Along Our Way
The 2010 political season got off to a big start in our county seat town of Jefferson on Friday, Feb. 5. Candidates for two major statewide offices made appearances here, GOP gubernatorial candidate Bob Vander Plaats & Democratic U.S. senatorial candidate Roxanne Conlin. Answering a question from Chuck Offenburger, after her talk and Q&A with the crowd, Conlin made a surprising disclosure – she doesn’t attend church. How’ll that play with Iowans?
[TO READ THE STORY, AND TO SEE THESE AND OTHER PHOTOS IN LARGER FORMAT, CLICK HERE]
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A conversation
COPING WITH CANCER
with the Offenburgers
Chuck Offenburger was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins, follilcular lymphoma cancer on July 10, 2009, and is undergoing treatment. We post updates weekly here, including brief insights from Chuck, Carla and at least one of you readers.
“Isn’t it amazing what prayers will do for you and how you feel and look at things? I just cannot understand how people can go through life without God and prayers. We will continue to say them for the both of you.”
FOR THE LATEST UPDATE, CLICK HERE.
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Chuck Offenburger's
new book on sports
legend Gary Thompson
gets excellent reviews
FOR INFORMATION ON WHERE & HOW TO BUY THE BOOK, CLICK HERE!
''GARY THOMPSON: All-American'' is the new, 352-page biography of one of the state’s genuine sports icons. From 1950-’53 Gary Thompson led the Roland Rockets to high school sports glory in basketball and baseball, giant-killers from one of Iowa’s small schools. Then he led the Cyclones at Iowa State from 1953-’57, becoming the college’s first two-sport All-American. He’s had major success in broadcasting and business, from his home base in Ames. And he and his wife Janet have a family as solid as they come. “I’m the luckiest guy around,” Thompson says.
TO READ CHUCK OFFENBURGER'S COLUMN ABOUT THE BOOK AND THE ''BOOK LAUNCHING'' HELD EARLY IN DECEMBER, CLICK HERE.
TO READ DES MOINES REGISTER SPORTSWRITER RICK BROWN'S REVIEW OF THE BOOK, CLICK HERE.
TO READ CEDAR RAPIDS GAZETTE SPORTS COLUMNIST JIM ECKER'S REVIEW OF THE BOOK, CLICK HERE.
TO READ AMES DAILY TRIBUNE SPORTSWRITER DICK KELLY'S STORY ABOUT THE BOOK, CLICK HERE.
TO READ DOUG BURNS' STORY ABOUT THE BOOK IN THE CARROLL DAILY TIMES HERALD, CLICK HERE.
TO READ ANDY GOODELL'S STORY ABOUT THE BOOK IN THE OSKALOOSA HERALD, CLICK HERE.
WANT TO SEE AND HEAR THE OLD ROLAND HIGH SCHOOL FIGHT SONG PERFORMED? CLICK HERE!
FOR INFORMATION ON WHERE & HOW TO BUY THE BOOK, CLICK HERE!
FOR PHOTOS FROM OUR BOOK LAUNCHING EVENTS, CLICK HERE!
SEE BOB MODERSOHN'S PHOTOS OF OUR BOOK CHAT AND SIGNING AT BEAVERDALE BOOKS IN DES MOINES!
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Our Partners & Patrons
Iowa Hall of Pride
netINS, Inc.
Butler House on Grand B&B
Sam's Barber Shop
Douglas T. Bates III, Attorney
KMA Radio's ''Chuck & Don Show''
Barack Obama story & coloring book
The Monks of New Melleray Abbey
RELATED LINKS
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The Simple Serenity Farm
columns
Farm Photos, 2006 - 2008
Our Iowa News Digest
Along Our Way
What’s the deal with the
black & white saddle shoes?
Click here for the story of our farm in Greene County, Iowa.
Here's looking at life
at Simple Serenity Farm
We Offenburgers spent Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and a weather-enforced extra night at the home of Carla's sister Chris Woods and her family in Des Moines. It was a fun gathering that featured nine-month-old Arianna, the Woods' granddaughter, in the starring role!
Click here for larger format
Earlier photos in this series
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| POGGENSEE'S POSTCARDS
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Photographer Don Poggensee
has just completed a six day
photo expedition in spectacular
Yellowstone National Park.
Pictures by Iowa photographer Don Poggensee |
COMING UP IN IOWA
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We recommend the following, if you want to experience this state at
its best!
Feb. 12-13: Tanner Taylor, a top jazz pianist originally from Jefferson, returns to his hometown to perform. Friday night, 7-10 p.m., he leads a jam session at the Jefferson Depot. Saturday night, 7 p.m., he performs in concert at Jefferson-Scranton High School. He'll be accompanied by other top jazz musicians both nights. Both events are free and open to the public. For a complete story, look on our home page or click here.
Feb. 13: The 7th annual ''Chocolate Walk'' in downtown Perry, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Choco-grazing and fun browsing at several Perry stores. For details, click here.
Feb. 14: A special Valentine's Dinner at the excellent Classic Cafe in Malvern in southwest Iowa. Alaskan halibut, specially shipped in, with all the trimmings, plus a dessert of chocolate cake & cherries jubilee. $40 per couple, in a benefit for the Malvern Area Betterment Association. Sittings at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Details and reservations, click here.
Feb. 20: Kevin Cooney, news anchor of KCCI-TV, is the guest speaker at the third annual membership banquet and fundraiser of the Raccoon River Valley Trail Association. 6 p.m. at Panorama National Conference Center, north of Panora. For tickets and details, click here.
Every day: Go ice skating outdoors with spectacular surroundings at the Brenton Skating Plaza in downtown Des Moines. For details, click here.
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THE CONTINUOUS
IOWA CAUCUS
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We've now learned that Roxanne Conlin, Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, doesn't go to church. If this becomes an issue, how would you advise her to handle it?
[SEE PAST RESULTS]
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| | Out in Greene County, Iowa |  Is anybody else feeling this? Is there a new consensus stirring in politics & government?
By CHUCK OFFENBURGER
February 5, 2010
COOPER, IOWA
What our columnist is hearing and reading is that we’ve all had about enough of hullabaloo and gridlock. Part of his thinking on this is shaped after conversations with Congressmen Tom Latham and Steve King, who attended last week’s House Republicans retreat where President Barack Obama spoke. It’s time, the writer says, for voters to realize we play a big role in encouraging candidates & office holders toward negotiation and cooperation. But there’s much more to it than “Kumbaya!” and “Can’t we all get along?” He’s got some specific ideas on how a voter can help make it happen, and he’d like to hear yours, too. ALSO, in a sidebar, we tell you about how fast Kathie Obradovich, the political columnist for the Des Moines Register, can “tweet” when she is covering political news events. [READ MORE] |
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| | My View from the Porch |  Adventures & lessons of five winter storms, starting with, “So how do we make coffee?”
By CARLA OFFENBURGER
January 27, 2010
COOPER, IOWA
A week ago, on January 20, we woke up to a huge ice storm that knocked-out our electrical power for more than 48 hours. We again learned a lot about life without electricity, heat and water. Then this past Monday, January 25, what was supposed to be a nice light snow turned into a raging 18-hour blizzard. Those kinds of storms make you realize that living in the countryside is a never-ending education – with occasional severe challenges. [READ MORE] |
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| | What's Carla Reading? |  ''The Help,'' a first novel by Kathryn Sockett,, has quickly hit No. 1 on the Best Sellers list
By CARLA OFFENBURGER
February 6, 2010
COOPER, IOWA
Sockett, a native of Jackson, Mississippi, uses her hometown as the setting for a story in the 1960s. A group of women, friends since their Ole Miss years, are now married, mothers of young children and society leaders. They essentially turn their kids over to ''the help'' -- black maids -- to raise them. One of the friends, unmarried, becomes an advice columnist for the local newspaper. She starts consulting some of the maids about how they do various tasks, and that gives the columnist disturbing insights about the lives of ''the help.'' There's trouble. [READ MORE]
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| | Tanner Taylor, another sensational jazz player from Jefferson, Iowa, is bringing it home for us | |  The 28-year-old native of this west central Iowa town is now regarded as one of the best jazz pianists in the Twin Cities. Meanwhile, he is playing coast-to-coast accompanying top touring vocalists. In March, he’ll be performing with the “Prairie Home Companion” cast during a week-long Caribbean cruise. But first, he and some of his pals who are pro jazz players are coming to the Jefferson area February 9-13 for clinics with the high school jazz bands, a Friday night jam session open to all, and a full concert on Saturday night – all free to the public. It’s a good time for us all to remember the amazing story of how he got his start here.
CLICK HERE FOR THE STORY, PHOTOS AND PERFORMANCE DETAILS |
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| | | | OFFENBLOGGER | Our perhaps peculiar views
of the happenings around us
GRAPPLERS & CAGERS TOGETHER? - Chuck O at 1/28/2010 1:41:58 PM
THEY ALL WANT TO ''FIGHT'' FOR US - Chuck O at 1/28/2010 9:39:36 AM
SHENANDOAH IS ON A REAL ROLL! - Chuck O at 1/27/2010 9:43:19 AM
HOTEL SHENANDOAH TAKING SHAPE! - Chuck O at 1/27/2010 9:42:09 AM
O DEER! WHAT'RE THEY UP TO NOW? - Chuck O at 1/26/2010 5:41:20 PM
NOW A FIFTH MAJOR WINTER STORM - Chuck O at 1/25/2010 8:50:47 AM
TO READ MORE, CLICK ON THIS LINK
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Featured Partner & Patron
| The Iowa Hall of Pride
This $12.5-million interactive museum on the edge of downtown Des Moines uses fantastic video, technology, art and research to showcase Iowa’s schools, communities and their heroes.
You can do what Chuck and Carla Offenburger are shown doing here – seeing how they measure up to the life-size statue of the University of Iowa’s 1939 football Heisman Trophy winner Nile Kinnick, a native of Adel. |
Whether you live in Iowa or are traveling through, one new attraction that is a “must” is the Iowa Hall of Pride, which is located across the street west from Wells Fargo Arena in the Iowa Events Center complex on the north edge of downtown Des Moines. The Hall of Pride was envisioned and created by the Iowa High School Athletic Association, which sanctions boys prep sports in the state. But this facility is about a whole lot more than just boys’ athletics. It is an excellent, entertaining portrayal of the whole Iowa high school experience, celebrating the accomplishments of our young people in academics, music, drama, debate, leadership and, yes, in sports, too.
You’ll see the life-size bronze statues of several of our greatest athletes – football star Nile Kinnick of Adel, wrestler Dan Gable of Waterloo West, basketball star Gary Thompson of Roland, and Iowa’s fastest track athlete ever Clyde Duncan, of Des Moines North. There is a startlingly life-like wax statue of piano great Roger Williams, a native of Des Moines, sitting at a golden Steinway Piano, which plays his greatest hits at your request, including his famous “Autumn Leaves.” The facility also includes a “Hall of Heroes,” in which the stories of many of the state’s best-known, highest-achieving citizens are told in video, displays, personal interviews and testimonials – among them Nobel Peace Prize winner Norman Borlaug, opera star Simon Estes, actor John Wayne, actress Donna Reed, scientists George Washington Carver and James Van Allen, and astronaut Peggy Whitson.
The 23-by-12-foot stained glass window at the entrance of the Iowa Hall of Pride portrays all the activities of the Iowa high school experience – and is believed to be the largest work of stained glass in the state.
Amazing memorabilia from high school girls’ basketall. |
There are also more than 200 video interviews – broken into crisp topical segments of a few minutes each – with coaches, teachers, star players in girls’ and boys’ sports, top performers in the arts, referees, familiar media personalities, leaders of business and government. A new addition is a riveting 20-minute conversation with Brandon Routh, 28, the Norwalk native talking about how he played the super star in the recent hit movie “Superman Returns,” and how his acting career has also taken flight. Plus, the Iowa Hall of Pride experience isn’t just about watching games – you can play, too – seeing just how good you are at shooting baskets, officiating a virtual wrestling match, singing with the All-State Chorus, and doing play-by-play broadcasting of a big football game. Best of all, you’ll go home with long list of stories you’ll want to share with friends and family. And you’ll have a whole new appreciation for Iowa and the opportunities available here for both young and old.
The Iowa Hall of Pride, next door to Wells Fargo Arena. |
The Iowa Hall of Pride was a decade in planning and development. In that time, new computer technology became available, allowing the facility to be drastically changed from the original concept of static displays and seldom-changing compilations of records, to what it became – engaging, ever-changing, constantly-updated presentations of information, video, music and action. Major funding came from the state’s Vision Iowa Program, the Iowa High School Athletic Association, the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union, the Iowa Farm Bureau and many other donors, including contributions as small as $5 from an elderly fan of Iowa’s high school activities.
26,000 square feet, 220 video interviews, 150 computers – and a million stories!
Click here to read Chuck Offenburger’s column about when the Iowa Hall of Pride was first opening in February 2005.
Click here to read Offenburger’s most recent column about the Iowa Hall of Pride, in June 2007.
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Hours: Monday-Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Sundays by appointment only. Details: (515) 280-8969. Closed major holidays. Admission: $5 for adults, Iowa Farm Bureau members free, and the fee for Iowa students K-12 is generously paid by Musco Lighting, Oskaloosa, Iowa. |
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