Having lived on the east side of Des Moines for the past 30+ years, I’ve come to realize there are 2 types of people. State Fair goers and everybody else. There are just a certain per-cent of the population that attend the fair – at least once- if not more times every year. Only a cataclysmic event would keep them from attending. And this is not just “east-siders”, its across the state. There are sub-cultures at the fair. The carnies – the traveling guys who put up those rides and hawk their wares and try the darndest to get you to part with your money. Successful Email Marketing Boot Camp Then there is another level of people trying to take your money – the guys doing cooking demos, the Vita-Mixer guy, the salsa maker guy, the massage chair, the freezie maker – etc. There are the 4-H kids in the barns that wash and dry the animals, put fans on them, spray their hooves – treat them royally. These kids love to play tricks on the “city-slickers”, catch them off-guard by dropping a rubber spider from the rafters and watch our reaction! The campers – a city onto itself. Wow – have you driven through there? Or take the big John Deere wagon up for a look-see. People pass their camping sites down through generations, a 10 yr. waiting list! They decorate, construct decks, the appear to defy gravity stuck on the side of the hill and still level. Outside there are the car-parking-hawkers. They wave canes, wave flags, wear costumes, lure you in with the promise of a shuttle to and from, sell refreshments, offer to tatoo you and your kids for a nominal fee. Front and back yards are plotted out with precision to get the most revenue from the window of time available. My family are fair-goers. You either love it or you don’t. Comment about your favorite sub-culture.
Just like the Carly Simon song – Anticipation… Keeping Me Waiting… These are the Good Ole Days! The Iowa State Fair starts Thur. I cut through the fairgrounds all the time, avoiding traffic, driving through my own oasis of fond memories on my way home to Pleasant Hill. This time of year, it’s fun to watch the activity increase, the familiar stands appear, people already enjoying corndogs, the campers arrive – it all leads to the anticipation of the once a year event.
What’s your favoriate activity? Food? Free entertainment? Vendor demonstration? My favorite food is the cappacola sandwich at Crescenti’s. You must try it, it’s the best! Free entertainment – The wandering One Man Band – amazing exhibition of coordination, if not musical ability! Vendor demonstration – two are our faves. Outside the Varied Industries – the Salsa Maker man. Inside the Agriculture building, upper level – the Vita Mixer. We loved the demo so much, we bought one. And yes, after 6 years, we still use it!
Would love to know your favorite sights, smells, sounds –
Have you looked up instructions for DIY projects on the internet? Someone recently told me about a great way to cook Iowa corn on the cob in the microwave before husking. She said it cooks beautifully, and the husks and silk wipe clean eliminating the unpopular step of husking. “Just look on You-Tube. There’s a tutorial with an old man who walks you through the process.” I found a great recipe for meat-stuffed jalapenos, wrapped in bacon and glazed with honey and Bar-b-que. When someone asked me for the recipe – I went to the website, printed the recipe and passed it to her. I volunteer sorting books at the Hope Ministries Bargain Center. We can’t give a set of encyclopedias away – they go into the re-cycle bin. Who needs a set of books when you can “google” the topic and have the info in nano-seconds. Home-made bombs in mailboxes – now that’s the ugly information available on You Tube. Infomation on how to hack accounts, how to steal, how to trick Grandma into sending a check to help her favorite grandchild (or so she thinks…) in a precarious predicament. That is the dark side to the infomation highway. The ability to send X-Rated emails to your lover from the work computer and receiving the instant gratification of the illlicit response. Character counts. And what we do when we think no one is looking reveals our true character.
The Summerfest celebration begins with a parade at 10:00 AM. The route starts at RE/MAX Real Estate Group’s office and ends at Doan’s Park. Check out the schedule on the Pleasant Hill Chamber site. There is a car show at the 5 & Diner starting at 11:00 AM. At 3:00 the festivities continue at Sleepy Hollow Sports Park. Some of the activities that are not listed:Face painting, provided by Courtyard Estates,”Break the Board” provided by Triumph Martial Arts, and we will also be having a Dance Performance at approximately 3:30. There will also be several food items such as: Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, Brats, Pizza, Taco’s, Tropical Sno, Ice Cream Sandwiches and much more!Don’t miss out on all there is to do this Saturday. Admittance is free! Food, Beverages and Inflatables will have a cost. The cost for an all day inflatables wristband is $5.00 for children over 5, $3.00 for children 5 & under, remember your $1.00 off coupon in order to save!
Some things just seem so obvious, you wonder why the Important People in Suits didn’t figure it out. When they turned Walnut St. downtown into a buses only street, why would you be surprised that business on the street level would be negatively affected? So, the Dart busses will be leaving Walnut and a big effort will begin to bring business and patrons back to the center of downtown. The East Village has seen a boost, the Western Gateway in underway, it’s time to revitalize the heart of downtown. Watch for new things to be coming in 2013. Read the whole story here.
We stayed in Clear Lake for a week – the weather was beautiful. The town does a great job with their image, with activities and attractions. We were within a stone’s throw of the lake- scenic and relaxing. But the highlight for me was touring two of Frank Lloyd Wrights buildings.
One is the newly renovated Park Hotel. The other was the Stockman House. It is one of FLW’s $5,000 fireproof houses. It was deigned after the Chicago fires with the common man in mind. The Stockman House was built by a Dr., but still a modest home. Some of the things I learned from our tourguide:
Frank Lloyd Wright wanted to create a style of home that was uniquely American. He didn’t want to build Tudor or Victorian or 4-Square.
FLW wanted the homes to be in harmony with the landscape.
Amazing attention to detail and balance. Even when they design is asymetrical, it is perfectly balanced. A lot of horizontal lines. Large overhangs incorporated drainage. Wide “baseboard” detail grounded the building with the landscape.
He traveled extensively, often to Japan. He loved Japanese art and thought it was best complemented his buildings.
He was the father of 6 kids, but ran off to Japan with another man’s wife.
Ribbon windows are a trademark, walls would fit precisely between the windows to maintain balance.
Wright designed furniture unique to his homes and expected that their location and function would stay when he had left.
There is a lot of unique and impressive homes within blocks of the Stockman house in Mason City. It is also the home of Meredith Wilson – the author of Music Man.
We all know that a picture is worth a thousand words. When we list a house to sell, we routinely schedule a professional stager to consult with the seller. After the “to-do” list is complete, we schedule a professional photographer to take pictures. 88% of buyers use the internet to search for homes before contacting a Realtor. Photos are important. So, it’s always a mystery when we see a photo like the one above. What were they thinking????
What’s your 4th of July tradition? I grew up in northern Iowa, close to Clear Lake. So it was not the 4th of July unless we were at Clear Lake. We always watched the parade. It was the best parade in the area. Always a lot of important politicians (or is that an oxymoron?). In those days, Clear Lake had a kids drum and bugle corp. I envied those kids! My cousins were always part of it and it was exciting to see them marching in those funny little shorts and band hats. After the parade – picnic in the triangle park or at my Aunt Verna’s house. And of course, walk to city park and enjoy the carnival. The culmination of the day’s festivities is always fireworks set off from barges on the lake – a spectacular sight.After kids’ schedules kept us from getting to Clear Lake – our tradition became going to Carlisle. It’s a quintessential small-town America parade. All the little-league teams ride in the parade, firetrucks, horses, tractors and lots of candy. It’s tomorrow morning (the 4th) at 9:30. Why not come and check it out. The theme this year is God Bless Them All – thanking the military. I bet someone will even set lawn chairs in their front yard and invite you to join them.
I don’t know anyone who loves the DM Register and thinks they are unbiased purveyors of local news. They are the newspaper we all love to hate. The latest article to raise my blood pressure was titled “Realtors squabble over commission money, Iowa Realty trims amount of commission it shares with two competitors.” The title seems to imply there was a petty disagreement over money. Read the article and see if the title represents the content. Iowa Realty has decided to give NO commission money to Keller Williams agents that sell one of their listings. That is not “trimming the amount of commission” that is bully tactics to ‘welcome’ the new guy in town. The mystery is how does this serve Iowa Realty’s clients? The client is still charged the full commission. If the selling agent is from Keller Williams – they get nothing. Where does the other half the commission go? In Bill Knapp’s pocket? And the general public has no idea of this situation. I don’t know who causes me more angst – Iowa Realty or Des Moines Register. In this case, Iowa Realty deserves the razzberry. It’s a greedy move that does not serve our clients, our community or our profession.
Call it whatever you want- it’s a dominant trend in today’s decorating. It’s great for the imaginative, for those with a vision for the eclectic and unusual, great for reducing waste – can’t see a down side. Even new things in today’s decorating stores imitate the old, worn, used items. There are websites, markets and stores devoted to selling old things re-purposed with a new lease in life. Here in the Des Moines area, there are many venues to choose from. Last month’s Junk Jubilee at the Iowa State Fairgrounds was a huge economic hit. It was only the second year for the event, the building was full with vendors, the parking lot was full of shoppers from all around the state. If you missed that event, here are some coming up.
J.P. Knackers in Gilbert Iowa has an event planned named Junkin in June – 29-30th. Check out their website for details.
Red Barn Rustics in Boone is planning an “occasional sale” once a month, next one June 29-30.
There will be a Swap Meet at Exit 52, the St. Charles Road on June 23rd.
JunkStock, Vintage and Junk Fair will be in Omaha June22,23 & 24th.
If you know of any others in the area – please post and let us know. If you want a Mid-Century Modern Realtor, who is still current and practical – Call Bill Eisenlauer 770-2455. If you want a younger model- call Bob at 979-2883.
Having lived on the east side of Des Moines for the past 30+ years, I’ve come to realize there are 2 types of people. State Fair goers and everybody else. There are just a certain per-cent of the population that attend the fair – at least once- if not more times every year. Only a cataclysmic event would keep them from attending. And this is not just “east-siders”, its across the state. There are sub-cultures at the fair. The carnies – the traveling guys who put up those rides and hawk their wares and try the darndest to get you to part with your money. Successful Email Marketing Boot Camp Then there is another level of people trying to take your money – the guys doing cooking demos, the Vita-Mixer guy, the salsa maker guy, the massage chair, the freezie maker – etc. 
There are the 4-H kids in the barns that wash and dry the animals, put fans on them, spray their hooves – treat them royally. These kids love to play tricks on the “city-slickers”, catch them off-guard by dropping a rubber spider from the rafters and watch our reaction! The campers – a city onto itself. Wow – have you driven through there? Or take the big John Deere wagon up for a look-see. People pass their camping sites down through generations, a 10 yr. waiting list! They decorate, construct decks, the appear to defy gravity stuck on the side of the hill and still level. Outside there are the car-parking-hawkers. They wave canes, wave flags, wear costumes, lure you in with the promise of a shuttle to and from, sell refreshments, offer to tatoo you and your kids for a nominal fee. Front and back yards are plotted out with precision to get the most revenue from the window of time available. My family are fair-goers. You either love it or you don’t. Comment about your favorite sub-culture. 
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