A Morning Cup of Conversation

Coffee and the paper. That’s how many people begin their day. Residents in Newhall are no different. except they enjoy their caffeine and their news in the company of friends at the Newhall First Stop.

The convenience store is the only place in town to have a cup of coffee, since the cafe closed its doors in late October. You can expect to find a crowd of coffee drinkers every morning — from the moment the doors open through the afternoon lull.

Except today.

Today is Newhall Coffee Town day and The Gazette will meet with Newhall residents for coffee and donuts from 9 to 10:30 this morning at the Newhall Public Library, 14 Main St. Stop by and say hello. Bring your story ideas, compliments and complaints, and remember — you can go to First stop afterward.

– Meredith

Grab Your Coffee

The Gazette recently published the 2009 list of coffee towns:

January: Newhall

February: Swisher

March: Tipton

April: Monticello

May: Brooklyn

June: Palo

There will not be a Coffee Town in July.

August: Riverside

September: North English

October: Fayette

November: Manchester

There will not be a Coffee Town in December.

Will we be visiting your hometown this year? If so, leave a comment and let us know what we need to see while were there, who we need to talk to, what we need to do.

See you soon!

– Meredith

The More Things Change, The More They Remain The Same

The Gazette’s Community section has undergone some changes this month, as noted by Editor Steve Buttry in the Oct. 12 edition of the newspaper. The Community section for the Johnson County area and other communities in the southern end of The Gazette’s circulation area will run only on Wednesdays. We will no longer have a separate Community section for the northern part of our circulation area. The Saturday Accent section will contain community news and features on the first two pages.

Buttry noted that the change was made to reduce costs. Like household budgets, The Gazette has to face rising costs while trying to absorb the flood-related blows of lost revenue.

The changes will not affect the newspaper’s ability to report community news. Myself, along with new community/features editor Rae Riebe, remain committed to profiling the people, pleaces and events that make Eastern Iowa unique. Please send your story suggestions to me at meredith.hines-dochterman@gazcomm.com

– Meredith

At The Right Time

Phil Hester’s career began at the right time. The comic book artist from North English is able to work from home thanks to modern-day conveniences like FedEx and computer scanners.

“It used to be people with my job had to live in New York City,” Hester said. “FedEx started about the same time my career took off.”

In fact, Hester’s inker, Ande Parks, lives in Kansas. The two best friends have worked together for 20 years, but never shared an office.

But the great timing doesn’t end there. It used to be that comic books had a select audience. I always thought of comics, not counting those you read in the newspaper, were a boy thing. And maybe it was the way, but not anymore. Graphic novel section in book stores are getting bigger and everyone — boys, girls and adults — are devouring the illustrated adventures. Even Ann M. Martin’s iconic “Baby-Sitters Club” series were released as a graphic novel in 2006, with more books following. Director Joss Whedon’s decision to continue his popular “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Angel” television series in comic form brought even more newcomers to the genre.

“It’s the perfect time to do what I do,” Hester said.

Read more about Phil Hester and his work in Sunday’s Gazette.

– Meredith

All She Wants Is Candy

The best thing about the Freedom Festival parade, according to Stella Doss, is the candy. Especially Dum Dum Pops.

So when the flood that devestated downtown Cedar Rapids in June also delayed this year’s Freedom Festival celebration, including the parade, Stella, 8, decided to plan her own parade instead.

Stella’s parade begins at 10 a.m. Fridayon the 300 block of 28th Street NW. According to Stella’s handmade flyer, adults and kids can come. They can walk, ride their bikes and/or scooters, use skates or pull a wagon. Pets are welcome, too.

Stella and others in her parade won’t be throwing candy, but she’d love it if those gathered to watch threw candy to them. A parade in reverse, if you will.

Just don’t forget the Dum Dum Pops.

– Meredith

Collecting Memories

I’ve collected several things over the years: lambs (my family calls me Mary, ‘Mary Had A Little Lamb’ — get it?), thimbles (I swallowed a Monopoly thimble when I was 5 and it became a family joke — I have an odd family), books (OK, that’s more of an addiction than a collection), and postcards. 

My postcard collection, which is no more, was probably my favorite. My parents let me display them on my bedroom ceiling. By the time I left for college, half of the ceiling was covered in postcards. Getting them down was torture. I can’t tell you how many times I wished for one of those gigantic cartoon magnets to pull all the thumbtacks from the ceiling … My youngest sister collects postcards, too, although she keeps them in a photo album. I guess all the thumbtack holes in the ceiling made our parents re-think their earlier decision.

It seems nearly everyone collects something. I’ve intereviewed several people lately about their collections, most recently Grynneth Parizek and Wanda Anderson of Lone Tree. Parizek has a frog collection, Anderson collects socks. The two friends have shared their collection with each other and were happy to share them with Gazettereaders, too. You can read about Anderson’s collection (she has 700+ pairs of socks!) in today’s newspaper.

Do you have an interesting collection? Do you know someone who does? If so, send me an e-mail at meredith.hines-dochterman@gazcomm.com and perhaps they’ll be our next collectible feature in the Community Section.

– Meredith

A Wall of Support

I receive a fair amount of e-mail messages daily — a mix of story suggestions, newsroom information, a comment from a reader or two. That changed Wednesday. Since publishing the article about Drew Wall and and his battle with osteosarcoma, my virtual mailbox and voice mail have been flooded with feedback, most of it from readers wanting to help Drew and his family.

“He sounds like an amazing boy,” one reader wrote.

A gentleman called to say he is sending a copy of the article to his nephew, a Army veteran who lost his leg in Iraq. “I think reading about how well an 11-year-old is coping will help him when he gets down,” he said.

A woman called to compliment both Drew and his brother, Adam (10), for showing wisdom beyond their years. Several readers have contacted me to say they know Drew’s parents, Doug and Robin Wall, and commented on their positives as parents. An anonymous voice message praised Madison Elementary School for its efforts in supporting the family, including tonight’s fundraiser.

“I am very happy to live in Cedar Rapids, where people come together to help one another,” the man said.

I couldn’t agree more.

– Meredith

Drew’s Crew: A fundraiser for Drew Wall

Where: Madison Elementary School, 1341 Woodside Dr. NW

When: 5 to 9 p.m. tonight

What: Live music, food, carnival games and a silent auction.

Why: To help raise funds for Drew Wall’s medical care. 

Clogged With Frogs

The yellow traffic sign on Grynneth Parizek’s front door reads Frog Crossing.
It isn’t lying.
Frog statues of varying shapes and sizes decorate Parizek’s Lone Tree front lawn, with more inside.
“I’ve got frogs all over,” Parizek, 80, said. “You name it, I’ve got it.”
Her couch is crowded with Christmas frogs. Valentine’s Day frogs sit on an easy chair, and shelves throughout the house hold more of the collection. Wind chimes, pictures, two children playing leap frog -even facial tissues.
Some sing, others dance all are loved.
“Frogs are good luck and get well,” Parizek said. “Hospital gift shops are just filled with frogs.”
Most of which, she said with a laugh, are probably in her home.
Parizek’s collection began 21 years ago. She said she tried to bring back a frog souvenir from places she visits and, eventually, friends and family members caught on, giving Parizek frogs on her birthday, Christmas, or whenever one caught their eye.
Wanda Anderson, a former Lone Tree Elementary School teacher, used to decorate her classroom with frogs, several of which found their way to Parizek’s home when Anderson retired.
“I think a lot of people have contributed to her collection,” Anderson said.
Their generosity has resulted in hundreds of items. Each room in Parizek’s home houses part of the collection.
“She has more than 100 frogs, I bet,” Heather Geiger, 7, said.
The Lone Tree Elementary School first grader was one of several to visit Parizek’s frog collection May 22 as part of a school field trip. Students in both first-grade classes visited the Lone Tree Historical Museum, with the tour led by Parizek, but first they stopped by to see her frogs.
“It’s overwhelming,” Christine Reinkoester, a first-grade teacher, said. “She always talks about them, but I never knew there were that many.”
Parizek asked the students to guess how many she had in her collection, smiling as they swarmed her house, some earnestly counting on fingers as they noted frogs on the walls, floors and atop furniture.
“I’m guessing 707,” Caleb Kruse, 7, said.
He was close. The grand total, not counting those outdoors, was 792.
Wearing a frog sweatshirt, frog visor and frog socks, Parizek doesn’t have a favorite. She loves ones that sing and dance, but all are special.
Except those that breathe.
“I don’t like real frogs,” Parizek said with a shudder and a laugh.

– Meredith

Breaking All The Rules

Marty Kelly is proud of his children. Like any parent, he hopes they live happy, healthy and productive lives. If they happen to live more successful lives than him, he’s OK with that, too.

“I only have one rule,” he said. “They can’t have a bigger television than me.”

The rule isn’t ironclad. Kelly’s TV comes in third place. When asked if plans are in the works to bump him up a notch or two, Kelly just laughs. His TV works well for his 5,000+ collection of movies. He doesn’t even have to fight for the remote with his wife, Maryann.

“She watches TV upstairs,” he said.

For more about Kelly and his Hollywood connections, read today’s Gazette.

– Meredith

They’ll Make It Worth The Trip

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I arrived at Ladora Savings Bank last week. The bank is a beautiful building — that’s obvious from the outside — but it didn’t look like it was ready to open its doors as a wine bar. Then I walked inside.

It wasn’t perfect — work was being finalized on the bathrooms downstairs and piles of materials were still strung about — but the aroma or freshly-baked Stromboli and the sound of laughter drew me in. Ladora Bank Bistro had yet to open its doors and already proprietors Brad Erickson and Colleen Klainert were having fun.

“I like the excitement and the challenge of a start up,” Erickson said. “We’re going to do this the way we want to do it.”

The fact that it took nearly four years of work is just part of the story, he said.

Ladora Bank Bistro opened its doors Friday. Erickson and Klainert didn’t plan a grand-scale opening night. As the bistro’s only employees, both said they want to get their rhythm first. That includes offering unique food, wine and atmosphere.

“If people are going to drive from Cedar Rapids, Iowa City or wherever, we want them to feel like they can stay as long as they want,” Erickson said.

“We want people to hang out and relax,” Klainert added.

Eventually, however, the couple will expand their services. Erickson said he’d like to build an outdoor patio and book live entertainment. The pair has already been approached about hosting company parties and book club meetings. Erickson even purchased the empty Farmers Savings Bank building across the street from Ladora Bank Bistro. Someday, he said, he’ll make it a cafe.

“I have to have a chain,” Erickson said with a laugh. 

– Meredith