WYOMING...THE CHRISTMAS CITY

      WYOMING...UNDER THE CANOPY OF LIGHTS

      MAIN STREET OF WYOMING IOWA
FOR YEARS, WYOMING HAS BEEN CALLED THE CHRISTMAS CITY.   THE SIGNS
AT THE ROADS LEADING INTO TOWN SAY IT.     AND SATURDAY NIGHT, THEY
HAD THEIR CHRISTMAS CITY CELEBRATION FROM 4 UNTIL 8 P.M.   NANCY AND I TOOK MY CAMERA  AND WE HAD A GREAT CHRISTMAS TIME.

FOR PARENTS AND KIDS, THIS PONY-CART RIDE AND THEY ALSO HAD A LARGER HORSE AND WAGON RIDE SEATING AROUND 10.

SANTA (STEVE FISHWILD) TALKED TO HUNDREDS OF KIDS AND GAVE THEM
A TREAT TO TAKE HOME.    YES..THERE WAS FACE PAINTING FOR THE KIDS TOO.    SANTA WAS IN THE LARGE WYOMING LIBRARY AND INSIDE WERE MULTIPLE THINGS FOR KIDS TO DO WHILE WARMING UP.    MAIN STREET WAS CLOSED, SO PEOPLE COULD STROLL UP AND DOWN THE STREET OR ON
THE NEW CITY SIDEWALKS WITH RAILINGS.

THIS VOLUNTEER, THOUGH OUTSIDE, HAD A NICE WARM JOB, STANDING NEXT TO THE FIRE PIT FOR MAKING "SMORES".     I TOOK THE MARSHMALLOW ON STICK IN HIS HAD AND CHARRED IT, THEN WENT INSIDE THE BARBER AND BEAUTY  SHOP FOR THE GRAHAM CRACKER AND
CHOCOLATE.    DEEEELICIOUS.    SORRY, DID NOT GET NAMES OF EITHER.

THERE WAS ENTERTAINMENT IN FRONT OF CITY HALL WITH MR. WYOMING, JIM EICHORN AS M-C AND ABOVE, SINGING CHRISTMAS CAROLS, BONNIE
CUMMINGS.

THE FAMOUS WYOMING LIONS CARMEL CORN WAGON WAS PARKED ON
MAIN STREET AND I STOPPED AND BOUGHT A BAG.....AND IT IS GOOD.

NEXT, WE WENT INTO THE OLD POST OFFICE MUSEUM NEXT DOOR, JUST
EAST OF THE HOTEL MUSEUM.    ABOVE IS THE UNIFORM OF GAYLORD
WILLMAN, DONATED BY HIS SON BRENT OF CEDAR RAPIDS.      MANY OF YOU REMEMBER MR. WILLMAN, YOUR SCHOOL PRINCIPAL, A JOB HE HAD FOR
AROUND 35 YEARS IN MAQUOKETA.    HE HAD ONE OTHER SON BRIAN,
(NO DAUGHTERS) AND BRIAN IS RETIRED FROM MICROSOFT IN CALIFORNIA.
NEITHER SON MARRIED.    THEIR MOTHER PLAYED THE HARP AND IT IS ON
DISPLAY AT THE MUSEUM IN MAQUOKETA.

AT THE RESTORED WYOMING HOTEL, WE WERE GREETED BY CURATOR
JOYCE FISHWILD, STANDING AT THE SODA FOUNTAIN AT MARTY BODKIN'S
EARLY 1900'S PHARMACY, WHICH TAKES UP ABOUT HALF THE FIRST FLOOR
OF HOTEL.    HER HUSBAND IS RICHARD AND HE IS VICE PRESIDENT OF THE
MUSEUM BOARD.    THIS SUMMER, THERE WAS A BAD BIG FIRE AT THE SWINGING BAR TAVERN NEXT DOOR.     THANKS TO THE WYOMING AND
AREA FIREMEN AND MAQUOKETA'S BIG AREAL TRUCK, THE HOTEL MUSEUM
WAS SAVED.    BUT, LOTS AND LOTS OF CLEAN-UP AND RE-PAINTING WORK
HAD TO BE DONE AFTER AND NOW...IT LOOKS SHARP FROM CORNERS TO
CORNERS.    EARLY IN HIS LIFE, MARTY WAS A PHARMACIST IN MAQUOKETA.

THE WYOMING HOTEL OPENED IN 1878 (TWO YEARS AFTER THE DECKER IN MAQUOKTA) AND WAS IN BUSINESS WITH 13 ROOMS ON THE SECOND FLOOR
UNTIL 1932.    AT THE FOOT OF THE STAIRS IS THIS BARBER SHOP, COMPLETE
WITH A CONSOLE RADIO.    ALL 13 ROOMS ARE FILLED WITH ANTIQUES.

LOOKING DOWN THE CORRIDOR WITH ROOMS ON EACH SIDE.   ON THE WALLS, PHOTOS OF WYOMING HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATING CLASSES.

THE RIFLE ROOM....THESE CIVIL WAR RIFFLES WERE JUST DONATED THIS YEAR.

A REALLY OLD RADIO IN A DOWNSTAIRS HALLWAY.    THE BASEMENT OF THE HOTEL HAS ALL FARM ANTIQUES.

BACK OUTSIDE THE "LIVE" NATIVITY SCENE.

DOWNTOWN'S NEWEST BUILDING, WEST OF HOTEL, RACK'S SWINGING DOOR, IN SAME LOCATION OF THE ONE THAT BURNED DOWN

CAULKIN'S SQUARE WAS OPEN SATURDAY NIGHT TOO.
DR. CAULKIN'S CAME FROM OUT EAST TO BEGIN PRACTICE IN THE EARLY 1900'S IN WYOMING, AT THE URGING OF A DOCTOR IN MAQUOKETA.    THE NAME ESCAPES ME.    HIS FIRST LITTLE OFFICE NEAR THE STREET WAS OPEN AND MAYOR KEITH SOMERVILLE WAS IN THERE, GREETING PATIENTS.
INSIDE THE CAULKIN'S HOME, WE WERE GREETED BY AL WILLMAN
(GAYLORD WAS HIS UNCLE) AND SUE BRODERSON.    BOTH  HAVE BEEN
ON THE ORIGINAL BOARD THAT TOOK THE REINS AFTER THE HOUSE AND
BLOCK OF LAND WAS GIFTED TO THE CITY.     REDECORATING WAS DONE,
BUT THE FURNITURE (AND CLOTHING IN THE CLOSIT) WAS ALL OWNED AND
USED BY THE CAULKIN'S.   NOW, THE BOARD GETS OVER $100,000 A YEAR
TO UPKEEP AND ENHANCE THE SQUARE.     A BIG TWO STORY "BARN" (A COMMUNITY BUILDING)   WAS BULDT SEVERAL YEARS AGO AND IS USED
FOR SPEICAL EVENTS IN WYOMING, AND WAS OPEN SATURDAY.

THE DINING ROOM
THE  HOME IS NOT OPEN ON A REGULAR BASIS, BUT SUE OR AL WILL GLADLY OPEN IT AND GIVE TOURS.   JUST GIVE THEM A CALL.

THIS DRESSER WAS MADE IN CANTON, IOWA

THIS BEDSPREAD WAS GIVEN TO CAULKIN'S BY THE MAQUOKETA DOCTOR
FRIEND.   HIS AND OTHER SIGNATURES ARE ON IT, INCLUDING A
U.S. PRESIDENT SIGNATURE.    I FORGOT WHICH PRESIDENT.

WE STOPPED IN AT THE DOWNTOWN MEMORIAL HALL FOR HOMEMADE SOUP AND A SANDWICH TO CONCLUDE OUR VISIT TO....
   WYOMING, THE CHRISTMAS CITY
VISIT WYOMING BEFORE CHRISTMAS OR SOMETIME IN THE NEW YEAR, VISIT
THE OLD POST OFFICE...AND THE HOTEL...AND CAULKIN'S SQUARE.
AND IN JUNE, TAKE IN THE WYOMING FAIR AND HORSE SHOW.

PHOTOS AND EXPLANATIONS BY...
DENNIS VOY
kmaq@kmaq.com