Trever Jayne

The Adel Public Library is pleased to welcome ADM graduate Trever Jayne as a new Library Clerk II.

As a former Book Sales Manager and Trainer for Barnes & Noble and Borders Books for 15 years, Trever's experience is most welcome at the library.

A recent graduate of Grandview College in English Literature and President of the Grandview Chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, a national honor society, Trever is well versed in Victorian, Early Modern, and Contemporary literature, having read 105 books last year. 

Trever is currently researching graduate programs in Library Information Sciences to become a librarian.

Trever's favorite authors include J.R.R. Tolkien, Jane Austin, Charles Dickens, Ann Lamott, Judy Piccoult, and Elizabeth Gilbert. His college thesis about the History of the Book reignited his love for the written word and the relationship between books and their owner/reader.

"Some people think of a book as just an object, others as works of art. I find it fascinating how strongly books impact culture and the way books have shaped history. Books are a written record...they are especially important with regard to how people relate with and understand history."

His research into the history of publishing, along with his retail sales background, has given him insight into the newest trend, electronic or eBooks.

"I think the book as a cultural object will never disappear. Technology will always impact how we read. This is not the first, or the last time technology has changed how people read- it's a cycle. eBooks are another way to read, not the only way to read. eBooks are available to download from our website, but not many people use that option. Most publishers and distributors only release part of their catalog on eBooks, based on market projections and sales, which hinder the way people access them.

Research has found that eReaders may read more in general, but they are far more selective, buying all that a single author has written but do not explore other titles. At the library you can browse the stacks for new authors and new genres. You can talk to people and get ideas about other topics. My favorite part of working at the library is the chance to talk with patrons to suggest books and receive suggestions in return. The library is not just a place to check out books- it's so much more than the books it holds - it's the heart of the community. "

As an adoptive parent of 4 and member of the Iowa Foster and Adoptive Parent Association, Trever reads books for all ages and have found great value in sharing the experience of reading Young Adult books with his children.

"Before Harry Potter the Young Adult section was sparse and not well regarded. Those books lead to an explosion of the genre. It's always important to read with your children, but it's great sharing something so wonderful as a book with a teenage. It's also important to know what they are reading.  

Young Adult books outline morals and point of views that may be different than how the parents may feel. It's important to read together so you know what messages teens are receiving. With my daughter, reading book together helped to start a conversation about values that we may not have had otherwise. That's what great about the library- we are an open source, we do not censor, we allow parents parent their children."

Transitioning from retail to the public library has been interesting, showcasing all that he knows about customer service and books, while learning the ropes for the processing and care of the collection. In addition, Trever is now responsible for the marketing and promotion of Adel Library programs and events via the monthly newsletter, press releases to local papers, the library's website, and social media channels. Be sure to "like" the library on its Facebook page, with more than double the friends since October!

Mark Your Calendars For The How-To Festival!

Join the library April 13th from 10-3pm. This all day festival will offer 10-12 mini classes teaching participants how-to repair bicycles, craft, manage and relief stress, and learn new technology with food, games and fun for all. Several libraries around the nation have touted this successful program, but only the Adel Public Library offers it to local residents.

Volunteers are still need to teach classes, help with the day's events, and provide ideas and topics for additional classes. This family program is open to all, children to be accompanied by a parent or guardian. To find out how you can help make the How-To festival another wonderful Adel event, please contact Library Director Paula James at 515-993-3512.

With Trever's help the Adel Public Library's website will now offer frequent postings throughout the week to include the newest and freshest books to hit the shelves; updates regarding programs; clubs and groups, notifications; and pictures of recent events.  

Visit www.apl.org to check out a sample of what the library has to offer and learn more about the developing How-To festival.  

And don't forget to stop by and say hello to the library's newest resource!

Adel Public Library

LSB Mortgage is pleased to announce it's transition into Lincoln Savings Bank, a community focused bank staffed by local people, Tim Canney and Kristi Fuller.

LSB now offers full service banking such as Savings and Checking accounts, CDs, and consumer, auto, and commercial loans in it's recently remodeled downtown Adel location.

Local contractor and renown craftsman Mark Heefner of Heefner Construction completed the historic remodel which includes wood floors, a long forgotten rediscovered pocket door, and a beautiful brick wall that heralds a tribute to Adel's heritage, using 100 year old bricks salvaged from the 2010 brick street renovation project.

The community is invited to attend the Grand Opening February 12th in honor of the company's namesake Abraham Lincoln's birthday. Birthday cake will be served throughout the day, with additional food and drink served at the official ribbon cutting ceremony taking place at 5p.m. as part of the Adel Partners Chamber of Commerce After Hours.

Lincoln Savings Bank

805 Main St.

Adel, Iowa 50003

Phone: (515) 253-9502

Email: timc@mylsb.com

Website: www.mylsb.com/Adel 

Van Harden

WHO radio's Van Harden, speaker at Feb. 16 RRVT banquet, has spent most of his life living and working along the trail.   

One of Iowa's best promoters will be sharing his stories at event at Panorama National.

But he wasn't invited just because everybody knows him.  

The 60-year-old Harden has spent nearly his whole life living and even working in communities that are located on the RRVT, so he knows the territory. And in addition, he has been the promoter of more good causes and crazy fun than anybody else in Iowa. So he's being asked for some tips on how to introduce people from across the nation to 89-mile paved recreational trail in west central Iowa, and make them want to come here for trail experiences.

"When the Raccoon River Valley Trail first got started, I remember helping promote it on our shows by telling about the different events that were being held on it," said Harden, who grew up in Adel and still lives there. "We had a lot of friends who started riding the trail and walking on it, so I realized right away what a fabulous thing it was going to be. I guess what really caught my attention was when they rebuilt the old trestle bridge that the railroad had used for its trains to get across the Raccoon River right there on the east side of town. I remember walking out there on the bridge, standing there, watching the river and thinking about how neat that was to be able to do that. And then when you go on just east of the bridge, you go right into what's like a tunnel of trees. They're really thick right there. I've always thought that when those trees have all their leaves, that's one of the most beautiful places in Iowa."

The Feb. 16 banquet, which is open to the public, is being held again at the Lake Panorama National Resort & Conference, located in the middle of the big golf course just north of Panora. The social hour starts at 6 p.m. A maximum of 300 tickets will be sold, and they are available online now on at www.raccoonrivervalleytrail.org or by calling the trail's headquarters 515-386-5488. The $40 tickets include a full banquet meal. All proceeds from the banquet and its silent & live auctions go to support the work of the RRVT Association, the all-volunteer organization which does all the marketing and promotion of the trail.

The association is anticipating that 2013 is going to be the biggest year ever on the trail, since the new 33-mile north loop will be completed in the springtime, and that will make the RRVT one of the longest paved rec trails in the nation. That will also create a 72-mile loop on the trail, between Waukee and tiny Herndon, and that will be the longest loop on any trail in the U.S.

Van and his wife Denise live in the same 150-year-old, five-bedroom home where he grew up, in Adel. "In fact, I must hold some kind of record - only person to live in the same house at three different times in his life," Harden said.

He said that as a boy, he was always aware of the trains coming through Adel on the right-of-way that is now the Raccoon River Valley Trail.

"I knew every inch of this town," he said. "I'd ride my bike all over, going to my friends' houses, and I'd also take shortcuts by walking the railroad tracks sometimes. And like nearly every kid who ever grew up in Adel, I once sneaked down there and put a penny on the tracks to see what would happen when the train rain over it. Has the statute of limitations run out on that by now?"

His interest in radio developed when he was a fascinated listener as a boy. "I'd flip around to all the stations," he said. "The one of them that covered Adel a lot was KDLS in Perry. I kept bugging them when I was in high school to let me work at the station, but they never had anything for me."

But by the time he was studying at Drake, the Perry station invited him to start doing some on-air shifts - and he loved it. When he graduated, KDLS gave him his first full-time job. During his two years there, he occasionally spent time in a KDLS studio they also had in Jefferson. There he met shoe store owner Rolfe Blaess, who was also a radio enthusiast, and they've been friends ever since. For two years, they also became business partners and bought FM station KLSN, which had started in Jefferson but then was closed. After getting it back on its feet, the two sold the station to the company that owned KDLS, and today that FM station is KGRA and still has a studio in Jefferson.

He also worked briefly in radio in Tulsa, Okla., and at KRNT in Des Moines before WHO radio recruited him in 1986. Now, Harden does the morning show and is also program director for both WHO and sports station KXNO. For six years, Harden's co-host was Connie Murad and the show was "Van & Connie." For the last 19 years, he's worked with Bonnie Lucas, and it's been "Van & Bonnie." Five different years, the show has won the radio industry's prized Marconi Award as the top morning show in the nation among stations similarly-sized with WHO. "Van & Bonnie" now have sports reporter Mark Allen as part of the show, and other familiar characters drop by from time to time.

Harden and his co-hosts have become legendary for unusual, sometimes bizarre, but always fun on-air stunts - sometimes running for the full length of their show from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m.

One May, when it was "Bike to Work Day" across the nation, Harden had WHO's engineers wire up his bicycle with a radio transmitter, and he broadcasted live from the RRVT, the Clive Greenbelt Trail and then the streets of western Des Moines. He would stop along the way, get coffee and a donut, visit with motorists and lots of other people.  

Van & Bonnie have twice taken listeners on a "Journey to the Center of the Earth," doing their show live from 500 feet below ground in a vast limestone mine that Martin Marietta Materials operates north of Ames. "That's a big enough places that they have roads and street signs down there," Harden said. "So we lined up school buses, and we made it possible for 5,000 people to come through there while we were broadcasting the show."

There have also been the famous "Leisure Suit Conventions," "Chocolate Breakfasts," launching pumpkins with a cannon, and much more.

Now, with just a little apprehension, RRVT advocates have asked Harden for some ideas in promoting the trail. He may disclose some possibilities at the RRVT banquet on Feb. 16.

Questions? Chuck Offenburger, RRVT Association board member,  chuck@Offenburger.com or at 515-370-2659 (cell).

Raccoon River Valley Trail Association
402 Main Street - Suite 1
Cooper, Iowa 50059
Phone: (515) 386-5488
Website: www.raccoonrivervalleytrail.org 

Active Girl Fitness 2013 Boot Camp February  

Week 1- 2/4 & 2/6, 5:00-5:45 a.m.

Week 2- 2/11 & 2/13, 5:00-5:45 a.m.

Week 3- 2/18 & 2/20, 5:00-5:45 a.m.

Week 4- 2/25 & 2/27, 5:00-5:45 a.m.

$7 per class* OR Prepay the month in advance for $49 (One Class FREE) Cash or Check accepted*

Please - register online at Active Girl Fitness.

Active Girl Fitness
P.O. Box 141
Adel, IA 50003
Phone: (515) 208-5711
Email: DawnHinton@ActiveGirlFitness.com
Website: www.ActiveGirlFitness.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/DawnHintonFitnessLLC

Stock

1 smoked Ham Hock

1 medium Onion, diced

1 tsp Cayenne Pepper

1 tsp Onion Powder

1 tsp Garlic Powder

1 tsp Salt

Vegetables

2 T. Olive Oil

1 Onion, diced

3 Cloves Garlic, minced

3 stalks Celery, diced

2 Carrots, diced

3 Parsnips

1 Rutabaga, large

4 Turnips

15-20 Radishes, quartered

2 Potatoes, diced

1 tsp Cayenne Pepper

1 tsp Onion Powder

1 tsp Garlic Powder