History is beautiful. Every little part of it. The best part is that is always around. Every day, a new piece of history can be unveiled. For example, driving through Pleasantville, Iowa, I came across an old school or Masonic Temple with gorgeous stained glass. While it did not look used for ...
Tama-Grundy Publishing is excited to welcome native Tama Countian David Voigts as its newest columnist. Voigts is a retired ecologist and the current Conservation Chair for the Prairie Rapids Audubon Society. Having grown up in rural Tama County, Voigts spent many youthful days hunting and ...
A public school district is the most important part of a rural community. It is the cultural, educational, and job center of the town and surrounding towns. A decent chance exists for it to be the highest employer in town and the surrounding communities. They are a vital fabric for the ...
I turn thirty on Sunday. The big 3-0, my golden birthday. A celebration I was always jealous of other kids in grade school. A lot of kids could celebrate it, but I have had to wait well past grade school to enjoy it. Thirty is a big day. While not a big achievement compared to others, it always ...
In celebration of my fantasy football championship which no one cares about but one should celebrate their wins, I want to do something special. Normally, I would make my wife give me a big champagne bath like you see when a sports team wins a championship, but this year is different. Due to ...
During the seldom off times of harvest this last fall, exploring Tama County was a goal. One hidden gem I finally visited on a rainy day was the Saint Wenceslaus Church and cemetery west of Clutier. Until a year or two ago, I never knew this place existed despite spending plenty of time in ...
I wanted to originally write about my resolutions, but after looking at last year’s column, vaccines were a theme, and this year they should still be a theme. The resolutions are at the end of the column. Thank you as always for reading, and I appreciate you being a reader and subscribing to ...
What makes Christmas one of the best holidays is not the gifts, not the eerily similar meal to Thanksgiving, but the traditions. Of all the holidays, everyone has a variety of traditions they do as a group or individual. Whether it is the Christmas spirit or seeing old friends and family, it ...
An editorial from an edition of the Traer Star-Clipper published on Friday, August 28, 1953, caught my eye this past week while searching through our archive books for stories on the late LeRoy Kopriva — 1954 Traer High School graduate, Redhawks starting quarterback, and great-uncle to this ...
Every year it comes. I swear it will not bother me, and I am wrong every time. The snow comes. It does not matter if it sticks or not. When the snow comes, it ruins the day. Believing this to be the year winter will be more exciting, yet the snow shows up and my attitude goes from ...