Our annual trip to Southwest Iowa did not disappoint

        Debbie and I along with our oldest nephew, Gavin, and his grandmother, Jan, made the trek to Clarinda in the southwest corner of the state to sell our products at the 65th Annual Clarinda Craft Carnival on Saturday, Oct. 18-19.
   The craft carnival draws more than 475 vendors from all over the Midwest selling their handmade/homemade products in six buildings around the town of Clarinda.
        Customers come from Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri and Kansas. And one vendor said, customers come from as far as Kansas City.
      The craft carnival is under the direction of the Clarinda Chamber of Commerce and is one of the most organized craft events Debbie and I have attended.
      Organizers bus customers from the various buildings and at times, folks are two and three deep at many of the vendor tables, including ours.
      This is our fourth year to sell our books at the craft fair and the first year that our oldest nephew brought goat meat products from his business, Boer Certified, to the craft carnival. His Grandmother Jan came to help during the busy times in his booth.
       We all enjoyed a great day and met some nice people.
       We all plan to return in 2025.
      Some famous folks from Clarinda include big band director, Glenn Miller and Jessie Field Shambaugh, an American educator and activist known as the “Mother of 4-H Clubs.”
     Television personality Johnny Carson was born in nearby Corning, Iowa, but lived for a time in Clarinda. Johnny’s brother, Richard (Dick) Carson, was born in Clarinda. He went on to become a television director for such shows as “The Tonight Show,” “Wheel of Fortune” and “The Merv Griffin Show.”
     We always stay in the neighboring town of Shenandoah, Iowa, the home of the Everly Brothers. It also home of Earl May Seed & Nursery, founded in 1919.
      They have a nice hotel right in downtown Shenandoah with clean rooms and good service. The motel is just a block from the Everly Brothers house and town museum.
     We all enjoyed supper at the Elm Street Grill located at the Shenandoah Country Club. The food was awesome and the company was even better.
      While in Clarinda, we drove by a garage sale and Gavin, our oldest nephew, noticed an octagon table in the yard. He loves the old tables and mentioned something about taking a look at it. I surprised him and stopped while making a lunch run and bought the table for $5. I figured it would be about $30 or $40, so I was pleasantly surprised it was so cheap.
     Gavin loves it and already has plans for its use. It’s a little rough, but with some furniture polish and a good scrubbing, it will be like new.
      The fun part was getting it packed in the Suburban along with our suitcases, products, freezer, tables and chairs for the ride home. Gavin is a master packer and it serves us well to stay out of the way.
      Our trip to Southwest Iowa included a stop at the Ax Murder House in nearby Villisca. I was excited to find the house open for tours along with the giftshop. Time did not permit us to take the tour, but I did purchase an Ax Murder House puzzle and coffee mug in the giftshop.
     All the other times we have stopped, the house has been closed, but is open to folks who fork out a lot of money to spend the night there. The two folks running the giftshop said the Ax Murder House has a new owner and they have made some improvements and keep the house open more. I’m fascinated with the Ax Murder House and have it on my bucket list of things to tour.
     We did meet a lady at the craft carnival who expressed an interest in having us speak about our books at the Clarinda Public Library. If we can put something together and possibly speak at a couple more libraires while in the area, I’m touring the Ax Murder House the next time we in that area.
     This is the first of six craft shows Debbie and I will be attending this fall and early winter. Coming up is Indianola, then Malcom at Bison Days at Sunset Hills Bison Ranch and Lodging north of town. They have a festival the first weekend of November and we are taking part in the area vendor show. I plan to take some photos and write a story for the CR paper while there.
     Then it’s off to craft shows in Pella and Pleasantville before Thanksgiving and rounding up with Victor in early December.
     Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day.