Life-long hippie and music lover
5-plus decades of concert-going results in two books for James Taylor. Once upon a time, it was 1972 or so, and, in a bar in Fairfield, a man, who was [...]
Read More →
Posted December 01, 2021in Collections & Hobbies
Posted November 03, 2021in Collections & Hobbies
Running out of room at the inn?
Merrilyn Mohan’s 150-plus nativity sets come in many shapes and sizes. If it’s mid-November, then it’s time for Merrilyn Mohan to pack away the large teddy bear collection in her [...]
Read More →
Posted October 06, 2021in Collections & Hobbies
Giant pumpkins
Two local gourd growers plan to smash the world record. Jaws dropped at this year’s Iowa State Fair when Don Young and his son- in-law, Tommy Rhodes, arrived at the [...]
Read More →
Posted September 01, 2021in Collections & Hobbies
Until ‘checkmate’ do we part?
Dangerous on the board, this couple’s life mission is to “fix” chess. GIRL MEETS CHESS Her ride home from school was delayed. Bored, the 15-year-old Ankeny High School student looked [...]
Read More →
Posted August 04, 2021in Collections & Hobbies
Stand-up comic collects comics
Dan Umthun excels at finding and accumulating action figures and comic books. Meet Dan Umthun. “When I was 8, I brought a Superman figure with me to Grandma’s farm house [...]
Read More →
Posted June 30, 2021in Collections & Hobbies
Seeing Iowa slowly
Waldorf professor retraces 300 miles of Dragoon history. Road signs for Iowa’s Dragoon Trail are a common sight in central Iowa. As a boy, Kevin Mason couldn’t help but wonder: [...]
Read More →
Posted June 02, 2021in Collections & Hobbies
No cheat days!
Local wonder woman wows at bodybuilding competition. The backstage atmosphere before a bodybuilding competition is unlike almost any other. “You go in the competitor entrance, and you see all these [...]
Read More →
Posted May 05, 2021in Collections & Hobbies
Rich Hoidahl collects pro golf memorabilia
The Principal Charity Classic is a definite “go” for this year, and the annual PGA Champions pro golf tournament is scheduled to be held June 1-6 at Wakonda Club in [...]
Read More →
Posted March 31, 2021in Collections & Hobbies
Twinkle, twinkle
Psst! Wanna know about a century-old local secret? Have you ever wondered about the copper-domed building with limestone walls that sits between fairways on Waveland Golf Course? That’s the Drake [...]
Read More →
Posted March 03, 2021in Collections & Hobbies
Bam!
Jackpot. Mushroom hunting has been a passion for Steve Roberts since a young age, but in May of 2019, he and a friend hit the motherload. Combined, the duo bagged [...]
Read More →
