Merry Christmas

Twelve drummers drumming…

…for “Max and Amy in the morning” — WHO radio’s morning duo of Max Schaeffer and Amy Sweet — but we miss Van (Harden) and Bonnie (Lucas)…for baseball announcer Alex Cohen…and football announcer Joe Stasi…and weatherman Ed Wilson…and public radio’s Charity Nebbe — but we still miss Doug Brown and Don Forsling…and sports guys Murph and Andy — Keith Murphy and Andy Fales — but we still miss Jim Zabel…and for morning “stars” Ken, Colleen and Kurt.

Eleven pipers piping…

…for everyone at the Roosevelt Shopping Center, but especially barbers Rick and Cindi and Bob and the great people at La Mie Bakery…and David Kilpatrick and Katy Merriman at the nearby Playhouse…but we still miss the movie theater (a ticket and popcorn: 26 cents) and the shopping center’s long-gone drugstore and Reed’s Ice Cream and Renard’s SuperValu and Reichardt’s and Angie’s shoe repair…and, going back 60 or 70 years, the Dugout, the restaurant under the theater.

Ten lords-a-leaping…

…for Polk County Manager John Norris, who stepped into a hornet’s nest when he took the job a year ago…and the ousted county personnel boss Jim Nahas, who stepped into the crossfire of an ugly fight among the supervisors…and the five supervisors (in alphabetical order): Bob Brownell, Angela Connolly, Tom Hockensmith, Matt McCoy and Steve Van Oort — but don’t sit any of them next to one another at Christmas dinner…and former supervisor John Mauro, who held the place together for so long.

Nine ladies dancing…

…for Tom Mattingly, the new artistic director of Ballet Des Moines…and Eric Shepard, the new artistic director at the Des Moines Gay Men’s Chorus…and all the other folks who run arts organizations: Michael Egan at the Des Moines Metro Opera, Jeff Fleming at the Des Moines Art Center…Jeff Chelesvig at the Civic Center…Joseph Giunta at the Des Moines Symphony…and Robert Warren at Hoyt Sherman Place.

Eight maids-a-milking…

…for everyone at the Iowa Dairy Association, of course…U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Iowa Ag Secretary Mike Naig…and Sarah Pratt, who carves the Butter Cow for the Iowa State Fair (at 600 pounds, it contains enough butter to butter 19,200 slices of toast, the Fair says)…for Kathie Anderson at Tandem Brick Gallery… Dr. Abigail Allard (and Henry and Madeline and Elise, too), and welcome back to your hometown.

Seven swans-a-swimming…

…for Maggie McClelland (and, for that matter, all the McClellands) at the Iowa Confluence Water Trails project, which will be fantastic…for the 130 or so city lifeguards (and the countless ones in the suburbs and at private pools) who make the summers safe and fun for all of us…for reporter Tommy Birch, again…for dapper and knowledgeable Elvin McDonald and everyone else who makes the Botanical Garden so great…and welcome to Kim Perez, the new director there.

Six geese-a-laying…

…for retiring Grand View University president Kent Henning, who has done so much in his 21 years of leadership…and all the players and coaches for the undefeated Vikings football and wrestling teams…and former students Sam Bernabe and Scott Sailor…and for President Marty Martin and everyone at Drake University, which The Wall Street Journal ranks as way better than the University of Iowa or Iowa State University…for new Drake women’s basketball coach Allison Pohlman — and we wish her predecessor, Jennie Baranczyk, great success at the University of Oklahoma…retiring Drake prof Kathleen Richardson…for Weston Barber of the Waukee Northwest Wolves…Klay Edwards of the Winfield-Mount Union Wolves…and Hugo Bolanos of the Iowa Wolves.

Five gold rings…

…for O. Kay Henderson, the new moderator on Iowa Press, and for David Yepsen, her predecessor and a walking encyclopedia of Iowa politics (but we still miss Jim Flansburg)…for Jason Clayworth and Linh Ta at Axios Des Moines and Kathie Obradovich and Clark Kauffman and Jared Strong (welcome back to town) and Katie Akin at Iowa Capital Dispatch…and the dogged Laura Belin, whose Bleeding Heartland is a must read every day…and Kathy Bolten, whose real-estate columns for the Business Record are so comprehensive and informative…oh, and the Business Record’s Dave Elbert, too…and, of course, everyone at CITYVIEW, but especially Shane and Jolene Goodman, two nice people.

Four colly birds…

…for Des Moines Register reporter Andrea Sahuri, who was trying to cover a riot when the police tossed her in the paddy wagon, and her lawyers, Nick Klinefeldt and David Yashimura, who won her freedom…and all those others who fight for the First Amendment freedoms, but especially Randy Evans at the Iowa Freedom of Information Council and lawyer Mike Giudicessi…for all the good cops, especially Dave Seybert and Mike Grasso…and Herb Strentz, who catches every typo…and Professor Mona Houck (and Steph, too).

Three French hens…

…for the people who give away money so wisely — Julie Stewart at Prairie Meadows and Lisa Moody-Tunks at Polk County and Kristi Knous and Lynn Yontz and all their colleagues at the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines…lawyer Jo Christine Miles, director of the Principal Foundation…and Mary Lawyer at the Wellmark Foundation.

Two turtle doves…

…for Des Moines city manager Scott Sanders, who keeps a lot of balls in the air…and his lawyer, Hawkeye fan Jeff Lester, who has to catch some of those balls…for re-elected council members Connie Boesen and Josh Mandlebaum — and newly elected council member Indira Sheumaker…and thanks for the service to Bill Gray, who lost to Sheumaker….for everyone in Ben Page’s parks department — and thanks for the great redoing of Riverview Park.

And a partridge in a pear tree…

…remembering Robert Larson, who brought opera to central Iowa…union leader Perry Chapin…business leaders Bill Vernon and David Fisher…conservationist Paul Johnson, an advocate for the land, Louise Moon, an advocate for free speech, Bruce Koeppl, an advocate for the aged…journalists Joe Patrick and Marv Hastings and Warren Taylor and Jerry Szumski and Frank Santiago and Dick Gibson (and Mary Susan Gibson, too) and, of course, John Karras… Grace Mauro and Jean Stauffer and Rosalind Rabinowitz and Judy Flapan and Marjorie Spevak, who at 99 outlived her fame for her contribution on the school board and Civic Music…and Lois Porath and Jack Sutton…Polk County Treasurer Mary Maloney…Woody Brenton…and Muffy Harmon and Anne Broderick, wonderful women…restaurateur Gary Fatino…Betty and Jim Wise…veterinarian (and so much more) Eric Jayne…the lovely Dorothy Ely (at 101)…Carla Offenburger …Betty Lou Varnum, who built “the House With the Magic Window” on WOI TV…Marcie Coleman…West Des Moines School Superintendent Dale Grabinski…dairy owner Jim Erickson…Iowa State’s Neil Harl, who cared about the land… And, especially, John Ruan and Neal Smith, who made Des Moines and Iowa better places for all of us…

…And, always, the first Christopher. ♦