by Ryan Stonebraker 
 
     BROOKLYN - In a rematch of a 2023 8-man playoff game that went down to the wire, the Bears were looking to exact revenge against Iowa Valley in their 2024 season opener. It didn’t happen. The Tigers took the lead for good late in the first quarter of a 76-67 shootout and won despite the Bear's furious comeback in the second half.  BGM fell to 0-1 and will hit the road again Friday when they play at Meskwaki Settlement School.  The Warriors did not play in the first week and will be hosting the Bears in their first game of the year.
      BGM Coach Jerod Burns said that things didn’t go the Bear's way as they had hoped in the game. “It was disappointing.  I thought of things we could have done especially with a team like Iowa Valley. We wanted to get out of the gate with a win. Sometimes when you take one on the chin it is tough. We will see how this group will be and respond this week.  There is a lot of football left this season,” he said. 
      The two teams combined for over 1,000 total yards of offense in the ball game. Iowa Valley had 502 yards of total offense in the game while the Bears totaled 449 total yards.  That was in part due to the fact that the game featured a quarterback match-up between two of the best in the 8-man football class this season in Bear junior Beau Burns and Iowa Valley sophomore Nolan Kriegel.
     Burns passed for 251 yards and 5 touchdowns and rushed for 197 yards and four touchdowns. Kriegel passed for 121 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 304 yards and eight touchdowns.
      Burns found four receivers who each caught at least two passes.  Tate Martin led with six receptions for 83 yards and a pair of touchdowns and Dakota Heishman led in yards with 116 yards with three receptions and two touchdowns.  Tucker Wright also had a touchdown reception.
     Defensively the Bears were led in tackles by Tate Martin with 9 and Landen Cooling with 8. Six different Bears had a tackle for loss in the game.
     Chance Hoyt was the next Tiger rusher with 38 yards on three carries and Caleb Haack led Iowa Valley with two receptions for 32 yards and two touchdowns. Defensively, Chandler McKibben and Mason Hoyt each had fumble recoveries while Hoyt led in tackles with 8.5 and Josh Reed was next with 7.5.
    The Bears scored the highest point total for any team last week among their 8-man District 7 foes.  Of the six teams in the district, only Belle Plaine and Montezuma won their games.
   The Bears have collected dominating victories in their only two meetings against Meskwaki Settlement School, including a 96-12 win last year. The Bears will return home on Friday, September 6 when they host Twin Cedars for their district opener.
    If you came to the game late and missed the first quarter, you missed a lot.  Iowa Valley would take a 30-23 lead after the opening quarter after scoring on four possessions. BGM answered with touchdowns on three possessions. Nolan Kreigel scored on an 8-yard run, 13 seconds into the ball game, capitalizing on a BGM turnover on their first possession for an 8-0 lead. BGM answered right back, tying the game on a Beau Burns 11-yard run and two-point pass to Tucker Wright a minute later. The two teams traded scores a minute apart to get the score at 16-16.  Kreigle scored from 1-yard out and the Bears answered with a 61-yard Tate Martin kick-off return and Burns two-point run to tie the game at 16 with 8:31 left in the quarter.  The Tigers would grab the lead for good with Kriegels third rushing score of the first quarter, a 24-yard gallop, with 6:42 left to take a 24-16 lead.  The Tigers added a big play later with 1:46 left in the opening quarter when Kriegel topped the 100-yard mark for the game with a 60-yard scoring run.  The two-point conversion failed, but Iowa Valley led 30-16.  BGM would get a big play of their own late in the first quarter when Burns connected with receiver Dakota Heishman for a 44-yard pass and scoring play to cut the Tigers lead to 30-23.
     In the second quarter, Iowa Valley would outscore the Bears 24-6 to take a halftime lead of 54-29.  With the Tigers up 38-23, the Bears got their second Burns to Heishman scoring pass, this one for 27 yards to set the score at 38-29.  The Tigers would get Kriegel’s sixth and seventh touchdown runs before halftime with the last one coming with just over 2-minutes remaining before halftime.
    BGM scored the first points of the second half on their first drive when Beau Burns found a running lane and scooted 38 yards for a touchdown run. A Heishman PAT set the score at 54-36 with 8:45 left in the quarter.  The Tigers and Bears would trade scores the rest of the quarter with BGM’s touchdowns coming on Beau Burns touchdown passes to Tucker Wright for 10 yards with 4:59 left and Tate Martin for 22 yards with 59 seconds left in the quarter.  The Tigers would take a 70-49 lead to the fourth quarter.
    In the final quarter, the Bears would make things interesting.  A BGM touchdown, a Burns 1-yard run, less than a minute into the final quarter made the game a three score game at 70-55.  Iowa Valley would extend their lead to 76-55 with 9:13 left in the game.
    BGM didn’t quit though scoring on a Burns 2-yard run with 6:59 left in the game to cut the lead to 76-61.  Late in the game, the Bears added a Burns 18-yard scoring pass to Tate Martin with 1:24 left to set the score at 76-67.  The PAT on the play was blocked, keeping the game at a two-score game.  That forced the Bears to try an onside kick, which Iowa Valley recovered and that was the game.
   The Bear's special teams had mixed results in the game. The Bears converted on 2-of-3 two-point conversions and made 3-of-4 PAT attempts.  Two of the last three PATs were blocked however in the fourth quarter. Tate Martin had 134 kick-off return yards on four carries including a touchdown. Beau Burns had a good night punting, averaging 33.3 yards per punt on three attempts.
    Burns said that he was encouraged by his team's play in the second half. "We played a lot better on both sides of the ball. We (coaches) challenged them at halftime and they took it to heart," he said.
    "The offense played well and we got some stops on defense. We also didn't turn the football over after halftime and that helped us. Iowa Valley is a good team. We think we are a good team too, and look forward to getting back on the field Friday for another opportunity to improve," said Burns.
     The Bears and Tigers met twice last season. The Bears lost 48-30 at Iowa Valley in week 0 last year and took a tough 78-77 loss at home in the playoffs to end the year. The Tigers were 7-3 last year while the Bears were 5-4. It was the sixth straight season with a winning record for BGM heading into this season.

​         One might think of Smokey and the Bandit when checking out this totally restored 1977 Pontiac Trans Am loaded with a 461 cc engine and many other features. Jared Sloan owns the Trans Am and also did all the work on the car.

By J.O. Parker
 
        It was a record-breaking year at the 51st Grinnell Show & Shine Car Show on Saturday, Aug. 24.
       More than 300 vehicles were lined up like soldiers around Grinnell’s Central Park, extending down Broad Street south of the railroad tracks, along Commercial Street and wherever there was a spot.
      The annual car show featured a variety of cars, trucks and motorcycles from originals to custom garage-built creations. And about every type of vehicle was featured from Ford to Chevrolet, Pontiac, Buick, Cadillac, Dodge, Plymouth, Mercury, AMC, Volkswagen, Studebaker, Model Ts and a few creations on four wheels with engines.
       Also featured were 50 motorcycles from racing bikes to touring models and more.
       Larry and Lisa Painter were at the show with their light blue colored 1963 Nova (Chevy II) SS convertible.
       Larry purchased the Nova for $400 in 1978 while stationed in the service in California.
       “I found it on the back lot of car dealership,” said Larry. “Someone had traded it in on another car.”
       Larry said he’s taken every nut and bolt off the Nova and cleaned it up and put it back together again. He rebuilt the six-cylinder engine a few years ago.
       “It has the original trim,” said Larry of the Nova.
     “I love Grinnell and I love this car show,” added Lisa. “All the cars are beautiful. Everybody is a winner today.”
     Will Conkel and his wife, Jacquelyn, who live at Rock Creek Lake, brought their customized purple 1973 Volkswagen Beatle.
      The VW was the creation of the now late Bill Conkel, Will’s dad, who lived in Memphis, Tenn. at the time.
     “My dad did all the work and I inherited it a couple years ago,” said Will of the VW, he affectionally calls “Lightening,” shortened from “Lightening Bug.”
     Will said his two sisters drove the car in high school and when they graduated, his dad decided to customize it.
      The car features custom door panels and dashboard and all new gauges and numerous other features. The VW came with a 1600 cc engine and Bill beefed it up to a 1915 cc, “Similar to what came with a Porsche,” said Will.
        “He was thinking a giant Hot Wheel,” said Will. “His plan was to retire and travel to car shows.”
       Will said his dad got sick and it never happened and the VW sat in the garage for a couple years. Thanks to Will and Jacquelyn, the car is once again a show stopper at area car shows.
      Around the corner from the VW was a 1926 Ford Model T Roadster owned by Steve Owens of Newton. Steve has done quite a bit of work on the vehicle including rebuilding the 20 horsepower engine and beefing up the rear end with a two-speed Ruckstell. The Ruckstell axle allows for an additional lower gear in the rear end.
     “When I’m going down the highway, I can shift up and get more speed,” he said. “The top speed is 40 mph.”
      When asked how many car shows he takes the Model T to, Steve said he stays local with the furthest being a show in Chelsea in neighboring Tama County.
      He doesn’t trailer the Model T as he drives it to all the shows.
      “When you are running 40 mph, it limits how far you can go,” he said.
     And for Steve, he loves cruising in the Model T  with his granddaughter, Karlee Bucklin, who was at the Show & Shine with her mom.
       “It’s very fun,” she said of riding with her grandfather.
     Tom Romanoski from Ewart northwest of Montezuma brought his custom garage-built Corvette to the show. He owns two Corvettes and a Ford Mustang, all of which he custom built.
        “I enjoyed the show,” he said before it wrapped up. “There are lots of diversity on cars and trucks.”
       “This is the 51st year and there were more than 320 cars and trucks and motorcycles,” said Dennis Snook, who was at the show with his customized highly-modified bright yellow 1990 Chevrolet C1500 pickup.
       “This is probably the biggest in 51 years,” said Dennis. “The turnout is good and it represents all the years, makes and models. This is a great show.”
       The Grinnell Show & Shine was founded in 1973 by four Grinnell business owners who loved old cars and decided to form a club.
      They included Bob Latting, who is still involved in the show, and the now late Don Matthews, Fred England and Art Wells.
      The four men held the club’s first car show in 1973 by the high school. There were seven or eight cars on display, all owned by club members.
       Bob said at the 50th Show & Shine that he was going to retire.
      “I changed my mind,” he said of this year’s show. “My son comes down and brings a Corvette and helps me with the show. He brings my 1951 Mercury Sports Sedan to the show.”
            Bob said the Mercury supposedly has 19,000 miles on it.
            “It runs so smooth and drives so nice,” said Bob. “It is comfortable and I really enjoy driving it.”
            Numerous trophies and honors were handed out and a 50/50 raffle was held with door prize drawings. And breakfast this year was served by the Grinnell Optimist Club with the Grinnell Car Club serving lunch.
         Monte Wenger, a Victor-based DJ who does car shows around the state, was on hand to provide the tunes and serve as the show emcee. And that evening a concert was held with PetRock, a 70s tribute band, providing the music.
        Bud Cox, who helps direct the annual Grinnell Show & Shine along with his wife, Kellie, said everything went well this year.
        Bud said the car show wouldn’t have been a success without the help of five area high school students.
      “They also helped with The Iowa Kitchen meal service happening at the same time and locations as the car show,” said Bud.
      The students were: BGM, Jacksyn Bullers, Olivia Bullers and Averee Krebill; Grinnell, Draven Jones; and North Mahaska, Ruby Wallerich.
      “We had more cars than last year and we want to continue expanding that,” he added. “We had a lot of new people this year with the furthest being from Milan, Mo. We want to thank everyone who came to the show and we want to keep expanding it and making it fresh and new every year.”

​       Grinnell Community Theatre fall production auditions are coming up soon!
       Auditions for "Leaving Iowa" directed by Zach Bey are: Saturday, Sept. 7 from 3 - 5 p.m. and Monday, Sept. 9, 7 - 9 p.m. at the Loft Theatre in the Grinnell Arts Center, 926 Broad St. or by appointment (see below)
      New actors are welcomed to try out for the cast of this family-friendly play, which includes Don, Dad, Mom, Sis, Multiple Character Guy and Multiple Character Gal.
       Questions or alternate audition appointments? Contact Zach Bey at [email protected] or 319-389-9622. Rehearsals begin Sept. 15. Show dates are Nov. 2, 3, 7, 8 & 9.

​        Channing Fraker, owner of Channing’s Customs at 1109 West St. (north of Clarity Eyecare in the red brick building), is shown with one of her many button art creations along with other items she offers at her new home décor and vintage business in Grinnell. 

By J.O. Parker
 
        If you are looking for some unique, one-of-a-kind home décor items and decorations, look no further than Channing’s Customs in Grinnell.
       Located at 1109 West St. (north of Clarity Eyecare in the red brick building), owner Channing Fraker offers everything from decorative signs to button art, framed prints, hand paintings and vinyl designs, pillows, cards, old suitcases, baskets, rustic and repurposed items and vintage goods.
        “I really pride myself in finding goods at low price points so I can pass that savings on to my customers,” said Fraker. “I specialize in all things home décor.”
        Fraker makes many of the items offered in the store herself. She credits her mother for inspiring her and giving her ideas.
          “My mom is artistic,” said Fraker. “Growing up, I loved watched her make craft items and home décor.”
          Some years ago, Fraker started using a Cricut Machine and making vinyl décor and many other items. Her love for arts and crafts continued growing through the years.
          “A lot of my goods are centered around hand-painting and vintage and repurposed items,” she said.
       Fraker, a Williamsburg native, was working as an occupational therapy assistant prior to the pandemic. It was during the pandemic that Fraker and her husband, Devon, welcomed a son.
         “After my son was born, I decided to stay home,” she said.
         It wasn’t too long when Fraker decided it was time to broaden her horizons.
        “I decided I wanted to do something for myself,” said Fraker. “I started doing (selling my items at) markets and craft shows.”
          That progressed to Fraker offering “Paint and Pours,” an instructor-led painting class.
      And from there, Fraker started hosting the “Roots & River Market” twice a year (April and September) at the Iowa County Fairgrounds in Marengo.
         The next “Roots & River Market” is Sept. 27 – 28.
       She then started Channing’s Customs store front in the family barn at her home on Highway 6 near Brooklyn.
        “I opened that business last fall and winter and quickly realized I needed more space,” she said.
      Fraker opened Channing’s Customs on July 15 and is currently open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
      “I plan to add Saturday morning hours in the fall and winter for shoppers gearing up for the holiday season,” she said.
       She shares the building with Shianne Arp, a skincare specialist and Gabi Gunderson, a hairstylist. 
          Fraker and Devon have four children. Devon raises show cattle that he sells all over the nation.
          For more information, visit Channing’s Customs at channingscustoms.com or on Facebook and Instagram. Fraker can also be reached at [email protected] or by phone at 319-350-7330.

       A mom and her son enjoys having their photo taken by dad in a police cruiser at the annual Grinnell Optimist National Night Out on Tuesday, Aug. 6 in Central Park. The event gave families an opportunity to meet local police, sheriff and firefighters and a chance to check out their vehicles. The Optimist Club served 20-gallons of ice cream to guests at the event.