General Store Blog

I missed you. I really did. But I would not admit it and actually explained my lack of new blog articles by repeatedly saying it was because the number of readers was increasing, and I was receiving contacts from the AKGS Blog, and I was not prepared for that. I have never been comfortable with getting attention even though I seem to spend a fair amount of time trying to be a “character” so I will be remembered. Seems like a contradiction and it is, but it is part of my life. So, here I am writing an article for the AKGS Blog and hoping, honestly, that those that were reading it will do so again and that we may find new readers who will enjoy this General Store of topics that are meant to be entertaining and a positive addition to the readers’ lives. I have promised to not be political and also to be biased towards what I see as the GOOD PEOPLE and GOOD THINGS that enter into my experience as an adult who grew up in a General Store in Wadena, Iowa and has never been even a bit sorry as I believe it gave me a unique background for a very good life SO FAR. I have a favorite quote that I once used to describe how I viewed where I was in my life. It was from a talk I heard in person at a very large gathering of investment professionals. The speaker ended his presentation by playing a grand piano and singing "The Rose” and there was not a dry eye in the entire audience. Someday I will try to make the talk available through AKGS but for now I just want to share the quote that has stayed with me for 25+ years. The memory I have is this: he said, “I am in the fourth quarter of my game of LIFE, and I am down 10 points with just a few minutes left and I am not going to win. But I am not sad because I have played my best even though I have never been the MVP of any game or tournament. But I try and my coaches, teammates and family all KNOW THAT I TRY MY VERY BEST. That is how I play basketball and how I live my life – and I will leave this game satisfied that I did my best – with thanks to God for giving me this time and looking forward to His promised overtime.”  A few months ago, I decided to live my days on the bench. Fear, worry, uncertainty, lack of purpose, and whatever I could blame – that is what I said was putting me there. My wife and a very helpful counselor said I had decided to be IDLE. Hmm. True Story. So here I am, off the bench and at my desk. Are you ready for some new bunny trails!

The letter from Virginia that inspired the wonderful reply that has been the proof that Santa Claus does really exist may have inspired a slightly different response from someone that grew up in Wadena. Being someone from Wadena, I have often told anyone that would listen why I absolutely know that there is a Santa Claus. And, this year, I have decided to share my experience with anyone that reads this post. Please believe me when I say that I have no desire to try to match the wisdom and writing skill of the reply sent to Virginia those many years ago. I love Santa and he has been good to me. My purpose is to simply share the reason that I have always believed in Santa Claus – I knew him personally. So, here we go! I KNOW THAT SANTA CLAUS IS REAL – BECAUSE HE PUT ON HIS SUIT IN OUR HOUSE EVERY CHRISTMAS EVE SO HE COULD SPREAD JOY AND CANDY AND TURKEYS TO THE GOOD PEOPLE OF WADENA – MY SANTA WAS ED GERNAND AND HE LIVED OUTSIDE OF WADENA WITH HIS WIFE HAZEL AND THEY WERE GOOD FRIENDS OF MY FOLKS. It is truly that simple. Imagine a knock at the door and a nice older gentleman would come into our house with a box and some black boots. Ed was usually in overalls and his white hair was always trimmed nicely. He did not have a beard. He would be very jolly – just who he was – and he would change into his real Santa Suit – not just authentic but it was THE SANTA SUIT or so I believed then and still do. Magically he would have a wonderful white beard that did not hide but emphasized his great smile. The hat, coat, pants, gloves, and boots were just as natural and part of SANTA as you would expect. There was no cheap cotton trim or plastic belt – it was real leather – and his eyes twinkled and his beard did not sag below his chin – it was SANTA’s beard and so it was REAL. I did not see Ed in a Santa costume but was right there WITH THE REAL SANTA and it was so special – great to be the kid of Santa’s friends! And the bells – oh, the bells – they were old, as old as SANTA – and they had a rich tone, not the cheap fake tone of some of the other bells that were supposed to be Santa’s bells – these were OUTSIDE LARGE NOISY AND DEEP-TONED REAL BELLS ON A REAL LEATHER STRAP WORN OVER HIS SHOULDER – I loved the bells. He kept them shiny, and you could see your reflection in them if you looked closely. As a boy of 6 or 8 or 12 – it made no difference – this was my time with SANTA! And then Dad and Santa would go out our back door and go to the Fire Truck so Santa could ride on the back as he was driven down the main street of Wadena to greet the many adults and kids who were waiting in the cold – standing on the main street – waving and smiling as they saw the Jolly Old Elf coming down the street with the Fire Truck lights flashing and the siren screaming to announce his entrance. To say it was exciting would not be close to how it felt – chills still run down my back as I remember that feeling – we were seeing SANTA CLAUS as he came to visit Wadena! Small children would sometimes be fearful of this large man in red suit – and his laugh and HO HO HO would make them shy away. Older adults would be smiling and laughing and often saying Merry Christmas to Santa as if he needed to be reminded. I watched Pauline and Mabel and Betty smile wider than all the rest of the year as they watched this amazing visitor to our hometown. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that SANTA CLAUS was visiting Wadena and we were all in the presence of a legend. The younger children got to set on Santa’s lap and tell him what they wanted for Christmas. Everyone got a sack of real candy and fruit with no worry of unwrapped candy being harmful and no concern for calories or the environment. This was Christmas and a bag of candy with an apple was part of Christmas. That was simple. And then, after quite some time, Dad would start the Fire Truck which was the signal that SANTA had to leave for his next stop – and then come back later when we were asleep to leave our presents. This old fellow was facing a very busy rest of his day. It was a smile and a tear on most faces as he waved goodbye to us from the back of the truck – standing tall and holding on with one hand – and the lights were flashing but the siren was not on for his leaving. That would be left for his next public visit. BUT and please stay tuned – this was not the end of the event – in fact, so much excitement was still coming that no one left – and all eyes turned to the third story windows on the front of the Wadena Hardware. And here the story turns to legend and lore and possibly fable as there are so many different versions of the memories of what happened next after Santa’s visit to Wadena’s main street each and every year as long as I can remember. The one fact that everyone agrees on is that the good merchants of Wadena were in the Christmas spirit and gave generously to those who came to see Santa. Most agree that in the early days the gift was a turkey – live some say – and that they were “launched” from the third story Hardware windows by volunteers so they could soar over the assembled people and be caught by the lucky recipients for their Christmas dinner. I have heard detailed accounts of the fun and joy of this annual event. I would say this is legend and may be true – at least I think so. As we all know, because of the hilarious episode of “WKRP in Cincinnati” when Les Nessman the newsman from WKRP reported live on the air as the live turkeys were being dropped from a helicopter at the Christmas gathering at the local mall. He was describing the falling turkeys that you could hear hitting vehicles and windows. As the station manager told us, “AS GOD IS MY WITNESS, I THOUGHT TURKEYS COULD THOUGTH NO FLY!!!!!!!!!” It was really funny and one of my all-time favorite TV memories. 

On Monday evening, Tommy danced and it was a perfect moment that reflected an amazing weekend at the West Union Rec Center! This morning my YouTube Likes played Dire Straits’ “Walk of Life” and it all said to me, “write the letter” - On Monday evening, the young baseball team played two games to finish out their season. It was a tough ending to a great season and yet it was the perfect time to reflect on the amazing beauty of their experience. Not having played competitive sports, I am still intrigued by the game – any game – and the desire and hard work that the players and coaches put into their chosen sport. It is amazing. And so being at the baseball tournament at the Rec Center on Friday and Sunday was a great time and watching a grandson play was a treat for Janice and me. And the boys played well and won two games Friday – the last one being a last inning come-from-behind game that had the large turnout of parents and others excited and cheering for their team – it was a great moment! And then to arrive on Sunday for the final day of the tournament and finding the huge crowd and a full parking lot was great. Cars were parked in other parking lots and in the field next to the park and the concession stand was 6 – 10 people deep on both sides! And it was worth the wait – the best hot dogs maybe ever!! The event and turnout was a testament to the vision that Bruce and the many volunteers and supporters had years ago and have continued to this day. It was an EVENT and a display of support and love for KIDS – something that is wonderful to experience at any age. Watching the growth of these boys this season has been fun and points out the hard work and dedication of the coaches. Justin and his assistants can be proud of how far this group of young boys has come in just a few weeks. You can see their growth and knowledge of the game increase each and every game. And, it is easy to see the respect that the boys have for their coaches. As an observer who many years ago worked with kids as a teacher, and never as a coach, I was and am impressed with the time, effort and professionalism of these coaches as they devote many hours to these boys. It was also fun to see Mike and Barb watching the ??th game of their parent, grandparent and involved supporter years of BEING THERE – along with many others who have shared the same passion and spent so many hours at games and meets for the KIDS. Nice job!! It is not easy to describe the “experience” and “feeling” of being a part of such an amazing outpouring of love, support, caring and enjoyment of kids by the adults in their lives in so many capacities. You could feel it but I cannot describe it other than to say it was a real and wonderful time to be a part of such a moment in the life of the youth, coaches, parents and other supporters of the KIDS. Thanks for allowing us to share this with you. I observed one volunteer who I have seen working hard at the events I have attended – carrying cases of water, pop, candy, food, team shirts, other supplies and working with the youth running the concessions. I cannot imagine the time Kathy spends on Rec activities and I have told her how much I appreciate what she is doing and has done for many years. This is an amazing story that I hope is detailed when she decides to retire. No one person is the entire story but some people, like Kathy, see that the events happen so the story can be told. People who have not done this cannot understand the dedication that is involved. And, now to Tommy dancing! This Grape Nut had umpired five games on Sunday and was back to umpire two games Monday evening. He was behind the plate for the first game and I heard parents saying they knew it was Tom because he was talking to the players, giving them support and motivation as the game was being played. Tom went to the infield umpire position for the second game and was working between first base and the pitcher giving the same support as he had from behind the plate. That talking with the kids to help them is what this is all about. Are they having fun – as Justin asked the boys after their second loss Sunday and then telling them that is what it is all about – and then told them Casey McD had pizza for them – and led a group cheer. That is true coaching. And then, the moment – which should have been recorded. It was that special moment. Tom was umpiring close to the first baseman and the team was warming up, throwing the balls back to first base. One throw came extra hard and fast and landed in front of Tom and the first baseman – going between them and hitting the fence with a very loud crash. Tom had jumped out of the way and then continued the movement into a dance move that was truly a thing of beauty – shuffling his feet back and forth with rhythmic movements of his body and ending with a rather impressive display of shaking the – well, enough of a vision for you! It was about 10 seconds of pure joyful expression and possibly a look back at former dance moves – even if not done in public. I laughed out loud. And I was so impressed that an adult expressed themselves to a young boy by showing him how to have fun. See how this all connects? That was fun and he talked with the boy trying to get him to do the moves – but it did not happen. The effort was all that mattered. The boy experienced a Walk of Life moment. And a very positive one at that. So, to Justin, Tommy, Kathy and all the adults and older school kids who work with these KIDS to show them sports can be fun and they can succeed and how to be respectful and learn how to be better by working hard – I want to say THANK YOU, THANK YOU and THANK YOU!!! I could not do what you do – and by sharing this, I hope that a boy or girl or parent or other adult may decide to attend, support, coach or just be positive about those involved in their Walk of Life. It is short – I am in the last quarter with a few minutes left and what I want to do is SHARE that YOU can make a difference. DANCE – see Tommy for instructions!

Prologue: Wadena’s First B & B!! We left the Bridge story with an epilogue detailing a soup supper sponsored by the Wadena Community Club, a community organization that my parents supported with a lot of volunteer hours. The Community Club had soup suppers, Holiday events, parties for kids, and other efforts to promote Wadena. My folks believed these events provided an opportunity to encourage community spirit and foster an atmosphere of cooperation. They also liked to have fun. The soup supper story mentioned Jenny’s secret ingredient which was Wadena Butter. The recipe was simple – just add one pound of butter to each kettle of soup! Although few ever knew her secret, she was recognized as one of, if not the best, cook in our area. I felt very privileged that she shared this amazing secret ingredient with me. But try as I have so many times over these many years, I have not been able to duplicate Jenny’s success with soups or other dishes I have embellished with the Secret Ingredient. For a very long time I have known she did not share all of her recipe secrets with me. However, I continue to add REAL butter to just about everything I cook just to honor her great memory. Honestly, it is not just an excuse to introduce the totally amazing taste of REAL butter into most things I eat. Do you think I would be that self-serving? [Maybe?] The suppers were always well attended. The Halloween parties were amazing. I hope to share some of those stories as time goes on - which it will. The Wadena Community Club held a BRIDGE OPENING CELEBRATION for the new replacement bridge and my folks were part of organizing the event. “Wadena’s 1st B & B” was my way of connecting Wadena Butter with the Wadena Bridge – and attempting to show that my Bunny Trail did have some connection to the Bridge falling post. This leads me to the rest of the story. [End of Prologue.} FINALLY: The Night the Bridge Fell Down in Wadena Part 2 The Wadena Bridge fell down in January 1963. This bridge had been built in 1884 and had stood up to major flooding through the years. The engineer said it had been damaged by a prior accident but that had not been discovered until the loaded semi crossed it on that Sunday evening. Fayette County took immediate action to remove the old bridge and build a new one at a cost of $75,000. The new bridge was completed by mid-summer and a Wadena Bridge Opening Celebration was set for August. This was a very important event for Wadena and the organizers wanted to show the community’s appreciation for having the South entrance to Wadena reopened. It would prove to be quite an event. The main attraction was that the same driver of the semi that was the last vehicle to cross the old bridge would be the first driver to cross the new bridge. He did drive the same semi-tractor but pulled a different tanker trailer – one that was empty this time! Two well-known radio/tv personalities from Cedar Rapids attended bringing attention to the celebration to all of Eastern Iowa. Judge Antes was the main speaker, Keith Jennings [my Dad’s business neighbor and Fire Department buddy] was the emcee and the Valley Community School’s High School Band played while standing on the new bridge! It was a BIG DAY in Wadena – and I mean that seriously. Few small towns would ever match Wadena’s ability to hold a fine celebration! And this one was one to be remembered.

One of the interesting things I have learned from starting to write a blog is that memories bring back memories bring back you. You may have recognized that I have Maroon Five on my YouTube Music app. I like some of their music. I am very eclectic in my musical “Likes” and sometimes enjoy playing an artist or genre that no one would expect me to play or like. At some point I hope to include a post or two sharing some of the music I enjoy. If you like Eric Church, Carrie Underwood, Mercy Me and Black-Eyed Peas you will want to read the Eclectic Ear post. If I get it posted. Sorry for the Bunny Trail. So, let’s discuss the title of this post: I was never Ranger Rick. First, my name is not Rick. And, I was never a Ranger. These two facts support my denial. And yet this is the recurring thought leading to this post. I promise to tie all this together. My parents knew many people in many different occupations. Their store was part of the reason. Their community positions also led to a fairly wide circle of acquaintances. Dad’s insurance business also led to numerous contacts throughout NE Iowa and through IMT Insurance in Des Moines. He was on the IMT Board of Directors and the President and other IMT officers were often guests of my folks for fish, morel mushrooms and fresh-picked sweet corn. And on it went. One of the interesting individuals Dad enjoyed would stop at the store to visit. I don’t remember his given name, but I do remember Dad called him “Smokey.” This nickname was the result of “Smokey” being a very “REAL” Smokey Bear while promoting his passion of encouraging people to be careful because “ONLY YOU CAN PREVENT FOREST FIRES.” He was a great Smokey Bear with a great believable costume and the movements and noises that would keep you alert even though you knew it was a person. He became Smokey Bear! Dad was Wadena’s Fire Chief and part of Smokey’s job was to call on Fire Chief’s in NE Iowa to promote rural fire safety. Strangely, a fairly common fire call for the local rural fire departments were grass fires, field crop fires and even fires in NE Iowa forests which we called “The Woods.” Because there were farms and towns bordering these fires, it was often critical to put a “stop” on such fires. On a drive between Clermont and Elgin last Fall, I could see a very big fire lighting up the night sky over the top of the hills to the South. After driving another ten miles I was able to see the burning field another five miles away. The leading edge of this fire was at least the length of ten football fields with flames rising up to twenty feet in the air. This is still not unusual in rural areas. Smoky asked me to help him by replacing the Smokey Bear posters on the wooden sign frames on two of the roads leading out of Wadena. At that time both were gravel. The signs were about a quarter mile out of town and were located across the ditch on the fence line. The posters were about two feet wide and 4 feet tall. I had to reach as high as I could to attach the posters to the wooden frames. I was probably about 12 and it all seemed like quite an adventure. I sometimes rode my bike out to the signs – which meant I could leave “My Block” which was the one block I had permission to ride around – this was pretty big stuff.

This would have made a great title for a country song. Alas, lights and Georgia beat me to it. I am already on a Bunny Trail and I have not even started the story I want to share with you. I like to think this is not due to age but rather is proof of a very active intelligent mind without a filter. And that gives me an idea for another section of this blog. “Without a filter” would scare my wife. So, we leave this Bunny Trail for now. The Wadena Hardware building had cement steps out front and deep stone sills in front of the building’s two large front windows. These sills made a perfect place to hang out in the evening. You could see everything that was happening in downtown Wadena which was not much. You could see every vehicle driving down the main street. There was very little traffic. It was like having an open-air clubhouse. Of an evening [I have always wanted to write, “of an evening” and now I have. It was not that great.] So, of an evening, a few of us would get together on the hardware “steps” to talk about what kids/young people/teens talk about. I do not remember any of the details of the conversations, but I know we would stay until we knew we needed to be home. I probably had the only curfew which was 10:00PM. We were in high school but none of us had cars, so the home rules were easy to follow. On this evening, a Sunday as I remember, our small group included me, Neal, Paul, and Evelyn. We were all within a year of each other’s age and had grown up together in the small town of Wadena. We were friends and were very close. Evelyn was never just “one of the guys” but someone we enjoyed and respected who was a girl. She taught us that girls had real feelings and could be a real friend. And it was fun to spend time with her. And this evening had us totally immersed in the talk. It was dark, and there was no one walking or driving in town. It was a normal quiet evening in Wadena. Close your eyes - imagine the quiet and total security we were experiencing. It was a very nice night. And then . . . Are your eyes still closed? [Sorry, it is hard to read with your eyes closed.] Do you remember dropping a flat rock into a creek, pond, river, or other body of water? Do you remember the very loud noise it would make when it hit the water? My wife says it was a “splat”! I want you to imagine the biggest “splat” you ever heard. Now X100!! “SPLAT” – 100 times louder than you have ever heard!! We felt the noise more than we heard it. It happened so fast that there was no time to be shocked. And then it happened again! “SPLAT” -!! My first thought was to duck but the second noise and push stopped any thought of moving. It was time to figure out what happened and see what danger we were facing. Remember, there were no cars or people in town. We had heard nothing before the two huge splats. So, we started to look to see what happened. Buildings next to the hardware and across the street were standing and no damage was visible. The sound had seemed to be south of us and looking in that direction there were headlights on one end of the bridge shining in our direction. And then we saw smaller lights behind the headlights. And so, without thinking we might be in danger, we ran to the bridge. As we got closer, we could see the headlights were on a semi that was stopped near our end of the bridge. There was a tanker trailer hooked to the tractor. It was setting crooked on the bridge and there was dust in the air around the back of the trailer. We were about a block away when we could see someone on the driver’s side of the cab. As we got closer, we could see him rubbing his head. We must have asked if he was alright and I think he said he was. But one-by-one we began to look more closely at the truck and trailer. And then it was something we did not see that got our attention – there was no bridge floor behind the trailer. As we got even closer, the dark hole in the bridge floor exposed water running below where the floor had been. And two large sections of the bridge floor were sticking out of the water. We had found the cause of the huge splat – the bridge – a part of our lives – had fallen down. It was my first experience with surreal. And it felt strange. I do not remember all the details of the rest of the evening. The driver was ok. He was coming across the bridge with a loaded gas tanker when he felt a pull slowing him down. He could see the back end of the trailer going down and then there was a huge jolt as the trailer wheels caught the second floor section which must have had the end of that section still attached to the bridge. This created a ramp for the trailer to get its’ wheels back up on the remaining bridge floor. When the trailer wheels hit the bridge section it caused the front end of the tractor to jump which caused the driver to hit his head on the metal ceiling of the cab as it came down. Under the circumstances he was very lucky. None of us realized how close this had come to being a fiery explosion with tragic results. It turned out that two twenty-foot-long sections of concrete, metal and blacktop had come loose, and the weight of the semi had caused them to separate from the rest of the bridge. It was considered a bridge failure due to the age of the bridge. We were told that several tons of bridge floor had landed flat in the river causing the huge splat and percussion that hit us. It was clearly the most exciting thing that ever happened in Wadena “of an evening”. And we were there to hear and feel it!

The owner of the company doing the technical part of this blog created this space for me to share My Favorite Coffee Shop. He never mentioned it to me. I just noticed it one day a few weeks ago. It has intrigued me since that day. And I have decided to accept his suggestion. First, I need to be perfectly honest with you – I do not like coffee and I do not drink coffee and unless someone else’s coffee is totally full of a chocolate-flavored creamer, I do not even like the smell of coffee. I estimate this lack of burning love for coffee has saved me more than $50,000 over the last 50 years. This would not include cost of donuts and sweet rolls because I ate those even without drinking coffee! Coffee breaks were never my thing and the morning and afternoon coffee gatherings are not something I do. I see people I like enjoying these meetings, but it is not for me. That is a true blessing for those who do get together! As an only child, I learned to play by myself and have almost always enjoyed my own company. But I digress. I ACTUALLY DO HAVE A FAVORITE COFFEE SHOP!!! I just don’t go there and I never drink their coffee. But I am willing to sing the praises of the EUPHORIA COFFEE SHOP in West Union, Iowa!! And if you have not tried EUPHORIA, I urge you to do so at your very earliest convenience. First, Nick, Jace, and their team grind and brew amazingly wonderful coffee! I know this because Janice and every coffee drinker I know who has tasted Euphoria coffee tells me so! They know how to hit all the right notes in their symphony of the coffee bean – true coffee afficionados sing the praises of Euphoria coffee!! And if you wonder what they do to make it so – I recommend you try their coffee at your very first opportunity. You will not be disappointed. Yes, it is Euphoric and you will find it so. However, the real reason I want to bring attention to Nick and Jace and their business is what I have watched them do as they struggled with the effects of Covid on their small-town enterprise. When Nick and Jace were forced to close their doors to indoor service, rather than sitting by and watching their passion end, they consistently and creatively made Euphoria products available to their existing customers as well as promoting their brand to new customers searching for something to enjoy during such a difficult time. And it worked! For instance, you could have menu items delivered to your home or business. Our office staff really enjoyed not only the delicious coffee and baked goods but also found their sandwiches and other items to be not only great-tasting but a fresh alternative to our normal food choices. Delivery of Euphoria products was the highlight of many days. The owner of our business also worked with Nick and Jace on joint projects to enhance the customer experience of both companies. It was great to see “Allen Knox Associates” displayed on the beverage holders used for Euphoria deliveries. And an AKA client’s employees thoroughly enjoyed Euphoria products being served to them at one of their benefit review meetings. This was a great way for AKA to show appreciation to business management and their employees while promoting the Euphoria Coffee Shop. There are numerous other examples of Nick, Jace and their team facing this challenge with creativity and a positive attitude. The take-out casseroles to bake at home was another huge hit with us and our family! So often attention is given to a business that has simply surrendered to the COVID challenge. Many stories related just how hard this made the continued success of a business. And that is true for many. It was exciting to see a business-owner take on the challenge with positive energy and ideas. If you have not experienced the Euphoria Coffee Shop in West Union, Iowa, I definitely encourage you to do so. Please share your experience with the Allen Knox General Store blog and I will enter your name in a random drawing for one of ten $10.00 gift certificates to the Euphoria Coffee Shop. These certificates are at my expense. I receive no compensation for my blog business recommendations. My purpose is to enhance the business of an owner who has demonstrated their desire to be successful by putting their customers first. It is the most basic of successful business practices and yet it is the most elusive. Nick, Jace and their team UNDERSTAND AND GET IT DONE! Bless these folks for inspiring us . . .