Raccoon River Valley Bike Trail Tourism in Adel, Iowa
Courtesy of the Raccoon River Valley Trail Association
Does your business want to take advantage of the 125,000 annual Raccoon River Valley Trail tourists?
Then participate in the Raccoon River Valley Trail Association Dinner and Auction!
RRVTA Board members are now seeking donations for the live and silent auctions held during the banquet.
This is a great opportunity to show this prime group of tourists what Adel has to offer. In previous intereviews with the RRVT we have learned that we don’t have to give cyclists a reason to ride, we just have to give them a reason to stop in Adel!
Contact Allan Sieck, RRVTA Board member by phone at (515) 436-7450, or via e-mail at hensbob@gmail.com, to find out more about this great opportunity!
Raccoon River Valley Trail Association
402 Main Street – Suite 1
Cooper, Iowa 50009
Phone: (515) 386-5488
Website: www.raccoonrivervalleytrail.org
Adel Brick Streets Ribbon Cutting
The Adel Brick Street Project is coming to an end for the 2010 season.
To honor this historic occasion, the City of Adel held a ribbon cutting ceremony at the corner of Main and 9th street.
This coincides with the opening of the intersection and full access on Main.
Due to the upcoming weather, the project will finished in the early Spring. For the official wrap-up on the street project, please read the City’s open letter to the community.
DiscoverAdel has over 800 photos chronicling this year’s progress in the Project Photo Gallery.
November 19th, 2010
Good Morning,
On this bright sunny day, I am happy to report that the intersection of Court Street and 9th Street has opened for traffic as has the first half block of 9th Street south to the Adel Health Mart. There are still a few details to clean up and a little sidewalk left to pour – but the streets are open in this area.
Schedule for today and into next week include continued general clean up of the entire site and installation of storm sewer intakes.
Brick work is continuing south and will be to the intersection of Main Street today. Saturday and Monday work will commence on laying brick in the intersection and transition areas along Main Street. At this time it is likely Main Street will be open in time for Thanksgiving.
Work continues on lighting and wiring – I do not have a date for completion of that work yet.
Be sure to stop in the Health Mart today as not only do they have street access again, they are celebrating their annual open house from 8:00 am – 6:00 pm.
(Please note in this area, traffic will be allowed to move south on 9th Street and should exit the area via the alley. This will provide a “circular” driving pattern in the area and aid in traffic control.)
Have a great week.
Chad
Chad A. Bird
City Administrator
City of Adel
515-993-4525
Adel Brick Streets Projected To Finish In Two Weeks
The city will open Court Street and traffic will be allowed on 9th to the alley on Thursday, November 18th.
Adel’s Brick Street Project is starting to wrap up.
At the Tuesday, Brick Street Meeting Chad Bird, the Adel City Administrator, outlined the progress of the remaining street work.
Crews are working hard to finish 9th Street and the remaining intersections at Main and Prairie.
Weather forecasts are favorable that all of the major work will be completed in the next two weeks allowing traffic back on 9th street and the downtown area.
A Reopening Ceremony will be held when the Main Street intersection is drivable. DiscoverAdel will post that date once it is determined.
The street lights are scheduled to be delivered in early December. Installation will be dependent upon the weather. The lights were reordered due to the wrong order being sent to Adel.
There are a few minor checklist items that will need to addressed in the spring, as was previously reported. Crews will be scheduled in April to address those changes which will have no impact on use-ability of the roads.
DiscoverAdel.com will continue to post updates and photos until the end of the project.
To see a gallery of the project and view the daily updates, check out the Brick Street Updates page or click on the Hard Hat located at the top right side of this site.
City of Adel Urges Safety During Brick Street Construction Project
Officials with the City urged residents and Downtown business patrons to be mindful of increased construction traffic in the work zone of the Brick Street Project.
Recently there have been episodes of pedestrians walking into wet cement.
Manatt’s Project Manager Cameron Green said “Pedestrians need to be mindful that this is a construction zone and that there is a lot of activity with crews working on multiple areas at a time.”
Green further commented that in this last push to get the project wrapped up before winter, there is increased activity with many crews and pieces of equipment moving in every direction.
City Administrator Chad Bird asked that all residents and pedestrians be respectful of the work zone, and for the safety and well being of all involved, to remain outside of the orange safety fence area.
Chad A. Bird
City Administrator
City of Adel
Phone: (515) 993-4525
Email: cbird@adeliowa.org
Website: www.adeliowa.org
Adel Brick Street Meeting Thursday, October 21st
Please join us Thursday, October 21st for an informative meeting about the historic Adel Brick Street Project.
The meeting will be held at Adel City Hall at 6pm.
Everyone is welcome to attend.
This public forum meeting is a great opportunity for business owners and community members to ask any questions related to the Brick Street project.
If you are unable to attend the meeting, please feel free to contact Adel City Administrator Chad Bird regarding your questions or concerns.
You can also view updates and photos of the project on DiscoverAdel’s Brick Street Update page.
Chad A. Bird
City Administrator
City of Adel
Phone: (515) 993-4525
Email: cbird@adeliowa.org
BASE Offers Complimentary Benefit Analysis Businesses
Whether businesses are looking to enrich current benefit plans or implement cost saving measures, BASE in Adel, Iowa is offering a complimentary benefit analysis.
Businesses taking advantage of this complimentary service will be able to outline the savings that can be seen by utilizing any one of the benefit options available.
BASE does not sell health insurance, however they offer a variety of health benefit plans that include a wide variety of services such as HRAs, FSA, Dependent Care Assistance, and more.
BASE will work directly with employers interested in this complimentary service or with their broker. Take advantage of your complimentary benefit analysis today!
BASE
601 Visions Pkwy
Adel, Iowa 50003
Phone: (515) 993-5050
Website: www.baseonline.com
T&T Auto Repair October Oil Change Special
Is your automobile ready for another Iowa winter?
This is the time to schedule your vehicle for a oil change and tune up before the weather takes a turn!
All October long, T&T Auto will perform an oil change for $27.95.
This includes having all the fluids topped-off, inspection of the air filter, and check of the tire pressure.
T&T Auto also offers state-of-the-art vehicle diagnostics, brake service, recommended and preventative maintenance schedules, tune-ups, and much more.
Give the mechanics a call or stop by the shop to schedule your appointment and get your car or truck ready for winter driving!
T & T Auto Repair
20285 260th Street
Adel, Iowa 50003
Phone: 515-954-9058 or 515-326-0241
Adel City Councilmen and Staff Attend Municipal Training
Adel Councilmen Jon McAvoy and Don Price and City Staff members Chad Bird, Mary Sue Hibbs, and Audra Sorber attended the Iowa League of Cities 2010 Annual Conference & Exhibit in Coralville September 22 through the 24th.
The conference theme was “Learning, Growing, Thriving.” The event provided an opportunity for city officials to attend workshops addressing current municipal issues.
The conference, which was attended by more than 470 city officials, offered three days of training specific to the needs of Iowa’s elected and appointed officials and included sessions on budgeting, economic development and planning, housing and more.
The Iowa League of Cities is the oldest, continuously operating municipal league in the country. The City of Adel is a member of the Iowa League of Cities.
Chad A. Bird
City Administrator
City of Adel
Phone: (515) 993-4525
Fax: (515) 993-4527
Adel Fire Department Fundraiser says Thank You!
Courtesy of Erin Sedars and the Adel Fire Department Fundraiser
On behalf of Larry & Sandy Schmitz, the entire River Valley Golf Community, and the Adel Volunteer Fire & Rescue Department, I wish to express our heartfelt gratitude to the community for your overwhelming support of the Adel Fire Department Fundraiser that was held on Sunday, September 19th.
Over 500 people were in attendance to partake in the fun and witness the presentation of a Certificate of Recognition from Governor Culver to the Adel Volunteer Fire & Rescue Department recognizing them as Outstanding Iowans.
With your help, we raised well over $15,000 for the Adel Fire Department! We couldn’t have achieved this level of success without your generosity and we thank you.
We will be updating our website, www.adelfire.com, very soon with the total amount raised, photos of the event, and highlights from Chief Ireland’s speech.
I would also like to ask that you help the fire department in another way. The Adel Volunteer Fire & Rescue Department has applied for a federal grant to help replace our aging, 20 year old pump engine. The cost to replace this truck is approximately $400,00.
Please contact Iowa Congressman Tom Latham to let him know that you support the Adel Fire Department and request that he assist the fire department with federal funding to replace the truck that plays such a critical role in protecting Adel.
Thank you again for your outstanding support!
In gratitude,
Erin Sedars
Adel Fire Department Fundraiser
Event Organizer
Where in Adel is Terry Winner Announced
The DiscoverAdel.com Where in Adel is Terry? Facebook contest has ended. And the winner is….
Lindsay Greenslade Koons!
Lindsay has won a $25 Gift Certificate to the Adel Auto Parts Corporation/ NAPA store on the downtown square in Adel.
Congratulations Lindsay and thanks to everyone who stopped by the store to show your support.
Keep your eyes open and your cameras ready, you never know where Terry Traveller will show up next!
DiscoverAdel.com is proudly produced by G.Rafics Inc.
G.Rafics Inc.
609 Court Street
Adel, Iowa 50003
Website: www.GraficsInc.com
Email: Info@GraficsInc.com
Casino Nights with the Adel Kiwanis Club
Planning a holiday party? Then book the Adel Kiwanis Club for their Casino Night Entertainment!
“Casino Nights” include Blackjack, Roulette, Craps, Texas Hold’em and other games that can entertain groups up to 300. Most of the casino nights are through referrals and repeats – which demonstrate we deliver an evening of fun!
Proceeds from our “Casino Nights” are given back to the ADM community.
Check out our website for more details and know that you are ultimately supporting the ADM community when you book an evening of entertainment with the Adel Kiwanis.
Brad Baier, President
Adel Kiwanis Club
Phone: (515) 979-4554
Website: www.AdelKiwanis.org
Email: bbaier@riw2000.com
Adel Fire Department Fundraiser A Success!
On September 19th, the Adel Fire Department was honored by the community of Adel for it’s work on August 8th.
The cool sounds of Matt Woods and the Thunderbolts filled the air.
The silent auction raised over $1,100.00.
The live auction, with Kelley Daugherty auctioneering, was also a success with signed prints, footballs and collectibles.
The crowd enjoyed food provided by Italian Villages and desserts from Cafe in the Park.
Balloon hats, swords and animals made by Buttons the clown adorned the many children who attended with their parents.
Larry Schmitz thanked the Adel Fire Department on behalf of his family.
Chief Matt Ireland spoke of the events and the dedication of his team and the other community fire departments that also responed to the call..
Chief Ireland and the Adel Fire Department were presented with a certificate on the behalf of Governor Culver.
All proceeds raised will be donated to the Adel Volunteer Fire Department to purchase structure fire fighting equipment.
Please visit www.AdelFire.com to learn more about this important cause.
Venue Change for the Community Fundraiser
The location of the fundraiser has been moved to the former ADM Middle School at 215 North 11th in Adel, Iowa.
On August 8th a bolt of lightning hit the home of Larry & Sandy Schmitz. With the help of neighbors, firefighters were on the scene in just enough time to pull the sleeping couple from the house seconds before the roof caved in.
These brave men and women spent night and day volunteering their time to extinguish the fire before returning to their full time occupations.
Adel is proud of the great work accomplished every time the sirens rings and will spend the evening thanking our most important defenders.
Tonight promises to be a great evening with a silent auction, full schedule of family friendly events, local sponsors, a photo gallery of the Adel fire fighters, and more!
Please visit www.AdelFire.com to learn more about this important cause.
See you tonight at the ADM Middle School!
All proceeds raised will be donated to the Adel Volunteer Fire Department to purchase structure fire fighting equipment.
Did You Know…
Did you know that the DiscoverAdel.com Calendar is full of events happening every day?
Scroll over the calendar to find fun, informational, educational, and seasonal festivities taking place all over Adel, Iowa. See one you’re interested in? Click on the date for more information!
Would you like to promote your event, business, sale, or fund raiser? Send an email to DiscoverAdel. We’re happy to add your information to the growing list of Adel events!
DiscoverAdel.com
Helping the world Discover Adel!
Have you Found Terry yet?
Don’t forget, the Where in Adel is Terry contest is coming to a close Thursday!
A handsome likeness of our local man of mystery has been set up at the Adel Auto Parts Corporation on the downtown square.
Take a picture of yourself with Terry and send it to info@DiscoverAdel.com. Or upload the image to your Facebook page.
Everyone with a picture by 4pm Thursday, September 16th will be entered to win a $25.00 Gift Certificate!
DiscoverAdel.com is proudly produced by G.Rafics Inc.
G.Rafics Inc.
609 Court Street
Adel, Iowa 50003
Website: www.GraficsInc.com
Email: Info@GraficsInc.com
Where in Adel is Terry?
DiscoverAdel.com and Terry Traveller will be holding a contest September 10th-16th!
A handsome likeness of our worldly jet-setter will be setup Friday morning, September 10th at an undisclosed, downtown Adel shop.
Find the cutout and take a picture of yourself with Terry.
Then, upload the picture to your Facebook page and send a copy to Terry. Everyone with a picture by 4pm Thursday, September 16th will be entered to win a $25.00 Gift Certificate!
So keep your eyes open, your cameras ready, and don’t forget to join the DiscoverAdel.com Fanpage to Help the World Discover Adel!
DiscoverAdel.com is proudly produced by G.Rafics Inc.
G.Rafics Inc.
609 Court Street
Adel, Iowa 50003
Website: www.GraficsInc.com
Email: Info@GraficsInc.com
It’s a Brick Street Mystery!
While crew were trenching in the utility line for the lights, the contractor came across a large chunk of concrete.
Historians are unsure of the nature of the structure and believe it may have been a fountain or horse trough. The item was so large that the Caterpillar track hoe on site had a very difficult time removing it.
Check out the photos provided by the City of Adel. Do you think you know what it is or how it was used? Contact City Hall with any information you have and you just might win the reward of one antique, original Adel Street Brick!
Please call City Hall with any information at 993-4525.
Chad A. Bird
City Administrator
City of Adel
515-993-4525 • Fax 515-993-4527
Jan Price and the History of Adel, Iowa
Reissued from the DiscoverAdel.com April 2009 Newsletter
DiscoverAdel.com has asked Jan Price of the Adel Historical Society to help showcase this theme by highlighting the historical points of reference throughout the history of Adel.
Jan has been the volunteer manager of the historical museum for the past 4 years. She grew up in Adel, and recently returned to the community with her husband Donald in 1999.
When they retired, after more than 30 years of professional careers in education, they moved to Adel and purchased a home on Locust Street.
Jan and Donald love living in Adel and have become active in various organizations. Jan was gracious enough to help DiscoverAdel readers answer the questions of how this small community came to be.
Q.What is a brief history of Adel?
Dallas County was made available for settlement on April 30, 1843. A year previous the land was purchased from the Sac and Fox Indians and it was stipulated in the contract that all Indians were to be removed within a period of 3 years.
In 1846 Iowa was admitted into the United States. James Polk was President and the Vice President was George Mifflin Dallas. Our county was named after him.
In 1846 our county was organized. The first settler in Adel Township was Samuel Miller who settled in what became known as the Miller Settlement. It was a short distance east of where Adel was later built.
There is a stone monument on the north side of Highway 6 marking the settlement and the Miller cemetery is on the south side of the highway. There the first sheriff of Adel, Jesse K. Miller, is buried. Samuel Miller built his log cabin during the winter of 1847-48 and used it for the 1st schoolhouse in Dallas County.
In 1847 a new town given the name of Penoach, an Indian word meaning “far away” came into existence. The original town plot extended from the Raccoon River to High (11th) Street and from Grove Street south to Greene Street.
This town not only became Dallas County’s first settlement to be classed as a town but it was selected as the county seat by the state legislature that same year. About 2 years afterward in the fall of 1849 the name of Penoach was changed to Adel in honor of “a very pretty child with a prettier mother”.
Q. Who can be considered the “Founding Fathers” of Adel?
Leroy Lambert: During his life in Dallas County, he was one of the leading businessmen.
He was elected to the state legislature in 1853,1858, 1860, 1861, and 1869. In 1868 he entered into banking opening the first bank in Dexter, Iowa with Martin Smith. Later, in 1869 they opened the Dallas County Bank in Adel.
In 1850 he was active in starting up the Christian Church.
Dr. T. J. Caldwell came to Adel in 1853. He was repeatedly elected to Mayor. He was the president of the railroad built from Waukee to Adel and continued its president until after its extension to Jefferson.
He was for many years the president of the Adel State Bank.
S.H. Greene was one of the first settlers in Adel. He was a promoter of Adel’s early railroad. His store was located where the jail now stands. Greene Street was named after him.
He was the father of Arletta Clarke who married Governor George Washington Clarke. They were the grandparents of Nile Kinnick.
J.B. White was a lawyer of unusual ability and also a man of rank in literary circles.
He taught school in Adel in 1873 and was active in business, civic political education, and religious and social matters.
George Washington Clarke moved to Adel in 1877. He served four years as Justice of the Peace and in 1882 formed a law partnership with John B. White.
He was successful in the legal field. He was twice the speaker of the House of Representatives. He was Lieutenant Governor from 1909-1913 and became the 21st Governor of Iowa for 2 terms from 1913 to 1917. After stepping down as Governor, he was Dean of Drake University Law School from 1917-18 and practiced law in Des Moines.
Q. How was Downtown established?
A state road was established across the state of Iowa and passed through Adel. This road from the East crosses the Raccoon River by ferry, and then followed, what is now Main Street on west, to California. It was heavily traveled during the “Gold Rush”.
The third courthouse was located in the same place that the current courthouse is located. It was here that the downtown began to develop. The original town plot extended from the North Raccoon River to High (11th) Street and from Grove Street south to Greene Street.
Q. When did the Dallas County Fair begin?
The Agriculture Society was organized in Adel on December 31, 1855. Archibald Crowe was elected chairman responsible for organizing the very first fair. In 1903, twenty-three acres on the north side of town was purchased for $3,200.00. With the exception of a few years, the fairs were held on this land, which became know as Riverside Park (now Kinnick Feller Park).
Q. How did the Adel Historical Society enter the picture?
The Adel Historical Society was organized September 26, 1972 with 30 charter members. They purchased the building that stands at 1128 Main Street.
This two-story brick building, built in 1857, was used as the second Adel schoolhouse for 12 years and then for many years after that as a residence for different families. For 26 years the Society used this building as its headquarters, improving the structure, collecting antiques and using the building for card parties, potlucks and other activities to raise money to support the museum.
In October of 1998 the Society disbanded, deeding its 129-year-old schoolhouse to the city. The city raised money along with a $7,000.00 grant given by the State Historical Society of Iowa for a new roof and a heating, cooling and ventilation system. Main Street Chamber Offices were located in the building. More renovations were made as contributions came in.
The Chamber offices were later moved to the new city hall (the former Adel Manufacturing Company making bonnets and gloves). The former chamber offices were made into a museum shop where many items relating to Adel are sold.
The upkeep for the museum is now paid for by the City of Adel. The museum contains 8 rooms filled with artifacts from the history of Adel.
The museum is run by a volunteer manager with the support of a Museum Committee consisting of members from three Questers’ organizations: Like Skillet, Raccoon Valley and George Mifflin Dallas. Donations are given regularly by Adel Women’s Club, the Questers’ groups and the Adel Historic Preservation Commission.
Volunteers throughout the community help with opening and manning the museum on Saturdays from May to September. Other times the museum may be toured by reservation by calling 993-1032. The two main events of the Adel Historical Museum are the Holiday Home Tour in December and the Corn Festival in August.
Q. What is the Adel Historic Preservation Commission?
The commission was formed in the mid 1990s by the Adel City Council. In 2002 the commission received a grant from the State Historic Preservation Office of the State Historical Society of Iowa (SHPO) to do an intensive survey and evaluation of the downtown commercial district surrounding the courthouse.
In 2006 the commission received another grant from the SHPO to nominate the Adel Public Square District to the National Register of Historic Places. The nomination was to be completed in June of 2008. As of this date the commission is waiting for word that Adel has received the nomination. The Courthouse and the Wagon Bridge are already on the National Register.
Q. What is Adel’s connection to the Circus?
Ortonville, located between Adel and Waukee on Highway 6 was named after Hiram Orton, who moved to the site in 1866.
But Ortonville wasn’t just any town. It was home to a traveling circus show that started in 1852. Orton purchased nearly 200 acres as the winter headquarters for the circus.
At one time the community of Ortonville included a cafe and grocery store, gasoline station, elevator, post office, stockyard and two telephone companies.
The show animals were over wintered at Ortonville because the fertile soil provided good crops and grain for the animals. The circus traveled by horse drawn wagon from one community to the next, making their way throughout the upper Midwest. According to one source, the Orton Circus was the largest wagon circus in the world.
Animals in the circus included monkeys, horses, elephants, lions, dogs, camels, tigers and leopards. Additional entertainment was provided by a band, trapeze artists, tight wire and slack wire walkers, swinging ladder and rolling globe performers, contortionists and acrobats.
Q. What are some of the historic aspects of town?
J. C. Corbell built the first house in the town in the fall of 1847. It was used as a dwelling house and post office. The first brick building in the town was a one-story structure occupied for many year by G. W. Campbell who operated a tailor shop.
The first two-story building was the school built in 1857. The first hotel in the town was a small story and half house managed by R.R. Bailey. Soon afterward Jacob Frush built the Plank House which was the temporary home of many pioneer travelers and also headquarters for the first station west of Des Moines on the stage coach line.
The first church in Adel was the Christian Church organized in 1847 by Elder John P. Glenn. The Presbyterians started a church in 1856, as did the Methodists about the same year.
The first newspaper in Adel was “The Ship of State” published in 1856. The first bank was established in the early 1850s by J. R. Van Meter. The first electric light plant was built by W. W. Hancock and L. M. Macy. The first flourmill was built in 1856 by J. H. Strong and J. H. Moffatt. The first tile and brick factory was started by Kerns and Hubbard in 1882.
Q. What can you tell us about the Nile Kinnick Museum?
Currently, we do not have a Nile Kinnick Museum. We have an Adel Historic Museum at 1129 Main Street, but we have begun to talk about building on a Nile Kinnick addition to the 1857 schoolhouse.
There is to be an auction April 20th at which time three items will be up for sale: A 1940 American Legion Program signed by Nile Kinnick, Nile Kinnick’s 1939 Iowa University Letterman’s sweater and a 1935 high school football leather helmet probably used by him when he played football in Adel.
We would like to purchase these three items for the future museum addition but presume they will go for a very high sum.
To find out how to help in this effort, or for tour information contact Jan Price at 993-1032.
Adel Historical Museum
1129 Main Street
Adel, Iowa 50003
515-993-1032
