Saturday, May 22, 2004

HEAVY RAIN LATE YESTERDAY AFTERNOON AND OVERNIGHT IN MAQUOKETA AND TORNADO WARNING IN JACKSON COUNTY ABOUT 7 LAST NIGHT. NO DAMAGE DONE, BUT ABOUT 1 1/2 INCHES OF RAIN
FELL AND SOME HAIL TO THE NORTH OF US. RAIN THIS MORNING, BUT DECENT AT MID-DAY WITH MORE RAIN IN FORECAST BEFORE THE DAY IS OVER. HOPEFULLY, THE STOCK CAR RACES WILL BE HELD TONIGHT AS IT IS KMAQ NIGHT AND WE ARE PLANNING SOME "LIVE" REMOTE BROADCASTS FROM THE RACEWAY BETWEEN 4 AND 6 TODAY. FIRST RACES AT 6.

THE BOWLING ASSOCIATION IN MAQUOKETA HELD ITS ANNUAL MEETING. SPONSOR OF THE YEAR, IS MICK CLARK OF CLARK'S SAW CENTER. VERL HOWELL WAS MADE AN HONORARY MEMBER OF THE MEN'S ASSOCIATION AND HERMAN RICKELS WAS INDUCTED INTO THE HALL OF FAME. KENT SIMMONS IS THE NEW PRESIDENT.

YESTERDAY, THE MAQUOKETA GOLFERS FAILED IN THEIR ATTEMPT TO GO TO THE STATE TOURNAMENT NEXT WEEKEND....IN THE REGIONAL MEET AT MANCHESTER. SO, THEIR SEASON IS OVER.
THE MAQUOKETA GIRLS GO TO REGIONAL NEXT MONDAY AND THEY HAVE A GOOD CHANCE OF GOING TO STATE.

THE COTTAGE RESTAURANT IN DOWNTOWN MAQUOKETA IS CLOSING AFTER NEXT WEEK. IT IS FOR SALE BY OWNER CLAUDIA GISHWEIN. IT HAS BEEN A POPULAR SOUP, SANDWICH AND GIFT SHOP FOR AROUND 4 YEARS. CLAUDIA WANTS TO SPEND MORE TIME WITH YOUR FAMILY.

LAST DAY OF SCHOOL IN MAQUOKETA IS NEXT WEDNESDAY.

KEISHA WILLEY GETS MARRIED TODAY. HER PARENTS ARE JACK AND MARILYN WILLEY. JACK IS ONE OF THE 3 JACKSON COUNTY SUPERVISORS AND HE AND MARILYN OWN A DOWNTOWN BEAUTY SALON.

THE OHNWARD FINE ARTS CENTER (AUDITORIUM) OPEN HOUSE IS TOMORROW AFTERNOON, TO LET CITIZENS SEE A SNEAK PREVIEW OF THE BUILDING GOING UP ON EAST PLATT. THE SALE OF SEATS FUNDRAISER IS ABOUT TO BEGIN,AND ASSISTING THE BOARD WITH THAT FUNDRAISER WILL BE THE MAQUOKETA KIWANIS CLUB. THE CENTER OPENS LATE THIS YEAR AND WILL SEAT AROUND 800.
GARY DREW HAD THE IDEA FOR THIS AND GOT IT UNDERWAY SEVERAL YEARS AGO. NEARLY A MILLION DOLLARS HAS BEEN RAISED...NO PUBLIC TAX MONEY IS BEING USED. THE WORK ON BUILDING THE FACILITY HAS BEEN LARGELY DONE BY VOLUNTEERS.

THERE ARE 8 HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATIONS IN THE KMAQ AREA THIS WEEKEND. BELLEVUE COMMUNITY TONIGHT AT 8 AND THE OTHERS TOMORROW AFTERNOON. KMAQ-FM WILL BROADCAST THE ONE TONIGHT AND BELLEVUE AT 12:30 TOMORROW AND EAST CENTRAL AT MILES AT 3 TOMORROW AFTERNOON.
MAQUOKETA'S GRADUATION IS SUNDAY AFTERNOON, JUNE 6TH.

MORE NEW HOMES WERE STARTED IN MAQUOKETA THE LAST COUPLE WEEKS...CAN'T BELIEVE THE NUMBER OF NEW HOMES GOING UP. PLUS LOTS OF OTHER HOMES ARE FOR SALE IN THE CITY.

I LEARNED THIS WEEK THAT ALVERDA SEARS TILTON, AGE 97, DIED IN MARCH AT CEDAR FALLS.
SHE OWNED THREE OLD, RATHER RUNDOWN HOMES IN MAQUOKETA. I BELIEVE SHE WAS BORN IN THIS AREA BUT APPARENTLY AFTER GROWING UP, SHE NEVER LIVED IN MAQUOKETA YEAR AROUND. SHE CAME HERE EACH SUMMER AND LIVED IN THE LARGEST OF HER HOMES. AFTER ATTENDING A BEAUTY SCHOOL, SHE STARTED WORKING IN MOLINE AS A BEAUTICIAN AND THERE MET HER HUSBANB-TO-BE WHO WAS WORKING AS AN ENGINEER FOR JOHN DEERE. SOME TIME LATER, HE WAS TRANSFERRED TO WATERLOO WORKS AND THEY MOVED TO THAT AREA. AT ONE TIME THEY PURCHASED A LARGE NURSERY PLOT AND LATER THAT WAS SOLD FOR A HOUSING DEVELOPMENT. HER HUSBAND DIED YEARS AGO AND IS BURIED IN MOLINE, BUT SHE WAS BURIED IN A WATERLOO-CEDAR FALLS AREA CEMETERY. TWO COUPLES FROM MAQUOKETA WENT TO THE FUNERAL. THE TILTONS HAD NO CHILDREN, BUT APPARENTLY THERE IS A NEPHEW WHO IS TAKING CARE OF THE ESTATE. SO, I WOULD IMAGINE SOMETIME THIS YEAR, THE THREE HOUSES SHE OWNED HERE WILL BE SOLD AND TORN DOWN OR REFURBISHED. ONE IS QUITE LARGE ON A LARGE CORNER LOT AND INCLUDES A CARRIAGE TYPE BUILDING AT THE REAR OF THE LOT. IT IS SAID THAT FOR YEARS, MANY KIDDED THE HOUSE WAS HAUNTED. ANOTHER OF HER HOMES IS LOCATED IN MAQUOKETA'S HISTORIC DISTRICT, NEAR CARSON AND SON FUNERAL HOME. IT HAS TREES AND SHRUBS IN FRONT OF IT AND IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE WHEN DRIVING PAST ON WEST PLEASANT STREET. I'VE BEEN TOLD THERE ARE ALSO ABOUT A DOZEN VINTAGE CADILACS SHE STILL OWNED THAT ARE IN THE ESTATE. AN INTERESTING WOMAN, TO SAY THE LEAST, FROM MAQUOKETA'S PAST. WORD OF HER DEATH THIS SPRING WAS NEVER
IN THE NEWS LOCALLY. ANYONE OUT THERE REMEMBER THE TILTONS? BY THE WAY, THEY WERE NOT RELATED TO THE CURRENT TILTONS IN MAQUOKETA OR BELLEVUE.

HAVE A GOOD WEEKEND AND HOPE TO HAVE MORE REGULAR REPORTS STARTING NEXT WEEK.
DON'T FORGET, IF YOU WANT A CHANCE TO WIN $1,000 OR $500, OR $250....I HAVE ROTARY
DUCKS FOR SALE...AND ALL SOLD WILL BE ENTERED IN THE ROTARY DUCK RACE, MONDAY, JUNE 21ST.
$5 A DUCK OR $10 FOR THREE. A LIST OF DUCK OWNERS AND MORE INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON THE ROTARY WEB SITE...www.maquoketa-rotary.org JUST MAIL YOUR $5 OR $10 CHECK TO
ME AT BOX 940, MAQUOKETA, IOWA, 52060. I'LL MENTION YOUR BUY ON THIS REPORT AND YOU WILL BE ADDED TO THE LIST OF DUCK OWNERS ON THE WEB SITE. AND, YOU WILL BE HELPING THE ROTARY WITH THEIR MANY COMMUNITY PROJECTS.

TAKE CARE.

DENNIS VOY