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.

Mark Wyatt (from left), Gina Weaver and Nikki Davidson ride down 42nd Street NE at the start of a six-mile group ride near Twin Pines Golf Course earlier this month. Riders from the city's traffic engineering division, the Bicycle Advisory Committee and police braved chilly and wet conditions to educate themselves about how to make Cedar Rapids more bicycle friendly / Jeff Raasch, The Gazette.

Rick Smith
The Gazette

The Cedar Rapids City Council will submit an application on Aug. 7 to the League of American Bicyclists in hopes of becoming Iowa’s second bicycle-friendly community.

Cedar Falls secured the distinction this year, according to the certifying organization’s Web site. 

In total, 102 communities in the United States have the bicycle-friendly status, with three, Davis, Calif., Boulder, Colo., and Portland, Ore., having the top platinum rating. Nine cities have a gold rating, 23, a silver rating, and 67, including Cedar Falls, a bronze rating.

The pursuit of the bicycle distinction is something that the council and local bicycle and trail enthusiasts have been working on for months.

Ron Griffith, a traffic engineer with the city, is heading up the city’s effort along with a new Bicycle Advisory Committee.

The city must take steps to promote bicycling by focusing on what Griffith last night called the five Es: engineering, education, encouragement, enforcement and evaluation and planning.

In tandem, as the city prepares to sell itself as worthy of bicycle-friendly status, it is in the midst of a process to create a Trails Development and Management Plan.

A special task force comprised of city and community representatives met the entire week of March 30 to begin the planning process. A key finding: The city needs to look at trails both as recreational venues and transportation assets that connect the neighborhoods and streets to parks, schools and jobs.

Griffith reported that city staff and local planners and others the last two Fridays have been out riding city streets with an eye to how they work with bicyclists.

Griffith said the city is looking to create “sharrow” lanes as part of four streets projects now under construction, 33rd Avenue SW, Council Street NE, C Avenue NE and Kirkwood Boulevard SW. The outside shared lane or sharrow might be 14 feet wide while other lanes that might typically be 12 feet wide will be 11 feet wide, he said.

Council member Justin Shields said he hoped no money would be directed away from flood relief for the bicycle initiative. Griffith noted that trails and connecting neighborhoods to them was a major focus on the city’s just completed planning process for its flood-damaged neighborhoods.

Among the lingering questions: Is a 10 foot-wide sidewalk, which is intended for pedestrians and bicycle use, a sidewalk or a trail?

2009 Gazette Communications

Watch speed, seat belts — police are out in force

Watch your speed and seatbelt use this Memorial Day weekend. More travelers will be on the road as will additional officers / Photo illustration by Jupiter Images.

The Gazette

If you’re hitting the road this weekend, expect to see a few more of your fellow Americans traveling than last Memorial Day — as well as law enforcement officers checking how fast you’re driving and if you’re wearing your seat belt.

Americans traveling 50 or more miles this weekend will increase 1.5 percent this year over 2008 to about 32.4 million, according to AAA.

“Last year, soaring gas prices and a deteriorating economy resulted in far fewer trips being taken than had been forecast,” said Randy Williams, president of AAA Minnesota/Iowa. “Sharply lower gasoline prices and plentiful travel bargains have Americans feeling better about taking a road trip this summer.”

Gas did go up to around $2.35 per gallon at most stations on Thursday, up from $2.10 to $2.20 last weekend but still much lower than last year’s range of $3.71 to $3.75 a gallon.

Law enforcement agencies throughout Eastern Iowa reported they would be increasing patrols to watch for people speeding, not using their seat belts or breaking other traffic laws.

The average distance traveled this Memorial Day weekend is forecast to be approximately 620 miles, AAA reported, a slight decrease from 2008.

Average spending for weekend trips is estimated to be $1,052.

Nearly 60 percent of Americans will spend time with friends and relatives over the holiday, and traveling as a family will be the most popular way to go with 34 percent of travelers making a journey with kids or other family.

Click here for a list of fairs and festivals going on around the state this weekend.

2009 Gazette Communications

By Orlan Love
The Gazette

Eric Aitchison talks with his 5-year-old son Sam as two-year-old Will and his mother Missy Aitchison toast marshmellows at F.W. Kent Park near Tiffin. Eric said the Iowa City family decided to camp overnight in the park after they saw the day's weather report, "we threw everything together and grabbed some marshmellows and soy dogs" They did bring cellphones in case of emergency, but had not checked their voicemail / By Cliff Jette, The Gazette

Campers who want to commune with nature rather than the occupants of recreational vehicles can find plenty of good places to pitch their tents.

Though the trend has been to accommodate RVs by upgrading campsites with electricity, water and sewer hookups and even wireless Internet access, most state- and county-operated parks still provide ample opportunities for campers to rough it, says Kevin Szcodronski, chief of the Department of Natural Resources Parks Bureau.

Iowa’s state park system has 2,706 electrified campsites and 1,977 primitive sites. About half in each category can be reserved, with the other half available on a first-come, first-served basis.

The conservation departments in Iowa’s 99 counties operate a combined 11,500 sites, about half of which are primitive, says Tom Hazelton, special programs manager for Linn County Conservation Department.

“People flock to scenic vistas and water, and the trend has been to improve the most popular sites with amenities, but some people just like to camp the old-fashioned way,” Hazelton says.

One such person is Harry Graves, director of the Johnson County Conservation Department.

“We are tent people,” Graves says of wife Ellie and himself. “When we go camping, we are out to enjoy nature rather than neighbors. We like being able to set up camp on a moment’s notice, wherever we happen to be.”

Tent camping is no longer synonymous with primitive camping, though, Graves says.

“A fair number of tent campers pick electric sites for their fans, televisions and cell phone chargers,” he says.
Around holidays, like the upcoming Memorial Day weekend, primitive campers enjoy another advantage — less competition for sites. While most primitive sites do fill up, they are the last to do so, says Linn County’s Hazelton.

The 1,624-acre Matsell Bridge Natural Area in eastern Linn County has about a dozen “pack-in” campsites along the Wapsipinicon River that provide rustic camping at its finest, he says.

“You can’t drive to them. You have to carry everything you need, including water, so they’re generally not crowded,” he says.

The 340-acre Wakpicada Natural Area along the Wapsipinicon, south of Central City, is also popular with primitive campers, Hazelton says. “It’s dark at night at Wakpicada,” he says.

Linn County provides 581 sites at 24 campgrounds, with slightly more than half of them unimproved.

In Johnson County, the Hills Access and the River Junction Access each provide about a dozen primitive sites along the Iowa River, and 48 of the 84 sites at F.W. Kent Park near Tiffin are non-electric, Graves says.

The Jones County Conservation Department offers 43 primitive sites at its Central Park, says director Larry Gullett.
“Tent camping really appeals to people who like to paddle and fish the river systems,” he says.

The Wapsipinicon in Jones and Jackson counties is classified as a meandered stream, which means camping is permitted on its sandbars, Gullet says. The Maquoketa River is a non-meandered stream, which means landowner permission is required to camp on its sandbars, he says.

“Always ask first. Most of the landowners are cooperative as long as its not a large group intent upon partying,” he says.

For campers who really want to get away from it all, Szcodronski recommends the three state forests in Eastern Iowa: Yellow River, 8,503 acres in Allamakee County; Shimek, 9,148 acres in Lee and Van Buren counties; and Stephens, 15,170 acres in Lucas, Clarke, Monroe, Appanoose and Davis counties.

“This is primitive camping at its best. … You’ve got latrines, fire rings and picnic tables, and the rest is up to you,” he says.

For more on camping, check the iowa.com camping page.

2009 Gazette Communications

Roosevelt has new song for a new day

By Phil Harvey
The Gazette

Austin Mann, Eighth-grader at Roosevelt Middle School, plays the wind chime during band practice in Cedar Rapids. The Roosevelt Middle School Eighth-Grade Band was rehearsing "On the Edge of Tomorrow," a piece written by student band members on the trauma some of the students experienced as a result of the flood. The performance will premiere on May 21 /Chris Mackler, The Gazette.

Last June’s flood has inspired a musical composition, as well as the Roosevelt Middle School eighth-graders who will premiere it this week.

It’s usually a challenge to get middle schoolers to play with emotion because they lack life experience, says band director Kristin Beatty.

“But it’s really different for them because (now) they know trauma, they know stress,” Beatty says.

The composition, by composer Michael Sweeney of Milwaukee, was commissioned by Roosevelt, which has a number of flood victims among its students.

Sweeney says his piece moves from a tone of anger to calm, ending with a note of hope.

The composer invited the band’s 125 students to name the piece.

One student suggested “Forgiving the River.” Another one came up with “Fish in the Basement.”

Ultimately, the students decided on the composer’s suggestion, “On the Edge of Tomorrow.”

“I think this particular group,” Beatty says, “has come together even more (than usual), partly because of the experience they’ve been through, and partly because of this piece.”

The concert - 7 p.m. Thursday, Roosevelt Middle School auditorium, 300 13th St. NW. Admission: free.

KCRG TV-9 video

Cedar Rapids seeks biggest trees

Americorps workers Cyndi (cq) O'Hern (left) of Ankeny and Ken Holland of Cedar Rapids stretch a measuring tape to measure the girth of a tree in Ellis Park as they gather data for the Trees Forever Champion tree competition Monday in northwest Cedar Rapids. The pair had to switch to a longer tape measure/ Jim Slosiarek, The Gazette

By Rick Smith
The Gazette

CEDAR RAPIDS — Sharon Carmody-Holmes still recalls the yard tour she got in 1985 before she and husband Bob decided to buy the house at 2127 Greenwood Dr. SE.

One of two giant ginkgo trees in the backyard, the owner reported, ranked as the largest tree of its kind in the city, if not beyond.

Like fish stories, surely there are tree stories, too.

Now, though, Daniel Gibbins, the city of Cedar Rapids’ arborist, and Trees Forever of Marion have joined forces to create a contest to determine which trees of differing species in Cedar Rapids are, in fact, the city’s champion trees.

Through the end of the month, residents are encouraged to nominate trees in their own yards or those in other spots in the city, whether on public or private property.

Gibbins encourages residents to measure their own trees and then nominate them. Three measurements are needed — height, circumference and crown spread — with height being the trickiest.

Trees Forever also has trained a cadre of volunteers, which include Green Iowa AmeriCorps volunteers in Cedar Rapids, to help with the measuring. The volunteers also are out following leads for possible champion trees.

Upon hearing of the big-tree contest, Carmody-Holmes and her husband, who has been involved with Trees Forever from its founding 20 years ago, didn’t think twice about seeing if there was something to the claim of the prize ginkgo that had come with the purchase of their house.

Their own measurement of their largest ginkgo, at 104 feet tall, appears to place it well above the tallest ginkgo on the current Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ state list.

“It is pretty breathtaking as far as the size,” Carmody-Holmes says. “You look out the kitchen window and all you see is the tree, the sky and the clouds.”

The state big-tree list is a bit of a work in progress, and trees can fall off the list because, as Cedar Rapids arborist Gibbins notes, wind storms, ice storms and drought can take their toll on the oldest, most spectacular trees. Trees fall into decline over time, Gibbins says, and once a tree begins to fail, it’s hard to reverse course.

The DNR promotes its 2003 Big Trees list on its Web site, and the state’s largest red maple on that list was in Cedar Rapids.

A hunt to find it lead to the home at 1254 Elmhurst Dr. NE, adjacent to the Mount Mercy College campus. The front lawn revealed the spot where the tree once stood. The homeowner since has died, too.

A wind storm in recent years blew half the tree down, and the city removed the rest, says Rita Hutchins, neighbor across the street at 1251 Elmhurst Dr. NE. She, too, lost a giant tree in recent years from her front yard.

“It’s kind of like losing an old friend when they have to come down,” Hutchins says.

Once the big-tree contest ends at month’s end, the city’s Gibbins will remeasure tree nominees to determine which are champions. He then will nominate the city champion trees for the state’s list and a national list.

Now scheduled, too, is a June 19 event in which he and Trees Forever will conduct a tour of the city’s champion trees as part of the city’s Freedom Festival.

“We would like to know where these big trees are,” says Gibbins, “and with all that’s gone on, I think this is just a great event, even considering the flooding and the recovery.”

Measure up
Trees are ranked on three measurements: circumference, height and crown spread. Ranking is determined by total points.

• Circumference: Measure around the tree trunk at 4.5 feet above the ground. Each inch is one point.
• Height: An estimated height can be made using a yardstick. First, measure 100 feet from the tree. Next, hold the yardstick vertically, 25 inches from the eye. Align the zero inch mark on the yardstick at the base of the tree and note the inch mark that aligns with the top of the tree. Every inch equals 4 feet of height. Height contributes 1 point for each foot.
• Crown spread: Measure from a point directly below branch tips on one side of the tree to a point directly below branch tips on the other side of the tree. Make a second measurement at right angles to the first. Average the two measurements. Crown spread counts for 1/4 point for each foot.

To compete, contact Trees Forever at (319) 373-0650 or at agreen@treesforever.org

2009 Gazette Communications

By Dave DeWitte
The Gazette

Printing has been job security for 52-year-old Phil Sutton of Marion since his high school days in Davenport.

On March 16, the security ended.

Sutton, a job planner, came into work at Cedar Graphics in Hiawatha at 8 a.m. that Monday after three days off. Less than an hour later he was on indefinite leave as the Hiawatha company scaled back to show lenders it was cutting costs to deal with the market downturn.

When the ax fell, Sutton couldn’t say he was entirely surprised. He knew business was down. He knew there were things he could have done to better protect his job.

“It’s incredible to put that much of your life into a place and have it end,” Sutton said.

What Sutton wasn’t prepared for was the deep dive into the job market at a time when everybody in the printing industry is laying off at least 10 percent of the work force.

The grim reality, Sutton says, is that he may have to take a deep pay cut to $13 or $14 an hour to get another job. The five weeks of annual vacation he had accrued by sticking with the company are history — no small thing to a passionate fisherman.

In his years with Cedar Graphics, Sutton had worked as a pressroom manager, traveled to Germany four times to meet with equipment suppliers, helped select millions of dollars’ worth of equipment and worked on efforts to control costs. He’d been with the company so long that many of the people who could attest to his accomplishments are now gone, and he wished he’d gotten involved in more recent initiatives to show his value.

“Everybody says, ‘It’s not your fault,’” Sutton said, “but it is. It was my job to lose, and I lost it.”

An unexpected source of comfort is the part-time job Sutton took 18 months ago at the meat department of SuperTarget to get his retirement savings on track. He likes working with the high school students who make up most of the other employees.

© Gazette Communications 2009

Hlas: Zach happy his mom got to see victory

By Mike Hlas
The Gazette

Zach Johnson Zach Johnson watches his drive off the first tee on Sunday / AP photo.

After seeing each of her son’s previous five PGA Tour wins on television, Julie Johnson of Cedar Rapids was present for Zach Johnson’s Texas Open win Sunday in San Antonio.

She and her husband, Dave Johnson, originally planned to head back home Sunday afternoon because Dave, a chiropractor, had a lot of patients with appointments to see him this morning.

Dave left La Cantera Golf Club after nine holes to catch his connecting flight to Dallas, but Julie stayed behind and will come home today.

“I’m very happy I stayed,” she said last night. “What a wonderful experience.”

She and Zach’s wife, Kim, followed Zach for the first nine holes, then returned for the final two holes of regulation and the sudden-death playoff hole in which Zach defeated James Driscoll.

“It was nerve-racking,” Julie said, “but when (Paul) Goydos bogeyed on 18, I knew Zach would be first or second, and that gave me a sense of calm.”

After Zach won, he was accompanied on the green by his wife, son, Will, and Julie.

“The people who ran the tournament were so gracious,” Julie said. “It was a really positive experience.”

“Unbelievable,” Dave Johnson described Zach’s win as he sat in a plane in Dallas that hadn’t yet left for its trip to Cedar Rapids.

“I told a lot of people that I thought his win here last year (in October) would do as much for his future as anything, including his Masters win in ’07.”

Johnson has won twice and had five more top-10 finishes since that October victory, making Dad look pretty smart.

Zach Johnson spoke of his parents at his press conference after his victory.

“My dad’s seen me win I think three times,” he said. “… My mom has not. She has a little bit of an anxiety streak, if you will. That’s just being a mom. She just worries.

“It took a little convincing just to keep her here, and quite honestly, they’ve seen me play golf a lot,” Johnson continued. “They watched me a little this week. My dad watched every hole with the exception of flying back today.’’

Johnson said he wasn’t the main attraction for his parents this weekend.

“They didn’t come down here to see me. They came to see my son,” he said. “I was chopped liver relative to that.”

Fans cross fingers for fellow Iowan Shawn Johnson

Shawn Johnson of West Des Moines and partner Mark Ballas dance the jive last Monday in the "Dancing with the Stars" semifinals. The pair earned a perfect score for their Argentine tango but placed second in the semifinals/ ABC photo

By Carla Keppler
The Gazette

Iowans rooted for Shawn Johnson when the West Des Moines gymnast captured Olympic gold in Beijing. And they’ll be rooting tonight as she reaches for another shiny prize – the mirror ball trophy.

Johnson will face off against two other “Dancing With the Stars” contestants in the final showdown of the season.

On Tuesday night, the champion will be announced on the results show.

Both shows begin at 7 p.m. on ABC-TV.

Fan support is crucial. The winner will be determined by a formula that factors in judges’ scores and viewer votes.

Johnson captured hearts across the world while earning one gold and three silver medals in the 2008 Summer Olympics. Her fan base, which is especially strong in her home state, followed as she joined “Dancing With the Stars” this year.

At 17, she is the youngest contestant in the show’s eight seasons.

See video of Shawn and read more about her in our Claim to Fame blog. 

“She has a lot of personality, and you can tell that she cares a lot about what she’s doing,” said Molly Djuric, 22, of Iowa City. “She represents the state very well, and she’s a great role model.”

While living in Los Angeles, where the show is based, Johnson maintains as normal a lifestyle as possible.

The teen has been taking online classes to stay on track academically. She plans to return to Valley High School in West Des Moines for her senior year.

Fans are impressed by the talent she brings to the dance floor.

“She’s got a maturity about her. She doesn’t even look or act 17,” said Twyla Larsen, 60, of Oelwein. “It amazes me in a week’s time what they can learn and what they do. I’m tickled she’s in the top three.”

Rumblings about “skimpy” dance outfits and Johnson’s youth have sprung up online, but to many, there’s no cause for alarm.

“She uses good judgment, and it’s just a part of the sport,” Djuric said.

Larsen agreed, adding that many prom dresses she sees nowadays are cut lower and are more revealing than what the dancers wear.

“It’s just the times,” she said. “It doesn’t bother me at all.”

While Larsen and Djuric, who watch the show regularly, are pulling for Johnson, it is anyone’s game, they say.

“I think it’s going to be really close because they are all really talented,” Djuric said.

But like other Iowans tonight, she’ll be crossing her fingers for Johnson.

2009 Gazette Communications