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There are times that our worlds are meant to collide. A recent presentation at the Wilson Brewer Park, through a Humanities Iowa program, was the result of such an event. And the collision brought together four strangers from different walks of life, who share a passion to educate and inform; never expecting a collision in Webster City.
Sarah Pratt originally came to Webster City to see the giant Doodle Bug. The original scooters, made by Beam Industries, were less than three feet high. The sculpture downtown at City Hall Plaza, is nine feet tall. Roadside America calls it "the world's largest Doodle Bug scooter." It seems Webster City has taken its place alongside other historic, kitschy, often huge roadside attractions such as Carhenge (Alliance, NE), the Blue Whale of Catoosa (Catoosa, OK), and Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox (Bemidji, MN). All involve sculpture.
As Pratt looked around that day, she spotted a storefront with a colorful awning, some chairs stuck to the exterior, and the words "Art Studio" at the top. Inside, she met Maureen Seamonds, and before long, they were planning to bring Pratt's "Butter Together" program to Webster City. Before leaving town, she also toured the sculpture park in West Twin Park.
As part of Wilson Brewer Park's Fall Fest 2026, Pratt, who sculpts the butter cow each year at the Iowa State Fair, came to teach festival goers the art of butter sculpture. About 20 curious folks took the challenge. Pratt first asked would-be butter sculptors to "write down an inspiring idea on a sticky note." Then, giving each student a stick of butter, and some sculpting tools, she instructed them in shaping the butter to bring their idea to life in miniature . . . in butter.
Programs like these don't just happen. They must be planned, scheduled, and paid-for. How does that work?
Seamonds applied for a grant from Humanities Iowa, whose speakers' bureau of around 50 authors, historians and performers, offer programs of cultural and historical interest across Iowa. Founded in 1971, it is funded mainly by private donations, and a small annual stipend from the National Endowment for the Humanities in Washington, D.C.
Humanities Iowa charges a $50 registration fee, then books the event with a local sponsor. In Webster City, Mulberry Center Church in Wilson Brewer Park has sponsored Humanities Iowa programs in recent years. Following the event, Humanities Iowa sends the presenter an honorarium (fee). Seamond's nonprofit company, Legacy Learning Boone River Valley, was the event's official sponsor.
Grace Altenhofen, Communications & Grants Director at Humanities Iowa, came to the Wilson Brewer park the day of Fall Fest to observe and view Pratt at work in the open park. Altenhofen, who works in Iowa City, said the speakers' bureau rosters presenters in 21 categories as diverse as art history, journalism, religion, music, photography and sports. Especially popular topics are Iowa history, and Civil War history.
There are Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses Grant impersonators. In her talk about Iowa agriculture, "Corn and Kruschev," Liz Garst, granddaughter of Roswell and Elizabeth Garst, the Iowa farmers who hosted the Soviet Premier at their home near Coon Rapids, recounts her memories of the historic visit. Other programs concern prohibition and bootlegging in Iowa, the KKK in Iowa, the women's suffrage movement in Iowa, and even one concerning a possible future influenced by artificial intelligence.
Carolyn Miller, Coordinator of Mulberry Center Church at Wilson Brewer Park, has worked with Humanities Iowa for years to bring a series of lectures to the church each summer. Some of this year's programs included a talk by Phil Hester, a comic book artist and writer; "Lessons of the Holocaust," presented by Brad Wilkening; and a program titled "Just Before the Battle, Mother; a Visit from a Civil War Soldier," performed fully-costumed in character by Creston-based O.J. Fargo, an author, historian and Civil War reenactor. These programs are always free, with a free-will offering suggested. The proceeds always go to fund the care and maintenance of the church, and programs, a mission that Miller takes on each year, has been driven by her passion for this holy building. The care and restoration of the building has been a personal project that has spanned over 30 years.
Before the Fall Fest had ended, Pratt, Seamonds, Altenhofen and Miller all had a chance to meet. Through these four individuals, whose focus is both creative and preserving, they shared different passions for their projects. The benefit was that the Fall Fest, Wilsons Brewer Park and the Mulberry Center church, became the backdrop for future projects that enhance Webster City.