Wednesday, October 19, 2011

WINDY AND COLD TODAY....NO SUN....48 TODAY.
ANOTHER DAY OF SAME COMING AND THEN FRIDAY-SATURDAY AND SUNDAY SHOULD BE
NICE AGAIN.
DES MOINES AREA HAD SOME SNOW THIS MORNING.

JOHN PORTER, OWNER OF CAVES ROAD ANTIQUES FOR MANY YEARS, HAS DONATED HIS
ANTIQUE STORE INVENTORY TO THE JACKSON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY. SOME
OF THE ITEMS WILL GO INTO THEIR TWO MAQUOKETA MUSEUMS AND THE REST WILL
BE SOLD AT AUCTION WITH THE PROCEEDS GOING TO THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
JOHN'S A GOOD GUY! HE WAS MY KMAQ MORNING ANNOUNCER AND CHIEF ENGINEER
BACK IN 60'S. KMAQ-FM WENT ON THE AIR IN THE FALL OF 1967 (JUST IN
TIME FOR MHS FOOTBALL SEASON) AND JOHN HOOKED UP THAT FIRST FM TRANSMITTER. WE WERE AM-ONLY UNTIL THEN AND COULD NOT BE ON-THE-AIR
AT NIGHT, SO WHEN FM CAME, IT WAS A BIG DEAL AS WE COULD THEN BROADCAST
THE GAMES "LIVE" AT NIGHT. FM STATIONS COULD BROADCAST AT NIGHT. NO MORE TAPING THE GAME AND PLAYING IT BACK THE NEXT MORNING.
MANY OF YOU WILL REMEMBER GLEE PORTER, JOHN'S MOTHER, WHO WORKED AS A WRITER
FOR BOB MELVOLD AT THE NEWSPAPER OFFICE.

ANOTHER ANNOUNCER FROM THE PAST AT KMAQ, JIM DOYNE, WAS IN TOWN TODAY WITH
HIS WIFE OF 50 YEARS, JOYCE. NANCY AND I HAD LUNCH WITH THEM AT THE
DECKER. I HIRED JIM IN THE EARLY 60'S (HAD WORKED AT KROS IN CLINTON) AND
HE STAYED FOR NEARLY A YEAR AND THEN B.M. JACOBSON, OWNER OF KROS, CAME
TO TOWN ONE DAY AND HIRED HIM BACK. HE AND JOYCE GOT
MARRIED WHILE JIM WAS WORKING AT KMAQ AND THEY HAD THEIR FIRST UPSTAIRS APARTMENT IN THE HOUSE JUST NORTH OF THE WINCE O'CONNOR USED CAR BUILDING ON NORTH MAIN STREET IN MAQUOKETA. JIM IS RETIRED AFTER 35 YEARS WITH WMT BUT STILL DOES HIS POPULAR OLDIES SUNDAY AFTERNOON SHOW AT 600 RADIO, FROM 2 UNTIL 7 P.M. THEY HAVE 2 KIDS AND 3 GRANDKIDS. ONE OF THE 3 GRANDKIDS GRADUATES FROM IOWA NEXT YEAR AND THE OTHER TWO ARE IN HIGH SCHOOL...A JUNIOR AND A SENIOR AND THEY PLAN TO GO TO IOWA OR IOWA STATE. NICE TO TALK OVER THE OLD DAYS OF RADIO WITH JIM TODAY.

AT THE LIONS CLUB MEETING LAST THURSDAY NIGHT, VERL AND KATHY BANOWETZ
TOLD ME THEY SOLD THEIR LARGE BANOWETZ ANTIQUES BUILDING NEAR THE 61 AND 64 INTERSECTION TO MARK EDWARDS. THE SMALLER BUILDING ACROSS THE STREET WILL BE KEPT BY THEM AND THEY WILL USE IT FOR A SCALED-DOWN BANOWETZ ANTIQUES. THEY SAID MARK AND SON DUSTIN ARE GIVING SOME THOUGHT TO HAVING THEIR OWN ANTIQUE BUSINESS IN THE OLD LARGE BUILDING. WHEN I HEAR FURTHER PLANS,
I WILL LET YOU KNOW.

THANKS FOR THE VISIT.

DENNIS VOY