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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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“I’m bored …”

The dreaded words of summer, often uttered as a high-pitched whine and dragged out for several syllables. “I’m bored” is probably the least favorite phrase parents must hear. Well, that and “Are we there yet?”
In an effort to help combat boredom, several pages of Wednesday’s Community section were dedicated to the various summer camps available in [...]

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