Last month while visiting, Maxine Reed picked up a copy of a promotional magazine titled "Explore Cherokee County". The magazine is published by the Chamber of Commerce and produced by the Cherokee Chronicle Times.Marcus photos are featured on page 27, including a blog promotion photo, and a picture of Bob Reed and grandkids during a 2006 visit. (click on the image for a closer look).
BTW, the photographs were used by the Chronicle Times without attribution and without permission.
This discussion now closed.
SOUTHEAST?
ReplyDeleteFrom Marcus Junction go ONE (1) mile EAST. Then one (1) mile SOUTH and then turn to your immediate LEFT. Dirt road starts there and runs for a mile thru the section.
Over the years you could find many a sign that underage drinking had taken place out there after the weekend was over!
Much like Railroad Street you could only drive on this dirt road when it was dry and didn't have snow on the ground. Once it rains all bets are off much like Railroad Street which now is even impacting the street that runs parallel to it just one block south of Railroad Street.
Between Margaret Dorr, Bob Reed,Thelma Gravenish, and now Julie Meylor "One of the Meylor Girls" our little town is very blessed with some wonderful writers.
ReplyDeleteI still think if Margaret Dorr can write for the Cherokee paper from her home in Marcus at a dear age then someone smarter than this old lady ought to be able to figure out how to get Julie Meylor to be a guest writer "at the very least" for the Marcus News.
Besides the Meylor girls always were the kindest girls in town and to have one of them directly involved with the paper would be an amazing thing and a blessing for our local paper as well as for all of us!
YES, you can come home Julie at least via modern technology and the internet. Don't cheat us of your great gift Julie as none of us are getting any younger!
Are the Dorr's that I see on this site the ones that use to live across the lane from Felix Treinen about 50+ years ago?
ReplyDeleteI may be coming to Marcus/Remsen in October for a Treinen Family Reunion. Just looking for some fond memories!
Joan
What kind, anonymous words! Of course writers are found everywhere in good number, and Marcus has its fair share of storytellers. After all, where do you think my love for writing started and grew? You have a new crop of writers blooming right under your noses!
ReplyDeleteWho are you, Joan? I am Margaret Dorr and most of the Dorr "bloggers" are my kida. Yes I live across the alley from the house where Felix and Pearl lived. My late husband, Melvin, and I moved here in 1946, so I've been here a while:) Pearl was a lovely lady and the greatest neighbor. I remember her so fondly.
ReplyDeleteJulie:
ReplyDeleteWith all due respect to your last post----good STORYTELLERS don't necessarily equate with good writers.
I still maintain you have been blessed with a gift and it would be wonderful to have your talents on display at the Marcus News as Thelma won't be with us forever and then there really won't be a reason (at least for me) to get the hometown paper anymore.
Can't you work in a fun piece on a monthly basis or the like for us all to enjoy in the local paper? Wish you would seriously consider doing such for the sake of your loyal fans and ardent supporters!
Margaret, I am one of Felix' grand-daughers. Hugh Treinen was my dad.
ReplyDeleteI have memories of playing with Anne Dorr????? Lots of time making Hollyhock Ladies!
I am hoping to come to the Annual Treinen Reunion this year (in Remsen, Oct 5). I live in San Diego, CA.
Hey, it's Manda again, and this message is actually for "jm simpson" regarding a comment in the August postings.
ReplyDelete- You had mentioned publishing my note for the rest of Marcus to read, and if for some reason it happens, could you please email me at mccarthynumber2@yahoo.com. I would love for you to mail me a copy of the paper, because I have showed our Director, Mr. Keller, what wonderful things everyone says and he is impressed. I bet it would make his day to see us written up in a paper. We try to bring with us proud, kind, positive, and appreciative attitudes everywhere that we go.
Thanks!
Manda
Manda:
ReplyDeleteYour neat letter was published in the Marcus News. Unfortunately I don't have access to it any longer but trust someone else still has access to the letter and can scan it and email it your way!
For those of you who haven't seen the Cherokee paper and Margaret Dorr's latest Gray Matters that features Julie Meylor's poetry it is a must to read.
ReplyDeleteChronicletimes.com and then go under the OPINION SECTION and look at the Gray Matter section from there.
Julie, you have a wonderful gift and again all of Marcus thanks you for sharing it with us even though we have to read it in the Cherokee paper....:)
Solid story on the proposed plant east of Marcus in the Cherokee Chronicle. Thank you, Nancy Hohbach.
ReplyDeleteSoy Energy still plans to build plant
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
By Nancy Hohbach, Correspondent
Last week, stockholders of Soy Energy received a mailing from their Board of Directors. Many have been quite concerned whether the plant would even be built, as the construction for the plant has not yet started at the proposed site west of Cleghorn.
There are three criteria which must be met before construction does begin, stated the mailing. The first is to receive approval from stockholders to accept the proposed changes. This has been done.
The second criteria is to have a loan commitment in place. The board is currently working on a USDA Loan Guarantee, as it will reduce the exposure of local banks on the facility loan. The board is hoping to know the results of this within 30 days.
With the heavy rains and flooding that often happen in Iowa in June, Ag Star decided to delay the construction of Soy Energy for six months., as the high prices of corn were having a negative effect on ethanol plants. The ethanol plants need to remain profitable in order for them to supply corn oil for making soy diesel. With current corn prices, ethanol plants are profitable. This was the second time Ag Star delayed the loan for Soy Energy, which the board felt was unacceptable and therefore, they decided to look for a loan elsewhere.
Farmers State Bank of Marcus has stepped up, and accepted the position of lead lender for the USDA Loan Guarantee application. and other local banks are also participating in the loan. Once the loan is complete. a list of participating banks will be posted. The board believes it is getting quite close to getting the facility loan from local banks,and is hoping to get an operating loan with other lenders.
The board had hoped to receive $3.4 million from Iowa Power Fund. It failed by a margin of one vote. Several key members were absent for the vote, so on the positive side, their application is being reviewed by the Alternative Energy Production Facility project for $1 million with zero percent interest loan.
The third item is a signed and verbal commitment of around 9 million gallons of corn oil. BEST Energies, Little Sioux Corn Processors, Siouxland Ethanol and Husker Ag have all signed onto the project. Several other plants may also join in.
The board is hoping the loans will soon be complete and construction can begin on the plant this fall. It hopes to get several buildings up, so work can continue through the winter.
Oh my gosh! Look what I found on the NYT web site!
ReplyDeleteHope this works ... copy and paste and click on Marcus!
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/09/06/us/20080907-wpa-iowa-map.html#
I could not get the NYT page to come up.
ReplyDeletetry http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/09/06/us/20080907-wpa-iowa-map.html#
ReplyDeleteI got an e-mail from one of the reporters that visited us during the Marcus Fair. She says the article ran earlier than planned. In a previous post Baritone Bob posted where to go to find it. You can also go to www.nytimes.com, and once there type into the search bar: Going down the road. The article you want is dated September 6, 2008. A map of Iowa will appear. Just click on Marcus, and make sure your volume is turned up. Thanks Paul wilkens
ReplyDeleteGreat!
ReplyDeleteSo Paul, tell us whose voices we are hearing on the audio portion at the site. You're on there and I picked out Kristi Irwin ... right? Who else?
Can you link the article to Marcus's Web site?
Julie,
ReplyDeleteThat's correct. I think you also hear: Jack Clarkson, Jerry Martin, Max Drefke, Gwen Peters, and LaRae Wendt. They interviewed a lot of people and I don't recognize all of the voices either.
In a nut shell we are not able to currently link to the Marcus web-site.(Computer and software problem.)When that gets squared away, we'll see what we can do. Thanks, Paul
This from our son Rick; check it out -- we will -- 7:00 EDT:
ReplyDeleteESPN's College GameDay showed part of a touching piece on the Iowa football team, which spent part of its summer helping rebuild the high school football stadium in Parkersburg, Iowa, which was hit by a monster tornado in May. Be sure to check out the entire piece on Tuesday night's E:60 at 7 on ESPN. Bring tissues.
from Max Reed
In case you missed the ESPN broadcast on Parkersburg, IA and the tornado you can watch it here.
ReplyDeleteSacred Acre
Kurt Dorr
I was passing through Parkersburg the day the ESPN crew did this piece heading back to Marcus from Chicago and my daughter and I got to watch them tape this piece.
ReplyDeleteJared DeVries and Casey Wegman (believe that is his name and he is the starting center for the Denver Broncos btw) while Jared who starts for the Detroit Lions were both at the high school with their former high school coach--Coach Thomas being interviewed and taped by the guys from ESPN. Amazing people all of them and were so kind to me and my daughter in light of their terrible loss.
Glad to see this finally made the news and their story was shared with the nation. Great Iowa people dealing with a tragic situation but ever so optimistic about the future!
Phil Dorr
Reader Alert:
ReplyDeleteHot on the paws of "Marley & Me" there is now a new book out titled, "Dewey:The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched The World". Some of you may have already heard about it, as it has been featured in USA Today and the Des Moines Register, among others.
It's the story of a kitten left in the returned book slot in the Spencer library one cold January night. The town librarian, and co-author of the book (Vicki Myron), takes in the cat. Appropriately then named Dewey Readmore Books the kitten takes up residence in the Spencer library where it lives for the next 19 years.
If you love animials it will be hard to put this book down. And if you don't, but are from northwest Iowa, you will find stories of small town life in our part of the state, the Spencer fire of the 1930's, school closings, Okoboji, growing up on a farm, the ag crisis of the early 80's, and throughout how one cat could positively impact so many lives - all of which will hold your interest.
It's a small book and an easy read. Bob Reed could have written this book, or Julie M. or my mother, Margaret. If you are from northwest Iowa you will feel as though a good friend or neighbor or teacher is telling you this story.
One of the best side notes to all of this - the author/librarian received a $1.25 million advance from her publisher. She had to split it with her co-author and pay an agent's fee, but for a single mom who struggled for years it was a fitting reward made possible by her rescue of Dewey years before.
The movie rights are being shopped now. Maybe northwest Iowa will be featured on the big screen, especially if the release of "Marley" this Christmas does as well as most expect.
Myron graduated from high school in 1966. She tells stories of Moneta (now almost wiped off the map), Hartley, Royal, Everly and Spencer.
Finally, it underscores how important a good library is to a vibrant community. A point well taken.
"Dewey" - worth a look.
Best, Fred
From John McCoy, son of Grace and Mac McCoy, who moved from Marcus in 1963. Could not get back to Marcus for any of my class reunions(1965)because of work. Am retired now. Had 3 daughters, who have 9 kids. Anybody from the class of 65 remember me. Please fell free to email me @ jlmccoy@bellsouth.net
ReplyDeleteThis from Margaret Dorr's column in the "Chronicle."
ReplyDeleteGray Matters: Goin' Home
Margaret Dorr
Friday, September 26, 2008
Not long ago I asked two of our area's most loyal expatriates, both of whom are talented writers, to tell us why author Thomas Wolfe was dead wrong when he claimed "You Can't Go Home Again."
Julia Meylor Simpson of Rhode Island delighted us with her observations while Bob Reed's reply was delayed. Some health problems had slowed him down a bit. But now, we are happy to report, our favorite Floridian is recovering and has sent this very special essay which I am so pleased to share with you today.
"Sure, you can go home again. I do it as often as I can. Home is the little town of Marcus, nestled in the rolling hills of Cherokee County, in northwest Iowa.
I've lived all over the country and traveled all over the world. But I return to my hometown to refresh my soul.
I spent my first seventeen years there in the 1930s and '40s. It was a town small enough for the Masons and the Knights of Columbus to know one another's secrets. And, as they say, it took a village to raise a child.
In an environment of hot summer days and cold winter nights, the librarian wouldn't let me check out the sexy novels I wanted to read and the malt shop owner gave me a shake even though I was short a nickel. My mother knew about any mischief I had been involved in before I got home.
Now I go back to find the familiar and strange. I wander the streets, metaphorically shaking hands with people and places that no longer exist. I gaze at the older houses and remember the names of the folks who inhabited them. But those family owners are now two generations removed and the house is known by a different name these days.
And I run into old acquaintances that I scarcely recognize and young ladies who have scarcely changed at all because they turn out to be the daughters or granddaughters of the young ladies I grew up with.
I go back to reflect and rejoice in the changes. They are like the shadows of a high-flying cloud moving over the landscape on a summer day.
The remaining constant is the gentle, wonderful folk who inhabit my Shangri La. They are honest, ethical, kind and resourceful, helpful and compassionate. And when called upon, they occasionally exhibit that legendary Iowa stubbornness.
These civic-minded citizens work diligently to plan, raise funds, and volunteer hundreds of hours to keep the community vibrant and alive. They refurbish the Community Center, establish the new Marcus Junction, manage the remarkable annual Fair, and maintain an award-winning school system where every kid is given an equal opportunity to be unequal.
And they recently founded the new Marcus Historical Society to honor our past. These are progressive and lively people, truly living the town's motto, "Pride in the Past, Faith in the Future."
My hometown has played a significant role in my life's journey. So I go home as often as I can, so I can once again boast to my cosmopolitan friends that I'm not from Marcus, I am of Marcus."
I missed the article by Julia Simpson, can someone post it?
ReplyDeleteKurt Dorr
Any Cyclone fans want to place a friendly wager on the Baylor vs. ISU football game this weekend? I bet John Clarkson a coke awhile back but can't remember what game we bet on and who won or lost!
ReplyDeleteKurt Dorr
Kurt -- and others:
ReplyDeleteAll of Margaret's recent columns can be read at this address:
http://www.chronicletimes.com/columns/gray-matter
Kurt -- and others:
ReplyDeleteAll of Margaret's recent columns can be read at this address:
http://www.chronicletimes.com/columns/gray-matter
Sorry that appeared twice. And with some omissions. Try this:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.
chronicletimes
.com/columns/gray-matter
with no spaces, of course.
Ok, got it.
ReplyDeleteKurt
While you are on the Chronicle Times site go to the home page. http://www.chronicletimes.com/ At the bottom, there is a poll for the best pizza in Cherokee county. Show your support for a Marcus favorite and vote Pizza Ranch.
ReplyDeleteSorry ISU fans, I thought the game would be a lot closer than that!!!
ReplyDeleteWhoops, sorry I didn't sign my previous post.
ReplyDeleteKurt Dorr
As a proud father, wanted to share some news on my daughter, Kaitlin, who is a junior at Mountain View High School in Mesa. She was featured this past week on espn.com for her play in a recent basketball tournament held at Arizona State. Check out the story at: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/recruiting/basketball/womens/news/story?id=3633691
ReplyDeleteOr if the link doesn't work, just type in her name in the espn search box: Kaitlin Meister
For the Marcus snowbirds who are visiting Arizona this winter, come out to a game this season. We can use all the cheering (or referee heckling!) we can get. If you need a schedule, let me know.
Brett Meister
Through a series of fortunate events, I attended a reception at the White House last night for the Prime Minister of Italy. At the reception I met Jim Nicholson, a former Ambassador to the Vatican and Secretary of Veteran Affairs. I understood he had Northwest Iowa ties and asked him about his past.
ReplyDeleteTurns out, he grew up near Struble, Iowa, graduating from LeMars before attending West Point. His aunt and uncle were Alice and Jack Dunn, the long-time former Marcus mayor. (He also said he was related to the Sand family but I can't remember how.) He described helping Jack out on the weekends during high school in his electrician business. He spoke of how the work was not easy (often in very chilly circumstances) and spurred him to work hard and "make it."
We laughed about how strange it was that two people with Marcus roots were having this conversation in the grandeur of the White House. What a small world!
Kyle Drefke
Thanks, Kyle, for sharing another of those great 'small world' stories. We all love them. After John Sand's first wife died of cancer, he was remarried to Irene Dunne, sister of Jack Dunne and Jim's mother. So she was the step-mother of all the Sands--a lovely lady! Margaret Dorr
ReplyDeleteIt was good to see such support last night at the Pizza Ranch for the proposed new dairy in the area.
ReplyDeleteWonderful to see so many of the local business leaders and farmers working together to bring in such a huge capital investment to our community and surrounding area. Between the initial construction work and jobs that go with this construction, the amount of money spent weekly/monthly for parts, supplies, feed and the like, along with the potential number of new residents to the community/kids for our brand new multi-million dollar captial school upgrade I am delighted that Marcus and our leadership is working so aggressively to spurn on new growth and opportunities for our young people and the town itself.
Melinda, thanks for your kind hospitality last night and for all of the good food. As usual you out did yourself last night. Thanks much for all you and your family do for the town via your wonderful dining facility!
Someone tell us the details about the proposed dairy.
ReplyDelete4000 head dairy. 40 plus employees paying very good salaries with the manager making very good money. Apply for jobs now if you want one and if you think these aren't good jobs go check out the dairy just north of Germantown. The streets throughout the dairy are all paved and better than we have in town here now!
ReplyDeleteVery similar style and design from what I can tell to the one north of Germantown.
All I can say is great job to the leadership of the town and thank goodness for the Dutch. Looks like between hog confinements and now a major dairy that we should just annex Cherokee County with Sioux County. Now that would see values in the county in many facets of the county rise.
Anyone notice that Senator Harkin got a designated ethanol pipeline included in the Federal bailout of the banking industry that will start in northwest Iowa and go to the east coast.
ReplyDeleteWonder if that will start in the Marcus area? That would be huge for the local ethanol plant and I wonder how much money will come in to the county if it does during the construction phase?
We might have to expand the Hometown Guesthouse with all of the new construction about to take place in and around Marcus.
Sure glad we have one of our own serving as Undersecretary of Ag for Rural Development and wonder if he had anything to do with the pipeline coming to northwest Iowa?
What about the smell?
ReplyDeleteI'd rather have the smell and economic activity than no smell and a dying economy.
ReplyDeleteI understand these dairies may bring there hired help with them, in this case from CA(?) and, of course, there is always the possibility some of these workers do not have "papers."
ReplyDeleteWho cares if they don't have papers? If they have kids and enroll in the Marcus Public Schools that means more state aid and a better chance of keeping our school open!
ReplyDeleteMore questions about the proposed dairy:
ReplyDeleteBuilt by local contractors?
Materials supplied by local suppliers?
(By local I mean Marcus.)
Also, What do the neighbors think? There are some very nice homes less than a mile from the proposed site.
Where is the proposed site?
ReplyDeleteMarcEtte's Tour of Homes
ReplyDeleteNov. 16th Time 1:00 to 4:30
Snow date Nov. 23rd
Tickets on Sale Now!!
Tickets are $12 in Advance
$15 day Of Tour
Your can get Tickets from The following MarcEtte's
Kristi Ames, Stacy Ruba, Sheila Guntren,Heather Dunn, Darcy Dreckman,Breeann Erickson,Shelly Pick, Sherri Peck, Denise Phillips
You can also get tickets at
Jeff's Foods, Grandma's Garden,Farmers State Bank & Marcus Vet Clinic (ask for Stacy)
MarcEtte's will also be Kicking off a Fundraiser to Help buy School supplies for Needy Family's. This fundraiser is throught Pampered Chef and will be at the starting point for the Tour Of Homes.
Come and help support the MarcEtte's through this special event.
Hope to see you on the Tour Of Homes.
Kristi Ames & Stacy Ruba
MarcEtte Committee