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Debbie and I, along with our oldest nephew, Gavin, made the three hour plus trek to Clarinda in southwest Iowa on Friday a week ago to sell our goods at the 61st Clarinda Craft Carnival on Saturday, Sept. 18.
This is our fifth year and Gavin’s second to attend and sell our goods. Debbie had a great day, selling 17 books, the best she has ever done at any craft event. And Gavin had a great day as well, selling his goat meat products. Debbie’s comment after the carnival, “This was fun.” One young lady bought Debbie’s first three books in her Hope Series last year. “I just love your books,” she told Debbie when visiting our booth. She then discovered that Debbie had published a fourth book in the Hope Series and it was like she found a lost jewel. “I have been waiting for this,” she said as she paid for book four and placed it in her bag. And something new and different this year, I handed out Halloween candy to youngsters and some adults at the carnival. We stopped at a General Dollar in Shenandaoh, where we stayed the night, and bought a large Halloween bowl and some candy. By early afternoon, I had run out of suckers, the most popular candy in my bowl. And late Saturday morning, my sister-in-law, and her friend along with her mother arrived at the craft carnival and stayed the day. The show featured 475 vendors spread out across five buildings in Clarinda. Craft carnival attendees are bused from building-to-building and it’s busy throughout the day. All the items at the Clarinda show have to be homemade or handmade. I remember a couple years ago, several women showed up at our booth toward at the close of the show and were buying books out of our suitcase we used to haul them around. And at our first show, we met two older sisters from nearby Villisca, who shared a story about growing up in the Ax Murder town and not knowing anything about it. After high school sometime in the late 1950s, the two sisters spent the summer working at a vacation resort in Colorado. It was there they learned from a another summer worker about the Ax Murders. When they called home and asked about it, their mother said we never talked about it as relatives of the eight murder victims were still living in Villisca. That was a memorable experience and story. We have three more craft events on the calendar this fall in Indianola, Pleasantville and Victor. We have sold our books at all these shows and have done well in past years. And we expect to do good at all these shows again this year. In past years, we have attended craft shows or other events in Coralville, Des Moines (at Adventureland, Iowa State Fairgrounds and Barnes and Noble), Malcom, Grinnell, Newton, Pella, Jewel, Marshalltown, Nevada, Perry, Calamus, Davenport, Wapello, Burlington, and Rock Island, Ill. As with anything worth trying in life, there is always a risk. The key to success is having a good attitude, connecting with event attendees and talking about your products. It doesn’t hurt to have a nice display to showcase your products. My favorite part of participating in the craft events is spending time with Debbie and meeting new people. And for the last couple years, a fellow I met at the Iowa State Fair Campground who lives south of Clarinda near the Missouri border, comes to the show and always stops and visits. He buys estates and sells the goods online. At this year’s Iowa State Fair, he said he had some postcards and knew I collected them and thought I might be interested. He gave me his business card and asked me to call him before this year’s craft carnival. And in true J.O. fashion, I brought his card home and laid it down and couldn’t’ find it before this year’s event. When he stopped at our booth, I mentioned something about the postcards, saying that I had lost his business card. “I was driving here and remembered about the postcards, but don’t know where I put them,” he told me. Hopefully we will get connected at the 2026 Iowa State Fair Campground and can make a deal. I always say, strangers are just waiting to become friends. Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day.
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I’ve never been a fan of shaving and for the last year or two had been lazily letting my whiskers go a week or so between shaves. That was until earlier this year when I decided to grow a beard.
I started growing my beard three days before my colon cancer surgery on March 21. It had been more than 20 years since I last had a beard. I had grown a beard two or three times prior to meeting Debbie in August 2003, only to shave it off a few months later. I had a mustache when we got married and cut it off shortly after our wedding in September 2004. Initially, when I decided to grow a beard, I figured I would cut it off after traveling to Tulsa for my cousin reunion in early June. Summer went on and so did my beard. I figured the heat would get to me, but it didn’t, so I let it grow. Maybe I spent more time in the air conditioning than outside. I think Debbie can attest to that statement. I can say with confidence that I now have more hair on my face than I do on my head. It’s getting quit thin on top. And my eyebrows are thicker than a slab of cement and my nose hair, oh my goodness. I put nose hair in the same category as weeds. Since growing a beard, I have had it trimmed at a local barbershop several times. I would rather pay to have my beard trimmed instead of spending money on a beard trimmer only to have it sit in a bathroom drawer. Like my dad, I rarely go anywhere without a hat on my head. I think it gives me a better chance at keeping a few hairs on my head a bit longer. I’ve worn a hat for many years and have amassed quite a collection of hats. I still have my 1985 OU Sooners Football National Championship hat. I also have a number of OU Softball National Championship hats. Debbie has bought me one every year they win it all, which is a bunch of times. And I have quite a collection of Iowa State Fair hats. Some are more well-worn than others. The butter cow version of an ISF hat is one of my favorites. A hat I have on my birthday and Christmas list is a “Tulsa” hat. It is made by Okie Brand company based in Tulsa. The company makes all types of hats and other apparel with an Oklahoma theme. They also make a “Tulsa” sticker like the patch on the hat that I hope to purchase down the road. I also have a collection of hat and work shirt patches and some agriculture hat patches. Among my small collection are a couple patches from my dad’s work, Gaso Pump, in Tulsa. The company built huge pumps that moved crude oil through pipelines. I also have some advertisements from his company along with the ring he received at his retirement in March 1993. And some years ago, I found on eBay, a small compass with Gaso printed on it. It was probably given away at oil expos and expositions such as the International Petroleum Exposition (IPE) held in Tulsa from 1923 – 1979. The IPE event showcased the latest oil industry technology, sold equipment and services and educated the public and industry workers about oil production. Changes in the oil industry and oil production moving offshore in the 1970s led to the IPE show closing down. It also brought many other changes to Tulsa, which at one time was known as the “Oil Capitol of the World.” One such company that had a home base in Tulsa was Skelly Oil founded in 1919 by William Grove Skelly, along with two other men. My mom worked for Skelly Oil in the late 50s and early 60s after I was born. She had an office job. I’m not sure what she did at Skelly Oil. Seems like she wrote checks and paid bills. Outside of oil, Tulsa has a significant collection of Art Deco architecture and its historic presence on Route 66. My high school, Will Rogers, is one of the finest examples of Art Deco buildings in Tulsa. The school opened to students in 1939 with the first graduating class being 1940. If you are ever in Tulsa, check out my high school near Tulsa University and the many other Art Deco buildings in the downtown area and across the city. Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day. U.S. Route 66 celebrates its 100th birthday in 2026.
Having grown up in Tulsa, Okla., I am quite familiar with Route 66, better known as the “Mother Road.” My boyhood home was one-half mile south of Route 66, which is 11th Street in Tulsa. In fact, one city block of my newspaper route was on Route 66. Every morning I walked or rode my bicycle on Route 66. When I was a kid, I didn’t give it much thought. Today, with all the popularity of Route 66, I enjoy telling people that I grew up one-half mile from the famous highway. In Tulsa, Route 66 featured many eateries and motels, including the now demolished Will Rogers Motor Court. The famous motel sign is now part of the Route 66 Neon Sign Park in Tulsa and located at the Southwestern end of the 11th Street Bridge, which carries the road across the Arkansas River near downtown Tulsa. In addition, there are other stores and eateries in Tulsa town including Buck Atom’s Cosmic Curios on 66, Mother Road Market and Tulsa Market District, an innovative, entrepreneurial district and home to Route 66 attractions, restaurants, bars, art galleries and retail shops. Route 66 covers 2,448 miles starting in Chicago and rolling through Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and ends in Santa Monica, Calif. According to Wikipedia, U.S. Route 66 was one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on Nov. 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. Many books and now social media posts and videos popularize the road. Some of the most famous books include “Route 66: The First 100 Years” by Graham Shellee and Jim Ross; “Route 66: The Mother Road” by Michael Wallis; “Ghost Towns of Route 66” by Jim Hinckley; “Route 66, A Photographic Essay” and “Along Route 66,” both by Quinta Scott; “EZ 66 Guide for Travelers” by Jerry McClanahan; “Travel Route 66” by Jim Hinckley and “The Best Hits on Route 66: 100 Essential Stops on the Mother Road” by Amy Bizzarri. According to Wikipedia, Route 66 was recognized in popular culture by the 1946 hit song “Get Your Kicks on Route 66,” written by Bobby Troup and recorded in April 1946 by the King Cole Trio. The Route 66 television series, which aired on CBS from 1960 to 1964, featured Martin Milner of Adam 12 fame, George Maharis, Glenn Corbett, Robert Redford, William Shatner and Donna Douglas. It was a popular television show about two men traveling the United States in a Chevrolet Corvette convertible and the events and consequences surrounding their journeys. There is a board game entitled “Route 66 Travel Game” centered around the television show, along with a number of other board games about the famous road. I would love to find the television version board game and add it to my collection. And in John Steinbeck’s novel, “The Grapes of Wrath,” published in 1939 (one of my favorite books), the highway symbolizes escape, loss, and the hope of a new beginning; Steinbeck dubbed it the Mother Road. Other designations and nicknames include the Will Rogers Highway and the Main Street of America, the latter nickname shared with U.S. Route 40. Route 66 was decommissioned on June 27, 1985. However, Route 66 has not totally vanished. According to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, about 85 percent of the road is actually still drivable - it just exists under a variety of other official names and numbers, though sometimes marked with a “Historic Route 66” sign. One article I found said the road became functionally obsolete because of narrow pavements and antiquated structural features that reduced carrying capacity. These days there is quite an interest in the road. I know several people here in Iowa who have traveled the road or traveled parts of it more than once. A good friend of mine in Lebanon, Mo. is part of the Lebanon-Laclede County Route 66 Society. There is a nice Route 66 Museum worth the visit at the Lebanon Public Library. And of course, Lebanon is home to the Munger Moss Motel located on the famous highway and still in operation. And last year while visiting another friend who is an art and photography teacher at Lebanon High School, I learned that some of his students were painting tiles of sites in Lebanon that were then placed around a Route 66 mural in the city park. Travelers of the road will discover many attractions such as the world’s second largest rocking chair in Cuba, Mo, Route 66 Drive-In in Carthage, Mo., The Blue Whale in Catoosa, Okla., Arcadia round barn in Arcadia, Okla., Ed Galloway’s Totem Poles in Foyil, Okla., Meadow Gold Sign and the Blue Dome District in my hometown of Tulsa, Gearhead Curios in Galena, Kan., Cadillac Ranch near Amarillo, Texas, Wigwam Motel in Holbrook, Ariz., Illinois Rock & Roll Museum in Joliet, Ill., Tee Pee Curios and M. Richardson’s Trading Company, both in New Mexico, and Elbow Inn Bar and BBQ in Devils Elbow, Mo., where the owner has a fine tradition of hanging women’s bras from the ceiling. And in 2026, the Hemmings Great Race will travel Route 66 from Illinois to California. There are tons of history about Route 66 available on the internet about planned celebrations in states and communities all along the Mother Road. Consider marking your calendar and joining in on all the fun at a small town along the route. Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day. I’m always looking for an opportunity to visit with others.
That was the case on Saturday as I walked around the Montezuma American Legion Car Show taking photos and talking with and interviewing vehicle owners. While there, I noticed a fellow using his cell phone on a hand-held device filming the cars and trucks at the show. Curious, I introduced myself and asked what he was doing. He said his name was Jeff Brewster from Knoxville and he enjoys attending car shows around the state and making videos for his YouTube channel, Corn Rows and Car Shows. “I come to these shows because I love the old cars and love talking to everybody,” said Brewster. “I love to hear the old car stories.” He currently has 66 videos on his YouTube channel from car shows this year and last. We talked more and I mentioned I was from Oklahoma. “I am too,” he said. I said that I grew up in Tulsa and he said he grew up around the Oklahoma City area. “I attended Will Rogers High School in Tulsa,” I told him. “My mom attend Will Rogers and graduated in 1953,” he told me. He said his family has a piece of marble from a window seal at the school that has been made into a small table. Of course that peaked my interest, as I mentioned I would like to see it. We exchanged phone numbers and I mentioned next time I was going to be in the Knoxville area, I would give him a call in hopes of seeing this piece from my Oklahoma upbringing. You just never know when and where you will meet someone with a connection to your family or upbringing. My dad was a master at finding those connections and I believe I have inherited some of those skills that have benefited me greatly in my life and as a community journalist. Debbie and I celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary on Sept. 25. Instead of buying each other a gift, we got a new puppy, a Border Collie / Great Pyrenees mix, from Mark and Rosemarie Adams of Missouri. Our new puppy, Daisy Mae, is three months old and is three quarter Border Collie and one quarter Great Pyrenees. Our new puppy joins Boomer, a dog we got from the Adams’ two years ago. Boomer is three-quarters Great Pyrenees and one-quarter Border Collie. I met Rosemarie at a community photography workshop in 2003 in Louisiana, Mo., on the banks of the Mississippi River, just south of Hannibal. She was working for a local newspaper in her hometown northwest of Columbia and attended the workshop to hone her photography skills. We stayed in touch through the years and while Debbie and I were at a book event in the Quad Cities area in June 2023, I saw a Facebook post from Rosemarie looking for homes for a litter of five pups. I showed the post to Debbie and we both knew that one of the pups would soon be ours. We picked a male and named him Boomer and hadn’t even met him. I reached out to Rosemarie and we met our new puppy on Labor Day weekend that year. Fast forward two years and we welcomed home Daisy Mae. Boomer is such a loving, caring and protective dog. Debbie is slowly introducing Daisy Mae to Boomer and we believe that they will complement each other in the coming days and weeks. I believe that Debbie and I complement each other and together we are doing great things and being difference makers in this world. I thank God every day for her and for all of life’s experiences we enjoy together. You can be a difference maker in the lives of others as well. Some J.O. tips include: Finding the positive in life’s experiences and challenges, Doing good to others, Going the extra mile even when it is not appreciated, Giving more than you take, Turning off the negative and focusing on the positive, And learning that no matter what you have on your plate, it is OK to take a nap every day. Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day. |
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