled-together monster for USD’s 2015 production of “Young Frankenstein.”

As makeup projects go, that one was pretty involved – Meyer made custom silicone moldings for the facial deformities of Frankenstein. That would be too cumbersome for most people to do, but there are easier ways to become a monster.

What you’ll need: • Moisturizer • Foundation • Liquid latex or spirit gum, available at Halloween stores and Wal-Mart, or online • Tissue or toilet paper • Cake makeup – Meyer recommends Ben Nye brand, available online • Prosthetic add-ons, like the bolts sticking from Frankenstein’s neck – these can be found online • Blow dryer • Setting powder, available at beauty retailers and online How to do it 1. Use moisturizer on skin where makeup will be applied, because makeup is drying to skin. Let it dry before proceeding.

2. Add any prosthetics, which are glued on with liquid latex or spirit gum.

To make Frankenstein’s facial deformities and scars, apply a coat of liquid latex or spirit gum to the skin in the area, then stick on toilet paper for bulk, then another layer of liquid latex or spirit gum, and so forth, until the deformity is of a suitable size and shape.

A blow dryer will help these latexpaper lumps to dry. The metal “stitches” on Frankenstein’s scars can be drawn on with a makeup pencil or even “sewn up” with yarn. Because of how difficult and cumbersome this part can be, Meyer said add-ons might be better for an older child or adult rather than a very young child.

3. Apply foundation to the skin, and to the prosthetics and deformities.

4. Time for the cake makeup. Nothing like ordinary makeup, cake makeup is a thick, opaque substance made of powder and oil, usually used in theatrical productions. In the case of Frankenstein, shades of green and yellow are the norm.

But to do good scary makeup, don’t 36

OCTOBER 2017

Above: Before applying makeup, Meyer recommends a layer of moisturizer and foundation.

Left: Cake makeup, the type of makeup recommended by Meyer, is often used in theater productions and is made of oil and colored powder.

just slap on a single shade across the face. Ideally, there should be a main shade, plus a lighter one and a darker one. If green is the main color, Meyer says purple is very effective for shadows.

“That’s the most important part of creating a good makeup: being able to create the highlights and the shadows of the face,” Meyer said. “And that’s what a lot of people forget when they’re putting on their ghoulish makeup is, they maybe just color their entire face with white or green, and they forget that when you do that, you create this flat effect.”

So Meyer applies darker shades in

SIOUXLAND LIFE

areas where shadows naturally fall, like under the eyes, cheekbones and bridge of the nose, and lighter shades next to the dark ones for contrast.

“Contouring is the biggest part of creating a realistic, or a dramatic makeup,” she said.

For a novice at the nuances of contouring and highlights and shadows, Meyer recommends watching the many YouTube tutorials on the subject.

5. Finally, use setting powder to make sure the makeup stays stable and doesn’t become a smeared mess or appear sweaty. Apply it with a brush atop the makeup.

FAIRIES If a cute costume would be more appropriate than a ghastly one, Meyer said fairies are a good choice.

There aren’t many rules with fairies, though Meyer recommended people stick to a color or character theme.

“You really play up the colors,” she said. “Stick with a color theme, because if you get too crazy, it’ll look muddled, and it’ll look messy.”

Once Halloween makeup is finished, Meyer said a coating of setting powder will help prevent the makeup from becoming smeared or sweaty-looking.

What you’ll need • Moisturizer • Foundation • Cake makeup in bright, fun colors • Lipstick in matching color • Wig if desired, also of matching color – can be purchased online • Setting powder How to do it 1. Apply moisturizer, then foundation.

2. Makeup is a wild card with fairies – it can be as wild as imagination permits. If, for example, the fairy is purple, use a light shade of purple cake makeup for the base coat and accent it with decorative flourishes in darker and lighter shades – swirls and dots across the face help a fairy stand out

ZOMBIES Unlike the monolithic Frankenstein, there are a few different ways to do zombie makeup.

“For a zombie, that can be very simple to very complex,” Meyer said.

Meyer says she prefers zombies clothe themselves as much as possible, to reduce the amount of makeup that must be applied to the skin and prevent normal-color skin from peeking out. That’s a dead giveaway for fake zombies.

Because zombies are dead, they are paler than they would be in life. For fairskinned people, that means applying near-white makeup, while for darker skin tones, it’s best to apply makeup a few shades lighter than normal skin tone.

What you’ll need: • Moisturizer • Foundation • Cake makeup of lighter shade than normal skin tone, plus an evenlighter shade for highlights and a darker shade (like purple) for shadows and contrast • Prosthetic wounds, if desired • Liquid latex or spirit gum • Setting powder

An important part of any good makeup, Meyer said, is to use dark colors for facial shadows and lighter shades for highlights, to create contrast.

from the crowd.

3. Bright lipstick in a similar color will add another pop of color.

4. Add a wig of a similar color if

USD senior Hannah Kieliszewski models makeup done

by University of South Dakota graduate student Abby Meyer. Meyer recommends sticking with a color theme when doing fairy makeup – in this case, shades of bluish-green accented with swirls and purple eyebrows.

desired. Flowers in the hair make a lovely accent.

5. Use setting powder to keep those colors pretty all night.

To turn someone into a zombie, the base shade of makeup should be lighter than normal skin tone.

How to do it 1. Use moisturizer.

2. Add prosthetics, glued on with spirit gum or liquid latex. These may include pre-made cuts or bite marks, or homemade versions (see Blood and Gashes, below).

3. Apply makeup paler than normal skin tone. Highlights should be even lighter, while shadows can be purple or dark brown, to create what Meyer calls the “sunken look.” The sunken look uses the same contour principles as on Frankenstein, but starkness is key.

Keep in mind the type of zombie when selecting an outfit – risen-from-the-grave zombies may wear deteriorated funeral wear, while a disease-victim zombie may wear street clothing.

“Beauty makeup artists always talk about how your contours should blend,” she said. “When you’re doing something dramatic where you want to look like a zombie, it should have harsher lines.”

4. Use setting powder.

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BLOOD AND GASHES What if your costume isn’t Frankenstein or a zombie per se, just a regular Joe with a hideous gunshot wound to the head or a massive werewolf bite?

No worries, gory wounds are one of Meyer’s specialties. Prosthetic wounds can be bought from the store, but for that stomach-churning realism and a guarantee no one else at the party will have the same wound, do it yourself.

For gory makeup, stage blood or strawberry jelly can be used.

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What you’ll need: • Moisturizer • Foundation • Liquid latex or spirit gum • Molding wax (available from Ben Nye) • Cake makeup in dark maroon or purple, or lipstick in dark colors (not for lips) • Stage blood (available from Ben Nye), or strawberry jelly • Hairspray How to do it 1. Use moisturizer on skin that will have makeup.

2. For a horrifying, skin-tearing gash or a missing eye, use molding wax and liquid latex. The latex is adhesive for the molding wax, which is formed into a wound. Shape the wound appropriately, making it look natural. The best way to do this is to smooth the edges and make it appear seamless.

3. Apply foundation to the area.

4. Apply the dark maroon to the area from which the blood will be seeping, in a way that looks realistic – this represents dried blood. Then apply the stage blood or strawberry jelly in an oozing, seeping fashion.

5. A great way to make a wound convincing is to add bruising. For this, use lipstick or cake makeup of purple, maroon and yellow, progressing outward from the wound in that color order.

Consider adding reddish-colored veins emanating from the wound as well – it’s a sure sign of infection.

6. Use hairspray to set the fake wound.

If the gash is for a young child’s costume, Meyer recommends a temporary gash tattoo rather than the aforementioned process, as it is less difficult and unpleasant for a child.

“The younger you go, you want to go with things that are easily removed,” she said.

COSTUMES For fresh-from-the-grave zombies or Frankenstein, Meyer recommends the hair be mussed, knotted and dirty. A bald cap can be worn, though children may find them uncomfortable.

Outfits for zombies vary based on which type of zombie a person intends to be. If the zombie has risen from the grave, dress in suitably deteriorated funeral clothes, usually formal wear. An old suit can be purchased at a thrift store, and distressed using a serrated blade to create the wear and tear of the grave.

Don’t forget to add dirt (Meyer recommends dark paint) to complete the outfit.

A similar approach can be used for Frankenstein – a shirt buttoned to the collar with an overcoat would work, and can be similarly distressed. If authenticity is important, remember that the original novel came out in 1818, so look for appropriately drab, old-fashioned attire for an authentic Frankenstein.

For a zombie à la “The Walking Dead,” in which the person was alive until infected with a zombie disease, regular clothing can be worn, perhaps dirtied and distressed. Bear in mind, though – the more skin covered by the outfit, the better.

Fairies are flexible, but a gown is a sensible choice for a traditional fairy.

Flowers, sequins and wings add to the look, and can be purchased at craft store.

MAKEUP REMOVAL Once Nov. 1 has arrived and all the Halloween fun is over, how does a person get all this makeup off?

“Most of this makeup should come off rather easy with Wet Wipes,” Meyer said.

“If you have sensitive skin, the thing you want to do is, once you’ve removed your makeup is, make sure you moisturize your skin.”

Care must be taken during the makeup removal process.

“When you take your makeup off, be gentle about it, because your skin on your face is very sensitive,” Meyer said.

“So don’t be angry about it.”

After makeup is removed, wash off the face with a face wash and warm water.

If spirit gum was used as an adhesive, spirit gum remover is available, though it can be harsh on skin. Liquid latex, no matter what, will feel like a Band-Aid coming off. If any pieces of latex remain, they can be removed with baby oil.

Cake makeup shouldn’t stain the skin as long as foundation is used under it, though inexpensive fake blood could stain the skin for a time.

If there is some part of Halloween makeup that absolutely won’t come off

USD sophomore Alyssa Elbert and senior Hannah Kieliszewski model makeup done by University of South Dakota graduate student Abby Meyer, who recommends Ben Nye brand makeup, available online, for the best Halloween look.

Prosthetics can be attached with liquid latex or spirit gum.

University of South Dakota graduate student Abby Meyer displays the “bruise wheel” as she demonstrates makeup techniques on USD sophomore Alyssa Elbert. Makeup bruises should begin with purple on the inside, maroon in the middle and yellow-ish shades at the edge.

the skin, Meyer knows of only two things that work – time, and a loofah.

“If you turn yourself into Frankenstein, some of your skin’s going to be a little bit green, no matter (what),” she said. “Just for like a day.”

PRECAUTIONS The types of makeup used here can have adverse effects on the skin of certain individuals. In particular, liquid latex must be avoided by anyone with any degree of latex sensitivity. Even those who can wear rubber gloves without problem should be careful, Meyer said, because liquid latex gets into the pores.

The best way to be sure about whether latex is an issue, Meyer said, is to test it in a small spot on the hand or inner arm, and watch for a reaction.

Spirit gum is less allergenic than liquid latex, though some people may still have problems with it. It’s also more vulnerable to sweat, meaning its adhesiveness can fail at times.

Also, be prepared for an unpleasant odor while the latex or spirit gum dries.

This is normal.

“Liquid latex smells terrible, until it’s set,” she said.

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FALLING FOR FALL groovediggers

From left, Walt Peterson and Mike Langley of the band Groovediggers aren’t afraid of ghosts. Peterson is a caretaker for a Sioux City cemetery while Langley, a 2012 Iowa Rock ‘n’ Roll Music Association Hall of Famer, frequently sings about “death, burial and murder.”

WHISTLING

IN THE

GRAVEYARD 40

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s

The Groovediggers celebrate life by singing about death

Text by Earl Horlyk Photographs by Justin Wan

SIOUX CITY | Looking through an old notebook, Mike Langley recited lyrics to a song he had written.

“Lovers’ lane, lovers’ lane, take a dead end road up lovers’ lane/Who’ll complain but the wind and the rain/I can almost hear the music playin’ on lovers’ lane.”

Spooky stuff, right?

Well, that’s exactly the way Langley, a veteran Sioux City-based singer-songwriter, likes it.

“There’s a long tradition of writing songs about life, death and the hereafter,” the 2012 Iowa Rock ‘n’ Roll Music Association (IRRMA) Hall of Fame inductee explained. “It’s fun to imagine what the unknown is like and it gives license for writers to be as creative as they can be.”

More than a decade ago, Langley formed a musical group called the Groovediggers with Bob Larson, Jamie Bowers and Walt Peterson, who just happens to be the caretaker for a Sioux City cemetery.

“I don’t know if it was my idea or Mike’s idea to start singing about death, dying and spirituality,” Peterson, a singer who also plays the mandolin and harmonica, said. “But The Groovediggers have never run out of material, that’s for sure.”

It helps that Langley is especially prolific in writing songs with otherworldly themes.

In addition to “Lovers’ Lane,” he has written such evocatively named ditties like “Let Me Fly,” “Goodbye at the Gates of the Graveyard” as well as the recently recorded “Keeper of the Dead.”

“I’m not the Reaper, I’m not the Creeper, I’m the keeper of the sleepers, of the never-make-a-peepers/I’m not the weeper, I’m the Keeper of the Dead,” Langley sang.

“Now, that’s poetry,” Peterson said.

The Groovediggers also sing cover songs like John Prine’s “Please Don’t Bury Me” and Don Chapel’s “When the Grass Grows Over Me,” as well as traditional songs like “Barbara Allan” and “The Wind and the Rain.”

“Mike is good at discovering more recent songs dealing with death,” Peterson said. “Me? I’m more likely to uncover some obscure song from the 15th century.”

Which is fine by Langley, who acknowledged older songs often have a

From left, Walt Peterson and Mike Langley of the band Groovediggers sing folk songs that tell stories of life, death and the mysteries associated with both.

IF YOU GO WHAT: “Ghost Songs,” a concert with Mike Langley WHEN: 7 p.m. Oct. 31 WHERE: Cargill Auditorium at Western Iowa Tech Community College, 4647 Stone Ave. Sioux City COST: Free tinge of sadness in them.

“When you’re writing a song, you’re telling a story and when you’re singing a song, you become a storyteller,” he said.

“Centuries ago, when things were much tougher, death was just a way of life.”

Indeed, a physical death would release a person from pain and set him on a heavenly path.

This all sounds nice but the Groovediggers aren’t opposed to telling a good ghost story when the mood suits them.

Langley will doing a concert devoted

solely to “Ghost Songs” at 7 p.m. Oct. 31 at Cargill Auditorium on the Western Iowa Tech Community College, 4647 Stone Ave. “We’re billing it as a bubbling brew of specters, spirits graveyard musings,” he explained.

If it sounds like Langley and Peterson are taking a lighthearted attitude about death, then you’re getting the picture.

“By singing about death, we’re taking some of the sting away,” Langley said.

Peterson said one of his favorite songs is “Gravedigger,” a Langley composition in which additional lyrics are appropriate.

“We’ve included special lyrics about Jerry Kessler (a Sioux City musician who died in 2011) as well as Mike’s brother (Jon Langley, a musician who died in 1999),” Peterson said.

Langley said such songs allow us to remember those who have passed away.

“Who said we always have to be afraid of ghosts?”

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HEALTH tooth

decay

Jaicee Post, a dentist at Wheelock & Bursick Dentistry, offers advice about Halloween candy.

EATING TOO MUCH HALLOWEEN CANDY COULD LEAD TO

TOOTH DECAY

s

Text by Dolly A. Butz Photograph by Tim Hynds

SIOUX CITY | Children looking to add some money to their piggy banks or pockets can do so by handing their trickor-treat candy over to their dentist.

It might also spare them the discomfort of getting a filling or, worse yet, a root canal.

Wheelock & Bursick Dentistry, 4100 Morningside Ave., pays $2 a pound for Halloween candy and collects around 40 to 50 pounds each year.

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“We get quite a bit of candy back,” said dentist Jaicee Post. “All that candy, it’s not healthy for your body in general and it’s also not healthy for your teeth.”

Sugar causes cavities, or little holes, in teeth. When you eat sugar, the bacteria in your mouth feeds on the sugar and secretes acid. This acid eats through your tooth enamel.

“That’s what creates those

holes in the teeth, and it just keeps going further and further until sometimes those teeth hurt,” she said. “It’s not only candy, but it’s anything acidic, so pop and stuff like that.”

Since most candy is pure sugar, Post said the more candy you eat, the more acidic your mouth becomes, increasing your risk of

developing cavities. If you must have that Snickers bar, box of Nerds or piece of taffy, limit your intake to one piece or serving. Post also recommends consuming “sugarfree” candies that contain the sugar substitute Xylitol instead.

“After Halloween, they have so much candy that they just can’t stay out of it and eat it all the time. It’s just an overload of sugar for their mouth,” Post said. “One piece is OK, especially if you’re brushing really good.”

If you’re a stellar brusher and flosser, you may be able to get away with eating a little more of the sweet stuff, but Post said some people are more prone to cavities even if they have excellent oral hygiene habits. She said the risk of tooth decay doesn’t diminish once an individual reaches adulthood.

According to Post, the X-rays of some patients who haven’t been to the dentist in an a decade surprisingly reveal no cavities, while other patients who faithfully come in for regular cleanings and exams seem to have a new cavity every six months.

“I don’t know if it’s just the bacteria that colonize in their mouth or if it’s a genetic thing,” she said. “There are probably several different factors – saliva’s one of them. It cleans out in between the teeth, so if you don’t have very much saliva, that becomes an issue.”

Sensitivity to cold and sugary foods, Post said are the main warning signs that a cavity is present. With very small cavities, she said watching and waiting to see if the cavity increases in size is an option. The other is immediately removing the decay and filling the cavity.

“If it’s too big of a cavity and it hurts and the tooth is throbbing, it may need a root canal,” Post said. “Hopefully that’s not the issue.”

Adults planning to hand out goodies to the little spooks and goblins who knock on their doors this Halloween can do their part to help prevent cavities, too. Post said they can opt to hand out tooth brushes, fruit, nuts and toys, as well as sugar-free candy.

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We can provide health care & compassion in the home.

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To advertise on this page call Nancy Todd at 712-224-6281 or email nancy.gevik@lee.net

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Jaicee Post, DDS

Wheelock, Bursick & Post Dentistry

ADVICE Medical

Answers

‘DOC, I’VE GOT A QUESTION …’ answers to your medical questions

Can you feel a pain in your back if you’re dehydrated? I had a sharp pain on my left side and I knew I hadn’t had a lot of water but I was outside a lot. Is that related?

MEET THE DOC Dr. Katie Savio is a resident at the Siouxland Medical Education Foundation. She is a Fremont, Nebraska, native who attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for her undergraduate degree.

She then attended the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in Erie, Pennsylvania.

Katie enjoys playing volleyball, softball, cooking and spending time with her family.

There is no way to know if this pain you felt was related to dehydration. Pain on one side of your back could be any number of things. Early signs of dehydration typically include lack of energy, increased thirst, muscle cramps and dizziness with position changes.

Does wearing makeup harm your skin? Can it cause you to look older sooner?

Some people can have an allergic reaction to makeup, usually to a fragrance or preservative component in it. Symptoms of this would include itching, burning, swelling, and/or blisters. Makeup can also cause acne, which can be minimized or eliminated if you are diligent about removing your makeup at the end of the day and after exercise. There is no evidence that makeup actually damages your skin. And makeup has also not been proven to speed up the aging process.

But scrubbing your skin repetitively does speed up aging by causing irritation. So gently washing to remove your makeup is a better option.

How do you determine if a baby is premature? Is it just based on weeks? Or do you use things like size and weight to make that determination? How common are premature births…and why do they happen?

By definition, a preterm birth is one that occurs before 37 weeks of gestation. You may also hear the term “late preterm” which generally refers to a baby born from 35-37 weeks’ gestation. According to the CDC, in 2015, about one out of 10 babies was born prematurely.

There are many risk factors for preterm birth including multiple gestation (i.e. twins, triplets, etc.), polyhydramnios (having too much amniotic fluid around the baby), a uterine anomaly, preterm

premature rupture of membranes (water breaking before 37 weeks), history of cervical surgery, short cervical length, STIs, systemic infections, history of a preterm birth, substance abuse, smoking, anemia, inadequate prenatal care, and maternal age less than 18 years old or older than 40, to name a few.

And just because a pregnant woman has one or more risk factors does not mean that she will have a preterm delivery. Sometimes patients that deliver prematurely have no risk factors. This is one of the many reasons adequate prenatal care is so important. If you are seeing your doctor for regular prenatal visits, he or she can be looking for signs of preterm labor, among many other things, that can affect your pregnancy and its outcome.

Can you really use duct tape to remove a wart?

The typical first-line treatments for

wart removal are salicylic acid applied to the skin or cryotherapy (freezing the wart) with liquid nitrogen. These two options have been shown to have the best success rates. Removal with duct tape has actually been studied as a method of removal and there is conflicting evidence as to whether it works. In one small study of only 61 children, the duct tape method was shown to be better than cryotherapy. But two larger studies (one with 103 children and the other with 90 adults) showed no benefit to the duct tape method.

So the jury is still out on whether the duct tape method actually works.

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.

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2318 East 3rd St. • Sioux City

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605-232-3000

PARTING SHOT By

Bruce Miller

DISCOVERING YOUR PAST

THROUGH DNA

“

“Would you like to discover your genetic makeup?” a woman wearing rubber gloves asked me.

To be honest, the thought never crossed my mind. I’d seen too many shows where celebrities discovered they were related to Hitler and it really didn’t go down well. The idea that I might share a bloodline with Lassie was something I could easily avoid.

“It’s free,” the woman added.

In a heartbeat, I was sitting across from her while she prepped a syringelike thing swathed in cotton. “Swish this around on the inside of your left cheek for 30 seconds,” she instructed.

Afraid I might pick up some remnants from lunch (“you’re related to potato chips!”), I acted like I was a Nobel Prize winner attempting microscopic surgery.

The 30 seconds seemed longer than it should have and after dispensing the “specimen” in a tube, I proceeded with the right side. In no time at all, the DNA was collected and ready to be whisked to some lab where experts (wearing HAZMAT suits, no doubt) were carefully determining who had Queen Elizabeth’s genes and who were born to chimney sweeps.

“Here’s your log-in information,” the DNA collector told me. “We’ll send you an email when it’s ready.”

To be honest, I was expecting something a little more formal – a wax-sealed dossier that including extensive family trees and photographs of my rich uncle Cecil showing off the family estate I

would one day inherit. Although I’d probably get rid of the hunting dogs, I’d keep the property just so I had a place to stop between family visits in Gstaad and Belize.

To make sure I didn’t lose the password I had created (“MYPASSWORD”), I scribbled it on a piece of paper and put it in my wallet. Three weeks later, an email arrived: “To whom it may concern: Here is your login key. Please go to our website and type in your special password to review your results. Three tries and you will be locked out. Please note: Operators are unavailable to help you if you don’t have the accurate information.”

Nervously, I pulled out the paper I had save to correctly input the password.

With each letter I could envision the celebrities who would, most likely, be on my list.

“Congratulations, Bruc! (They had forgotten the ‘e’) we have determined that you are 62.3 percent Scandinavian and 37.7 percent north and west European.

We have found more than 200 DNA matches…and more to come!”

Brad Pitt, I knew, was lurking.

I clicked the next window and found my closest DNA match (2 percent!) was a 70-year-old woman in Norway. I basically come from two little chunks of Europe (“you are 100 percent European!”

the website enthused) that you could walk to. (So much for relatives getting out much.) As I scrolled down the list of fifth cousins twice removed (what in the world does that mean?), I saw a lot of people named Lars, Sven, Tor and Betty.

A couple of them lived in the United States but most of them hailed from what looked like the 20 miles of property in Scandinavia where the primary source of entertainment is looking up your DNA matches.

There wasn’t a single celebrity in the bunch. If any of these were in succession to be king of Norway they weren’t letting on.

Some had photos and ages attached to their match statistics. Most were gray and in their 70s.

While a couple had three names (a sure sign of a serial killer), the “probability” of relationship was so slim I figured I wouldn’t be called by any news outlet to comment on my family’s response to their horrible deeds.

As I combed each of the “estimated relationship” bios, I realized the woman who carefully placed my swabs in the hermetically sealed envelope could have been listed as a relative had she just sneezed at the right time.

I didn’t learn anything from the exercise but I realized it’s OK to keep my family circle to those I know and, occasionally fight with.

Besides, I didn’t want hunting dogs anyway.

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LUCKY BUCKS Friday the 13th might just be your LUCKY DAY when we brush aside superstition and give away $10,000 in Lucky Bucks. Every 20 minutes from 6:00 to 10:00pm, we will draw the name of a guest who will select a good luck charm box with a cash prize inside.

Then, he/she has a choice to make. They can either walk away with $500 in cash, or take what’s in the box— which could be anything from $200 to $1,000. We will also award $50 Free Play prizes to randomly selected hot seat winners three times each hour— all evening long. Get into the drawings by visiting a kiosk to claim one free entry daily just for visiting us. Plus, earn additional entries whenever you play.

MONSTER CASH

Come face to face with one of your favorite movie monsters and win your share of $12,000 in Monster Cash on Friday, October 27. Every 20 minutes from 6:00pm to 11:00pm, we will draw the name of one lucky guest who is present. He/ she will select an infamous monster holding a cash prize of $500 to $1,000. We will also host ghoulishly good hot seat drawings every 20 minutes throughout the evening. Collect one free drawing entry every time you visit. Earn additional entries at the kiosks for your slots or blackjack play to increase your chances of winning.

Proudly hosted and operated by the Omaha Tribe of Nebraska and Iowa

You must be present to win. Some restrictions apply.

Management reserves the right to alter or cancel this promotion at any time without prior notice.

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