Posted September 04, 2019in Collections & Hobbies
VHS is happiness for video junkie Nate Phillips and his massive collection of tapes. Watching films via digital streaming has largely destroyed the once mighty video store industry, but within the basement of Nate Phillips’ home is an epic collection of old-school, at-home, movie-viewing options. At last count, he possessed 3,000
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Posted July 31, 2019in Collections & Hobbies
Interpreting history while living history and volunteering at Living History Farms. “Well, this is as close as I’m ever going to get to a time machine,” says Barb Raife, an interpreter at Living History Farms. “It’s my way to travel back in time.” Living history can be a good way
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Posted July 03, 2019in Collections & Hobbies
After learning a new axe-throwing technique, Manny Kohl has morphed into a world-class axe thrower. While in the construction business as a journeyman window glazer, Manny Kohl was used to building things up. Now he has fun hurling objects designed to chop things down. Starting in earnest less than a
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Posted June 05, 2019in Collections & Hobbies
3 generations of speedsters are tough to beat. Nearly 8 billion people live on planet Earth. West Des Moines soap box racer Kara Darr finished ahead of all but three of them at last year’s All-American Soap Box Derby World Championships held in Akron. She competed in the Rally Masters
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Posted May 01, 2019in Collections & Hobbies
A lifetime of fun finds adorn Sheree Clark’s Beaverdale home. WWII began in 1939. Franklin Roosevelt was president. Nuclear weapons had not yet been invented. The average cost of a new home was $3,800. A gallon of gas cost a dime, a loaf of bread went for 8 cents, and
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Posted April 03, 2019in Collections & Hobbies
Johnston man collects vintage Drake Relays items. If it is the last weekend in April, Rich Hoidahl is booked. If you have a rare item pertaining to the Drake Relays, then you might have found your buyer. Hoidahl attended his first Relays in 1958. His high school track coach escorted
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Posted March 06, 2019in Collections & Hobbies
Competitive crafting and collecting words, syllables, lines and poems. “Some people get off work, and they go throw darts,” says Jon Demo, the on-stage face of Des Moines Poetry Slam. “We throw words.” Demo serves as co-slammaster with Kevin Marken, who handles the behind-the-scenes action. The duo took over responsibility
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Posted February 06, 2019in Collections & Hobbies
Modern quilts by local guild members are accepted by QuiltCon 2019. Meticulous attention to detail. Imagination. The ability to follow detailed instructions. Expensive tools and equipment. Homemade quilts often require hundreds of dollars of fabric, materials and supplies. But that is just the beginning. The dollar figures don’t account for
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Posted January 02, 2019in Collections & Hobbies
Nearly 6,000 memorials added to online archives such as www.findagrave.com and The IAGenWeb Project. Death is something all humans eventually accomplish. But on the way, many get to be mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, husbands or wives. Cemetery plots aren’t just rectangular pieces of dirt, and gravestones are more than start
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Posted December 05, 2018in Collections & Hobbies
Toastmasters is Chad Hauge’s hobby. “My speech was, ‘I’m nobody special,’ ” says Chad Hauge. Years ago, as a Christmas gift, one of Hauge’s seven daughters gave him a book full of empty pages. The gift came with a challenge: “Write your own story.” “I’m not disabled,” Hauge remembers thinking.
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