Category Archives: Iowa Miscellaneous

Aug 14

‘Thanks for giving Iowa a try’ (2)

I write about the Iowa State Fair Singers and Jazz Band, with a single-out of 1989, and then I find a barely-seen video of that very year. The thanks song comes at the end. (Those very benches, or similar ones, … Continue reading

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Aug 13

‘Thanks for giving Iowa a try’

I loved watching the Iowa State Fair Singers and Jazz Band. It was something we saw at the fair at the stage by the Cultural Center at least a few times, if not every year. I certainly loved it when … Continue reading

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Jul 31

At least one frontier continues to be pushed

Our food scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should. Starting at 2:45: SIX meat patties, SIX strips of bacon, slathered with macaroni and cheese. God bless America. (But I actually might … Continue reading

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Jul 26

The Army convoy stops in Denison

The Army cross-country Lincoln Highway convoy got to Denison on Saturday, July 26, 1919, and would spend Sunday there as a rest day. Here’s part of the Denison Review‘s coverage in the next week’s paper (“train” refers to the trucks … Continue reading

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Jul 25

The Ames bypass of the Lincoln Highway

November 29, 2001: Based on a photo at Hickory Park restaurant, this overhead sign on Lincoln Way at Kellogg Avenue pointing to Main Street in Ames had been around since the early 1960s. It didn’t last much longer after this … Continue reading

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Jul 23

The promotional importance of the Lincoln Highway convoy

This week is the 100th anniversary of the Army convoy on the Lincoln Highway across Iowa. The Iowa DOT, quoting the Eisenhower presidential museum, says the primary goal was “an exercise to test the ability of the military to move … Continue reading

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Jul 22

When Floyd County voted for good roads

Floyd County joined the good-roads movement on July 22, 1919, when it voted by about a 3-2 margin for hard-surfaced roads. This vote would contribute to the future US 18 being continuous concrete from Algona to Charles City by the … Continue reading

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Jul 12

How about a Fair-a-thon on IPTV?

August 14, 2014: Iowa Public Television hosts a governor debate at the Iowa State Fair. Please, no questions about the blogger’s fair priorities or the practicality of wearing suits in August. Being a Friend of Iowa Public Television doesn’t mean … Continue reading

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Jul 02

100th anniversary of Iowa ratifying 19th Amendment

Today marks 100 years since Iowa ratified the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, extending the right to vote to women. The amendment would be approved in time for the 1920 presidential election. Here’s what Ella Taylor, wife and mother of … Continue reading

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Jun 13

Galt post office a dead letter

Second of three blog posts related to a May 23 DNR press release. Sometimes I have really had to reach for a photo in a tiny village that gives any sense of place. Sometimes I give up. Other times I … Continue reading

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