SO FAR THIS WEEK, 1 AND 1/10 INCHES OF RAIN AND A LITTLE MORE (MAYBE A LITTLE SNOW TOO) IS COMING LATER. TODAY, DRY, CLOUDY AND IN 50'S.

FIRST, HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY WISHES TO MEL STILES. MEL WAS 91 YESTERDAY.
I CALLED HIM YESTERDAY MORNING TO WISH HIM HAPPY BIRTHDAY AND HAD A
CHAT WITH HIM. HE LIVES ALONE (WIFE BERNICE DIED YEARS AGO) AND IS DOING
WELL. LIKE EVERYONE, HE IS CONCERNED ABOUT THE ECONOMY AND REMEMBERS WELL THE DEPRESSION IN 1931. WHEN I CAME TO TOWN IN 1958, I TOOK MY
LAUNDRY WEEKLY TO STILES CLEANERS, RUN BY MEL AND BERNICE. IN 1974, THEY DECIDED TO RETIRE AND I BOUGHT THEIR BUILDING, HELD A PUBLIC SALE OF
THEIR EQUIPMENT AND CONVERTED THE BUILDING TO THE VOY 2 THEATRE.
IT OPENED IN THE WINTER OF 1975.

MAQUOKETA WILL BECOME FAMOUS STARTING THIS FALL. ROSE FRANZEN'S
"PORTRAIT OF MAQUOKETA" WILL BE SEEN BY AN ESTIMATED MILLION PEOPLE
AT THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION AND NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY IN
WASHINGTON, D.C. THERE ARE 180 HEAD-AND-SHOULDER PORTRAITS OF
PEOPLE LIVING WITHIN A TWO MILE RADIUS OF MAQUOKETA THAT SHE PAINTED
IN A DOWNTOWN STOREFRONT IN 2005 AND 2006. THE EXHIBIT WILL OPEN
NOVEMBER 6TH AND WILL END NEXT JULY 6, 2010. LAST YEAR, ALL 180 WERE ON DISPLAY FOR SOMETIME AT THE OHNWARD FINE ARTS CENTER IN MAQUOKETA AND SOME OF THEM ALSO WERE IN SHOWS AT DUBUQUE AND CHICAGO.
NEXT SUMMER, THEY WILL BE PUT ON DISPLAY AGAIN IN MAQUOKETA, PROBABLY IN THE FORMER OSTERHAUS PHARMACY BUILDING DOWNTOWN WHERE THE
MAQUOKETA ARTS CONNECTION IS NOW LOCATED IN PART OF THE BUILDING.
THEN, WHO KNOWS HOW MANY TOURISTS WILL VISIT MAQUOKETA MONTH AFTER MONTH, YEAR AFTER YEAR, TO SEE THE PORTRAITS THAT WERE ON DISPLAY IN OUR NATION'S CAPITOL FOR OVER 6 MONTHS. KMAQ TRAVEL IS MAKING PLANS TO TAKE A BUS TO WASHINGTON D.C. NEXT SPRING TO TOUR THE CITY AND
VISIT THE FRANZEN DISPLAY AT THE SMITHSONIAN.

THE MAQUOKETA HIGH SCHOOL VOCAL MUSIC DEPARTMENT WILL PUT ON
THE MUSICAL "GREASE" ON APRIL 3RD AND 4TH AT THE OHNWARD CENTER,
DIRECTED BY JOEL HAGEN. EVAN COLLISTER WILL PLAY THE LEADING MALE
ROLE OF DANNY ZUKO, LEADER OF THE POPULAR T-BIRDS AND COOL GUY ON CAMPUS. ADDIE FELTEN TAKES ON THE LEADING FAMALE ROLE OF SANDY.

THE MAQUOKETA AMERICAN LEGION AUXILIARY IS STILL ACTIVE AND
HAD 13 AT THEIR MEETING EARLY THIS MONTH. MONA EASTMAN IS PRESIDENT.
PHYLLIS ROCKWELL IS TREASURER AND DOLORES KLEIN IS MEMBERSHIP CHAIRMAN. AMERICANISM CHAIRMAN IS BETTY HOFFMAN.
I DON'T KNOW OTHER OFFICERS. THE LEGION MEN I UNDERSTAND ARE
NOT AS ACTIVE, BUT THERE ARE SOME MEMBERS AVAILABLE FOR PARADES AND MILITARY FUNERALS. I HAVE BEEN A MEMBER FOR MANY YEARS BUT NEVER ATTEND MEETINGS. AND THAT IS THE CASE WITH MOST MEMBERS.
THE LEGION OWNS THE BUILDING ON THE CORNER DOWNTOWN WHERE
A LADIES STORE WAS FOR MANY YEARS. JUST RECENTLY, A CELL PHONE STORE WAS THERE AND MOVED TO WEST PLATT. SO, THE STORE IS NOW EMPTY.
THE LEGION CLUBROOM, OFFICE AND KITCHEN IS UPSTAIRS. THE BASEMENT WAS A BAR FOR MANY YEARS BUT HAS BEEN CLOSED A LONG TIME. THE VFW
IN MAQUOKETA IS ALSO NOT VERY STRONG THESE DAYS, BUT STILL OPERATES FROM THEIR BUILDING NORTH OF THE CITY. A BOY SCOUT BREAKFAST WILL BE THERE THIS SUNDAY. I ALSO BELONG TO THE VFW.
WITH ALL ORGANIZATIONS TODAY, MEMBERSHIP IS DOWN AND NOT ACTIVE....
JUST TOO MANY THINGS GOING ON, ESPECIALLY WITH YOUNG FAMILY MEMBERS.
SENIORS KEEP MOST ORGANIZATIONS GOING, INCLUDING MOST CHURCHES.

A MAQUOKETA MAN HAS BEEN ARRESTED IN CONNECTION WITH THE BURGLARY
OF THE IRENE MYATT HOME IN RURAL BELLEVUE, MARCH 9TH. TERRY PINAIRE, AGE 45, WAS CHARGED WITH BURGLARY IN THE 3RD DEGREE AND IS BEING HELD
IN THE JACKSON COUNTY DETENTION CENTER.

THE GOVERNOR DID COME TO MAQUOKETA AND THE CITY HALL CHAMBERS
WERE NEARLY FULL. HE CAME TO PROMOTE HIS PLAN TO USE $750 MILLION
IN BONDS FOR A JOBS PROGRAM FOR THE STATE, TO BE PAID BACK IN 20 OR MORE YEARS WITH CASINO AND LOTTERY PROFITS. HIS IDEA IS UNPOPULAR.
MOST WOULD LIKE TO SEE HIM RAISE THE GAS TAX AND CREATE JOBS IMMEDIATELY BY REPAIRING ROADS AND BRIDGES.....AND PAYING AS WE GO.
I AGREE. ROADS AND BRIDGES ARE IN BAD NEED OF WORK.

ENOUGH FOR TODAY. HAVE A GOOD DAY AND NIGHT.

DENNIS VOY

THIS WEEK, FIRE CHIEF MARK BECK AND MAYOR TOM MESSERLI (SHOWN HERE)
WERE IN THE CORNER BUILDING DOWNTOWN THAT WAS PURCHASED BY MIDAS
AND WILL BE TORN DOWN SOON. IN THE DOWNTOWN FIRE, THIS BUILDING WAS SAVED. PRIOR TO THE FIRE, IT WAS NEARLY READY TO OPEN AS A DELI RESTAURANT. OVER THE YEARS, IT WAS THE BUILDING FOR RINGLEP HARDWARE, KENDALL MEN'S WEAR, A BOOK STORE, AND A SCRAPBOOK STORE. MANY YEARS AGO, IT ALSO HAD A BARBER SHOP IN THE BASEMENT, THAT ONE COULD GET TO FROM A STAIRWAY OFF THE SIDEWALK THAT IS STILL THERE, BUT BLOCKED OFF. THIS SIGN WAS PAINTED ON THE WALL IN THE BASEMENT. I DOUBT IF THIS SIGN WAS INTENDED FOR BARBER SHOP CUSTOMERS, SO THERE MUST HAVE BEEN A DIFFERENT BUSINESS AT ONE TIME THAT THE SIGN WAS FOR.
ANYWAY, INTERESTING SIGN. THIS PHOTO TAKEN BY CHIEF BECK.
DENNIS VOY