WEDNESDAY MORNING....AND WE HAVE HAD LIGHT RAIN. MORE COMING.

TONIGHT, THE 33RD ANNUAL MAQUOKETA ROTARY CLUB ICE CREAM SOCIAL AND BAND CONCERT AT THE JACKSON COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS IN MAQUOKETA, STARTING AT 6:00 P.M. THE ROTARY BEGAN THIS SUMMERTIME EVENT IN 1976, DURING MAQUOKETA'S ONE-WEEK U.S. BICENTENNIAL CELEBRATION AND I WAS ON THE MAQUOKETA CELEBRATIN COMMITTEE. THE SOCIAL HAS BEEN HELD EVERY YEAR SINCE AND THE CHAIRMEN CONTINUES TO BE ROTARIAN TED MAZE. IN THE EARLY YEARS, THE ICE CREAM WAS HOME-MADE ON A BUNCH OF ICE CREAM MAKERS THAT WE PLUGGED IN TO EVERY AVAILABLE OUTLET.
MOST OF THE TIME, WE (I'M A ROTARIAN SINCE 1965) HAD THE EVENT AT THE FIRST WARD PARK. SEVERAL YEARS AGO, WE MOVED IT TO THE FAIRGROUNDS, IN THE OUTDOOR SHELTER ADJACENT TO BOYER HALL. SO, IN CASE OF RAIN, IT CAN EASILY BE MOVED INDOORS. THE MAQUOKETA TIMBER CITY BAND
DIRECTED BY JAY KAHN, GIVES THE CONCERT. IT IS MADE OF MUSICIANS (FORMER HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE BAND PEOPLE) WHO LIKE TO GET TOGETHER IN THE SUMMER TO PLAY SOME OF THE FAVORITE MARCHES THAT THEY PLAYED YEARS AGO. IT IS A FUN EVENT AND ALL SENIORS IN MAQUOKETA AND THE SURRONDING AREA ARE INVITED. NO CHARGE AND BRING YOUR LAWNCHAIRS.

DON'T FORGET TO CHECK THE PHOTO BELOW, THAT I POSTED YESTERDAY, OF
VAUGHN MONROE WHEN HE VISITED MAQUOKETA. I'M HAPPY TO SAY THAT I GOT A SURPRISE EMAIL THIS MORNING FROM SOMEONE THAT GAVE ME MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE VAUGHN MONROE APPEARANCE. AND I HAVE SOME CORRCTIONS ALSO. THE EMAIL CAME FROM SALLY SCHROEDER, WHO IS THE DEAN FOR HEALTH AND PUBLIC SERVICES AT THE DES MOINES AREA COMMUNITY COLLEGE IN ANKENY. SHE SAID: "DENNIS, I LIKED YOUR PICTURE OF VAUGHN
MONROE! I WAS IN THE MISS JACKSON COUNTY PAGEANT IN 1966 AND HAVE FOND MEMORIES OF MR. MONROE BEING IN THE PARADE, MCING THE PAGEANT AND EVEN GIVING ME A KISS AS FIRST RUNNER-UP." I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN THE EVENT WAS NOT IN THE 70'S AS I SAID. CLINTON ENGINES WENT BANKRUPT IN 1966 AND
LOWELL HAAS WOULD HAVE LEFT MAQUOKETA SOMETIME SOON AFTER THAT.
I EMAILED SALLY BACK FOR MORE INFORMATION AND HERE IT IS.
SALLY'S MAIDEN NAME WAS SPIELMAN. HER MOTHER WAS THERESE JANSEN, WHO RAN THE NURSING HOME ON CLARK STREET. SHE MARRIED BILL SCHROEDER AND BOTH ARE 1965 GRADS OF MCHS AND WILL CELEBRATE THEIR 40TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY NEXT MONTH. HER FATHER-IN-LAW IS ASHER SCHROEDER HERE IN MAQUOKETA. SHE SAID IT WAS A "MISS JACKSON COUNTY" PAGEANT, NOT
"MISS MAQUOKETA" AND IT WAS AN OFFICIAL MISS AMERICA PAGEANT. SHE SAYS SHE REMEMBERS GOING TO DAVENPORT FOR THE MISS IOWA EVENT. SHE GOES ON TO SAY THAT IT WAS THE SUMMER OF 1966, BUT THE TROPHY SAYS 1967. SHE
WAS IN NURSING SCHOOL IN DUBUQUE THOSE YEARS AND HER NURSING CLASS RECENTLY HELD THEIR 40TH REUNION.
SO...THAT'S THE STORY UPDATE. VAUGHN MONROE APPEARING IN MAQUOKETA 42 YEARS AGO THIS SUMMER. THE INTERNET HAS A LOT ABOUT HIM.....JUST GOOGLE HIS NAME. HE DIED YOUNG, ON MAY 21, 1973. NOW...ONLY THING I STILL HAVE NOT TOLD YOU.......WHO WAS THE 1ST PLACE WINNER OF THAT 1966 PAGEANT. I'M SURE WE'LL FIND THAT OUT TOO.
THERE WAS A TUESDAY DAILY REPORT....BELOW. AND...I MAY HAVE THE REGULAR WEDESDAY REPORT LATER TODAY. HAVE A GOOD WEDNESDAY.
DENNIS VOY