Posted June 01, 2022in Collections & Hobbies
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away… the “Star Wars” saga was born, and a cult following developed soon after. Not quite as long ago — in 2018 — Ryan Toney began building his first Star Wars costume. Toney, who resides in Ankeny, is part of the
Read More →Kourtney Perry started making candles during the slow days of the pandemic. Laid off from her job, Perry had an abundance of time on her hands. She did some research, ordered a small kit online, tried it out and gave a candle each to her mom and sister. They were
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Posted March 02, 2022in Collections & Hobbies
The French Connection. That’s the name that Gary and Tyler French go by on their Facebook Live streaming channel called Pardon My French Media. PMF Media, as they sometimes call it, streams local sporting events, specifically for the Waukee Northwest Wolves and the Waukee Warriors. The father-son duo began their
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Posted February 02, 2022in Collections & Hobbies
“I’m Pete the clown,” says Craig Matzke, “My son is re-Pete the clown.” Matzke is a past potentate for the Za-Ga-Zig Shriners and serves as this year’s circus chairman, as well as in other capacities. The current potentate is Randy Weldon, but you might know him as Mr. Wuzzles the
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Posted January 05, 2022in Collections & Hobbies
Life is good for the 200-plus pigeons living in domestication within the detached structures behind Larry White’s southside home. Food is plentiful for the pigeons — they eat mostly grains — and they live 15 years or so on average. At least they do as long as they aren’t let
Read More →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 Ankeny basement and clear a spot for baby Jesus. “They may have run out of room in the inn in
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Posted October 06, 2021in Collections & Hobbies
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 Big Pumpkin Contest. Their entry needed a forklift to hoist it onto the scale, and the monstrosity topped out at
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Posted January 06, 2021in Collections & Hobbies
“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 to you on a count, but probably around 10,000 right now, at best guess.” Downs buys comic book collections of
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Posted December 02, 2020in Collections & Hobbies
Blood spit straight out of the mouth of KISS’ Gene Simmons is on display at the south-side home of Franco Tangari. The same goes for an eye-popping array of ticket stubs, concert reviews, celebrity autographs and more than 40 years’ worth of concert-going memorabilia. The neatly organized collection contains many
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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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