NICE SUNNY DAY AGAIN!
ATTENDED THE FIREMEN'S BREAKFAST THIS MORNING.....
THEN TO FIRST LUTHERAN CHURCH 9 A.M. SERVICE.
THE FIREMEN AND WIVES HAVE QUITE A SYSTEM FOR IT....NEVER A LINE....
AND GOOD FOOD OF COURSE. FIRST LUTHERAN IS STILL IN THE PROCESS
OF CALLING A NEW PASTOR TO SUCCEED PASTOR JERRY GJERDE WHO RETIRED IN JANUARY. THEY HOPE TO HAVE SOMEONE BY LATE THIS YEAR.
YESTERDAY, I DID A REMOTE BROADCAST FROM THE DELMAR DEPOT, NOW REOPENED BY THE ROCK ISLAND LINE SOCIETY. THEY RENT THE DEPOT FROM THE CITY AND HAVE MADE IT INTO A FIRST CLASS RAILROAD MUSUEM, OPEN WEEKEND.
NO ADMISSION. BUT THEY MIGHT LIKE YOU TO BUY SOMETHING IN THEIR
GIFT SHOP. WILL BE A GOOD TOURIST ATTRACTION FOR DELMAR.
TODAY, I WILL DO A REMOTE BROADCAST FROM CLOVER RIDGE ASSISTED LIVING PLACE UP ON THE HILL NEAR THE 61-64 INTERSECTION. ONE OF THE RESIDENTS
IS GOING TO BE TREATED TO A HOT AIR BALLOON RIDE. IF YOU LIVE IN
MAQUOKETA, KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE SKY AROUND 6 TONIGHT OR COME ON UP AND WATCH. THEY WILL HAVE FREE ICECREAM TOO.
THE MAQUOKETA NEWSPAPER BUILDING ON WEST QUARRY STREET, ACROSS THE
STREET NORTH OF POST OFFICE, IS UP FOR SALE. SINCE THEY NO LONGER PRINT THE PAPER THERE, THEY HAVE MORE ROOM THAN NEEDED. THE PAPER IS PRINTED
AT WEB PRINTING IN THE INDUSTRIAL AREA OF MAQUOKETA, WHICH THEY OWN.
THE NEWSPAPER STAFF, AFTER SOME REMODELING, WILL MOVE INTO THE
WEB BUILDING. THE BUILDING ON QUARRY WAS BUILT IN 1965 AND WHEN IT OPENED, THERE WERE LARGE WINDOWS ON THE EAST SIDE AND THROUGH THOSE
YOU COULD SEE THE BIG PRESS PRINTING THE PAPER. BOB MELVOLD WAS OWNER THEN (NOW DECEASED)AND TYPED LOTS OF STORIES THERE OVER THE YEARS.
I'M NOT SURE IF HE EVER WENT COMPUTER BEFORE HE DIED. HIS WIFE FRANCIS
LIVE HERE IN THE SUMMER AND IN FLORIDA IN WINTER. THE MELVOLD FAMILY
RUNS THE PAPER (ALSO BELLEVUE HERALD) AND THE WEB PRINTING COMPANY.
WONDER WHO WILL BUY THAT NICE BUILDING DOWNTOWN, WITH A COUPLE PARKING LOTS. I WILL KEEP YOU POSTED.
THE HIGH WINDS BLEW DOWN MANY FLAGS LAST SUNDAY IN MAQUOKETA, THAT
WERE IN THE AVENUE OF FLAGS AT MT. HOPE CEMETERY. FIRST, RAIN GOT
THEM WET AND THEN THE STORM BEGAN AND THE WEIGHT OF THE WET FLAGS
BENT THE POLES. ALL 350 FLAGS WERE TAKEN DOWN AND PUT UP TO DRY
AT THE PEARSON CENTER ON THE FAIRGROUNDS. MONDAY NIGHT, THEY WERE
FOLDED AND PUT AWAY, EXCEPT FOR NEARLY 100 THAT NEED TO BE REPLACED.
THE NAME OF EACH DONAR IS ON EACH FLAG AND THE FAMILY WILL BE NOTIFIED.
THEN, IT IS HOPED THESE FAMILIES AND COMMUNITY DONATIONS WILL RAISE ENOUGH TO REPLACE THEM. THE POLE AND FLAG COST OVER $100.
COMMANDERS OF THE AMERICAN LEGION (CLIFF MERRICK) AND VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS (TOM WATTERS) WILL HEAD-UP THE FUND DRIVE. MORE ON THAT
LATER. THE FLAGS WERE NOT UP FOR MAQUOKETA'S MEMORIAL DAY SERVICE
MONDAY MORNING BECAUSE OF THE STORM.
I GAVE THE MEMORIAL DAY ADDRESS AT THE OXFORD JUNCTION CEMETERY....
HIGH UP ON A HILL....AND IT WAS WINDY THERE MONDAY MORNING. THEY
ALSO HAVE AN AVENUE OF FLAGS. TOOK A LITTLE DOING ....HOLDING THE MIKE IN ONE HAND AND THE NOTE PAPERS IN THE OTHER, BUT I MANAGED. NANCY SAID I
DID GOOD.
THE HALF-SCALE VIETNAM MEMORIAL ARRIVES IN MAQUOKETA JUNE 23RD, FOR 5 DAYS. IT IS NEARLY A FOOTBALL FIELD LONG, MADE OF ALUMINUM PANELS AND
HAS THE NAMES ON THEM OF OVER 50,000 KILLED IN VIETNAM. THERE WILL BE AN OPENING CEREMONY AT 4 P.M. THE 23RD AND THE STATE COMMANDER OF THE
AMERICAN LEGION WILL SPEAK. THE DISPLAY WILL BE ON THE FAIRGROUNDS AND UNDER 24 HOUR GUARD. THOUSANDS ARE EXPECTED TO VISIT MAQUOKETA TO SEE IT. NO OTHER IOWA APPEARANCE OF IT THIS YEAR. THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY WILL HAVE A VIETNAM WAR PROGRAM AT THEIR MUSEUM ON THE FAIRGROUNDS THAT SUNDAY AFTERNOON. IT IS COSTING THOUSANDS TO BRING THE WALL TO MAQUOKETA AND THERE HAS BEEN AN ON-GOING FUND DRIVE.
I THINK THEY ARE GETTING CLOSE TO THEIR GOAL.
THIS WEEK...THE 9TH....NELLIE AND CARLYLE STENDER OF MAQUOKETA ARE
CELEBRATING THEIR 70TH ANNIVERSARY! HOW ABOUT THAT. YOU MIGHT SEND THEM A CARD % MAQUOKETA CARE CENTER, GERMAN STREET, MAQUOKETA.
LARRY HAGER, LONGTIME SIGN PAINTER IN MAQUOKETA, WILL BE 90 THE 10TH
OF JUNE. HE NOW LIVES IN A VETERANS PLACE IN MARSHALLTOWN.
THE MAQUOKETA HIGH SCHOOL GOLF PROGRAM IS 50 YEARS OLD, ACCORDING
TO A NICE STORY IN PAPER BY JACK MARLOWE. WRESTLING COACH KAY YOUNG
STARTED THE PROGRAM AND IT HAS BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR GETTING LOTS
OF GOOD GOLFERS STARTED. TYLER STURTZ HAS THE BEST SCORE EVER BY AN MCHS TEAM PLAYER, A 33. BEST SCORE EVER CARDED IN MAQUOKETA, ON THE
OLD COURSE, WAS A 29 BY JOHN JACOBS, SR. HIS SON, JOHN JACOBS, JR., PLAYED ON MCHS GOLF TEAMS AND LIKE HIS DAD, PLAYED WELL. DICK SPECHT WAS A GOOD GOLFER AND NOW OWNS HIS OWN GOLF COURSE NEAR DUBUQUE. TWICE, THE MAQUOKETA GOLF TEAM TOOK SECOND AT STATE. JEFF REVIER WAS A LONGTIME
GOLF COACH HERE. GREAT GOLFER....NOT SURE WHERE HE LIVES NOW. WAS CLUB CHAMPION ONCE, MAYBE TWICE. GARY SEBBERT ALSO COACHED WELL FOR AROUND 10 YEARS. SORRY, DON'T KNOW WHERE ANY OF THESE FORMER COACHES
NOW LIVE. MAYBE YOU CAN HELP BY FILLING IN UNDER COMMENTS AFTER READING THIS REPORT. I NO LONGER PLAY GOLF, BUT MAY GET OUT THE CLUBS ONE OF THESE DAYS.
THERE IS A NEW 6,000 SQUARE FOOT HOME NORTH OF MAQUOKETA. NICE!
DROVE PAST IT THE OTHER DAY. VERY NICE.
NOTHING NEW ON THE WINDMILL FOR THE YMCA. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT
IT? UNDER COMMENTS BELOW, VOTE YES FOR BUILDING ONE...NO IF YOU
ARE AGAINST IT. NO NEED TO PUT IN YOUR NAME, BUT DO PUT IN MAQUOKETA, OR WHAT STATE YOU LIVE IN.
MAQUOKETA WILL HAVE A FREE FIREWORKS DISPLAY THE LAST SATURDAY NIGHT
OF THIS MONTH, AFTER THE STOCK CAR RACES, IN CELEBRATION TIMBER CITY DAYS AND THE VIETNAM WAR MEMORIAL VISIT.
TORQUE FEST IN 2012 IN MAQUOKETA, STILL A QUESTION. BUT PROMOTER
JOHN WELLS TOLD ME THIS WEEK HE IS GETTING CLOSER TO A DECISION AND
MAQUOKETA IS STILL VERY MUCH IN THE RUNNING.
THE BIG ANNUAL GARAGE SALE IS THIS WEEK AT THE FAIRGROUNDS, BY THE
HISTORICAL SOCIETY. STARTS TUESDAY AND ENDS SATURDAY. YOUR DONATIONS
WILL BE WELCOME. AND OF COURSE, THEY NEED BUYERS.....LOTS OF THEM.
THE GOVERNOR IS COMING TO MAQUOKETA THIS WEEK. MORE LATER.
THE FLY-IN BREAKFAST IS THREE WEEKS FROM TODAY AT THE AIRPORT.
THE ROTARY IS IN CHARGE THIS YEAR AND CHRIS PANKCAKES WILL BE
THE COOK. ROTARIEN WILL RENNER IS HEAD OF THE COMMITTEE.
IF YOU COME, YOU'LL GET TO SEE THE NEW PARKING LOT THERE WITH
A PAVED SIDE WALK TO THE TERMINAL DOOR.
HAVE A GOOD WEEK!!
DENNIS VOY
