COOL TODAY...BUT LOOKING FORWARD TO PRETTY NICE WEATHER FOR THE WEEKEND.

I'M GOING TO OPEN THE 61 DRIVE-IN THEATRE FRIDAY NIGHT. IT WILL BE OPEN FRIDAYS AND SATURDAYS UNTIL UNTIL ABOUT MEMORIAL DAY.

IN OTHER BUSINESS NEWS: THE BAKERY IN MAQUOKETA HAS CHANGED HANDS.
CLAY AND HOLLY ROMER SOLD IT AND THE NEW OWNER WAS OPEN TODAY. BUT, NO NEWS RELEASE, SO THERE ISN'T MUCH MORE I CAN SAY AT THIS TIME. THE NEW OWNER IS A BROTHER TO TROY THEIDE AT THE DECKER HOTEL AND THIS MORNING AT COFFEE AT THE DECKER, WE HAD SOME SAMPLES OF PRODUCTS OF THE NEW BAKERY....AND EVERYONE WAS GIVING THUMBS UP.

ALSO IN BUSINESS NEWS: ROTMAN MOTOR COMPANY, OWNED BY TOM TIMMERMAN, IS THIS YEAR CELEBRATING 50 YEARS AS A MERCURY DEALER IN MAQUOKETA. CARL ROTMAN STARTED SELLING NEW CARS IN MAQUOKETA IN 1950 AND SWITCHED TO MERCURY IN 1954.
FOR A LONG TIME, THE BUSINESS WAS DOWNTOWN, JUST SOUTH OF THE DECKER HOTEL.
IT THEN WENT INTO A NEW BUILDING CARL BUILDT ON WEST PLATT STREET. HE SOLD THE BUSINESS TO TOM IN THE 90'S, BUT STILL WORKS A LITTLE FOR TOM. WHEN A BUSINESS GROWS AND GROWS ...FOR OVER 50 YEARS....ITS A GOOD BUSINESS ....THAT HAS BEEN GOOD TO ITS CUSTOMERS. TOM LEARNED FROM CARL....GOOD TEACHER. CONGRATULATIONS TO TOM AND CARL AND ALL ASSOCIATED WITH ROTMAN MOTOR COMPANY.

DOUG LARSON IS RETIRING FROM THE FARM SERVICE AGENCY IN MAQUOKETA AND IS THE MAQUOKETA ROTARY CLUB "CITIZEN OF THE WEEK". SEE A PICTURE AND STORY AT
www.maquoketa-rotary.org.

THANKS TO DEE FRANZEN OF PRESTON FOR BUYING 3 DUCKS FROM ME. DUCKS FOR THE MAQUOKETA ROTARY DUCK RACE IN JUNE. SHE NOW HAS A CHANCE TO WIN $1,000, $500 OR $250...OR ONE OF MANY OTHER PRIZES. SHE'S A READER OF THIS DAILY REPORT.
ALSO, THANKS TO ALLEN BODKIN, FORMER MAQUOKETAN, NOW LIVING IN IBERIA,
MISSOURI FOR BUYING 6 DUCKS. ALLEN, WHO READS THIS DAILY, VISITED MAQUOKETA THIS SUMMER AND STOPPED IN HERE AT KMAQ TO SAY HELLO. AND, ANOTHER GOOD READER IN PHOENIX AREA, JOHN JONES, IS BUYING A DUCK....BUT I HAVEN'T SEEN THE MONEY YET. I'M SURE ITS COMING. FELLOW ROTARIAN JACK ROSENBERG WAS IN TODAY AND BROUGHT MONEY FOR THE 86 DUCKS HE HAS ALREADY SOLD. GOOD GOING JACK.

THE JACKSON COUNTY FAIR WEB SITE IS www.maquoketa.com/jcfair
I AM STILL LOOKING FOR PICTURES TAKEN AT THE FAIR OVER THE YEARS. THIS YEAR'S FAIR IS THE 150TH.... IF YOU HAVE ONE, SCAN AND EMAIL IT TO ME. BUDDY JEWEL, COMING TO THE FAIR, HAS A HIT SONG RIGHT NOW....IN FACT....IT WENT FROM 8TH TO 3RD IN THE COUNTRY THIS PAST WEEK.

THE MAQUOKETA CAVES STATE PARK GOT A NICE WRITEUP IN THE WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL IN MADISON RECENTLY. THANKS TO DAILY READER AND FIRST KMAQ MANAGER BOB BROWN IN FORT ATKINSON, WISCONSIN, FOR SENDING IT TO ME.

A MAQUOKETA MAN, RONNIE DUHME, 48, WAS CHARGED WITH STRIKING AN UNATTENDED VEHICLE AND LEAVING THE SCENE. THE OWNER OF THE CAR HE HIT FOLLOWED HIM AND INFORMED THE POLICE. DAMAGE TO DUHME'S CAR, $3,500 AND TO THE CAR OWNED BY JEROLD EASTERLY, $1,500.

THERESA BLAKE AND BOB JOHNSON OF MAQUOKETA ARE PARENTS OF A BOY BORN SATURDAY AT THE JACKSON COUNTY PUBLIC HOSPITAL. GRANDPARENTS ARE PAM AND RANDY GARIEN OF MAQUOKETA AND GREAT-GRANDMOTHER IS LOIS GARIEN.

KATHERINE DIETZ, AGE 88, DIED THIS MORNING AT CRESTRIDGE NURSING HOME FROM PARKINSON'S DISEASE. SHE AND HER HUSBAND OPERATED DIETZ PROCESSING PLANT IN ELWOOD AND SHE ALSO LATER WORKED AS A SECRETARY FOR KIRCHOFF'S AND RASMUSSEN'S. SHE IS SURVIVED BY 3 CHIDLREN....CHARLES DIETZ OF MAQUOKETA....ALLAN DIETZ OF DAVENPORT AND KATHY CARSTENS OF WYOMING,IOWA. ALSO 6 GRANDCHILDREN.

ONE OF THE ORIGINAL "DRIPOLATORS" GAVE A NOON HOUR PROGRAM AT THE MUSEUM TODAY AND I WAS THERE. SAW A HOME MOVIE OF THE GROUP ALSO, FILMED AROUND 1950.
GOOD PROGRAM JERRY RASMUSSEN! ONE OF THE GROUP WAS THE LATE GORDON SMITH AND HIS WIFE, PHYLISS WAS AT TODAY'S PROGRAM TOO. I KNEW GORDON WELL BECAUSE HE AND HIS DAD, LYMAN, RAN THE COAST TO COAST STORE IN MAQUOEKETA WHICH WAS LOCATED ALMOST BELOW WHERE KMAQ'S ORIGINAL STUDIOS WERE LOCATED. I SEE PHYLISS QUITE OFTEN DOWNTOWN. AND LYMAN'S SECOND WIFE IS STILL LIVING IN MAQUOKETA AND RECENTLY CELEBRATED HER 100TH BIRTHDAY. ANOTHER "DRIPOLATER" I KNEW WAS THE LATE CADY PHILIPPS, WHO WORKED AT THE POST OFFICE. OF THE GROUP OF 6, THE OTHER THREE I NEVER KNEW. ONE IS STILL LIVING.
A BUBBY ALDEN AND ANOTHER BOTH ARE DEAD.
JERRY WAS THE GUY THAT GOT THEM GOING AND WAS THE BLACK FACED EMCEE. HE
LEFT THE GROUP AFTER ABOUT 75 PERFORMANCES BECAUSE IT WAS TAKING TOO MUCH TIME FROM HIS WORK AS PART OWNER WITH DAD AND BROTHER OF RASMUSSEN MOTOR SALES, NOW BRAD DEERY MOTORS. THE "DRIPOLATORS" DID LIP-SYNC SONGS BY FAMOUS ENTERTAINERS AND HAD ZANY COSTUMES TO GO WITH THE SINGING AND ENTERTAINED FOR ABOUT 3 YEARS....AROUND 125 PERFORMANCES.

THAT'S ALL FOR TODAY...AS IT...GOING TO BE LATE FOR DINNER.

DENNIS VOY