Grundy County Heritage Museum

In July 2016, Yai and I visited the Grundy County Museum. There are several buildings on the museum grounds. Perhaps most impressive is the old public school. But tours start in the newer museum building, so we had to walk around the grounds to the other side of the block to find it.

On the way, we had the pleasure of seeing an old caboose, farm equipment and a little log cabin.

The Wells Hotel

In the little town of Wellsburg stands the Wells Hotel. If I recall correctly, it is a house that once was owned by George Wells and served as a residence for farmhands. The house was purchased by the city to serve as a historical museum in the 1990s.

Although I live nearby, I had never visited the museum until August 2016, when I decided to make the trip with Yai. The museum was pretty much what one would expect to see in a historic home in a small town.

Manly Drug Store: Grundy Center Soda Fountain

Above my desk, I have a bulletin board with several lists.  One list is filled with suggestions of neat places to visit.  Another is my to-visit list, and the final list notes everything I've already done the foot-work for and just need to post.  The Grundy Center Soda Fountain spent a long time on my  "I really should stop there sometime" list.

So, toward the end of July, Yai and I stopped for sandwiches!  I ordered a sliced turkey sandwich ($2.50).  Yai ordered a tuna salad sandwich ($2.50), and we both ordered Green Rivers ($0.80).  

Wellsburg Veterans Memorial

Before heading back home after visiting The Wellsburger, we stopped at the Wellsburg Veterans Memorial, pictured below.  It is almost surprising how many small towns in our area have beautiful memorials to our veterans.   

Breakfast at The Wellsburger

A few mornings ago, my sisters, brother, and I decided to take the approximately five-mile bike ride to Wellsburg, Iowa to stop at The Wellsburger for breakfast.

Now that the Wellsburger has been open for two years, we decided it was high time to visit.  In any case, the fact that it's still in business in a small town like Wellsburg proves that the proprietors, Mr. and Mrs. Mark Roder, must be doing something right.

The Grundy County Courthouse: Part 2

 When we returned to the courthouse, our auditor, Rhonda Deters, led us through the Clerk's Office and up a small back staircase into the judge's office.  A judge is there every Monday to hear short cases (30 minutes or less).  Longer cases have to be scheduled for other days.  

The Grundy County Courthouse: Part 1

A couple Thursdays ago, my family and I visited the Grundy County Courthouse.  Our county auditor, Rhonda Deters, had kindly arranged with the custodian, Mark Jungling, to give us a tour of the clock tower! 

Oakview Volunteer Dinner

Last year I wrote (here) about how much I enjoyed the dinner Oakview Nursing gave for those who volunteer (we get to give concerts there a few times every year).  When we received an invitation to their volunteer dinner this year we didn't want to miss it for anything.

The dinner was held at the same venue as last year, the spacious Beaman Memorial Building.  We signed in for a drawing for flower vases and took our seats at a table.  The tables were decorated with umbrellas and flower arrangements to give the room a very spring-like look.  

After greeting our wonderful hostess Jane and the Oakview staff, we admired the quilts on the walls while we waited for the first course.  The butterfly quilt above is one of my mother's favorites.  

Soon salads were served, and we enjoyed the crispy lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese.  I'm not very much of a salad fan, but they definitely know how to make a simple salad taste good.

I came to dinner starving, and quickly ate all my salad.  The dangerous part of eating salad first is that it takes up so much room not enough is left to finish the main course.

...And that can be disappointing when the main course consists of a generous helping of potatoes, pork, and green beans.  The potatoes were wonderful.

Next came the most important part of the meal!  Guess what?!

Raspberry Cheesecake and French Silk Pie!

My youngest sister and I split a piece of each so we could taste both.  The French Silk was very sweet and light and the raspberry cheesecake was splendid (I love the taste of raspberries!).

After dessert the 3 tables of people were assigned to write a story about 3 elderly people, George (a 92 year old veteran), Ethel (an 80-something lady with an attitude), and Bill (A charming 82 year old gentleman).  Table 1 was to write about their morning.  Table 2 would write about lunch and the afternoon, and Table 3 would write about the evening.  We were also given several words that we had to implement in our stories.  It was fun to do, and very interesting to hear the completed story.

Then everyone who wanted to participate was invited to sit in a wide circle, and while music played we passed around a few packaged presents.  When the music stopped, whoever had them in hand had to unwrap one layer, and then the music would start again.  The people who unwrapped the last layer of packaging received the present.  Some people got Gatorade, others M&Ms, chocolate, and packaged cakes, and I received chewing gum (above).  My mother won a vase of flowers in the drawing.

It was a very pleasant evening, and I would like to thank Jane, Lynn, and all the staff at Oakview for the wonderful dinner.  They know how to make a dinner both fun and delicious, and Oakview once again retains its title as a wonderful place to volunteer.

A Visit to the County Fair

There's no better excuse for sneaking over to the local county fair than to hear the Johnson Strings perform.  So...that's exactly what we decided to do on July 23rd.

Arriving early gave us a chance to hop over to the rabbit barn before the concert.  There were rabbits of every size, shape and color.

It appeared that some of the rabbits had a choice of either winning or having the sign below stapled under their cage.

"Ideas are like rabbits.  You get a couple and learn how to handle them, 

and pretty soon you have a dozen."  --John Steinbeck

We walked on...I'd rather raise ideas than rabbits!  The next shed featured the "open section" which was open to non-4 H members, and it was full of great ideas.  I especially liked these two horse quilts:

The person who did the quilting must have been extremely talented...I sometimes almost get a headache from sewing one quilt block!

This picture, although not a Picasso, has a very idyllic beauty.  I think the artist did a good job in matching the simplicity of the rusted frame with the poppies and butterflies.

By the time our tour of this section was completed, it was time to settle back and listen to the Johnsons.  In spite of the wind, which insisted on blowing the music off the stand, the Johnson Strings did a wonderful job, and I enjoyed each song.

My favorite was their "Easter song"--I think the title is "He is Risen."  You can listen to some of the Johnson String's music on their Youtube channel. 

After the concert we headed over to the sheep barn.  

Some of the sheep, whom I presume had been recently shorn, were wearing "jackets."  Others were content to enjoy the pleasant July weather.

This critter (below) was a real ham!  He kept sticking his snout through the bars as if begging to have his picture taken.

Passing the horses (which were being showed) and the cattle, we walked over to a concession counter to get a bite to eat.  I enjoyed a hot dog--ketchup only--and took a look at the photography.

My favorites are the photo of the cowboy boots and the picture of the chair with the sign that reads "A day in the country is worth a month in the city."

The chicken barn was our last stop.  

Doesn't this rooster look feisty?  The chicken barns at country fairs are usually filled with crowing roosters and laying hens; this year there seemed to be less birds, but that may be due in part to our coming at the wrong time during the fair.

Many of the chickens, including the Silver Laced Wyandottes above, looked very similar to our own. 

I would definitely recommend Iowa county fairs to anyone who needs a taste of country living.  If you're looking for good music, food, rural artwork, cackling hens, stocky cattle, or even a few rabbits to start your own rabbit farm, it's all here.  Welcome to the country!

Field Trip to the Tanner's Shop

We walked into a little old building in the small town of Wellsburg. In the front room, the young tanner (I’d say, in his early 20s) and his dad greeted us and let us feel, smell, and look at various pelts and hides. There were red and gray fox, coyote, mink, opossum, skunk, beaver, raccoon, cow, and buffalo hides--all very beautiful, soft, and fluffy. Many of the pelts were so complete that we wondered how the tanner got the animal out of them. We were soon to find out. He led us into the back room where we saw a stack of inside-out raccoon skins stretched over boards. How on earth does one get inside-out raccoons? We were soon to find that out also…

Three raccoons were hanging from a nearby scaffold, The tanner took one down and brought it to a table where he sharpened his knife. First, he cut the hind legs free, then did two perpendicular cuts on the belly between the hind legs. A special mechanism quickly freed the tail, and soon the whole hind quarters were “un-coated.” Then the tanner pressed a button which lowered a hanger-like apparatus with two choke-chains hanging from it. These choke-chains were attached to the raccoon’s hind legs, and the tanner proceeded to pull the pelt down (with gloved hands) toward the raccoon’s head, pressing a button to raise the hanger as he made progress. Soon the raccoon and its coat parted ways, and the tanner pulled a retractable table that looked a lot like an ironing board out of the wall. On this table, he used an interesting scrapper (or two-edged sword) to scrape all the fat off the pelt. Afterwards, he tacked the inside-out raccoon skin to a board, and it was ready to be added to the stack to dry. Once the pelts dry, the tanner explained, he takes them to a furrier’s auction where he sells them to the big furriers. The pelts that he processes himself are put into a rotating cylinder filled with water and chemicals (called a pickle) for about 3 days. After that, they go into a big “tumbler,” a drum that looks a bit like a Ferris wheel. The pelts tumble around in this contraption like clothes do in your dryer. The tanner made this tumbler out of plywood, and says that the mechanical part which makes the machine work was the most difficult part of the whole construction. A porcupine hide was hanging on the wall. The porcupine can’t go through the tumbler, he explained, so the hide isn’t as soft… “But I don’t think the customer who sent it in will be wanting to pet it anyway,” the tanner said as he and Papa inspected the hide for its quills. “I would like to do an alligator some day,” the tanner commented as we left the room. I studied the walls, shelves, and scaffolding of the shop as we left. Everything looked very neat, and gave me the impression of home-made… In any ordinary old Iowa shop, one might expect to enter and find old rusty toolboxes, rags, oil barrels, tractor tires, and living varmints, but here--between the golden lab, Harley, and the owners--those critters don’t have a chance! The demonstration in tanning was very interesting and informative, but the greatest lesson I re-learned is the importance of the “can-do” mentality. Those who are not afraid of work can get a lot done!

The tanner sent a few raccoon skins home with my mother, and she made a coon skin hat. The tanner liked the hat, so soon, the kitchen table was piled with pelts soon to become hats. One of the neatest creations my mother has sewn so far is the skunk/fox hat shown below.