OTTUMWA —
The Main Street Ottumwa Promotions Committee would like to express its gratitude to everyone who came out and supported our second annual Main Street Ottumwa History Walk. Approximately 185 people braved cold temperatures and brisk winds to enjoy the hour-long tour. While much preparation goes into an event such as this, we would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the following, for without their participation and support, this event would be impossible.
To our presenters: Miriam Kenning as Lucille Ball, Mark Eckman as train conductor at the Depot; Brian Morgan as Harold Akerman; Tim McKay, who provided 1950s tunes at the AmericInn parking lot; Bill Schiller as a gas station attendant; Crystal James as a diner waitress and her customers, Melissa and Lizzie Simonson; Dr. Kent Walker as Dr. Steven Fox; David Barajas as Paul Ward, owner of Ward’s Pharmacy; Julie Schuck as Bessie Ullman; and Tom Konrad as Phil Taylor Sr.
Michael Lemberger graciously permitted us to use his photography at this event. His pictorial account of Ottumwa life in the 1950s added so much to our tour.
We thank the Vintage Cruisers Car Club, Marilyn Copeland, Chris Cobler and Lester Den Hartog for arranging the mini car show that everyone enjoyed on the tour. Thank you to the Wapello County Historical Society for opening their wonderful museum for the evening, Ron Henderson for sharing his building and Akerman Auto mementos and to the Heartland Humane Society volunteers who provided concessions for our event. The Taylor family has quite a history here in Ottumwa, and they graciously shared their Coca-Cola memorabilia and recollections with our committee. We received much anecdotal information from the residents of Pennsylvania Place, as well as memories provided by various community members that were invaluable to our presentation.
Kudos to Chelsea Davis and Mark Newman for their excellent Courier coverage of our event.
Last, but certainly not least, a huge thank you to all of our Main Street volunteers and Main Street friends who helped us with the History Walk behind the scenes and otherwise. We hope to see you at Main Street’s History Walk 2013.
Fred Zesiger
board president
Main Street Ottumwa
Letters to the Editor
October 11, 2012
Thanks for making the History Walk successful
- Letters to the Editor
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- Church extends a heartfelt thanks As I sit here in my office that still smells of smoke from the fire our church suffered this past week, I remind myself how fortunate we are to be in a city where people still watch out for one another, and we, the members of the First Church of God,
- Program helps new parents In light of recent developments, I would like to increase the public's awareness of the NEST Program available through our Wapello County Extension and Outreach at 214 E. Main St. This program is available for parents of newborns through age 5, as we
- One giant mud hole to China Once upon a time, long, long ago, the neighbor kids and I used to like to dig in the ditch after a nice rain and make mud pies. We’d squat beside our hole in the ground with our long-handled spoons and take turns digging and filling our muffin pans
- Superintendent says 'thank you' May is School Board Appreciation Month. Today, the district held its Staff Appreciation and Teacher of the Year Breakfast, and last week was the Faculty Follies program organized by the Education Foundation for Fairfield Public Schools. I am full of
- Address mental health concerns for veterans Memorial Day will soon be here and we will pay tribute to our deceased loved ones. This Memorial Day, let's pay special tribute to our deceased veterans — like my dad — Don Butts, who served in World War II (Battle of the Bulge — one of the worst bat
- It's the death of a republic It's the death of a republic Our first president -- and founding father -- once said during his administration that "at best, government is a fearful master; at worst, it is a consuming fire." During the later 20th century, the number of defenseles
- Judicial system is out of whack
- LWV responds to letter The League of Women Voters — Ottumwa would like to respond to a recent letter to the editor. We will explain more about our forums that we co-host with the Chamber of Commerce every spring, specifically regarding the issue of asking Curt Hanson to
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