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 October 06, 2021in Collections & Hobbies
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 →
Posted February 03, 2021in Collections & Hobbies
Don’t grow up!
It was Christmas morning in 1986 or so. The unwrapping had ended, and there were no more presents under the tree. “You look a little down,” said Matt Martone’s concerned [...]
Read More →
Posted January 06, 2021in Collections & Hobbies
The thrill of the hunt
“I buy and sell comics and have a pretty large collection,” says Jeremy Downs. The 34-year-old Des Moines-area resident might be understating reality a bit. “I’d have to get back [...]
Read More →
