This Weekend

Optimist Turkey Dinner

Sunday • November 17 • 11:00 – 1:30
Winterset Optimist Club at Winterset High School

Get an early dose of Thanksgiving this Sunday at the Winterset Optimist Club’s annual Turkey Dinner. Enjoy turkey or ham and all the traditional fixings plus a dessert bar to dream about! Tickets are $15 for adults and can purchased at the door. You can stay and eat with your neighbors and friends or take your meal(s) to go.

Funds raised through this event go back to the Winterset Community in a variety of ways. You can read more about the work of the Winterset Optimist Club here.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (the movie!)

November 15 & 16 • 7:00pm, November 17 • 2:00pm
Will also play next weekend
The Iowa Theater

The Herdmans are six siblings who have a reputation for being the worst kids in the world. However, when they take over the local church pageant during the holidays, they just might teach a shocked community the true meaning of Christmas. Rated PG, 1 hr, 39 min

This movie is based on the play of the same name written by Barbara Robinson in 1971 which as since become a mainstay in the theater world, and a holiday tradition in many communities. I’ve had the opportunity to take part in a production of this story at least three times (I think I’ve lost count!) and each time has been heart warming experience as the Christmas story is revealed to the Herdmans—the worst kids in the world.

The Holdovers

Sunday • November 17 • 5:30pm
Sunday Movie Club at the Iowa Theater

A curmudgeonly instructor at a New England prep school remains on campus during Christmas break to babysit a handful of students with nowhere to go. He soon forms an unlikely bond with a brainy but damaged troublemaker, and with the school’s head cook, a woman who just lost a son in the Vietnam War.

The screening is the November installment in The Iowa’s Sunday Movie Club programming, which offers a thought-provoking film the third Sunday of each month. Doors open at 5 p.m. The movie starts at 5:30. Total running time (TRT) is 1 hour, 55 minutes. Membership in the Sunday Movie Club costs $75 per year for 12 movies. Anyone can attend a single screening by purchasing an $8 ticket. A brief, optional discussion follows every screening. The book-club-like conversations are variously facilitated by theater staff, board members, and club members.

Ensure the Future of the Iowa Theater

Iowa Theater Capital Campaign

As faithful readers of The Winterset Citizen, you’re familiar with the many events that take place at The Iowa Theater throughout the year! Just this week there are three different movies, the Winterset Stage recently performed The Enchanted Bookshop at The Iowa, and in a few weeks Winterset Ballet and Dance will bring their annual performance of The Nutcracker to life on the stage.

And even though The Iowa is a thriving asset in our community now, ten years ago—after a century of offering entertainment to the local community—the Iowa Theater nearly went dark forever. That was until community booster Marianne Fons stepped forward to energize the drive to restore the theater to its former (and current!) glory. With a team of local contractors, The Iowa underwent a $1.2 million renovation. The restoration redesigned the lobby and concession areas, revealed the grand proscenium and stage, and reopened the long-closed balcony, transforming the theater into an Art Deco jewel. At the conclusion of the renovation, a non-profit was created to oversee the theater’s operation. The Iowa reopened in 2017 during the John Wayne birthday celebration, the first of many collaborations with area organizations.

The Iowa shows over one hundred different films each year, including Way Back Wednesday classics, popular Hollywood releases on weekends, and art films during the Sunday Movie Club. The Iowa often partners with local organizations to host free movies for kids and screens John Wayne classics.

The Iowa is home to The Winterset Stage, where local actors of all ages experience the thrill of performing and learn more about live theater. The WHS Vocal Music Department and Winterset Ballet and Dance Studio each perform annually at The Iowa. The theater also serves as an affordable rental option for birthday parties, graduations, family gatherings, plus workshops and business meetings.

The Iowa Theater is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. It is not owned by any individual and is guided by a volunteer board of directors. All revenue is reinvested into operations. Despite being a non-profit, The Iowa’s economic impact on the local economy is significant, employing eight individuals whose part-time salaries generate over $167,000 annually. Locally purchased concessions contribute another $5,000 annually to our local economy.

The board of directors for the Iowa Theater has recently launched a capital campaign to raise $300,000 to ensure the future security of the theater. This campaign will eliminate the remaining debt from the renovation and establish a reserve for projector upgrades and maintenance. The theater is thriving, yet the debt is a burden on the monthly balance sheet and holds the theater back in programming and maintenance. 

Once debt-free, The Iowa will be able to expand community programming to include more free movies, music events, and performances by traveling artists. Your contribution to the capital campaign—no matter how large or small—will ensure this community gem continues to dazzle.

To make a contribution or pledge to the capital campaign, you can contact one of the capital campaign committee members:
Jerry Parkin, Heather Riley (Rainbow International), Chris Bertelson, Melissa Callstrom (American State Bank), Sarah Cowman (Homefront Real Estate), Julie Feirer, Lew Jordan (Zombie Hollow), Dan Nielsen (Heritage Financial), Annie Wiseman (Salon 107)

You can also make a pledge online and someone from the committee will contact you with details.

Next Week

You’ve Got Mail

Wednesday • November 20 • 7:00pm
The Iowa Theater

This Wednesday concludes the month of Tom Hanks!

Struggling boutique bookseller Kathleen Kelly (Meg Ryan) hates Joe Fox (Tom Hanks), the owner of a corporate Foxbooks chain store that just moved in across the street. When they meet online, however, they begin an intense and anonymous Internet romance, oblivious of each other’s true identity. Eventually Joe learns that the enchanting woman he’s involved with is actually his business rival. He must now struggle to reconcile his real-life dislike for her with the cyber love he’s come to feel. 1998, PG-13, 1 hr, 56 min

Holiday Hop

Saturday • November 23 • 8:30 – 1:30
Various Locations (see below!)

The Holiday Hop is an annual tradition in Winterset. What started has a handful of churches featuring hand made goods by ‘church ladies’ (and gentlemen!), has expended to include 11 locations this year. You’ll find something different at each place and you’re guaranteed to find some real treasures! Hop to all the locations and receive a punch on the card provided to be eligible for great prizes.

• First Christian Church
• First United Methodist Church
• Foursquare Church
• First United Presbyterian Church
• St Paul Lutheran Church
• St Joseph Catholic Church
• New Bridge Church
• Spotlight Dance Legacy
• Winterset Art Center
• Winterset Library
• Stop and Shop Craft Fair

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Help thank our sponsors by patronizing their businesses!

All community announcements are provided at no charge, courtesy of our sponsors.

American State Bank
Farmers & Merchants State Bank
Graham’s Game Café
Homefront Real Estate
The Iowa Theater
John Wayne Birthplace Museum
Madison County Health Care System
Madison County Historical Society
Madison County Music Co.
McGowen Hurst Clark Smith
Medicap Pharmacy
Midwest Heritage Bank
Montross Pharmacy
State Farm, Charlotte Speer
Union State Bank
Winterset Ballet & Dance Studio
Winterset Optimist Club
Winterset Parks & Recreation Department