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Not a fan of fairs

Local Columns

We’re in the midst of fair time in Iowa. The county fair schedule is nearly complete and the big Iowa State Fair is here. At the risk of being labeled a heretic, I confess I am one Iowan who is not enthralled with fairs. Oh, I admire the 4-H and FFA kids and their projects. I enjoy seeing the livestock and all the oddities of the fair along with the new products on display. Most of all, I enjoy visiting with the folks I meet at the fair. But I’m just not the fair enthusiast many Iowans are. My earliest fair memory is riding on a county fair merry-go-round as a small child. Then, ...

It isn’t bragging if it’s true

Local Columns

They say it isn’t bragging if it’s tre. The following is true so I’ll tell my story at the risk of appearing to brag. Nearly 20 years ago I made my entertainment debut on a stage in Branson. That’s right, this large fellow who can’t carry a tune, can’t dance and has no natural sense of rhythm performed on stage at a major theater in Branson, Missouri. Here’s what happened – My first wife, Cindy, and I enjoyed visiting Branson and made at least two trips a year to the Southern Missouri community. On this visit we had made a decision to go at the last minute and had ...

Switch gears for more fish

Local Columns

From mid-summer until ice returns to the lake, pond or river, if you want to catch more fish, you need to be fishing where the predator’s food lives. The type of food varies from body of water to body of water, but the concept remains: If you want to catch gamefish, you’ve got to be ...

Information of little importance or value

Local Columns

While I don’t enjoy playing most board games (bored games) I do enjoy playing Trivial Pursuit. That’s because I appreciate trivia; you know: “details, considerations or pieces of information of little importance or value.” That’s how the dictionary defines it. Sadly, my brain stores more of this kind of information than important stuff like how to make a million dollars or why dogs howl at the moon. The Internet has made harvesting trivia easier than ever and here a few of the things I have reaped recently — You know that frustrating feeling when you’re trying to ...

Use caution as cyclists roll through Webster City Tuesday

Editorials

Webster City is going to welcome a lot of visitors Tuesday — probably more than 15,00 people. All of those 15,000 people will be here as RAGBRAI rolls into town. While Webster City is not an overnight stop on the route, the bicyclists will be taking a break here. There will be food and entertainment downtown. To safely accommodate the bicycles and provide their riders with a good time, some streets will be closed Tuesday. Those who live and work in Webster City will need to be flexible and accept some temporary changes to their daily routine. Patience and caution will be needed ...

Faster trolling for faster fishing action

Local Columns

Fish are cold-blooded creatures. Water temperatures have an effect on their way of doing things. When the water is cold, the fish prefer a slow moving bait. Their metabolism is slower in cold water, so they don’t move as fast. When water temperatures warm up to where they are now, fish are ...