Danni McCoy (left) and Mary Lichtenberg, both of Omaha, walk along the street in Amana recently. During tough economic times, attractions like the Amana Colonies are one option for a destination that is closer to home./Photo by Liz Martin, The Gazette

By Carla Keppler
The Gazette
 
Iowans may be strapped for cash, but plans to travel are still on summertime agendas.  Rather than cut warm-weather trips, many Eastern Iowans are compromising with close-to-home trips on a tighter budget.

Take Sherri Clemence, 42, of Iowa City. Instead of an annual weeklong fishing trip to Gordon, Wis., Clemence will break summer ventures into weekend trips.

The Clemences are planning a trip to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. They also want to visit the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago and on another weekend, she hopes, take a day trip to Dubuque’s National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium.

“We figured now if we do just a couple weekend things, it might not hurt so bad” financially, says the first-grade teacher at Penn Elementary in North Liberty. “We’re going more for convenience and in the price range we can afford.”

The same goes for vacationers across the map, a recent Associated Press poll found. The study showed that 20 percent of Americans who plan summer excursions — a number that has dropped from 49 percent to 42 percent since 2005 — will stay closer to home because of economic worries.

Carrie Koelker, director of Eastern Iowa Tourism, says half of Iowans will travel at least 50 miles from their residences this summer, a number down slightly from past years. These trips, she says, can be especially enjoyable.
“There are a lot of tourism destinations in your own backyard,” Koelker said. “People are looking for value in price and in what they’re doing, and these are only a short drive away.”

Nancy Landess of the Iowa Tourism Office now focuses travel promotion on attractions in Iowa and surrounding states and offers gas cards and discounts as incentives for Iowans planning getaways this summer.

Another 23 percent of summer travelers, like Elizabeth Green, a 32-year-old University of Iowa student from Iowa City, are slashing costs by staying with family and friends rather than at hotels while on vacation, the poll showed.
Green and her husband will drive to California with their three daughters to visit family and will be penny-wise on their journey by dining in and skipping the shopping.

The Greens also travel locally when temperatures rise, visiting local festivals, pools and museums and — like some 400,000 others — the Amana Colonies.

As one of the state’s tourism hot spots, the Amanas are the perfect “day-cation,” says Joni Brezina, who plans events for the national historical landmark, which welcomes about 750,000 visitors annually. Food, art, breweries and festivals attract tourists, she says, noting the modest price of the “one-tank” trip for Midwesterners.

“Sometimes you forget what’s right next to you,” she says.

Green says, however, that with frugality comes a loss in spontaneity.

“When we were in a better financial position we would just get in the car and drive … stop and buy a toothbrush and stay,” she says. “With the way things are, we do less of that … and don’t always get to go as far or stay the night.”
Others, like teacher Clemence, look forward to a relaxing summer regardless of the destination.

“Taking time just to sit and talk and just relax and have fun doing the things you don’t have time for throughout the year makes it worth it,” she says.

2009 Gazette Communications

By Meredith Hines-Dochterman
The Gazette

Eileen Ahlberg (left) looks at a poster about her life with Andrew Fortmann. Fortmann, a senior at Iowa City West High School, made the poster as their final project in Gary Neuzil's sociology class. For three months, West students have met with Melrose Meadows residents to discover similarities across generations. Students shared their findings through presentations./ Photo by Meredith Hines-Dochterman, The Gazette

IOWA CITY — Dylan Carew and Jim Corwin have much in common.

They love sports, especially University of Iowa wrestling, and learned at an early age that you have to work for what you want in life. Both athletes, that’s what they did.

“There’s not really that much different between us,” Corwin said.

Some might think that Corwin being a resident at Melrose Meadows, a retirement community, and Carew, 17, a senior at Iowa City West High School, is a big difference.
They would be wrong.

For the past three months, Melrose Meadows residents and students in Gary Neuzil’s sociology class have met each week to exchange ideas and opinions on issues such as values, immigration, economics and family dynamics.

The project, Neuzil said, wasn’t designed as us versus them, but to give people of different generations the opportunity to find the common theme in a variety of topics.

“The outcome was a sense of wonderment,” Neuzil said. “You really saw a wonderful blending of ideas and connections.”

Brook Easton, Melrose Meadows’ marketing coordinator, helped organize the project.

“I was looking for something that was more of an oral history sort of thing,” she said.

Instead, the students and residents developed an intergenerational project, sharing aspects of their lives with one another. Teams spoke of first loves and life lessons, school dances and teenage pranks.

West High seniors Ben Joe Potter and Ani Vardanyan, both 18, learned about cherry bombs from their partner, Eldon Hans. They shared teepee stories with him.

“I know the residents, but the students uncovered things I didn’t know,” Easton said. “This was better than I imagined.”

West High senior Aaron Kepler said he wasn’t sure what to expect when he learned of the assignment.

“It was kind of awkward the first time, a little uncomfortable,” said Kepler, 18.

The residents stood on one side of the room, the students on the other. By the time the project culminated, students and residents readily sat together.

“I loved listening to the stories,” Kepler said. “What they did when they were our age, what we do now — it really hasn’t changed. We have a lot in common, although maybe we play our music a little too loud and drive a little too fast.”

Students and residents met one last time Tuesday night. One by one, students stood before the audience in Melrose Meadows’ wellness center to share what they learned from one another. Some students presented timelines; others, question-and-answer projects. A few had video and computer reports, showcasing the technology often mentioned as a big difference between generations.

“School was a lot harder back then because they didn’t have the technology we have,” said Andrew Fortmann, 18, a senior.

Eileen Ahlberg, a Melrose Meadows resident, told Fortmann she probably would have been a better student if she had the technology — a statement that was met with laughs.

“This was a neat project,” Ahlberg said. “It was surprising how often our thoughts were about the same.”

Easton and Neuzil said the project would continue next year.

“I think it was a great way to bring about history for these young people, giving them some perspective of where their ancestors came from and the world they grew up in,” resident Hans said.

Sarah Horgen, education coordinator for the University of Iowa Museum of Natural History, cleans mud from a bone of a giant sloth. The museum is located in Macbride Hall on the UI campus in Iowa City. The bones were recently excavated from the Tarkio Valley Sloth Project in southwest Iowa / Photo by Brian Ray, The Gazette

IOWA CITY — The University of Iowa Museum of Natural History’s Tarkio Valley Sloth Project has identified a bone from a type of giant ice age sloth never before recorded in Iowa, called Paramylodon harlani.

Sloth expert Greg McDonald, senior curator of natural history for the National Park Service’s Park Museum Management Program and a consultant on the Tarkio Valley project, identified the 5-inch-long bone as the animal’s fifth metacarpal, which once connected its wrist to its little finger, during a visit to the museum last week.

Southwestern Iowa property owner Bob Athen found the metacarpal nearly two years ago just downstream from the project’s current riverbed excavation site near Shenandoah. It was mistakenly identified as part of a Megalonyx jeffersonii sloth, three of which have been uncovered at the site.

Both Paramylodon and Megalonyx were nearly elephant-sized mammals that became extinct about 12,000 years ago.

The new sloth identification comes on the heels of the discovery April 25 of three more major Megalonyx bones, the first in nearly three years for the project, which began in 2001.

2009 Gazette Communications

By Dave Rasdal
The Gazette

MANCHESTER – Just when Dave Schultz thought he would retire from inspiring students, he’s been called upon to teach one more lesson.

Life’s last lesson.

How to die gracefully.

Dave Schultz, a retiring West Delaware High School government teacher who is battling cancer, has received support from many former students including Jeff Lenhart (right) of McGregor, who graduated in 2003 and organized the sale of T-shirts to support his former teacher. Photo by Dave Rasdal.

For 36 years, Dave has taught government and history at West Delaware High School. His last day in class is May 22.

For a month, Dave has known his body is riddled with aggressive esophageal cancer. His last day on Earth …

“It’s like I told them,” says Dave, 58, “I don’t have time to die this year. I’m too busy.”

So, when everyone at school migrated toward the auditorium May 8, Dave scratched his head. “Did I miss something?” he says.

When the time was right, Dave was led to the auditorium. Former student Jeff Lenhart called him on stage. Several hundred people stood and applauded. Dave gazed out from the bright lights. He swallowed hard.

“I’m never short of words,” Dave tried to joke. But the crackling of his voice betrayed his smile. “People have done a lot of stuff to make me cry lately.”

A lot of people have cried for Dave, too.

“He’s just a great guy, hands down,” says red-eyed Jennifer Huehnergarth, who has taught social studies with Dave for 13 years. “A tremendous asset to our school. A tremendous asset to our community. Anyone who knows Dave; he just beams positive things.”

The testimonials are many. Messages of encouragement written on paper balloons cover the walls of Dave’s classroom. Students and faculty wear light blue “Team Schultz” Relay for Life T-shirts.

A paper balloon gives support to Dave Schultz, a retiring West Delaware High School teacher who has cancer. Photo by Dave Rasdal.

In fact, 533 of the T-shirts have been sold. Jeff, who graduated in 2003 and now lives in McGregor, hopes to sell 2,000. He gave Dave a $1,200 check as part of the proceeds.

“Government was my favorite subject in school,” Jeff says. “He got me involved.”

Not every student was so inclined, even Dave’s son, Jordan, 24.

“He was tough. He didn’t like people sleeping in his class. I found that out the hard way.”

Dave sprays them with a water bottle.

He slams books on the floor to get attention.

He stands on his head, threatening to teach that way.

For a month, Dave has missed Thursday classes for treatment at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City. Less than 5 percent of people with this cancer survive a year.

Yet, life goes on. Dave and his wife, Janis, will retire to Missouri. He vows to fight the cancer as best he can.

Then, when the time comes, Dave Schultz will leave behind a lesson for all.

About a dozen riders joined several Cedar Rapids City Council members on a bike ride along the Cedar River Trail during Bike to Work Week in southwest Cedar Rapids. The riders set out from Greene Square Park and pedalled south to Aegon’s southern campus, then back to the park. Photo by Jim Slosiarek

By Jennifer Hemmingsen
The Gazette

First thing Monday morning, I pulled my old blue bike off the hooks in the garage, dusted her off and filled the tires.

Then I slung my briefcase across my back, strapped on my trusty Bell helmet and coasted down the drive.

I’m embarrassed to say that I usually take my car to work, even though I live only a mile or so from the office.

Oh, I’ve got all kinds of excuses – I have to drop my daughter off at school. I have to hit the post office on the way home. It’s too hot, too cold. I’m in a hurry.

“File your excuses in another drawer,” Lisa from Cedar Rapids wrote when I blogged about participating in Bike to Work Week. 

Lisa says she bikes to work nearly every week. So does Scott, for all the reasons people usually do – it’s good for their health, good for the environment. It’s fun.

Cedar Rapids traffic engineer and bicycle coordinator Ron Griffith planned to bike to work.

Griffith has been coordinating the city’s application to become a designated Bicycle Friendly City by the League of American Bicyclists.

“We’re still a long way from that goal, but we’re hoping to see some exciting changes for the cycling community this summer,” he wrote in an e-mail. His Bicycle Advisory Committee has been working on an action plan for months and will soon present some of its work to city council members.

The fact is, I’ve just gotten in the wrong habit. It doesn’t take much longer for me to bike than it does to drive.

Actually, bike advocates say that bicyclists can travel at least as fast as cars on in-town trips of up to seven miles. Plus, parking is usually closer – and free. If you live in Iowa City or Cedar Rapids, you know that means something.

There’s a quality of life benefit to boot, as I was reminded, passing neighbors and strangers with plenty of time to say hello and smile.

The weather was 60 degrees, the sunlight was golden, birds were chirping, lilac was blooming – great stuff easy to miss when you jump in the car in the morning, hands clenched on the steering wheel, one eye on the road and your mind on the day’s mountain of tasks.

Not everyone can bike to work, but I bet there are a lot of folks out there like me – people who could get to the office just as easily on two wheels as on four.

This is the week to give it a try.

For more information: www.bikeiowa.com

© 2009, Gazette Communications

Citywide garage sale season starting as weather warms

Lindsey Downes of Iowa City looks at children's toys for her 4-year-old daughter at a garage sale during the recent city-wide Coralville sale. More city-wide sales are coming up this spring and summer across Iowa.

By Meredith Hines-Dochterman
By The Gazette

CORALVILLE — Rebecca Williams jumped out of the passenger side of the car driven by her friend, Maggie Birk.

Williams grabbed a map of Coralville’s citywide garage sales while Birk circled the parking lot of the Coralville Recreation Center.

“She’ll pick me up and then we’re off,” said Williams, of Iowa City.

The pair couldn’t stay and chat — the first rule of successful garage sale shopping is be early.

“The good stuff goes fast,” Birk, also of Iowa City, yells from the driver’s window.

Garage sale season is upon us. Last week, several Eastern Iowa communities — Coralville, Ely, Marion and Swisher — held their annual citywide garage sales. More towns will follow suit through the spring and summer.

A garage sale is an opportunity to rid the home of items no longer wanted or needed. Or, as Bill Hook said, to finally allow him to use his garage.

The Coralville resident and his wife, Jessica, participated in Coralville’s citywide sales for the first time last weekend.

“That’s why we have so much crap — I mean, quality merchandise,” he said.

The Swack family of Coralville — Alan and Margaret, and their children Alexander and Rachel — also were first-timers.

“I’ve always wanted to do it,” Margaret said. “We had way too much stuff piled up, and I thought I’d try it.”

Children’s items dominated her sale, from clothing and videos to games and toys. Margaret’s sister, Sarah Breuwet of Urbandale, made the trip to help with the sale and rid herself of some of her 10-year-old twin daughters’ castoffs.

“Anything we don’t sell here, we’ll take to Urbandale and try to get rid of them there,” Margaret said.

Promise yourself you won’t bring items back into the house.

“I think we’ll be taking a big pile to Goodwill,” said Nicole Brenchley of Coralville.

5 tips for garage sale success

While the concept of a garage sale might seem simple — clean out a room, put price tags on what you don’t want and rake in some dough — there are tips for those who want their sales to succeed. Read on for advice from those who know:

1. Get the word out.  “You should put an ad in the paper, describing what will be in your sale,” said Caitlin Johnson of Coralville. 
2. Use the buddy system. “I’d definitely try to go in with a friend or a neighbor,” said Margaret Swack of Coralville. “If your town doesn’t do a citywide sale, try to organize a neighborhood sale. The more stuff you have, the more customers you’ll get.” 
3.  Be organized.  Have items priced and organized early. If you can set things up the night before, do so. Early-bird shoppers on the hunt for bargains think nothing of looking through your items before your sale begins. “We had buyers before 6:30 a.m.,” said Bill Hook of Coralville. 
4. Price items to sell. Denise Russell participates in Coralville’s citywide sales every year. Profits from this year’s sale will go toward her daughter’s wedding at Walt Disney World next month. Still, getting rid of the stuff takes precedence over profit. “You know how places can get cluttered,” Russell said. “This stuff just sits and collects dust, so if other people can use it, great.” 
5. Don’t forget change. You can never have too many dollar bills or quarters during a garage sale.

2009 Gazette Communications

By Carla Keppler
The Gazette

IOWA CITY – University of Iowa professor emeritus Robert Engel last week looked back on life at the UI during the turbulent 1970s with tears, sharing remembrances from the perspective of both protester and administrator.

The Old Capitol was a focal point of demonstrations against the Vietnam War on July 26, 1970, when a fire was set on the steps of the historic building, which students occupied on the University of Iowa campus. UI Professor Emeritus Robert Engel recalled those demonstrations in a speech last week at the State Historical Society Building. Photo by The Gazette.

To understand the student unrest on campus and in Iowa City during the Vietnam War era, Engel said during a Wednesday address at the State Historical Society Building, one must have a firm grasp on the cultural climate that dominated the lives of students and faculty.

“There’s a tendency to tell fish stories,” Engel said. “That’s why it’s important to go back through the recorded history.”

Engel shared his experiences with campus rallies and protests but also referenced the 10 hours of oral history he gathered from the UI administrators when Iowa City was one of the nation’s most acrimonious hubs for activism of all sorts.

A major struggle, the former UI administrator said, was defining the university’s role in that activism.

“The boundaries around an institution are fluid,” he said, adding that the administration worked closely with students to iron out struggles. “Whatever challenges we had on campus, we wanted to keep them in our community and not be dealt with by outsiders.”

Administrators like Engel often participated in the demonstrations.

Each Wednesday at noon, Engel recalled, he stood on the corner of Clinton and Washington streets as part of a silent protest against the Vietnam War.

One night, almost 300 UI students and faculty were arrested after breaking into the Old Capitol. When furniture was thrown through windows and small fires were set, police were called in to clear the area.

Robert Engel, 1989 photo

To avoid further upheaval, and in accordance with Engel’s advice, officers gave protesters the option to leave before taking them into custody. Arrests at that time were often purposeful and “for conscience’ sake.”

Looking back, Engel said there is no way the university could have prepared for the mass demonstrations and self-determination prevalent on campuses nationwide in the 1970s.

“There was nothing normal about it,” he said. “These things aren’t rational. This was a movement, a life.”

Engel said the era was a matter of the deepest import and seriousness.

“It was a time that was very difficult, and it’s emotional because of its value,” he said.

Crowds gather for the 2008 Friday Night Concert Series in Iowa City / Photo by Greg Frieden, North Liberty.

I don’t know about you, but the word FREE always gets my attention. The folks at Summer of the Arts, an organization in Iowa City that supports four outstanding local arts and cultural events, have combined two of my very favorite things: FREE and live music.  That’s right. Every Friday night they bring great live music to downtown Iowa City and it won’t cost you a thing. 

Friday nights 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., mid-May through August, the Ped-mall in downtown Iowa City is THE place for live local entertainment. Bring your lawn chair to the Weatherdance Fountain Stage, near the Sheraton Iowa City Hotel, and ease into the night as the sun goes down and the stage heats up. You can catch jazz, blues, bluegrass and beyond; every week is something different. Check out the full 2009 entertainment schedule. 

This is a family-friendly event. The kids stay cool by splashing in the fountain or they can burn some energy climbing and exploring on the playground close by. There’s no better place to sit back and just watch people than the tree-lined sidewalks of the Ped-mall in Iowa City. I hope you’ll discover (like I have) that people watching is even more fun when you’re tapping your toes to terrific live tunes.

Friday Night Concert Series is an ideal time to grab a bite to eat in downtown Iowa City. There are so many great choices; all within walking distance of the Weatherdance Fountain Stage. Discover a new favorite every Friday night. 

I keep my lawn chair in the trunk of my car just so it’s always handy for a Friday in Iowa City. You do the same, and I’ll watch for you on the Ped-mall in Iowa City this summer.

Yoon-Sook Jang of Korea correctly identifies a separator during English classes at First Mennonite Church in Iowa City. The class, offered through the International Women’s Club, teaches conversational English to women of all languages living in Iowa City. Photo by Meredith Hines-Dochterman

By Meredith Hines-Dochterman
The Gazette
IOWA CITY – Xu Yang pulls a cheese slicer from the brown paper bag. She laughs with a confused expression on her face. Rapid Chinese follows as she peeks inside the bag for an easier item to identify.

“You have to keep that,” Jerry Weir says with a smile.

Slowly, with the help of the 14 women in the room, Xu names the utensil in English. She identifies its purpose in the kitchen. Others share examples of how it might be used. Weir praises the class, then gestures for the next woman to pick an object from the bag.

The woman are members of the “A” and “B” English classes – conversational English classes led by the International Women’s Club.

The classes, held Tuesday and Thursday mornings at First Mennonite Church, are just one of several activities offered through the International Women’s Club. The club began to help women from different countries enjoy life in Iowa City.

“The club was founded to support wives of international faculty who come to Iowa to teach, study or work,” said Kathy Fait, a club board member.

Rather than leave the women to their devices, the International Women’s Club gives them the opportunity to meet others in the community and offers socialization activities.

“I was a lonely person with a new baby when I joined the club,” said Shelagh Hayreh, a Scotland native and the club’s president.

The club helped Hayreh make a connection with her new home. The organization works the same way for its American members.

“We learn so much from each other,” said Sharon Bender, the club’s secretary.

Fifty years have passed since the club began – a milestone members will recognize with an anniversary celebration at the Coralville Public Library.

“It’s mostly about inviting former members and current members to come together, reconnect and celebrate the fact that 50 years later we’re still here,” Hayreh said.

The event, which will be attended by about 100 past and present club members, will include live music and a photo slide show of club activities.

“We try to provide the widest possible variety of experiences,” said Betsy Riesz, a club board member.

The International Women’s Club sponsors morning coffee groups, morning cooking groups, a supper club, the “Lunch Bunch,” a craft group and an excursion group, in addition to English classes.

The club has about 140 members, representing 40 countries, from Algeria to Venezuela.

The annual membership fee is $10. Women who register for English classes are asked to pay an additional $10 per semester. Children are welcome at some activities; free child care is provided at others – with UI student volunteers watching the children – so women who might not be able to get out can.

“This club has had a positive impact on many members’ lives,” said Sonia Ettinger, a club board member and Australian native.

The organization has been a steppingstone for greater understanding among different cultures, as members have discussed everything from child rearing, the roles of women in society and customs.

“I strongly want to say that I couldn’t have had such wonderful memories without the help of the International Women’s Club,” former member Akemi Inouye of Japan wrote in a statement shared with club members at the 35th anniversary celebration. “Every Christmas, our Christmas tree is decorated with snowmen, which I made in the craft classes. At the discussion group, I could exchange information with many members.”

Inouye continued the experience in Japan, starting the Yamato International Association, which assists foreigners living in Japan.

“We got this idea from the attitudes of Americans working as volunteers whom I met in Iowa City,” Inouye wrote.

© 2009, Gazette Communications

For more information: http://iwc-iowa-city.com/

Laura Leighton vamps in ‘Melrose’ revamp

Laura Leighton revives villainous Sydney in the "Melrose Place" pilot.

Iowa City native Laura Leighton, who played the conniving vamp on “Melrose Place” on the Fox network, is reprising the role in a pilot for a new TV pilot for “Melrose Place” for the CW network.

That comes as a shock to many, who presumed Sydney died in the season five finale of the original “Melrose Place” when she was hit by a car.

In the TV pilot, Leighton’s Sydney is the landlord of the apartment complex, a role that Heather Locklear (Amanda) had in the original but reportedly passed on for the remake.

If the pilot is picked up by a network, Leighton would have a recurring role in the series, TV Guide reports.

Leighton, whose real name is Laura Miller, was born on July 24, 1968, in Iowa City. (Leighton is her grandfather’s surname.) She graduated from West High School in 1986.

She was slated to play Sydney on the original “Melrose Place” for only two episodes in 1992 but stayed for 100 more, until Sydney’s untimely presumed death in 1997.

The series went on two more seasons without Sydney.

Leighton is married to Doug Savant, who plays Tom Scavo, husband of Lynnette Scavo (Felicity Huffman), on “Desperate Housewives. Leighton and Savant met on “Melrose Place,” where he played Matt Fielding.

Married since 1998, Leighton and Savant have a son, born in 2000, and a daughter, born in 2005.

See video of Sydney’s “death” on “Melrose Place” here. www.youtube.com/watch?v=b81T-Z-grWo

Fun facts:

• Leighton’s high school is a Melrose place. It is located on Melrose Avenue in Iowa City.
• Leighton was a member of The Young Americans song and dance troupe for a year.