Hi everyone! Megan here. Before we jump into our regular community information, I’d like to begin today’s post with a story…
Eight and half years ago, while I was still choir director at WHS and directing the fall musical Cinderella, I met the mother of one of my freshman students. She walked into the auditorium before one of our rehearsals and said something like, “Hi, I’m Jane’s mom. I have a degree in theater, is there anything I can do to help you?” I felt like I’d won the lottery!
When that production was finished, we maintained a fairly normal parent/teacher relationship for the rest of the year, which was my last at WHS. A few years later, our paths crossed again when she joined the board of the Winterset Stage. I was serving as president and she became treasurer. When the founders of the organization moved away, she and I spent quite a bit of time together working on a new way forward for this organization which had come to be such a unique part of the culture of our community. We continued to work closely through the Winterset Stage and a new level of friendship developed.
Fast forward another couple of years when I decided I would leave teaching and take a half-time position as the director of the new Iowa Quilt Museum plus…well I didn’t know what else. I somehow convinced this new friend of mine that she should leave her job as a CPA in Des Moines (because she was tired of the drive and the long hours) and start a business with me. We didn’t know exactly what that business would be but we decided to call it Vivente!, an Italian word which means “to live.” We wanted to do work that would bring satisfaction to our own lives, allow us some flexibility to enjoy more life with our families, and also enrich the lives of others. That choice has created multiple opportunities for us, one of which was the purchase of The Winterset Citizen just over two years ago allowing us to share a bit of time with you each week.
In a few days, I have to say “good bye” to this wonderful woman as she moves on to a new adventure. She and her husband are relocating to the Pacific Northwest and beginning a new chapter in their lives.
We’re still not sure we ever ‘figured out’ what our business was exactly, but we sure had one heck of a journey together. It has been my privilege to work with a woman who has been an incomparable business partner and became a wonderful friend, adding value to my life in countless ways. Meisha, I will miss you terribly but I give thanks for your presence in my life these past several years and I wish you nothing but the best that life has to offer. Be well, my friend!
All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players;
they all have their entrances and their exits…
(As You Like it Act 2, Scene 7, William Shakespeare)
And now back to our regularly scheduled programming…
Great Citizens and Great Works
Volunteer painters freshen up the Covered Bridges
Several wonderful citizens met up at covered bridges this past week to give them a fresh coat of paint and cover up the graffiti. Thanks to all of these wonderful citizens who gave of their time to help keep our landmarks beautiful!
How Can YOU Help?
Husky Help Day Substitute
Each year the WHS senior class, along with teacher and community volunteers, participate in service projects around Winterset on Husky Help Day. However, without all of those helping hands coming together this year, there are several community projects that could use a volunteer or two.
Bob Kaldenberg has compiled a list of projects that would typically have been completed on Husky Help Day in collaboration with the Winterset Rotary Club. If you feel like tackling some outdoor work (a great way to bust out of isolation for while!), consult this list and give Bob a call. (His phone number is on the list in the link.)
Cloth Gowns requested by Madison County Health Care
Earlier this week, Dr. Amy Kimball shared that hospital and clinic staff are now having increased need for gowns to wear when seeing patients and it is getting more difficult to get disposable gowns. If you are a sewer looking for a new challenge, there is a pattern for the gowns on the IDPH website. Material can be purchased and delivered to you if you are able to do the sewing. There is a Facebook Group called “How Can I Help?” where information is being shared. You can also email us (TheWintersetCitizen@gmail.com) and we can put you in touch with someone who will donate fabric.
Donate to the Winterset Flower Project
One thing that will not change in the midst of this global pandemic is our downtown flower display. Now more than ever, we need a breath of fresh air and the beauty that these flowers bring to our historical square. The flower project is a private effort made possible by volunteers and donations from individuals, businesses and civic organizations. It is not a city or county project. Due to social distancing, no personal calls will be made this year seeking donations. However, your financial support is still needed. Donations can be dropped off or mailed to: Ben Franklin; Montross Pharmacy; or any of our three local banks (Union State, Farmers & Merchants or American State). Donations of any size are appreciated and will be recognized when the list of donors is published in August.
Donations may be mailed to: Dave Trask, 72 East Court Ave., Winterset, Iowa 50273
Community Updates
Updated Food & Dining Guide
This Food & Dining Guide was updated on May 11th.
Free Art Kits
Curbside Pickup at the Winterset Art Center • 5/15
Pick up a free art kit from the Winterset Art Center tomorrow, Friday, May 15th from 10:30am – 12:30pm. Just pull up to the curb!
Winterset Aquatic Center
Closed for the 2020 Season
The Winterset City Council and Parks & Recreation Department have been faced with the unenviable task of deciding whether or not to open the Winterset Aquatic Center this season. Today, they announced that the WAC will not open for the 2020 season. While this will surely change the look and feel of summer, ultimately the safety of the citizens in our community is top priority and we thank those who carefully deliberated, for many hours we’re sure, in order to make this arduous decision.
Virtual Programming from the Iowa Quilt Museum
Every Wednesday
The Iowa Quilt Museum is continuing to host virtual events each Wednesday while they are closed to the public. Next week, Wednesday, May 20th, at 12:30pm CDT, you can join a virtual meet-up with modern quilters Erick Wolfeyer and Bill Kerr, two of the featured artists in the museum’s current exhibit, Man Made.
Bill Kerr, and wife Weeks Ringle, are celebrating their 20th year as professional quiltmakers and co-founders of Modern Quilt Studio, a design studio in Oak Park, Illinois. Bill and Weeks are pioneers of the Modern Quilt Movement, having written the first book on Modern Quilting. Modern Quilt Studio publishes Modern Quilts Illustrated, the first ever magazine exclusively dedicated to modern quilting. Bill began sewing at age 8 and started designing and making modern quilts in 1995. When he’s not working in the studio, Bill can be found at Dominican University in River Forest, IL where he is Director of the Graphic Design Discipline and former Chair of the Art Department.
While living in Yountville, California, Erick Wolfmeyer made his first quilt in 1998 with the help of a pattern. He now works exclusively from his own designs, which start as pencil sketches. His quilts have developed into a full-fledged art career, and have been featured in numerous publications and exhibits in the U.S. and Europe. He now resides and quilts in Iowa City, Iowa.
To join the meeting via Zoom download the application on your computer or mobile device (free) and enter the following meeting details:
Topic: Man Made [Virtual] with Erick Wolfmeyer & Bill Kerr
Time: May 20, 2020 12:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/94117063214
Meeting ID: 941 1706 3214
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This event is being offered free of cost by the Iowa Quilt Museum although donations are welcome and appreciated. The first 100 participants will be able to login to the meeting via Zoom. Viewers are encouraged to share questions that they would like the panelists to answer. The meeting will be recorded and shared online the next day for anyone who isn’t able to join the live meet-up.
Pride of Winterset [Virtual] Variety Show
Earlier year, The Winterset Stage and the Winterset Lions Club announced that there would be a ‘passing of the torch’ for the spring variety show that we had known as the Lions Show for the past 70 years. The Winterset Stage was preparing to produce the Pride of Winterset Variety Show in mid-April but, of course, that was cancelled.
However…thanks to the wonders of modern technology, The Winterset Stage is currently hosting a virtual version of the variety show on their Facebook Page featuring talent from across our community. If you’re not on Facebook, you can find the videos on the Winterset Stage website instead. Head to one of those locations and check out some talented individuals!
Winterset Rotary
Virtual Virus Victory Race
In place of their usual John Wayne 5K, the Winterset Rotary Club is also offering a non-traditional race opportunity—the Virtual Virus Victory Race, a 5K walk/run, 25K bike. Register online, run or bike, take a pic & report your time by May 25th. Each entry gets a t-shirt & medal and proceeds will go to support Madison County & Central Iowa Food Banks.
National Bike to Work Day
Friday, May 15
Our friends at Union State Bank reminded us that tomorrow is National Bike to Work Day. All of you who are working from home…get out that stationary bike and GO! 🤣
Really, though, if you ARE going somewhere to work, Friday looks like it will be a sunny respite among several days of rain.
Be Well and Thank you for Reading
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Thank you for reading The Winterset Citizen. All community announcements are provided at no charge, courtesy of the following sponsors:
American State Bank
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Ben Franklin
Blanchard Family Dentistry
Covered Bridge Realty
Farmers & Merchants State Bank
Farm Bureau FS, Scot Clark
Groth’s Gardens & Greenhouses
Homefront Real Estate
The Iowa Theater
Johnson Insurance
John Wayne Birthplace Museum
Lowe Chiropractic Clinic
Madison County Health Care System
Madison County Historical Society
McGowen Hurst Clark Smith
Medicap Pharmacy
Midwest Heritage Bank
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Union State Bank
Winterset Ballet & Dance Studio
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