The Musical Theater production of "Wicked" was one of six Grinnell High School speech groups to earn All-State Hours. Pictured are, from left: Thea Sherman, Jackson Hinkle, Lanie Kaup, Billy Lopatto, Maggie Kaup, Peyton Stensrud, Anna Schubert and Cameron Corey

By Kevin Hosbond
 
      Grinnell High School brought 19 groups to the state large group contest held at Cedar Rapids Washington High School on Saturday, Feb. 8. This was one of four contests held across the state as part of the Iowa High School Speech Association contest series. Out of the 19 entries entered, 15 received overall Division I ratings and four received overall Division II ratings. 
      Of the 19 entries, six groups were selected for All-State honors. Four of those groups performed at the All-State Festival at Iowa State University on Saturday, Feb. 22. The total number of students selected for All-State was 34–over half of the entire team.
All-State honors
      “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” directed by Jennie Flinspach, is a Readers Theatre nominated to perform at All-State. It features Trycer Arends, Eli Boyd, Forrest Behrens, Penelope Fennell, River Haenfler, Liam Lease, Lilly Madren, Charlie Nicklas, Owen Shepardson, Jonathan Solomon, and Ruby Zimsen-Campe.
    Flinspach’s Group Improv team of Frances Pedersen and Lucy Turley also earned All-State performance rights after their outstanding performance at state. 
      Cora Miller’s Solo Mime performance titled “A Fairy Tale” also received an All-State performance nomination. The piece was directed by Kevin Hosbond and written by the duo. 
      Also returning to the All-State Festival will be the Group Mime team with their performance of “The Wall,” a piece written and directed by Hosbond with the ensemble. 
       This group features returning Critic’s Choice recipients Forrest Behrens, Cora Miller, and Peyton Stevenson. Adding to the team is Jackson Hinkle, Lilly Madren, and Lucy Skouson. It should be noted that Cora Miller has made Grinnell High School history by being the first mime student to perform at All-State all four years of their high school career at GHS.
    Two Nonperforming All-State designations were awarded to Grinnell in Choral Reading and Musical Theatre. “Grow” is a choral piece written by senior Maggie Kaup and directed by Hosbond. It features Eli Boyd, Bailey Butler, Cameron Corey, Piper Donohoe, Cailyn Grabe, Maggie Kaup, Ketsia Kiphanzu, Evan Kite, Lucy Lindberg, Luke Ohlsen, Judith Perez-Valentin, Anna Schubert, Catherine Schubert, Smith Skouson, and Peyton Stevenson.
    The other nonperforming honor went to the Musical Theatre event “Wicked.” Directed by Hosbond with vocal assistance from Colton Ironside, this group features Cameron Corey, Jackson Hinkle, Lanie Kaup, Maggie Kaup, Billy Lopatto, Anna Schubert, Thea Sherman, and Peyton Stensrud.
Division 1 and 11 performances
       Grinnell’s Group Improv team of Slane McCue, Athen Schubert, and Owen Shepardson received a Division II, as did the TV News “WGWB” featuring Billy Lopatto, Mackenzie Kohl, Ty McIntyre, Jacob Raney, and Brennen Rasmussen. Also receiving Division II ratings were the Radio Broadcast “Neighborhood Watch” by Carter Kriegel, Micah Loomis, and Brennen Rasmussen and “The Davon Daquan Bennett News Broadcast” by Max Bartlett, Owen Benz, and Holden Smith.
     A stop motion film called “The Giant’s Bride,” developed in the stop motion animation course taught by Ms. Alicia Carradus, received a Division I. The film was created by Gabe Bahrenfuse and Dash Norris, with assistance from William Kelley-Chown, Piper Madren, and Jack Sulfridge. “Silent Chaos” by Sam Hatcher, Charlie Nicklas, Smith Skouson, and Peyton Stensrud, also received a Division I rating in the area of Short Film.   
     The Radio Broadcast “Cold Case Chills” by Belle Dewey, Gracie Kaufman, Slane McCue, and Kat Neville received an overall Division I at the contest, as did two Ensemble Acting presentations. Those included “A Tale of Two Spectators,” featuring Elisabeth Kelley-Chown and Cameron Thompson, and “Haiku,” featuring Mallorie Arlint, Lanie Kaup, and Lucy Turley. The scenes were directed by Flinspach and Hosbond respectively. 
      The Group Improvisation performance by Mallorie Arlint and Ketsia Kiphanzu earned an overall Division I at the contest. So too did the One-Act Play “Voices,” directed by Flinspach, and featuring Forrest Behrens, Aria Burrell, Tayla Fabor, Dash Norris, Frances Pedersen, Haylee Schwarck, Lucy Skouson, Jonathan Solomon, Cameron Thompson, and Alex Vogt.
     In the area of Musical Theatre, the team of “The Fantasticks,” featuring Aaron Blanchard and Catherine Schubert, and “Six” featuring Elisabeth Kelley-Chown, Lucy Lindberg, Sloane McDonough, Athen Schubert, Alex Vogt, and Ruby Zimsen-Campe, both earned overall Division I ratings. They were directed by Hosbond and Flinspach respectively, with music assistance by Ironside.

​      Jennie Flinspach’s Group Improv team of Frances Pedersen and Lucy Turley also earned All-State performance rights after their outstanding performance at state. 

       “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” directed by Jennie Flinspach, is a Readers Theatre nominated to perform at All-State. Pictured are: Trycer Arends, Eli Boyd, Lilly Madren, Charlie Nicklas, Jonathan Sololmon, River Haenfler, Forrest Behrens, Owen Shepardson, Ruby Zimsen-Campe, Liam Lease, and Penelope Fennell.

​        Laurel Hollopeter of Victor, left, is shown with designers and friends, Dave Engelmeyer and Mike J. Hollenbeck, while the trio works on the U.S. Army Rose Bowl Parade float for the Jan. 1, 2025 Rose Bowl Parade. Hollopeter has been designing and building Rose Bowl Parade floats for 17 years.

By J.O. Parker
 
       For Laurel Hollopeter of Victor, designing and building floats for the Rose Bowl Parade is a family affair.
       “We have a group who gathers each parade and we stay in an AirBnB and have a lot of fun to say the least,” said Hollopeter, who just finished his 17th year as a Rose Bowl parade float designer and builder. “We sit and talk about our day and then just talk about our friendships. We have laughed so much we almost cry, but it's all in good fun and we love each other so much.”
        Hollopeter, who is a floral designer with Hy-Vee in Iowa City, first volunteered to build floats for the Rose Bowl Parade for the Phoenix Decorating Company in 2001
         “It was something I had always wanted to do being in the floral industry,” he said.
         Seven years later, he got the itch, as he calls it, to help with the parade again.
        “I contacted a friend who previously lived in Iowa and she said if you are going to help with the Rose Bowl parade you gotta work for Fiesta Parade Float Company,” recalled Hollopeter. “I sent an email and the reply back was we are already full of volunteers.”
       Hollopeter then made a phone call and mentioned that Lisa Weddell, now owner of LWeddel Design of Littleton, Colo., had told me to contact you and the response was, "’Oh you know Lisa’ you are in come on out.”
       Hollopeter and three other floral friends from Iowa made the trek in late 2007 as volunteers for the 2008 Rose Bowl Parade.
      “After coming home from the parade in 2008, I called Fiesta and asked for information on details of the float I had worked on as a newspaper was doing a story and wanted more information about the float construction, etc.,” noted Hollopeter  “At that point the Floral Lead Designer said, “We were going to contact you as we would like to have you back next year as a "paid" designer for our team.”
       “So that is how it all began,” said Hollopeter. “I returned each year after that with the exception of the year when my dad passed away as it didn't work out.” 
He also did not build parade floats during the Covid year due to the parade being cancelled on Jan. 1, 2021.
     Hollopeter spent 15 years with Fiesta as a paid designer until the 2023/24 year, when the company closed due to financial difficulties and the parade designers and builders did not get paid.
“So at that point, I thought the time of helping to create floats was probably over,” Hollopeter said. “However, deep in the back of my mind, I had the thought that we would get picked up by another float builder. Fiesta closing was a big topic of discussion at the annual AIFD (American Institute of Floral Designers) Symposium, which was held this past July in Orlando, Fla.”
      “It was in Orlando, when we found out that there was a possibility that we could be picked up by another float builder,” said Hollopeter. “There were talks planned and by the time I left Orlando, it sounded like I would be on a return mission to the Rose Bowl Parade. It was hard not to say much as we had to wait for the "official" word that we would be moving to a new builder.”
      The new builder is Artistic Entertainment Services (AES) and they have two locations, one in Azusa, Calif. and one in Orlando, Fla. They do extensive work for both of the Disney properties.
       For the 2024/25 parade, Hollopeter was the co-designer working with Mike Hollenbeck on four parade floats – Ohio State University and the University of Oregon for the Rose Bowl game; Army float in honor of the branch of service celebrating its 250th year; and Mega Entertainment, which is the last float in the parade lineup.
     “Working for AES this year was a wonderful experience,” Hollopeter said. “It was a blend of many former designers from Fiesta and designers who had worked for AES in the past. We were welcomed with open arms and everything went off probably better than anticipated. We all brought experience and floral knowledge to the construction this year. We incorporated what we had done at Fiesta and learned the AES way of things, too. It was a great combination.”
      There were a few other changes that AES implemented. In past years, designers and builders started working on Dec. 27. This year, they began working on the floats on Dec. 26.
       “So that meant everyone either arrived on Christmas Day or in the early morning hours on Dec. 26,” noted Hollopeter. “I chose to arrive on Christmas Day as I have done that for several years.”
AES built 16 floats for the 2024/25 parade and of those only 12 were judged and out of those, nine received an award.
      “I have been a design lead for a few years and it basically means you lead your team to getting the construction of all the floral for the float done in a timely matter and you might design sample designs and work with the other great designers on your team,” said Hollopeter. “We consider all jobs the same. This year we never worked past midnight and I wouldn't even say we did that this year. The last day of construction, we were actually finished before 11:30 p.m., but you stay to help clean and finish other floats. All 16 floats AES built this year were done before the stroke of Midnight heading into 2025.
     Floats range in size of 35-foot, which is considered the smallest and go up to much larger versions depending on the budget and designs.
       “There are "set" numbers of flowers for each float but the biggest thing is that there should be just a few flowers left over and those are saved for any damage to flowers once they go to the parade line up,” said Hollopeter. “The floats travel to the parade route late afternoon on Dec. 31.”
       In some cases, repairs of floral products that might need to be made due to trees overhanging on the route, etc.,” added Hollopeter. “The floats set in the parade line up over night with security and lighting. We always go to the lineup of floats early to see all the entries and get more photos up close.”  
      For Hollopeter, being a parade float designer and builder gives him great pride to work with others he calls family.
      “I meet new people each year, but then there are several who return each year for the parade and we have become family,” he said.
      “Going back each year is like going home to "family," it's like a big family reunion as some you only see either at the parade or maybe one other time a year at Symposium,” added Hollopeter. “The biggest thing is yes it's a lot of fun, but there is plenty of work that must be done.”
       Plus, his Iowa family pushed Christmas to January so Hollopeter could follow his dream.

​       The University of Oregon float makes its way along the Rose Bowl Parade route on Jan. 1, 2025. Laurel Hollopeter, veteran Rose Bowl Parade float building and his team designed the float for Artistic Entertainment Services.

       Davis Elementary third grade ELA teacher Holly Hunter was the recipient of the Milken Educator Award and a cash gift of $25,000 in a surprise schoolwide assembly on Thursday, Jan. 16. Joining Hunter at the award presentation is, from left, Davis School Principal Brian Conway; Grinnell-Newburg Community School District Superintendent Lisa Beames; recipient Holly Hunter (IA ’24); Iowa Department of Education Director McKenzie Snow; Milken Educator Awards Vice President Jennifer Fuller; and Iowa Department of Education Program Consultant Molly McConnell. Photo courtesy of Milken Family Foundation.​

By J.O. Parker
 
       A Davis Elementary School teacher in Grinnell was recognized last week with a national teaching honor and a cash award for being a difference maker in the lives of her students.
      Holly Hunter, a third grade ELA (English Language Arts) teacher was honored with the National Milken Educator Award in a surprise schoolwide assembly on Thursday, Jan. 16.
        Milken Educator Awards Vice President Jennifer Fuller presented the honor to Hunter, together with Iowa Education Director McKenzie Snow, in front of cheering students, colleagues, dignitaries and media. The Award comes with a check for $25,000 that Hunter can use however she chooses. She is the only teacher in the state to receive the award in the 2024-25 school year.
    “Across Iowa, dedicated educators like Holly are ensuring every student receives evidence-based instruction that empowers them to be proficient readers by the end of third grade,” said IDED Director Snow. “Holly is a leader in schoolwide Science of Reading implementation, modeling best practices that have the greatest impact on student achievement and growth. She inspires fellow educators, builds strong relationships with students and families, and delivers results for all learners. On behalf of all of us at the Department of Education, congratulations Holly.”
       “Holly Hunter’s outstanding leadership and commitment are reflected in every endeavor she pursues, from her creative classroom curriculum to her mentorship of other educators at Davis Elementary and throughout the district,” noted Milken Educator Awards Vice President Fuller, herself a Milken Educator from Texas in 2017. “Holly’s passion empowers her young students to thrive and instills the value of lifelong learning in her school, district, and the broader community.
      Joining Hunter at the assembly and award presentation was Davis Elementary School Principal Brian Conway, Grinnell-Newburg Community School Superintendent Lisa Beames, Iowa Department of Education Director McKenzie Snow, Milken Educator Awards Vice President Jennifer Fuller and Iowa Department of Education Program Consultant Molly McConnell.
      Hunter is National Board-Certified teacher. She holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education with a minor in literacy from the University of Northern Iowa, graduating in 2015.
     “This award means so much to me,” said Hunter. “I think it just validates my dedication to my students. I go above and beyond each day trying to make sure that my classroom is a safe, happy and welcoming place for all of my students to learn. I make learning fun and make sure that all of my students’ needs are met every day. This award has helped show me that I am making a difference.”
     “I believe after reflecting over the past weekend on the event and recognition it would be the great sense of pride one has for Holly, as a representative of all of our districts teachers, our state's teachers and all of the teachers across this nation that pursue excellence in preparing our students for their future,” said Grinnell Superintendent Lisa Beames. “This sense of pride is also for Grinnell-Newburg Community School District as Holly is a graduate of our school system. Along the way, many amazing teachers, too, touched her life that in some way kindled her desire to become a teacher and prepare her to attain this success. Congratulations to Holly for this recognition and for all of our teachers past and present who have and continue to impact the lives of our children.”
      At Davis Elementary, Hunter carries a beaming smile and brings a positive, welcoming nature that lights up the lives of her students, colleagues and the Grinnell community every day. 
      In her classroom, she specializes in capturing student interest with engaging projects, such as using a 3D printer to make objects that accompany writing pieces, or researching, writing and printing their own nonfiction books. Hunter incorporates the Science of Reading into her literacy curriculum, working with students frequently on phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. She helps students take ownership of their learning by setting goals, analyzing work and data to make informed decisions, and receiving continuous, constructive feedback. 
       Also building confidence and empowerment at a young age, Hunter’s class reads Wendy Ewald’s “The Best Part of Me,” which turns into a wider discussion, writing, and photography project in which students identify and articulate parts of themselves that they value.
    A lifelong learner, Hunter seeks to increase her own knowledge and instructional skills. At Davis Elementary, she serves as the leader of the third grade ELA professional learning community (PLC), where she models best teaching practices and assists her colleagues with curriculum, instruction, assessments, and lesson planning. Hunter’s role on the school’s leadership team has allowed her to have a role in implementing the Science of Reading schoolwide, organizing class schedules, hiring new staff, reviewing data, and more. Further supporting her colleagues, she teaches monthly competency-based professional development as part of the social emotional learning (SEL) committee, serves on the positive behavior instructional support (PBIS) team, and has supervised student teachers. At the district level, Hunter is a model teacher, opening her classroom door to districtwide observation while also serving on the SEL team, Teacher Leadership and Compensation Plan committee, and ELA committee.
       Hunter has taught eight years at Davis Elementary, saying she has always wanted to be a teacher thanks to all the amazing teachers she had as a student in the Grinnell School District, which made her decision easy.
“I wanted to be that special teacher to students,” she said.
    At the end of each school year, Hunter highlights each of her students with a spotlight poster, where classmates can leave positive messages and memories about that student for them to have as a keepsake. She works to involve families year-round with constant communication, invitations to her classroom, and the opportunity for students to present their projects.
The Milken Educator Award reaps lifelong benefits
      The $25,000 cash award is unrestricted. Recipients have used the money in diverse ways. Some recipients have spent the funds on their children’s or their own continuing education, financing dream field trips, establishing scholarships, and even adopting children.
    Honorees receive powerful mentorship opportunities for expanded leadership roles that strengthen education practice and policy. Milken Friends Forever (MFF) pairs a new recipient with a veteran Milken Educator mentor; the Expanding MFF Resource and Explorer Program fosters individual veteran Milken Educator partnerships around specific topic areas; and Activating Milken Educators promotes group collaboration in and across states to bring solutions to pressing educational needs.
      The honorees attend an all-expenses-paid Milken Educator Awards Forum in Los Angeles this April, where they will network with their new colleagues as well as veteran Milken Educators and other education leaders about how to broaden their impact on K-12 education.
     Veteran Milken Educators demonstrate a wide range of leadership roles at state, national and international levels.
       Hunter is very close to her family, who live in Grinnell. She has two boys, Jack, 7, a second grader at Bailey Park Elementary and Cole, 4, a preschooler at Fairview Elementary School.
       When asked about her plans for the money, Hunter said she doesn’t have any idea at this time.
       “I haven’t really even had a chance to think about it,” she said.

​        Travis Williams, left, who plays “John” in the Brooklyn Community Theater production of ‘Many Things’ looks on while enjoying a bowl of icing as his wife (in real life) and actress Traci Williams, who is a “shopper” and “wife” of the Pastor (Jeff Britts) in the performance, back, duels it out with Martha (Randi Shaw), John’s wife in the play, over a battle that started with a stolen parking space at the mall on Christmas Eve and continued throughout the production. It ended with the two asking for forgiveness and hugging. The play centered around a mother who had done everything she could to give the perfect Christmas to her family, but finds all her hard work literally blows up, along with the Christmas tree and family cat, and she'll have to act fast to try and make everything come back together again. 

​By J.O. Parker
 
         Travis and Traci Williams take great pride in being community supporters.
      The Brooklyn couple not only stay busy working jobs and supporting their families, they are active in community, school and church events. And, they have enjoyed acting together in a number of Brooklyn Community Theatre productions and other performances.
        The couple has taken part in six plays, four of which were performed at the Brooklyn Opera House, one at the BGM Auditorium and one where Traci acted in “The Gift,” that Travis wrote and directed at their church last year. The play was a Christmas story told from the perspective of an aged shepherd who was there the night Jesus was born.
      “It was definitely a new experience for me,” said Travis. “I really enjoyed it but I think acting has less stress.”
      Of those BCT productions, three have been Christmas-centered. They included “A Carol Play,” “It’s a Wonderful Christmas Story,” and “Many Things,” all written by Josh Gerard, the Brooklyn Librarian, pastor and playwright.
        The fourth BCT production was “WCKY,” a play where murder and mayhem collide in hilarious fashion as a new radio station is preparing to air its first show in 1939.
      They have also had parts or worked behind the scenes in the “The Alibis,” a play that featured 22 local actors and actresses who kept the audience guessing whodunit.
        And they were part of “The Day the Internet Died,” a production centered around a small town who has to adjust after the Internet goes down for a whole week.
        “I’ve always loved acting,” said Travis. “I was in my first play/musical when I was in sixth grade and I was in them every year until I graduated high school. I was captain of our speech team and did a lot of solo and group ensemble pieces. After high school, I didn’t really have the opportunity to act in local plays until Josh Gerard of Brooklyn approached me about being in ‘The Day the Internet Died’ in 2022 and I haven’t stopped.”
        “I have always enjoyed acting,” added Traci. “In high school I stuck to mostly smaller parts but loved being involved in them. I didn’t really think about acting in local plays until Josh  asked if I would. I did backstage help for ‘The Day the Internet Died’ and then had a speaking role in ‘A Carol Play.” I really liked the idea of being able to act with Travis.”
         They both agree, saying “acting together is a great way to spend time together.”
“It’s also been really fun pushing each other to be better,” said Travis. “Sharing the stage together has been a real joy.”
        When asked how the couple balances life and play practice, Traci said it has become an art form.
      “We just have to be very mindful to plan everything out for that 6-8 weeks until the play is finished,” noted Travis. “Some days we are only home for an hour or two all day but in the end, it’s worth it. However, we’re definitely ready for a break after the last curtain call.”
       When asked if they have any tricks of the trade to help get ready for a production, Travis said there are no real tricks.
       “There are times we still feel like we’re going to forget all our lines,” said Travis. “But one thing that helps us is to be able to read lines together at home. We will usually take it a scene at a time and go over it again and again until it’s memorized and then move on to the next.”
       Outside of plays, the couple enjoys traveling, hiking, playing board games and settling down to watch a good movie together.
       “We are both very active with our church, Faith Christian Center in Montezuma, where Travis is the Youth Pastor and on the Worship Team and I am the sound technician,” said Traci.
      Travis attended and graduated from BGM High School and Traci graduated from Benton Community Schools.
      The couple met through Travis’ cousin who went to school with Traci. The couple started dating their senior year of high school, went to college at Victory Christian College in Tulsa, Okla. and got married in 2005. The couple moved back to Brooklyn in 2008. They have two children: Lexi who is 19 and attends college at Ellsworth Community College and Isaiah who is 15 and is a freshman at BGM.
       Travis works full time at Walmart in Grinnell and is also the youth pastor at Faith Christian Center and Traci works full time at BGM as a para educator

        Jesse Saland, the new owner of Brooklyn’s Signs by Fisher, is shown with his girlfriend, Lyndsee Brewer, who is the business front desk clerk. Behind them are various colors of vinyl product used to make letters and signs. Saland purchased the business on Nov. 1 from long-time owner and founder, Lon Fisher. Saland prides himself on creating top notch products and meeting his customers’ needs at reasonable prices. The business is open from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m., Monday – Friday. The business phone number is 641-522-7850.

​By J.O. Parker
 
        Signs by Fisher, a long-time Brooklyn area business specializing in screen printing, vinyl signs, decals, promotional products, apparel and much more has a new owner.
        Jesse Saland, a 2019 graduate of BGM, purchased the business on Nov. 1 from company founder Lon Fisher.
          The business is located at 1739 Kent Church Road near Holiday Lake.
          Fisher founded the business in the early 2000s.
         When asked what led him to purchase the business, Saland said the vinyl business is something that has always interested him.
         “I like helping people and wanted to pursue my own dreams and career,” he said.
        The business specializes in screen printing, transfers on T-shirts and sweatshirts, promotional products for businesses, vinyl graphics and signage, embroidery on jackets and hats, vinyl prints, business and note cards, calendars, coffee mugs, cell phone accessories and more.
         “We do a lot of laser engraving on coffee mugs and other promotional products,” said Saland.
      Other items available include printed ink pens, various types of totes with logos and wording, water bottles with logos and lettering, computer mouse pads, key chains and more. The business also specializes in sports team gear, printed vinyl posters, printed tablecloths and about anything else.
         Other printed items include PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) such as floor decals, gloves, masks and no touch tools. Other items available include computer bags, headphones, flash drives, car charges, power banks, various sports equipment such as footballs, basketballs, golf balls, outdoor equipment such as blankets, towels, fishing coolers, chairs, stadium cushions and chairs, table coverings, lanyards, name badges, displays, buttons and much more.
        “We have more than a thousand products on our website,” said Saland
     Joining Saland in the business is Fisher, who works part-time; Tina Saland, Jesse’s mother, who does graphic design part-time and Lyndsee Brewer, who handles the front desk duties.
       In addition to the owning the screen printing business, Saland works in real estate investments including rental property and flipping old houses.
        Saland said he is enjoying the work and looking forward to growing the business and company.
        The business is open from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m., Monday – Friday. The company website is signsbyfisherllc.com and the email is [email protected]. The business phone number is 641-522-7850.
​       “We’re here for businesses of all sizes, helping you make a lasting impression with products that represent your brand with competitive pricing and attention to every detail,” he said.

​        Author S.C. Sherman is a 1988 graduate of Grinnell High School. His sixth book, “Beer Money, A Tale of the Iowa City Beer Mafia,” is going to be made into a major motion picture. The book is based on true events of the beer riots of 1884 and is set in Iowa City. Some of Sherman’s other books include “A Bass Reeves Adventure – Give Me The Warrant,” and “Mercy Shot.”

By J.O. & Debbie Parker
 
         A North Liberty real estate agent with Grinnell and Poweshiek County ties and author of seven novels is set to have one of his books made into a full-length major motion picture.
         Filming of “Death of a Brewer” is slated to begin in Iowa in June/July this year. The movie is based on the book, Beer Money, A Tale of the Iowa City Beer Mafia, by S.C. Sherman, which was released in 2020.
         Sherman is a 1988 graduate of Grinnell High School.
         “My book Beer Money is based on the true events of the beer riots of 1884 and is set in Iowa City,” noted Sherman. 
      Beer Money is Sherman’s sixth novel and was born out of a tour several years ago he took of the beer caves 30-foot under the only remaining brewery building in Iowa City at the corner of Linn and Market Streets.
      “It was an amazing tour and brought to life a story lost to history that I’d never heard of before,” said Sherman. “It’s a story about German and Czech immigrants and three great breweries on the Northside of Iowa City. Their way of life clashed with the Women’s Christian Temperance Union and a dramatic tale unfolded into The Beer Riots of 1884 and the men known in Iowa City as the Beer Mafia. I became obsessed and researched the story from that point on.
      “The story chronicles the violence that broke out after Iowa enacted a full prohibition of alcohol in the 1880’s. It did not go well. Immigrant and religious groups clashed as a story like the Gangs of New York or Peaky Blinders unfolded right across the prairies of Iowa.”
        Iowa City native and Los Angeles screenwriter Mokotsi Rukundo wrote the script for the movie. It is being produced in a collaboration of Iowa investors and LA producers. A proof of the concept/sizzle short promo for the movie was shot in Iowa City a couple years ago.
A love of writing
      Writing was never on the radar for Sherman until being encouraged to explore the art in high school. He was then offered a job for a newspaper at the University of Iowa, which he turned down.
      “I didn’t think of myself as a writer or an author and didn’t entertain it or pursue it,” said Sherman of his youthful days. “I did end up with a degree in Communications Studies, but launched into a varied career starting in construction as a tile setter and general contractor building residential homes eventually becoming a realtor as well.”
        It wasn’t until his forties when the joy of writing found him.
     “I discovered an old family genealogy story that had been lost to history on my Sherman side,” said Sherman. “A great uncle had done some research and dispersed it to the family. It led me to one particular character, Philip Sherman. Young Philip was a Puritan and brought the Sherman name to America from England. I became obsessed with the story and began researching and discovered even more interesting information. He did such amazing things and stood strong for his beliefs at great risk for himself. He left a comfortable life in England and all of his family to land in Boston with Gov. John Winthrop and his band of believers building their City on a Hill.
       “It wasn’t long until Philip and his new bride got caught up in the Anne Hutchinson scandals and were banished,” added Sherman. “They fled to Rhode Island, and he became the first Secretary of State and penned Portsmouth Compact that our national constitution was subsequently built upon. The first government separating church and state. I decided to write the story of Philip as a historical fiction for no other reason than to chronicle the great deeds for my children and future Shermans to enjoy.
       “I had no idea that writing that book would change my life in many ways and launch my writing career,” Sherman said. “The Philip story became my first book titled, ‘Leaving Southfields,’ which ignited the flame of writing in me and since that day it has refused to shut off. I have seven published novels in various genres and another two completed manuscripts in the publishing process.”
Sherman’s books
        His books include:
        Leaving Southfields – Historical Fiction
        Hell and Back – Spiritual Thriller
       Moxie – Young Adult Fantasy
       Mercy Shot – Political Thriller
       Lone Wolf Canyon – Modern Day Western/Thriller
       Beer Money – Historical Fiction
       A Bass Reeves Adventure – Give Me The Warrant – Historical Fiction
Publishing Journey
       Sherman’s publishing journey has been a learning process.
       “I started out by getting “taken” by what is known as “Vanity or Subsidy Press,” recalled Sherman. “When you are a new writer, you are very susceptible to being preyed upon by people promising all sorts of things around publishing your book. The publishers of my first book actually ended up in jail! I have their mug shots and use them in some of my presentations. It’s pretty funny now, but it wasn’t then.”
      Sherman said that vanity or subsidy press ask authors to put a substantial amount of money toward publishing their book, which is almost always a red flag.
      “All sorts of promises go with that investment, usually none of them are true,” he said. “These shady publishers get away with it by providing just enough services to keep from being sued or arrested.”
         Sherman went on to self-publish his next three books.
       “This was before we had companies like Amazon or other self-publishing companies of which there are several available to authors now,” he said. “I actually hired editors and formatters. I did the covers myself, taking pictures, designing the fonts, and handling the layout. I hired a printing company and printed small runs, warehousing boxes of books in my garage. I hired a programmer to build the website to take orders and then I marketed the stories to whoever would buy them. When the orders came in, I packaged them and shipped them all over the country.”
        Sherman also has several of his books published by traditional publishing houses. His books, Lone Wolf Canyon, and Beer Money were published by Post Hill Press, which is distributed by Simon and Schuster. His scary book, Seven Days and Six Nights, was published by Severed Press Publishing.
          “I don’t handle anything now other than writing the story and marketing,” said Sherman. 
        When asked what advice he has for aspiring writers, Sherman said, “Don’t think too much. Just write. If you have a story in your heart, just write it. It’s been given to you and you alone. Who cares what becomes of it, just write it.”
        “I don’t write for an audience,” said Sherman. “God knows I don’t write for acclaim or money. I write because when I get a story…I can’t rest until it’s out of me. I will sometimes write an entire 80,000-word novel in 60 days, but then I may not write again for a year.
          “That may not be how you do it, but who cares,” added Sherman. “Be who you were meant to be. Don’t try to be someone else. There is no competition in writing. Just create what you are meant to create. Also, if you are easily crushed by criticism, don’t write anything or share it to the world.”
        Sherman’s latest book titled, A Bass Reeves Adventure – Give Me The Warrant, is a story about an amazing man lost to history because of the racism of the day.
         “Bass Reeves was a runaway slave during the Civil War,” noted Sherman. “He hid out in the Oklahoma Territory learning several native languages and after the war he became one of the first black US Marshals who worked for Hanging Judge Parker at Ft. Smith, Ark. He has more than 3,000 confirmed arrests over his long career of arresting bad guys, usually by himself, out in the wild west. My story is just one of many fantastic tales of adventure from Bass’s life.”
          Sherman is available for appearances, book signings, and school visits to talk about creative writing.
Sherman’s books are all available at www.scsherman.com which orders them from Amazon ships straight to your door. Also, if you go to www.scsherman.com you can read the synopsis/back page blurbs for each book. Beer Money is available at John’s Grocery and Prairie Lights Bookstore in Iowa City as well.

      “Beer Money, A Tale of the Iowa City Beer Mafia” by S.C. Sherman is being made into a major motion picture. It is based on the true events of the beer riots.