Search Results for: sweet corn Festival
Al Laudencia – Hal n Al’s Q & Catering
We were honored to speak with Al Laudencia of Hal n Al’s Q & Catering, an up and coming Adel-based barbeque business that is taking the Des Moines metro area by storm.
Town & Country Barbershop Returns to Adel
My great uncle was a barber. During the 60’s, yes, I’m that old, My grandfather and my dad would take turns each week taking me to get a haircut from my Uncle Andrew. To quote my dad, “a man gets his hair cut weekly, because it’s good for the soul”.
Then the Beatles changed everything, but some habits die hard. When we moved to Adel 25 years ago, one of my first trips downtown was to get a cut at the Town & Country Barbershop. It was the classic unpretentious barber shop of my youth.
Times change and the first of this year the shop closed. History has shown that once a Barber shop closes, the chances of it ever returning are minuscule. There are about 3,000 licensed barbers in Iowa, but the number still practicing is much lower.
This week Adel beat the odds as not one, but two Barbers are once again cutting hair in Adel.
Lenard Warford and Owner Jenny Orr of Town & Country Barbershop.
The Town & Country Barbershop at 903 Main Street was reopened on Monday by Jenny Orr, and a familiar face, Leonard Warford returned as well.
Jenny has barbered for 21 years, she attended the Iowa Barber College as did Leonard.
She grew up in Norwalk and has has several barber shops over the years in different locations and communities, the last “in the city” as she puts it. She was ready to move to a small town when one of her clients mentioned that the shop in Adel was closing.
Seeing this as a great opportunity, she moved to Adel and purchased the shop. When asked her thoughts on Adel she replied, “the people here are very friendly and it’s been a good move. I really like this town and I can’t wait for my first Sweet Corn Festival next week!”
For the last 12 years, a staple of the Adel barber shop has been Leonard Warford, he was born and raised in Adel. Leonard graduated barber college in 1966. “It may not have been the best time to graduate what with the Beatles and all” he remarked with a grin. “It was always a part-time job, but one I enjoy.”
Leonard worked full-time at the Des Moines Airport on the crash rescue squad. He retired from the airport in 2004 and has been cutting hair in Adel a couple of days a week ever since.
Now that the shop has reopened, he’ll be back at his post Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
From Army to corporate. Rocky Foster a 2005 Adel graduate gets a trim before starting his new job at Wells Fargo Home Mortgage as an underwriter. Rocky recently returned home from a 3 and a half year stint in the Army, having been deployed in Iraq for part of that time.
Barbershop Hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Town & Country Barbershop
903 Main St.
Adel, Iowa 50003
Phone: (515) 238-0097
Jim Peters Mayor of Adel
(Republished from the July 2011 Newsletter)
A significant part of any community is it’s leadership. For over twenty years, Jim Peters has served Adel as councilman and Mayor.
We got a chance to visit with him and hear about his love for the community and his drive to remember ADM Alumni who gave their all.
With his trademark salt and pepper ponytail, suit and bow tie, he fits the image of a Mayor who has the community’s best interest at heart. Jim is quick to give an ear as he listens attentively to every side of an issue.
Jim is the third member of his family to have the name James Peters, his grandfather, also named James, was the mayor of Perry.
As a child, his parents moved to Adel to run a local drive-in. His first friend upon moving to Adel was Van Harden, who lived across the street.
It’s a friendship that continues to this day. Jim presented the honorary “Keys to the City” to Van at Van’s 59th birthday party as Van broadcast his “Van & Bonnie Show” from the ADM High School.
During school one of his mentors, coach Stan Norenberg, inspired Jim to give his all.
Upon graduation in the seventies, Jim enlisted in the Navy during the Viet Nam conflict. He lived in L.A. with relatives while he was stationed there. It was an opportunity to see life in many different parts of the world.
After the Navy, he worked in Chicago where he met his wife Pam. In the early 80’s they moved with Grant their son, back to Adel. Pam had fallen in love with the community as much as Jim had.
His interest in community affairs prompted him to take a seat on the City Council. A few years later he was elected Mayor. If you’ve ever attended a council meeting, you’re aware that emotions can run high as issues are discussed.
One of his first duties as Mayor was to institute rules of conduct during the meeting. This code has served him well as he listens to each side of an issue. Sometimes tough decisions are made, but he still follows up with both sides.
Jim works days at Wells Fargo, a job that brings him back to Adel several times a week. He’s also a founding member of the ADM Alumni Association where he serves as Treasurer.
As a self appointed advocate of Adel, Jim still remembers every house he lived in and every one of his class mates. Ask him about former alumni accomplishments and you’ll need to pull up a chair.
In August Jim can be found presenting awards to the ADM Alumni Inductees. The next day you’ll find him at the Annual Sweet Corn Festival and the Alumni Golf tournament.
The annual “All Class Reunion” is one of those events he looks forward to all year so that he can reconnect with fellow classmates.
Jim Peter with the KIA Memorial at the Adel High School.
Having served during Viet Nam, Jim felt a duty to honor those ADM alumni that gave their all during that conflict. When he presented the idea, it naturally developed into also remembering those who had been Killed in Action during World War II and the Korean Conflict.
During his research he visited the families of the eight men who had fallen while serving. He assembled photos, clippings and family information into a KIA memorial to honor them.
Each soldier has a large 2′ x 3′ display. That memorial is located in the front lobby of the ADM High School. A special service was held to honor Adel’s heroes. The service brought former servicemen who traveled from across the nation to Adel to honor those they had served with.
He considers it one of his greatest honors to remember those young men.
August 12th Meeting Notes
Courtesy of Chad Bird, City Administrator
Chamber / City Brick Street Meeting for Business Owners
August 12, 2010 6:00pm
Questions, comments, and discussions:
Work begins on 9th Street
1) Demolition work will begin on 9th Street at 6:30am Monday, August 16th. The sidewalk on the west side of 9th Street will remain open for pedestrian use while the street and sidewalk on the east side of 9th Street will be closed to the public for removal. Access to businesses and apartment doorways will be available at all times.
2) The sidewalk work on Main Street, west of 9th Street will also begin on Monday. The north sidewalk work will begin first as there are storm drainage improvements that need to be made prior to other work. The south side of Main Street sidewalk work will not begin until the north side is completed.
3) Regarding construction on 9th Street – work will begin at the intersection with Prairie Street and progress to the north. Work flow will generally be a south to north pattern.
Phase I of the Project
4) Main Street and Court Street will open for pedestrian traffic for this weekend’s Adel Sweet Corn Festival. Those streets will also open for vehicular traffic beginning Monday morning. Traffic and parking will be available beginning Monday – please pay attention to specific cones or directional signage on those streets.
5) Brick pallets and remaining equipment will be secured on the Courthouse lawn for the Festival weekend.
Thanks again for your understanding and cooperation – please contact Chad for questions and comments.
Chad A. Bird
City Administrator
City of Adel
515-993-4525
Fax 515-993-4527
cbird@adeliowa.org
Aug 11th, 2010
The crews have laid the bricks in the walk ways in front of the businesses on Main Street. They’ve also been been pouring the remainder of the cement to finish up the street for Adel’s Sweet Corn Festival on Sat the 14th. The street will remain closed during the festival to car traffic but will be open for attendees to walk on from the shuttle drop off at Wells Fargo.
August 10, 2010
Updates have slowed over the past few days as construction crews prepare for the Adel Sweet Corn Festival August 14th.
Stay tuned to DiscoverAdel.com for the latest news and photos as the construction resumes Monday, August 16th on 9th Street!
Adel Awarded Tourism Community of the Year (Updated)
October 21, 2008 – Sioux City, Iowa
The Iowa Tourism Office and the Travel Federation of Iowa presented 20 awards to industry members during the 2008 Iowa Tourism Conference in Sioux City today.
Adel was chosen from entries in the category for communities with a population up to 10,000. The winning community was chosen based on several criteria including outstanding performance in 2007-2008, outstanding economic impact, effective marketing and a well-rounded mix of local events and attractions.
“Probably best known for its Sweet Corn Festival, Adel has a wide array of offerings that are attracting visitors,” said Iowa Tourism Office Manager Nancy Landess. “From the Iowa Book Festival and Brick Street Classic Car show to specialty shops and historic buildings, it’s easy to see why Adel earned this award.”
Landess, along with Travel Federation of Iowa President Kathy Dirks, presented a total of 20 awards at the conference. Professionals representing several facets of the Iowa tourism industry judged the nominations.
The annual three-day conference, sponsored by the Iowa Tourism Office and Travel Federation of Iowa, brings together more than 300 industry representatives from across the state to network, attend educational sessions and discuss emerging industry trends. The 2009 Conference will be held October 21-23 in Tama.
Tourism is a $6.3 billion industry in Iowa, employing more than 63,400 people statewide and generating more than $290 million in state taxes. The Iowa Tourism Office is part of the Iowa Department of Economic Development. For more information about Iowa tourism, visit www.traveliowa.com, call 800.345.IOWA or stop at any Iowa Welcome Center.
Mmmmm, buttery goodness!
Get in the mood for Sweet Corn Festival with this great video! See you there on Aug 9th!
Larry O. Lane Obituary – Service Jan. 2nd (Updated)
- Larry O. Lane – Nov. 2, 1948 – Dec. 23, 2014
Courtesy of McCalley Funeral Homes:
Retired Army Sergeant Major Larry O’Dell Lane went to be with our Lord on December 23, 2014.
His death was natural but unexpected and he will be missed by all who knew him. He was born on November 2, 1948 to Clinton O’Dell Lane and Margaret Marie Myler-Lane (both deceased).
Larry is survived by his wife of 45 years, Goldie Lane; his sons, Christopher O’Dell, Patrick Brian, Matthew Corey, Andrew Casey; his grandson Dylan O’Dell; and his sisters, Ann Smith, Sandra Lane, Diane Lane and Louise Lane-Haury.
Memorial services will be held 11:00am on Friday, January 2, 2015 at McCalley Funeral Home in Adel, Iowa. Burial with full military honors will immediately follow at Iowa Veterans Cemetery in Van Meter. Family will greet friends from 9:00-11:00am prior to services on Friday.
Larry joined the Army during the Vietnam conflict on April 24, 1967. After serving two tours in Vietnam, Larry volunteered for, but was declined, a third tour when he was informed by the Army that “No, you have done your duty”. Thereafter Larry returned to the States and on December 6, 1969 married his long-time sweetheart, Goldie Stafford.
Being an honorable man of intense patriotism, Larry had decided to make a life career in service to his country. He retired in 1994 after serving 27 years. His assignments took him (and his family) to several states and overseas. He accumulated numerous medals and accolades (Larry never bragged on himself, but these were found in his footlocker and it is possible we missed a few): Air Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Army Achievement Medal (two times), Army Commendation Medal (seven times), Army Service Ribbon, Bronze Star Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge, Expert Marksmanship Badge Rifle/M-16, Good Conduct Medal (eight times), Humanitarian Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal (two times), National Defense Service Medal (two times), NCO Professional Development Ribbon (four times), Overseas Service Bar (three times), Overseas Service Ribbon (two times), Presidential Unit Citation (Army), Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, Republic of Vietnam Civil Actions Unit Citation, Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross (with Palm), Service Stars (six times) and the Vietnam Service Medal.
In 1981, his military service extended to being a Military Technical Advisor and Extra on the movie, “Stripes”, with Bill Murray (a story in itself). In the screen version, he was in several scenes – a personal favorite was when he was calling cadence for the troops marching across the screen.
He received a certificate from the Army, thanking him for keeping the “true” military scenes authentic.
Larry was much loved in the community and active in local events. You would see him driving his dune buggy in the Corn Festival parade and displaying his custom VW’s at car shows. For years, he was a participant in RAGBRAI, riding across the state of Iowa for seven days on a bicycle.
He was admired and respected beyond what his family even knew and we thank his Army friends for creating the “Larry O Lane Memorial Page” on Facebook (some of the stories made us laugh as we visualized Larry saying/doing what was mentioned).
The page creator said, “His leadership and guidance inspired us all. He set the standard and was the NCO that we all strived to be. If the Army were to create a recruiting poster of a model paratrooper and leader, Larry Lane would be the natural choice. Thank you for your service to our great country and your contribution to shaping our lives. Rest in Peace.”
Condolences for the family can be left on the McCalley website.
[Updated] – 12.30.2014
There will be a Remembrance Celebration with lunch at the Raccoon Valley Community House in Adel, Iowa (11th & Main) following the ceremony at the cemetery. This info was not in the obituary at www.mccalleyfuneralhome.com.
Mc Calley Funeral Homes
735 S. 14th St,
Adel, IA. 50003
Phone: (515) 993-4240
Website: www.mccalleyfuneralhome.com
August 20th, 2010
Phase II of the project is under way as the Sweetcorn Festival is now behind us. This phase of the project includes two street blocks of South 9th Street and three intersections (Court, Main, and Prairie Streets). Crews are working fast and one block of brick are already removed. The work flow will generally be in a south to north direction and storm sewer upgrades are already almost complete at 9th and Prairie Streets.
Sidewalk replacement on Main Street west of 9th will begin in the early part of September. The North side of the street will be done first to allow for upgrades and connections to the storm sewer system in that area and to provide for finished connections to 9th and Main storm intakes. Work on the South side of the street will commence around the middle to end of September, or after the work on the North side is completed.
Chad Bird – Brick Street Update
Fellow Residents,
Lots of concrete being poured in the last few and next few days.
The sidewalks along the south side of the square (along the store fronts) are scheduled to be poured at 5:30am tomorrow (Saturday).
If you don’t really have anything better to do, it might be fun to come out and watch them work.
The crosswalk area along Hwy 169 and Court Street was poured today along with some curb sections along the North side of Court St.
The brick subcontractor is scheduled to be on site first thing Monday morning – this is when the excitement really begins, the brick go back down.
For all you trivia buffs out there… any guesses as to how many brick will be put back into the new streets? We have the official count from the engineers and if you guess it or can find the correct number you’ll win a free commemorative Adel Street Brick.
Please note that the brick contractor will start on Court Street and then will more than likely jump to Main Street to finish that street before Court is done. All has to do with staging and congestion with so many contractors on site at once.
The City has worked out a special arrangement with the Dallas County Farm Bureau to allow public parking in their lot, south of the office, for the duration of the street project. Their lot will be available for free public parking beginning Monday. Signs will go up on Monday designating the lot as public parking. There will be five spaces in the back of the lot reserved for their employees and signs will be posted to that effect.
Also, regarding sidewalks, please note that the contractor has decided to NOT proceed with the sidewalk removal and installation on any part of Main Street west of 9th until after the Sweetcorn Festival. Due to unpredictable weather, they do not want to risk not having that section done for the Festival. Look for that work to commence right after the Festival.
As always – Thank you for all your patience during this project.
Please note the following:
This website will allow residents and business owners a forum to ask questions, research schedules through an interactive calendar, and view photos of the project’s progress. www.2010brickstreets.blogspot.com
In addition to the above link, the local online magazine, Discover Adel is providing a daily project update with photos and schedule information. You may visit their link as well. www.discoveradel.com/brick-street-updates
Thanks again for your understanding and cooperation – please contact me for questions and comments.
Chad
Chad A. Bird
City Administrator
City of Adel
515-993-4525
Fax 515-993-4527
Reminder: Brick Street Meeting Tonight
Set your alarms for 6pm tonight and meet us at City Hall for the public informational meeting regarding the Brick Street project.
This is a great opportunity to sit down with fellow residents, business owners, and city officials to discuss the ever-changing downtown Adel landscape.
Do you have questions about the repairs? How the upcoming Sweetcorn Festival will be effected? Then join us tonight, July 22nd at 6pm!
Chad A. Bird
City Administrator
City of Adel
515-993-4525
cbird@adeliowa.org
Brick Street Update – July 17th, 2010
Business leaders and residents,
The street project is coming along at a rapid pace now. After speaking with the contractors and engineers this morning it appears that Main Street will be ready for hand work and crosswalks by early in the week. Court Street will follow right behind.
It is anticipated that the parking areas on Court Street will be poured beginning Monday – weather permitting.
Also on Monday, sidewalk removal work will begin on the west end of Main Street (south side) and progress eastward. It is anticipated that the contractors will look to do no more than half the block first and complete that work before moving on to the eastern half of the sidewalks.
This is the critical stage we have all been anticipating – please, if you have concerns about access to your business/building now is the time to engage in the discussions. We have a progress meeting scheduled for Tuesday, July 20th at 1:00pm. If you have any questions, concerns or comments I urge you to call me, the engineers, or plan on attending the meeting. The meetings are held in the Dallas County Board of Supervisor’s conference room; 121 North 9th Street.
I believe the sub-contractors are looking to begin lying the brick back down by the end of this next week.
Regarding Main Street, west of 9th. I believe the plan is to remove and replace the North sidewalk and curb sections in the next couple of weeks and have that section completed before the Sweetcorn Festival. The south side of Main Street, west of 9th is planned for removal and replacement until after the Festival. Again, if you have questions about this schedule, please let me know.
Finally, there is an update meeting scheduled for Thursday, July 22 at 6:00pm at City Hall – I hope to see you there.
Thank you for all your patience during this project.
Please note the following:
This website will allow residents and business owners a forum to ask questions, research schedules through an interactive calendar, and view photos of the project’s progress. www.2010brickstreets.blogspot.com
In addition to the above link, the local online magazine, Discover Adel is providing a daily project update with photos and schedule information. You may visit their link as well. www.discoveradel.com
Thanks again for your understanding and cooperation – please contact me for questions and comments.
Chad
Chad A. Bird
City Administrator
City of Adel
515-993-4525
Fax 515-993-4527
Embracing our History,
Celebrating our Future!
July 9th, 2010- Updated
This week has been spent drying from the rain and getting ready for the foundation. Today the rock trucks started arriving and the crews have been laying it down.
Saturday the machines are scheduled to transform the rock into base so that the cement can be laid on top of it Sunday.
This Just In…
City Administrator, Chad Bird shared the minutes from last nights Informational Meeting. Here you will find discussions regarding One Hour Parking, Bridges to and from affected businesses, Sweetcorn Festival preparations, and more! Read the full report here.
