FRIDAY DAILY

JACKSON COUNTY ECONOMIC ALLIANCE AND THE MAQUOKETA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE HELD A  DOWNTOWN WALK LATE YESTERDAY AFTERNOON,
VISITING PLACES WHERE INTERESTING THINGS ARE HAPPENING.   HERE, NIC HOCKENBERRY, ALLIANCE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, (BLUE WITH ARM UP) TALKS TO ONE OF THE TWO GROUPS ON THE TOUR.   HERE HE'S POINTING OUT
THE NEW WINDOWS INSTALLED LAST YEAR AT THE MIXICAN RESTAURANT,
"LA CASA DA PANCHO"     THEN ACROSS THE STREET TO THE CORNER BUILDING OWNED BY ATTORNEY JOSHUA REICKS TO SEE THE TWO LARGE TWO-BEDROOM APARTMENTS HE HAS HAD REMODELED AND ARE READY FOR RENT.     ONE OF THE KITCHENS IS BELOW....

THIS KITCHEN IS IN THE BACK APARTMENT.    THE FRONT APARTMENT LOOKS
OVER THE MAIN AND PLATT INTERSECTION.

INSIDE "PURE SALON" OWNER NICOLE NOTZ EXPLAINS WHAT IS BEING
DONE AT HER BUSINESS, AND WHILE THEY ARE STAYING OPEN AT THAT.
MATT, HER HUSBAND, WAS ALSO A LEADER OF THE TOUR AS HE IS CHAMBER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.      COVERING ON MOST WALLS WAS REMOVED UNCOVERING BRICK AND BRICK WILL BE LEFT EXPOSED.     NOTE THE HAMLIN'S SIGN AT EXTREME RIGHT ABOVE , AND BELOW....

THAT SIGN WILL STAY BE PART OF THE DECOR.     ALSO DISCOVERED UNDER 3 LAYERS (OVER THE YEARS) OF DIFFERENT WOOD PANELING WAS THE PAINTING BELOW.
IT WAS FOUND ON THE OTHER END OF THE NOTZ BUILDING AND WAS TAKEN OFF WALL AND PUT ON PLYWOOD TO BE PUT SOMEWHERE ELSE IN BUILDING LATER.

ANYONE KNOW WHO PAINTED THIS MURAL?  DEAN TELLEFSON WHO GRADUATED FROM MCHS (DAD WAS DON) EMAILED ME AND SAYS HE THINKS
THE MURAL ABOVE MAY HAVE BEEN PAINTED BY RICH MILLER, A BARBER WITH SHIFTY DAVIS.    HE SAID HIS DAD HAD RICH PAINT A SIMILAR MURAL IN THE BASEMENT OF THEIR HOME WHEN THEY LIVED ON NILES STREET IN LONGVIEW ADDITION IN MAQUOKETA.    THE BLACK MARKS ON MURAL  ARE LEFT FROM THE GLUE THAT KEEP PANELING IN PLACE.
"'PURE SALON" (WORK DONE BY CASEL CONSTRUCTION) WILL BE NEAT AND 
BEAUTIFUL (WITH NEW RESTROOM) AND THE HOME EVENTUALLY FOR SIX BEAUTICIANS.     AROUND A HUNDRED YEARS AGO, THIS CORNER  BUILDING WAS THE HOME OF "THE BIG FOUR" BARBER SHOP PICTURED IN YESTERDAY'S DAILY.    AND AT THE WEST END OF THIS BUILDING  WAS A TWO-CHAIR BARBERSHOP, WITH SHIFTY DAVIS AT ONE OF THE CHAIRS, BACK IN THE 50'S AND 60'S.   THAT SPACE WILL BE PART OF THE ENLARGED "PURE SALON".
.
MAQUOKETA HAS 9 BEAUTY SHOPS WITH    AROUND 20 STYLISTS.

 ABOVE, SUE MAYBERRY....SORRY PHOTO IS A LITTLE OUT OF FOCUS.

 BELOW, HER HUSBAND JIM  (ALONG SIDE OF RETIRED RICK DECKER)

SORRY AGAIN, LOW LIGHT FOR THIS PHOTO.    SUE AND JIM (OWNERS
NEARBY OF MAYBERRY APPLIANCE STORE) TOOK THEIR OTHER MAIN STREET BUILDING THEY HAVE OWNED FOR YEAR (FOR STORAGE AND REPAIR WORK) AND ARE CONVERTING IT INTO A SHARP TWO-STORY BUSINESS WITH ANTIQUES ON THE MAIN FLOOR AND WINE CELLAR IN BASEMENT, AND ARTWORK INCLUDED.   SUE IS IN THE BASEMENT AREA AND JIM ON MAIN FLOOR WITH FRONT MAIN STREET ENTRANCE IN BACKGROUND.

THERE ARE TWO STAIRS TO BASEMENT CELLAR.    THIS ONE TO THE FRONT
AND OTHER AT REAR.    OH, AND WAIT UNTIL YOU SEE THE MAIN FLOOR
ORIGINAL TIN CEILING, RESTORED TO A NEW LOOK AND PAINTED BLACK!
THIS NEW BUSINESS (NOT SURE IF IT HAS A NAME YET) WILL OPEN SOMETIME THIS SUMMER.     IT IS RIGHT ACROSS FROM THE "GREEN SPACE",
WHERE SEVERAL SUMMER ACTIVITIES ARE PLANNED AGAIN THIS SUMMER.

AND THERE ARE OTHER DOWNTOWN FACADE PROJECTS PLANNED, WITH
STATE AND FEDERAL FUNDS AVAILABLE FOR PARTIAL FUNDING OF EACH.
AFTER THE WALK, MOST CAME BACK TO THE CHAMBER OFFICE INSIDE
MAE QUARTERS, FOR DISCUSSION ON THE "GOINGS ON" IN DOWNTOWN
MAQUOKETA.    LEADING DISCUSSION AT LEFT, DAVE HEIAR, JACKSON COUNTY ECONOMIC ALLIANCE DIRECTOR.

THIS SPRING AND SUMMER, DOWNTOWN'S "NEW LOOK" WILL BE FURTHER
ENHANCED BY "PLANTINGS"  IN THE NEW, BIG STONE PLANTERS, AND IN THE 20 SMALLER PLANTERS ON ORDER, AND BY THE "PLACING" OF THE BANNERS ON THE NEW LIGHT POLES.      THERE'S EXCITEMENT IN DOWNTOWN MAQUOKETA. 

THE BOSS BABY IS NOW SHOWING AT THE VOY THEATRE!

HAVE YOU HEARD....ANYONE THAT GRADUATED
AT MAQUOKETA HIGH SCHOOL IN THE LAST 50 YEARS WILL BE GIVEN A $100 BILL FROM A
FORMER RICH MHS GRAD.   YOU (OR SOMEONE SENT BY YOU) WILL HAVE TO PICK IT UP DOWNTOWN ON APRIL 1ST.   

DENNIS VOY