Sep 15

more school notes for 2026-27

Posted on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

At the end of August I pulled a “break glass in case of no time to write” Substack piece — school timeline items. This time, it’s a lot about Mediapolis and Fremont-Mills, two schools four and a half hours apart.

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Sep 11

Traer Museum fundraiser Sunday

Posted on Friday, September 11, 2026, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

The Traer Historical Museum, in addition to owning the building the museum is in on Second Street, also owns the Star-Clipper/Canfield building down the block, home of the Winding Stairs.

The Canfield building needs a lot of work. A story in the North Tama Telegraph says repairing a hail-damaged roof will cost $24,000, with insurance covering only half that. Tuckpointing in the basement will cost $12,000, with the city providing $8,000 in local-option sales tax money.

This Sunday from 11 to 1, a porkburger dinner fundraiser will be held at the Traer Memorial Building. (The “tenderloins” are probably the pork loin sandwiches sold during summer events, rather than the breaded tenderloins seen at restaurants.) A silent auction will also be part of the fundraiser, with items listed in the NTT link above.

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Sep 09

New Lansing bridge to open early

Posted on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, at 10:07 AM by Jeff

The Black Hawk Bridge’s replacement in Lansing is now expected to open in “early November,” rather than in 2027, according to a press release from the Iowa DOT.

The press release uses the phrase “Mississippi River Crossing at Lansing” instead of any other title. This makes me wonder if a new name has not been agreed upon.

Chief Black Hawk has extensive connections to Iowa and Wisconsin history, especially in that area, where the Black Hawk War was fought. There is no reason not to name the new structure “the new Black Hawk Bridge,” and it would provide continuity in the same way the construction evokes the original design.

The dedication of the original bridge in 1931 was a four-day festival. An article in the Cedar Rapids Gazette on Monday quoted Lansing Mayor Michael Verdon as saying there will be “a relatively small celebration” in November, and “When the bridge is finally completed in the spring we will have a big celebration.”

Either way, I really need the date(s) ASAP, if I have any chance of attending.

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Sep 05

Football? I guess?

Posted on Saturday, September 5, 2026, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

This is painfully, horribly accurate. I couldn’t name one if I tried.

The Athletic expects ISU to go 0-fer in conference and lose to Iowa.

[deep, exasperated sigh]

(I’m a bit disappointed in SEC Shorts’ embrace of AI for its graphics, but during the season, turnaround time is minimal to say the least.)

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Sep 02

An intra-Tama County forfeit

Posted on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Meskwaki Settlement has forfeited Friday’s game to Gladbrook-Reinbeck, KCCI reports. The school cites player numbers and injury concerns.

Meskwaki lost its opener to HLV/Tri-County 64-16.

Meswaki and GR are both in North Tama’s district now that the Redhawks have dropped to 8-man. North Tama is scheduled to host Meskwaki on Sept. 25.

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Aug 27

Clayton County Museum Crawl 3

Posted on Thursday, August 27, 2026, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Dolls, tiny museums, and opera houses that no longer have operas but do have plays, are part of the third installment of the 2026 Clayton County Museum Crawl.

I was not compensated at the time of the posts, but a month later became the winner of $150 in gift certificates and Chamber of Commerce bucks as the winner of the drawing. (This assumes there was a drawing, and I was not the only one to complete the crawl.)

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Aug 25

St. Joseph’s last Mass

Posted on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Cindy Hadish of Homegrown Iowan visited St. Joseph’s Parish in Chelsea, among others, as they prepared to have a final Mass. The Archdiocese of Dubuque is engaged in a restructuring process, and the reduction in services and realignment of pastorates took effect at the end of June.

Technically, these are not closure closures, as there will be Wednesday morning services, and the churches will be available for weddings and funerals. (That means that there’s still going to be maintenance costs involved.)

St. Paul’s in Traer, somehow (a miracle?), escaped full closure, although all the proposals ended Mass there. Traer was noted as having one of the longest distances to another parish. Masses there are held on Saturdays.

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Aug 19

Photos from RAGBRAI LIII

Posted on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, at 11:00 AM by Jeff

Instead of a story from this year’s RAGBRAI route, I did a photo gallery. (Time is not a luxury, alas.)

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Aug 17

The 1996 Iowa State Fair and a ribbon that connects generations

Posted on Monday, August 17, 2026, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

OK, I admit I should have made this particular headline a little more SEO-friendly. Also, although I donated it, it might not actually BE on display at the Iowa State Fair this year, and I feel part of that is my fault. I should’ve given a heads-up that I was going to run this column.

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Aug 11

Clayton County Museum Crawl 2

Posted on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Here’s the second half of my six-museum marathon from one day in June.

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