Soldier Iowa

I had a couple of friends in college who liked to play jokes on each other and on me. One of their (our) favorite gags was to call up the other person’s answering machine and fill up the tape with gibberish. For example, I once read pages out of the dictionary until my friend had no available tape left. This took some patience, because the machine would cut you off at two minutes, so you had to leave numerous messages. On another occasion, he was actually there and picked up, greeting me with the question “Do you have a purpose?” For those who have stuck with me so far, thanks (!) and here’s the segue: I have reached the point where I think I need to ascribe some purpose to this little blog.

My real passions are small town life (love the people), travel (because sometimes you need to get out of the small town) and food (love to eat it). I really want to make life better for the people in the little town where I grew up and then I want to be able to repeat that good turn for people in small towns all over our great country. The challenges faced in small towns that aren’t necessarily present in larger cities include adequate housing, affordable energy, transportation, accessible goods and services (including food), and cultural choices. There are more, but these come immediately to mind.

I’ve been recently inspired by Chris Brogan and his series of posts on social media, especially those posts specifically addressing small business. I’ve also been so impressed with Britt Raybould.   Her post on agriculture in Idaho really struck a chord with me. Finally, Chris Pirillo’s YouTube video about the slow way tech is being taken up in Iowa also stirred something in me.

I think much can be done to improve life in places like small town Iowa. Technology certainly has a role and the emerging class of young people with electronic connectedness – people who are being called “digerati” by the likes of Tim Ferriss) can certainly help, too. This is likely to be a major direction of my online presence as I move forward, although I may spin the effort off into its own site or community or whatever.

Note to Chris Pirillo, just in case you happen onto this somehow:  I get what you’re saying about Iowa’s need to stop exporting people and I agree.  I know that we can do more to improve creative opportunities in places like Iowa, but in fairness, you are arguably Seattle’s leading geek.  Your expectations of culture change in Iowa with regard to technology are comparable to sending Duffy Lyon to Seattle and having her wander around asking “Where are all the butter sculptors?”   Although Seattle surely doesn’t have anything against butter sculpture, it just isn’t the best atmosphere for that particular brand of culture to thrive.  Can/should we change that?

Stay tuned, much more to come. Please add suggestions or ask questions in the comments and pass this along to others who can help.

If you live anywhere near the center of our great nation, then you really need to come on over and see it for yourself.  It’s right here, in Soldier, Iowa.  Coincidentally we also think it’s the center of the universe.

Why visit Soldier?  If you’re reading this, it’s a 50/50 bet that you might have family or friends here or you may have even grown up here.  In addition to that excellent reason to visit, here are five other reasons I can think of.

1.  Year-Round Activities. In warm summer months, we have active people of all ages doing all kinds of things.  For example, Sunday evenings provide summer softball opportunities.  All ages and skill levels are welcome at the local ball diamond.  The townspeople are readying the ballpark for another summer with some extra special TLC this year.  Throughout the year, there are always outdoor opportunities available either in town or at the nearby Oldham Recreation area, including bicycling, hiking, birdwatching, hunting, fishing, camping, swimming and even horseback riding.  And if you aren’t really the outdoor type, there is a bookstore in town stocking over 20000 titles, there is a community center with an indoor fitness center / Yoga classes and winter fish fry Fridays, and there are ample opportunities for driving tours of the Loess Hills, a one-of-a-kind land mass that forms the geographical backdrop for Soldier.

2.  Cultural Curiosities. Soldier was founded by a small group of Norwegian immigrants over a century ago.  The town’s history provides the backdrop for the many cultural opportunities located here.  Traveling around town will provide opportunities to view historic Scandinavian architecture (including the historic country church), observe unique reproductions of Norwegian Rosemale painting on some of the commercial buildings, and maybe even run into an old-timer and take the opportunity to trade greetings in Norwegian.

3.  Historical Rarities. Soldier is home to many unique historical tidbits.  The oldest continuously operating 4H club in the USA calls Soldier home.  The local Community Building, itself a cultural gem and a memorial to World War I veterans, played host to Lawrence Welk when he came to town to perform for the townspeople.  Indeed the town’s name itself, Soldier, was given because of the legend of a Union Soldier apparently found lying near the river, also named for this soldier (Soldier River).

4.  Friendly Neighborhoods and Business District. Soldier has two beautiful parks inside the city limits, and a baseball / softball field at the eastern edge of town.  Interwoven with these green spaces are tidy shops, clean streets, and well-kept homes all tended to by friendly, welcoming people.  A wide assortment of shops and services is available in town and the immediately outlying areas, from picture framing to automotive service, from banking to archery supplies.

5.  Accesible and Affordable. Soldier is easy to get to and easy to get around, and a trip to Soldier won’t set you back much.  There aren’t many tourist traps in Soldier, just honest value for your dollar.  You can fill the tank with gas, find a quick snack or a more complete meal, visit one or more of the unique shops (gifts, consigned items, books, and much more), and meet some of the most interesting and engaging people on earth, without the big city expense or theme park “captive pricing” that you might be used to.  Soldier will send you back home with best wishes for another visit soon, and with much of the money you came with!

There you have it – my top five.  Two airports serve the area, each about an hour away (Omaha’s Eppley Airfield and Sioux City’s Sioux Gateway Airport).

If you’ve been to Soldier and you can think of some points I missed, please comment!

I’ve been thinking in the last few weeks about what it really means to be an American. I guess this must have started when the presidential race kicked off in earnest, but it has come up in several conversations and several contexts since that.

Tonight I’m watching one of my favorite television personalities, Craig Ferguson, as he performs his nightly comedic monologue. The theme tonight revolves around the fact that on Friday, he became an American citizen. Citizenship is something that Ferguson has alluded to numerous times before, light-heartedly feigning a longing. In reality, though, he was longing. And now, he is very proud – you can see it in his eyes and hear it in the way he talks. I forget sometimes that my natural born status is something other people, even famous people, will stand in line to obtain. It appears that a sense of belonging was a large part of the motivation for Craig Ferguson.

Over two hundred years ago people stood in line to fight for the chance to start this whole experiment. Knowing that the fight could end their lives, and knowing that defeat would mean the end of their dream of self-rule, they stepped up, willing to risk their lives simply to have the chance to live in a sovereign nation. For them, self-rule was the motivation.

Even the simple physical reality of being here, in America, is such a dear prize that people will break the law and come here illegally, risking being caught, risking their safety and often risking even their lives to do so. Is it all about simple economics and the chance to make more money than back at home? Some would have us believe that it is, but I think for these people who risk so much to just be here, in our presence, something more motivates them.

Around a century and a half ago, some of my ancestors left on a trip to a much younger America. For them it was a destination half a world away, of which they knew very little. They came here to start a life, not knowing how it would work out. To them being an American represented “the main chance” at a better way of life. While there certainly were financial considerations, one of my forebears supposedly left Ireland in the early 1800’s in order to avoid entering the clergy, which apparently was a foregone conclusion for him. Although he did choose a different path in life, there’s little, before or since, to suggest monetary motives. I think that the chance of self determination was the motive in his case.

Other examples are nearly limitless.

Painters and poets come to America, skateboarders and sculptors choose to make this their home. For them, self expression is the motivator.

Dutch Reformed, German Jews, Russian Orthodox, Irish Catholics, Norwegian Lutherans, all come here to create a home, raise their children and worship as they see fit. Religious freedom calls them to America.

Speaking of different religions and nationalities, back to Craig Ferguson. He ended his program tonight by taking the musical stage with a group called the Wicked Tinkers, a Scottish pipe and drum outfit. Craig beat a drum in true Scottish form, proclaiming that he was doing this to assure his Scottish brethren that he wouldn’t stop being Scottish now that he was American.

Although that is technically incorrect, it is a very natural statement for a person to make. We are indeed a melting pot, but often we each try to keep our little part of the melt at least somewhat intact. This is evidenced in the number of various clubs and groups based on ancestral nationality and heritage (Italian clubs, Irish clubs, German clubs, etc.), fraternal groups (Eagles, Oddfellows, Elks Lodge, Moose Lodge, etc).

For me, to be an American means that you are fortunate to be blessed with opportunities that no other place on Earth can match, but you are also the bearer of heavy responsibility to make something useful of those opportunities. What do you think?

If you are checking in frequently, first of all thank you! I appreciate your interest and I look forward to having the chance to talk with you, if only ‘virtually’. Secondly, check out the new header image. I call it Home for the Holidays, because it is a shot of my house decorated for Christmas. Enjoy, and many blessings this holiday season. More thoughts on Christmas and home follow… Read the rest of this entry »