FIRST COLUMN AS EDITOR OF FFA SPOKE OF GRAND JUNCTION
Editor’s Note: The following column is reprinted from the very first issue of Frozen Food Age magazine that I edited six years ago, September 2005, and it speaks to the grocery Thompsons of Main Street and East Hager Street in addition to the Hillmans and other Grand Junction families.
Being named editor of Frozen Food Age the previous month (August 2005) was somewhat the “pinnacle” of my business journalism career in New York. I had made it “up” to editorial management. From there it was sort of a non-stop, whirly-gig, ongoing roller coaster of writing, editing, traveling, speaking, pleading, begging, crying, ranting, raving and just plain surviving in the dog-eat-dog world of business-to-business (B2B) media over the course of the next 3 years and 3 months.
And like a captain of his ship, I went down with the "SS Frozen Food Age" as it was sunk by its own fleet commander (Cygnus Business Media) in late November 2008. Meaning: the company shuttered the magazine.
Much of my writing work from FFA is still housed in a few boxes in a friend’s apartment back in New York, but for some reason I held on to this very first column of nearly three dozen columns while relocating back to GJ in the spring; most likely because it addressed life in Grand Junction and my early-day connection to the grocery industry. As you probably surmised, Frozen Food Age covered the frozen food industry, but it specifically covered frozen foods at retail, a rather narrow niche of the overall grocery industry but a lucrative one (think $5.99 pails of ice cream and $4.99 frozen pizzas compared with 29 cent tomatoes and bagged baby carrots for $1.19 that have a limited shelf life, called “shrinkage” in grocery store parlance). FFs don’t shrink—they have a longer shelf life than other perishables (fruits, vegetables, dairy) but there are considerable costs for transport, storage and distribution.
Covering frozen foods at retail meant primarily addressing the relationship between the manufacturers (Birds Eye, Totino’s, Blue Bunny, etc.) and the grocery retail buyers and merchandisers (folks at Hy-Vee, A&P, Supervalu, Kroger, etc.). The former were the advertisers; the latter, readers. The fun part came in covering the next step in the shopping-at-retail continuum—the consumer. It was always a “check it out” moment when I would come across a print magazine ad in Better Homes & Garden or People or spot a 30-second TV commercial on a major network—usually for a product like Lean Cuisine or DiGiorno or the mighty ho-ho-ho Green Giant, a proud product of our neighbors to the north, Minnesota.
It was an interesting and challenging position. The people in the industry were respectful of our efforts in publishing Frozen Food Age and were just as disheartened as we staff members were when it was closed.
Well, anyway, I wanted to share this with the readers of Eye on Grand Junction, which was launched shortly after FFA was shuttered. Like I said, just think of Thompson family members from old GJ. Doesn’t have to big the Jack Thompsons but could be the big Morse/OJ/ Grandma “Hattie” Thompson clan of GJ and Rippey and environs or the Scotty Thompson and sons of a more recent GJ vintage. Either way, think warmly of a Thompson and hearken back to a pleasant memory of life back in GJ and eastern Greene County. Hello folks near and far, natives and newcomers alike: come visit us! Corner of Highways 30 and 144, Heartland, USA…we’ll put the coffee pots on and whip up some tasty pans of “bars” for nibbling.
“Freezing Point” column, September 2005, Frozen Food Age Magazine
From Fareway to Fairway and All Points in Between
Shortly after taking this position, I took a really close look at how pervasive the supermarket or grocery store has been in my life. Along with writing about food, I spent the last three years talking about it in meeting room discussions with Weight Watchers members. The topic of “what’s good to buy and where to buy it” came up often.
Yet my exposure to the grocery industry has been deeper, more pervasive. I grew up in a rambling, white frame house on the edge of small farm town of just shy of 1,000 people in central Iowa. The Thompson family, when they had about eight of their 10 kids, had lived in our house before they moved down the street to an even bigger house.
I had an older brother and sister and they, along with all the Thompsons, Gannons, Rowles, Dobsons and a sprinkling of Kerseys, Kennedys and a few other families, were the students of St. Mary’s Academy, which was just down the street from where we lived. St. Mary’s and the rectory were just across the street from the Thompsons. St. Brigid’s, our beautiful old brown brick church with the soaring steeple, was in the next block to the east and the cemetery was on a slight rise behind our church and school “campus.” I was the last of two students to enroll in St. Mary’s, which, regrettably, closed after my one and only year there.
It’s a heritage I take very seriously, however, as I was the last of a continuum of students from 1888 to 1962. For many of its years, St. Mary’s was a girls-only high school and many of the girls boarded in local homes, as they did in ours, which was then owned by Rose Bridget “Aunt Bridgie” Gannon. We are just the second owners in the house’s history, which dates back to the early days of St. Mary’s.
Looking back, I guess the Thompsons owned the local Foodland on Main Street. Ownership doesn’t seem like the right word, though. The Thompsons were the Foodland. Jack ran the store, Faye took care of the house and all those kids, plus her two brothers and her younger sister who came to live with them, and she was also the gatekeeper to the church and the activities going on there. All 10 kids worked “up at the store” during their high school and college years and all went on to college and then some.
I remember how my mom kept “suggesting” that I go speak to Jack about becoming a box boy up there, but I resisted. Too shy. Look at me now!
We were close to the Thompsons through church, school and the neighborhood, but our truly close friends were the Hillmans. My best friend was Dave Hillman, a year older than me and a grade ahead in school. His parents, Doris and Rolland, were my parents’ best friends and Rolland was a meat-cutter at the main Fareway store over in Boone, about 20 miles east of Grand Junction, my hometown.
Years later, while a student at Drake University in Des Moines, one of my classmates was Scott Beckwith, son of the owner and grandson of the founder of the Fareway chain.
Because I had gone to college with Scott Beckwith of the Fareway Beckwiths of Boone, Iowa, and a close family friend had spent his entire working career with the main store in downtown Boone, I was always on the lookout for the other Fareway stores, which was then a small chain of about a dozen stores in Iowa. One newspaper job took me to Storm Lake in northwest Iowa where I shopped my first Fareway store. It was no frills but it still had the signature meat counter just like the main store in Boone and was closed on Sundays.
The Fareways (and the Beckwiths) are still out there flourishing. Since my time in Iowa in the early 1980s, Fareway has expanded into Illinois and now has 80 stores. A web site covering grocery history architecture, www.groceteria.com, notes that Fareway has recently opened two stores in Omaha, one across the street from a Wal-Mart.
My move from Iowa to the Carolinas in the mid 1980s exposed me to a whole new group of supermarkets: Kroger, Winn-Dixie, Harris-Teeter and Food Lion. I remember the excitement while living in the growing coastal community of Pawleys Island in South Carolina when the new A&P supermarket plaza opened. With the memory of our recent hurricane on the Gulf Coast, I distinctly remember shopping at Pawleys A&P just before (provisions I eventually took to an overnight shelter) and after Hurricane Hugo hit the South Carolina coast in September 1989.
Of course, that was then. Then was Jack Thompson dying much too early from a heart attack and no successive owner ever having the knack and know-how that he had. It was a great store. Sadly, Grand Junction has not had a supermarket in many years.
And this is now. Now is shopping along the “Miracle Mile” of Broadway on the Upper West Side of Manhattan—the Whole Foods Market in the glitzy new Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle to Citarella at West 75th Street to Zabar’s at West 80th.
In between is Food Emporium at Lincoln Center, a Gristede’s in the lower level of the architecturally stunning Ansonia, between 73d and 74th, and of course, New York’s very own Fairway, “Like No Other Market,” at 75th and Broadway.
These same three stores—Fairway, Citarella and Zabar’s—have been included as a side excursion at the Fancy Food Show in New York. And with good reason: they are a “foodie” heaven.
So if you are coming into the city on business or pleasure sometime soon, give me a call. I would love to show you my incredible neighborhood of stores.
Showing posts with label at Grand Junction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label at Grand Junction. Show all posts
Friday, December 2, 2011
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Ausbergers Buy Watts Building for $2,800
MEET WITH GJ HORIZONS TO DISCUSS LHA FACILITY
GRAND JUNCTION, IOWA—Bob and Joyce Ausberger, Jefferson, were the winning bidders for the T.R. Watts & Son Building at 201 East Main Street in Grand Junction this morning. Joyce Ausberger told Eye on Grand Junction the bid was $2,800. The auction was conducted by Dale Higgins Auction of Grand Junction.
The Ausbergers had met with the Grand Junction Horizons board of directors in a special board meeting late Thursday afternoon at the Grand Junction Public Library to outline the Ausbergers’ plans to use the building as a welcome center for the local chapter of the Lincoln Highway Association.
The board asked the Ausbergers about the input required of GJ Horizons and who would be in charge of renovating the building, utility costs and general upkeep. At that time the Ausbergers had yet to make their bid, so they did not have a definitive purchase cost or possible renovation and upkeep costs for the building. They did tell Horizons they were interested if the price was in the $2,000 to $3,000 range.
Horizons members and the Ausbergers discussed monthly costs for electric, water and sewer from Grand Junction Municipal Light and Water and heating costs from Black Hills Energy.
If the Ausbergers did get the winning bid, Horizons agreed to help staff the proposed LHA welcome center and discussed how the community could work to make the welcome center an integral component of revitalization of Grand Junction’s Main Street.
The local LHA had a center on Lincolnway in Jefferson, next to the Hy-Vee Drug Store, but the building is owned by Hy-Vee and the company had other uses planned for the building, so the center was closed a few years ago.
Joyce Ausberger told Horizons that a similar office in Grand Junction would be opened between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. during the heavy tourism months in spring and summer, fewer hours in the fall, and not opened at all during the coldest months of winter. The office would offer free travel information and sells maps, brochures, and other items of interest to travelers on the Lincoln Highway, in addition to serving as a gathering spot for local residents and area Lincoln Highway enthusiasts.
Horizons members shared with the Ausbergers the community’s deep history with the Lincoln and there were a number of members present whose fathers were businessmen during the Lincoln’s hey-dey in the 1950s, when it was U.S. Highway 30.
They discussed with the Ausbergers some of the local memorabilia related to the Lincoln that is available from Grand Junction residents.
The Ausbergers are long-time supporters of the Lincoln Highway on a national, state and local level. They helped save the historic original Lincoln Highway bridge just north of the Union Pacific railroad tracks that serves as key component to the historic bridges and Grand Junction Lion’s Club Tree Park just east of Grand Junction on the section of the Lincoln built in the 1920s, which replaced the original route on the north side of the tracks.
Copyright Eye on Grand Junction 2011
GRAND JUNCTION, IOWA—Bob and Joyce Ausberger, Jefferson, were the winning bidders for the T.R. Watts & Son Building at 201 East Main Street in Grand Junction this morning. Joyce Ausberger told Eye on Grand Junction the bid was $2,800. The auction was conducted by Dale Higgins Auction of Grand Junction.
The Ausbergers had met with the Grand Junction Horizons board of directors in a special board meeting late Thursday afternoon at the Grand Junction Public Library to outline the Ausbergers’ plans to use the building as a welcome center for the local chapter of the Lincoln Highway Association.
The board asked the Ausbergers about the input required of GJ Horizons and who would be in charge of renovating the building, utility costs and general upkeep. At that time the Ausbergers had yet to make their bid, so they did not have a definitive purchase cost or possible renovation and upkeep costs for the building. They did tell Horizons they were interested if the price was in the $2,000 to $3,000 range.
Horizons members and the Ausbergers discussed monthly costs for electric, water and sewer from Grand Junction Municipal Light and Water and heating costs from Black Hills Energy.
If the Ausbergers did get the winning bid, Horizons agreed to help staff the proposed LHA welcome center and discussed how the community could work to make the welcome center an integral component of revitalization of Grand Junction’s Main Street.
The local LHA had a center on Lincolnway in Jefferson, next to the Hy-Vee Drug Store, but the building is owned by Hy-Vee and the company had other uses planned for the building, so the center was closed a few years ago.
Joyce Ausberger told Horizons that a similar office in Grand Junction would be opened between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. during the heavy tourism months in spring and summer, fewer hours in the fall, and not opened at all during the coldest months of winter. The office would offer free travel information and sells maps, brochures, and other items of interest to travelers on the Lincoln Highway, in addition to serving as a gathering spot for local residents and area Lincoln Highway enthusiasts.
Horizons members shared with the Ausbergers the community’s deep history with the Lincoln and there were a number of members present whose fathers were businessmen during the Lincoln’s hey-dey in the 1950s, when it was U.S. Highway 30.
They discussed with the Ausbergers some of the local memorabilia related to the Lincoln that is available from Grand Junction residents.
The Ausbergers are long-time supporters of the Lincoln Highway on a national, state and local level. They helped save the historic original Lincoln Highway bridge just north of the Union Pacific railroad tracks that serves as key component to the historic bridges and Grand Junction Lion’s Club Tree Park just east of Grand Junction on the section of the Lincoln built in the 1920s, which replaced the original route on the north side of the tracks.
Copyright Eye on Grand Junction 2011
Friday, October 21, 2011
Hawks Roll Over Coon Rapids-Bayard 39-14
PLAY TONIGHT IN GJ FOR PLAYOFF SPOT
East Greene upended a favored Coon Rapids-Bayard football team Friday, Oct. 14, in Grand Junction and positioned itself favorably for a possible 8-Man State Playoff spot.
EG ended years of frustration at the hands of the Crusaders with a convincing 39-14 win. The Hawks took command early and never let up.
Quarterback Tory Beger was an offensive force, passing for four touchdowns and running for another. Beger was 27 of 46 through the air with one interception for 304 total yards. He ran for 59 yards on 16 carries. Reed Ostrander had another outstanding night with 12 receptions for 135 yards and three touchdown catches. TJ Lint had 8 catches for 78 yards and 1 touchdown. Harrison Johnston caught 7 passes for 66 yards, and Broc Timm had 1 reception for 25 yards.
Johnston had an outstanding game returning a CRB kick for a touchdown and two interceptions, one returned for a 48-yard TD. Johnston added to the EG cause with a 2-point conversion, and Zach Hiller capped off the evening with a successful PAT kick.
The Hawk defense put the clamps on CRB early and did not let up. Beger led the attack with 8 solo and 5 assisted tackles with Ostrander handling 10 solos and two assisted. Hiller had 9 solo and 2 assisted; Johnston 4 and 6; Broc Timm 4 and 7; Cody Hidelbaugh 6 and 3; Alex Gordon 5 and 4; and Lint 5 and 2.
EG completely shut down the Crusaders’ passing attack. In addition to Johnston’s two interceptions, Ostrander also snagged two CRB passes. Overall, the “Hawk D” held Crusader QB Keaton Schlatter to just 9 completions in 29 attempts for 94 yards passing. The Crusaders were held to 71 yards rushing for 165 yards total. EG racked up 104 yards on the ground to add to its 304 yards passing for 408-yard offensive total for the night.
EG takes on Ar-We-Va in the final regular season game tonight, Friday, Oct. 21, at Karber Field. Kickoff is 7 p.m. EG and Ar-We-Va have identical 4-4 records, but the Rockets are 4-1 in District 7 and have already clinched a playoff spot. After the win over CRB, the Hawks are deadlocked with the Crusaders at 2-3 with each team in contention for the fourth of four playoff spots in D7. A win gives Ar-We-Va the No. 2 seed and a possible No. 1 seed if Glidden-Ralston should fall to Coon Rapids-Bayard tonight in Coon Rapids. A win would pretty much give EG the No. 4 spot.
GR, unbeaten in D7 play (5-0) and 7-1 overall, will be a heavy favorite over CRB. Woodbine is 1-4 in D7 but takes on winless Charter Oak-Ute. If CRB and EG both lose and Woodbine wins, all three teams would be tied for the No. 4 spot and the tie-breaker system would be used based on the average point differential in each team’s six division games.
Heading into tonight’s games, CRB and EG are knotted up at -2.6 tie-breaker points. Woodbine is -6.4 but a win would improve that number while losses for CRB and EG would drop them further into the minus category, so unless those two teams’ losses were very, very close, Woodbine would most likely get the No. 4 playoff spot. But if COU should make it close against Woodbine in losing, it could come down to a single point in the scores being the difference.
Boyer Valley (Dunlap) has concluded district and season play at 4-2 and 6-3, and is guaranteed no worse than the No. 3 playoff spot. If EG gets by Ar-We-Va, that would tie up the Rockets and BV at 4-2 in the league for second. The No. 2 playoff spot would be decided by the points differential tie-breaker. BV finished the season with 5.3 points while AWV has 6.67 through 5 games. AWV could lose to EG and keep the No. 2 spot, but only if the Rockets lose by 1 point. A loss of 2 points or more would cut into their total point differential and drop them below BV’s point total differential.
District 7 Standings:
Glidden-Ralston 5-0 7-1
Ar-We-Va 4-1 4-4
Boyer Valley 4-2 6-3
Coon Rapids-Bayard 2-3 4-4
East Greene 2-3 4-4
Woodbine 1-4 2-6
Charter Oak-Ute 0-5 0-8
Oct. 14 Results:
EG 39, CRB 14
GR 62, COU 28
BV 48, WDB 6
AWV open
Games Tonight:
AWV @ EG
GR @ CRB
COU @ WDB
BV open
EYE ON GJ SAYS: At this point of the season there are two things at play—the actual games in GJ, Coon Rapids and Woodbine tonight and the mathematical promulgations that could determine who heads where next week for the first round of the post-season playoffs.
Either way, the Hawks really did themselves proud with a big win over CRB. It was the first win ever in 8-man football over the Crusaders. It was even sweeter to have it come on the Hawks' home field in Grand Junction.
Beger and Ostrander continue to rank high in the passing and receiving stats compiled each week and featured in the Friday morning prep preview in the D.M. Register. Each has been among the Top 10 and climbing. This week, Ostrander is No. 2 among all Iowa high school receivers with 68 receptions for 1,094 yards and 14 touchdowns.
The No. 4 seed in D7 will travel next Wednesday to the No. 1 seed in D8. Fremont-Mills (Tabor) and East Mills (Malvern) are both 5-0 in D8 and meet tonight in Malvern for the district championship. Fremont-Mills (7-0) is ranked No. 2 in the state in 8-Man Football while East Mills (8-0) is ranked No. 5.
East Greene upended a favored Coon Rapids-Bayard football team Friday, Oct. 14, in Grand Junction and positioned itself favorably for a possible 8-Man State Playoff spot.
EG ended years of frustration at the hands of the Crusaders with a convincing 39-14 win. The Hawks took command early and never let up.
Quarterback Tory Beger was an offensive force, passing for four touchdowns and running for another. Beger was 27 of 46 through the air with one interception for 304 total yards. He ran for 59 yards on 16 carries. Reed Ostrander had another outstanding night with 12 receptions for 135 yards and three touchdown catches. TJ Lint had 8 catches for 78 yards and 1 touchdown. Harrison Johnston caught 7 passes for 66 yards, and Broc Timm had 1 reception for 25 yards.
Johnston had an outstanding game returning a CRB kick for a touchdown and two interceptions, one returned for a 48-yard TD. Johnston added to the EG cause with a 2-point conversion, and Zach Hiller capped off the evening with a successful PAT kick.
The Hawk defense put the clamps on CRB early and did not let up. Beger led the attack with 8 solo and 5 assisted tackles with Ostrander handling 10 solos and two assisted. Hiller had 9 solo and 2 assisted; Johnston 4 and 6; Broc Timm 4 and 7; Cody Hidelbaugh 6 and 3; Alex Gordon 5 and 4; and Lint 5 and 2.
EG completely shut down the Crusaders’ passing attack. In addition to Johnston’s two interceptions, Ostrander also snagged two CRB passes. Overall, the “Hawk D” held Crusader QB Keaton Schlatter to just 9 completions in 29 attempts for 94 yards passing. The Crusaders were held to 71 yards rushing for 165 yards total. EG racked up 104 yards on the ground to add to its 304 yards passing for 408-yard offensive total for the night.
EG takes on Ar-We-Va in the final regular season game tonight, Friday, Oct. 21, at Karber Field. Kickoff is 7 p.m. EG and Ar-We-Va have identical 4-4 records, but the Rockets are 4-1 in District 7 and have already clinched a playoff spot. After the win over CRB, the Hawks are deadlocked with the Crusaders at 2-3 with each team in contention for the fourth of four playoff spots in D7. A win gives Ar-We-Va the No. 2 seed and a possible No. 1 seed if Glidden-Ralston should fall to Coon Rapids-Bayard tonight in Coon Rapids. A win would pretty much give EG the No. 4 spot.
GR, unbeaten in D7 play (5-0) and 7-1 overall, will be a heavy favorite over CRB. Woodbine is 1-4 in D7 but takes on winless Charter Oak-Ute. If CRB and EG both lose and Woodbine wins, all three teams would be tied for the No. 4 spot and the tie-breaker system would be used based on the average point differential in each team’s six division games.
Heading into tonight’s games, CRB and EG are knotted up at -2.6 tie-breaker points. Woodbine is -6.4 but a win would improve that number while losses for CRB and EG would drop them further into the minus category, so unless those two teams’ losses were very, very close, Woodbine would most likely get the No. 4 playoff spot. But if COU should make it close against Woodbine in losing, it could come down to a single point in the scores being the difference.
Boyer Valley (Dunlap) has concluded district and season play at 4-2 and 6-3, and is guaranteed no worse than the No. 3 playoff spot. If EG gets by Ar-We-Va, that would tie up the Rockets and BV at 4-2 in the league for second. The No. 2 playoff spot would be decided by the points differential tie-breaker. BV finished the season with 5.3 points while AWV has 6.67 through 5 games. AWV could lose to EG and keep the No. 2 spot, but only if the Rockets lose by 1 point. A loss of 2 points or more would cut into their total point differential and drop them below BV’s point total differential.
District 7 Standings:
Glidden-Ralston 5-0 7-1
Ar-We-Va 4-1 4-4
Boyer Valley 4-2 6-3
Coon Rapids-Bayard 2-3 4-4
East Greene 2-3 4-4
Woodbine 1-4 2-6
Charter Oak-Ute 0-5 0-8
Oct. 14 Results:
EG 39, CRB 14
GR 62, COU 28
BV 48, WDB 6
AWV open
Games Tonight:
AWV @ EG
GR @ CRB
COU @ WDB
BV open
EYE ON GJ SAYS: At this point of the season there are two things at play—the actual games in GJ, Coon Rapids and Woodbine tonight and the mathematical promulgations that could determine who heads where next week for the first round of the post-season playoffs.
Either way, the Hawks really did themselves proud with a big win over CRB. It was the first win ever in 8-man football over the Crusaders. It was even sweeter to have it come on the Hawks' home field in Grand Junction.
Beger and Ostrander continue to rank high in the passing and receiving stats compiled each week and featured in the Friday morning prep preview in the D.M. Register. Each has been among the Top 10 and climbing. This week, Ostrander is No. 2 among all Iowa high school receivers with 68 receptions for 1,094 yards and 14 touchdowns.
The No. 4 seed in D7 will travel next Wednesday to the No. 1 seed in D8. Fremont-Mills (Tabor) and East Mills (Malvern) are both 5-0 in D8 and meet tonight in Malvern for the district championship. Fremont-Mills (7-0) is ranked No. 2 in the state in 8-Man Football while East Mills (8-0) is ranked No. 5.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Comer Honored As GJ ‘Yard of the Month’
The yard of Sharon Comer of Sunset Drive in Grand Junction has been selected as “Yard of the Month” by the Grand Junction Horizons.
Yard of the Month is selected from a list of semifinalists each month that meet the criteria for the honor—proportionality and balance among ornamentals, shrubs, flowers and trees; perspective from various angles and frontage streets; not overly done or too “busy” looking; general upkeep and ongoing improvement; and overall aesthetic.“The Comer property helps beautify the Sunset Drive neighborhood and makes for a great entryway into Grand Junction from the south on Highway 144 and for travelers along the Lincoln Highway as it comes into Grand Junction from the west and then heads north toward Main Street,” said a Grand Junction Horizons spokesperson. “This is truly an outstanding yard.”
The Yard of the Month sign created by students at East Greene High School art classes is on display at the Comer home throughout the month of September.Friday, September 9, 2011
Keeping It Grand
GJ REAL ESTATE MARKET IS SIZZLING!
The real estate market in Grand Junction is “hot” – not only have three of the largest homes in town—the former Slininger’s funeral home building on East Main Street, the Watts property on the end of East Main, and the former St. Brigid’s rectory on East Hager Street—just sold, but no less than 4 realtor signs have popped up on the lawn of 406 East Hager! Holy multiple listings—Polking, Peckumm, Iowa, and Town & Farm realty companies are looking for a piece of the action on this one! It’s testimony to the level of the ladies in Greene County real estate as the four signs bear contacts for Linda, Linda, Laura and Karen. Update! Now there is a fifth sign on the property—Midland Realty with contact information for realtor Al Rowedder. That’s five!.. Fresh off their successful runs at the Greene County Fair, two of the Gunn sisters—Brittany and Hannah—brightened up the GJ Laundromat with a nice mural on the upper west wall (above the bank of dryers) this summer. Their artwork depicts clothes hanging on the line. Very nice—fresh and breezy. …Marty and Linda Hoffman are building a family room addition to the back of their home on Herron Street….A new sidewalk is gracing the 12th Street side and a bit of the Hager Street corner of the Ross residence on the northeast corner of Hager and 12th… Dennhardt Construction of Jefferson finished up a pavement project for the driveway and parking area at the northeast corner of the high school/middle school just before school started on Aug. 25. The new paving begins at the entry to the school property at Kelley and 13th Streets and extends to the wing that houses the art and ICN rooms and adjacent parking areas.
The real estate market in Grand Junction is “hot” – not only have three of the largest homes in town—the former Slininger’s funeral home building on East Main Street, the Watts property on the end of East Main, and the former St. Brigid’s rectory on East Hager Street—just sold, but no less than 4 realtor signs have popped up on the lawn of 406 East Hager! Holy multiple listings—Polking, Peckumm, Iowa, and Town & Farm realty companies are looking for a piece of the action on this one! It’s testimony to the level of the ladies in Greene County real estate as the four signs bear contacts for Linda, Linda, Laura and Karen. Update! Now there is a fifth sign on the property—Midland Realty with contact information for realtor Al Rowedder. That’s five!.. Fresh off their successful runs at the Greene County Fair, two of the Gunn sisters—Brittany and Hannah—brightened up the GJ Laundromat with a nice mural on the upper west wall (above the bank of dryers) this summer. Their artwork depicts clothes hanging on the line. Very nice—fresh and breezy. …Marty and Linda Hoffman are building a family room addition to the back of their home on Herron Street….A new sidewalk is gracing the 12th Street side and a bit of the Hager Street corner of the Ross residence on the northeast corner of Hager and 12th… Dennhardt Construction of Jefferson finished up a pavement project for the driveway and parking area at the northeast corner of the high school/middle school just before school started on Aug. 25. The new paving begins at the entry to the school property at Kelley and 13th Streets and extends to the wing that houses the art and ICN rooms and adjacent parking areas.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Kennedys Named GJ ‘Yard of the Month’
FIRST YARD HONORED IN MONTHLY SHOWCASE
The yard of Jerry and Janice Kennedy at Elizabeth and 15th Streets was selected as the July “Yard of the Month” by the Grand Junction Horizons Club.
Yard of the Month is selected from a list of semifinalists each month that meet the criteria for the honor—proportionality and balance among ornamentals, shrubs, flowers and trees; perspective from various angles and frontage streets; not overly done or too “busy” looking; general upkeep and ongoing improvement; and overall aesthetic.
“We want to thank the Naked Ladies Garden Club of Grand Junction for suggesting and supporting the Yard of the Month idea and to the Jefferson Garden Club for serving as our monthly judges,” says a Grand Junction Horizons spokesperson.
“The Kennedy’s yard truly embraces the concepts of aesthetic and perspective in creating and maintaining what clearly qualifies as great looking lawn,” said the spokesperson. “It is a beautiful yard on its own, but when viewed in context of the open spaces to the south across Elizabeth Street and the sloping landscape and tree lines of Mt. Calvary Cemetery to the east, and to the adjacent yards and homes, it helps to make for a really top-notch neighborhood.”
To nominate a yard in Grand Junction for Yard of the Month, contact any Grand Junction Horizons member or send an email to eyeongj@gmail.com with “GJ Yard of the Month” in the message line.
The yard of Jerry and Janice Kennedy at Elizabeth and 15th Streets was selected as the July “Yard of the Month” by the Grand Junction Horizons Club.
“We want to thank the Naked Ladies Garden Club of Grand Junction for suggesting and supporting the Yard of the Month idea and to the Jefferson Garden Club for serving as our monthly judges,” says a Grand Junction Horizons spokesperson.
“The Kennedy’s yard truly embraces the concepts of aesthetic and perspective in creating and maintaining what clearly qualifies as great looking lawn,” said the spokesperson. “It is a beautiful yard on its own, but when viewed in context of the open spaces to the south across Elizabeth Street and the sloping landscape and tree lines of Mt. Calvary Cemetery to the east, and to the adjacent yards and homes, it helps to make for a really top-notch neighborhood.”
To nominate a yard in Grand Junction for Yard of the Month, contact any Grand Junction Horizons member or send an email to eyeongj@gmail.com with “GJ Yard of the Month” in the message line.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Cooklin, Gannon Earn Diamond ‘High Honors’
EG PITCHER NAMED ALL-STATE SECOND TEAM
Graduated seniors Tyler Cooklin and Katlynn Gannon closed out the summer baseball and softball seasons for East Greene by earning all-state recognition. Cooklin joined an elite group of baseball athletes by being named to the Class 1A All-State Second Team by the Iowa Newspaper Association.
Gannon, a catcher and senior leader on a young East Greene softball squad that saw great improvement throughout the season, was named All State Honorable Mention by the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union.
Cooklin, an outfielder and pitcher, helped lead the Hawks to their third straight 1A District baseball title and a berth in the substate game at Marshalltown, where they came up two runs short of advancing to the state tournament. Unheralded English Valleys (North English) beat the Hawks 6-4 and advanced to the tourney at Principal Park where they gave heavily favored Martensdale-St. Mary’s a run for its money, falling 2-1 in the opening round. MSt.M continued on with its nation’s longest unbeaten streak—set and broke during the district and substate rounds—to win its second straight 1A tourney with a 5-4 win over Kee (Lansing) in the championship game.
The Hawks struggled early in the season, dropping a number of conference games they were expected to handle, and finished in sixth place among eight teams in the Rolling Hills Conference with a 5-9 mark. However, they were just behind Orient-Macksburg and Glidden-Ralston at 6-8, so a win in their season finale over co-champion Iowa Christian (a shared program with Ankeny Christian) would have put them in tie for fourth-place and technically an “upper division” finish in their inaugural season in the Rolling Hills. Alas, Iowa Christian got the upper hand and won 8-4 to tie Elk Horn-Kimballton/Exira (another shared program) for the Rolling Hills title with a 12-2 mark.
As it was, the Hawks put together a four-game winning season and won four of five games heading into district tourney action. The Hawks had the home field advantage, hosting the first round games and a semifinal matchup at Walt Anderson Field in Rippey, which moved them on to State Center where they upset state-ranked Northern University (Cedar Falls) to win the district title, 6-4.
And the Rolling Hills proved to be a group of formidable opponents. Orient-Macksburg, Walnut and East Greene all won district titles and advanced to substate, with O-M downing Nishnabotna, 13-3, to make it on to state. Nishnabotna was a qualifier in last year’s state tournament. Walnut fell to state-ranked Coon Rapids-Bayard, 2-0, which ended years of frustration in post-season setbacks, to return to the state tournament for the first time since 2007. It was the Crusaders’ fourth state tournament appearance. CRB won its first round game at state and almost upended MSt.M in the semifinals, falling by just one run, 5-4.
The Hawkettes ended their season on a high note with a two-game winning streak, a come-from-behind win 6-5 over O-M that ended on a sharp “heads up” double-play between Gannon and first baseman Jolee Wessling, and a drubbing of rival Glidden-Ralston, 14-2 in 3 innings.
EG hosted a first-round regional softball game at Dutton Field in Grand Junction against Ar-We-Va “under the lights” and put forth a good effort, falling 11-9, to end the season at 4-13.
Gannon was named second team all-conference in the Rolling Hills and freshman outfielder Chelsi Wilkens was named all-conference honorable mention. Gannon was also named to the Class 1A All-District Team for the Central District by the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union. Twenty players are honored in each of six geographic districts by the IGHSAU in Class 1A: Central, West Central, North Central, Northeast, South and Southeast.
The Hawks reaped a number of post-season honors. Rolling Hills All-Conference recognition went to: Cooklin, senior, first team, outfielder; Wes Onken, senior, first team, first baseman; Aaron Lyons, senior, second team, outfielder; and Reed Ostrander, honorable mention.
Three of the Hawk seniors were also named to the all-district team. Similar to the IGHSAU, the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association names all-district teams, honoring 15 players on the first team and 15 on the second team for five geographic districts: Northeast, Northwest, Central, Southeast and Southwest.
Cooklin and Onken were both named first-team Central All-District and Lyons was named to the second team. Cooklin was named as an outfielder. He batted .478 for the season. Onken was named to a utility position, which honors his performance as both a pitcher and first baseman. He batted .380 and was 4-4 on the mound. Cooklin was 5-4 as a pitcher. Down the tournament trail, he was the winning pitcher against Colo-Nesco in the first round at Rippey and in the upset of Northern University in the district championship. Onken got the win in the semifinal round victory over Madrid at Rippey and Cooklin took the loss against English Valleys.
Lyons was named to the second all-district team as an outfielder and was known for his clutch plays from centerfield in key games. His batting average for the season was .373.
Onken will be heading to Coe College in Cedar Rapids this fall where he will be a member of the KoHawks baseball team. Coe finished the 2011 season ranked No. 27 among all NCAA Division III baseball teams this season.
EYE ON GJ SAYS: Hats off the all the Hawks and Hawkettes for great seasons. Along with Gannon, senior Jasmine Kinney was a steady force at shortstop for the Hawkettes along with seniors Tia Lowe, who played the first part of the season, and Molly Neese, who played third base for the latter two-thirds of the season. Great job, seniors, and thanks for all your efforts wearing on behalf of East Greene in softball, track, volleyball, basketball and cheerleading.
EG bids farewell to Cooklin, Lyons, Onken and fellow seniors Zach Dearborn (pitcher and shortstop) and Rob Ritchie, a key reserve on the baseball team. They have been part of a remarkable run in EG Hawk athletic success along with seniors Schyler Bardole in football, track and basketball; Bret Kersey in football and wrestling (as part of the JS/PC/EG shared team); and Nic Nicolaisen in football and basketball that saw the Hawks finish third among eight teams in District 7 8-man football and qualify for the state playoffs; finish as runner-up in the Rolling Hills to state tourney qualifier Elk Horn-Kimballton/Exira in the basketball with a 15-3 conference record and 18-5 overall; score points at the state track meet for the first time in many years; and win a third straight district baseball title and a trip to the substate. These senior baseball players played key roles on the EG state tournament team of 2009, when they were sophomores. EG’s track points this year were earned by Ostrander, but Dearborn, Bardole and Lyons were standout sprinters for the Hawks and were part of the successful 4 x 100 and 4 x 200 relay titles for EG the last several track seasons.
Monday, July 25, 2011
GJ Puts Out Welcome Mat for Fun Day
FULL DAY OF ACTIVITIES PLANNED, INCUDING PARADE, PLAY AND FOOD!
Grand Junction residents, friends and supporters are putting out the welcome mat for the annual Grand Junction Fun Day on Saturday, July 30.
Activities are planned for residents and visitors of all ages. “We want to encourage everyone to come to Grand Junction on June 30 to enjoy the great events we have lined up for the day,” says Pierre Kellogg, Fun Day Committee Chairman.
The day kicks off with the Fun Day Walk at Karber Field on South Ninth Street at 8:30 a.m.
A street fair with a variety of vendors will get underway at 10 a.m. at “Fun Day Central,” the block of East Hager Street between South 12th Street and South 13th Street, anchored by First Presbyterian Church on the west and First United Methodist Church on the east and the newly refurbished East Greene Sports Court (former tennis courts) in the middle. The street fair vendors will be open until 3 p.m.
Set up for the Grilling Contest will be from 8-11 a.m. at the south end of East Greene High School at the corner of Bennett and South 12th Streets. Pies for the Pie Contest and Auction are to be dropped off from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the church hall (basement) of First United Methodist Church.
On the opposite side of the EGHS school grounds at Bennett and South 13th Streets, the Naked Ladies Garden Club will host a “tea in the garden” in the new Rain Garden from 10 to 11:30 a.m.
“This is a wonderful addition to our school grounds,” says Kellogg. “Enjoy the various plant species and vegetation planted in the Rain Garden. Stroll the new walkways, take a rest on the benches and be sure to visit the Memorial Bricks area which celebrates our deep educational heritage in Grand Junction.”
The Fun Day Parade will step off at 11:30 a.m. Set up begins at 10:30 a.m. at the East Greene bus barn at the corner of Bennett and South 14th Streets. The parade route will head north on 14th Street to Main Street and then west on Main to Ninth Street and then turn south on Ninth Street to Bennett Street.
A food stand sponsored by Grand Junction Firemen’s Bingo will open at Noon at 12th and Hager and a car show will be held along 12th Street south of Hager. Car viewers and lunch goers will be entertained by the Town and Country Band which will be performing at the food stand area, beginning at 12:30 p.m.
At 1 p.m. sidewalk art and games for kids will be held at the Presbyterian church. The winning pies from the pie contest and other items will be auctioned from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. at the high school on 12th Street. Auction items include two ISU football tickets and tailgate, double bed size quilt, hair cuts from the Hair Junction, and a catered dinner for six. Judging for the grilling contest is at 2:30 p.m. at the grilling venue on the school grounds.
A cribbage tournament will be held at 2:30 p.m. in the air conditioned band room of the East Greene Jr.-Sr. High School building. The band room is accessed through the main doors of the school's north entrance.
The Off the Track Players of Grand Junction will present its afternoon performance of a one-act play, “Ladies at Poker,” at 3:30 p.m. at the Presbyterian church hall, which is air conditioned. Bingo, sponsored by the Grand Junction Fire and Rescue Department, will be from 5-8 p.m. at the Community Center on Main Street. The Grand Junction Lions Club will serving supper from 5-7 p.m. by the Sports Court on Hager Street and First United Methodist Church will have an ice cream social at the church from 5-7:30 p.m.
A 3 x 3 basketball tournament will be held at 5 p.m. at the Sports Court.
The Off the Track Players of Grand Junction will present its evening performance of “Ladies at Poker” at 7 p.m. in the Presbyterian church hall (still air conditioned!). Admission is by free will offering at both presentations.
A street dance and DJ will be held on Main Street from 9 p.m. to midnight with a BYOB beer garden. Plans are underway by several East Greene alumni groups to hold their class reunions at the street dance, with the Class of 1986 planning a 25th year anniversary gathering at the event.
Other activities throughout the day include free admission to the Kennedy Museum, located at Hager and 11th Streets.
Grand Junction residents, friends and supporters are putting out the welcome mat for the annual Grand Junction Fun Day on Saturday, July 30.
Activities are planned for residents and visitors of all ages. “We want to encourage everyone to come to Grand Junction on June 30 to enjoy the great events we have lined up for the day,” says Pierre Kellogg, Fun Day Committee Chairman.
The day kicks off with the Fun Day Walk at Karber Field on South Ninth Street at 8:30 a.m.
A street fair with a variety of vendors will get underway at 10 a.m. at “Fun Day Central,” the block of East Hager Street between South 12th Street and South 13th Street, anchored by First Presbyterian Church on the west and First United Methodist Church on the east and the newly refurbished East Greene Sports Court (former tennis courts) in the middle. The street fair vendors will be open until 3 p.m.
Set up for the Grilling Contest will be from 8-11 a.m. at the south end of East Greene High School at the corner of Bennett and South 12th Streets. Pies for the Pie Contest and Auction are to be dropped off from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the church hall (basement) of First United Methodist Church.
On the opposite side of the EGHS school grounds at Bennett and South 13th Streets, the Naked Ladies Garden Club will host a “tea in the garden” in the new Rain Garden from 10 to 11:30 a.m.
“This is a wonderful addition to our school grounds,” says Kellogg. “Enjoy the various plant species and vegetation planted in the Rain Garden. Stroll the new walkways, take a rest on the benches and be sure to visit the Memorial Bricks area which celebrates our deep educational heritage in Grand Junction.”
The Fun Day Parade will step off at 11:30 a.m. Set up begins at 10:30 a.m. at the East Greene bus barn at the corner of Bennett and South 14th Streets. The parade route will head north on 14th Street to Main Street and then west on Main to Ninth Street and then turn south on Ninth Street to Bennett Street.
A food stand sponsored by Grand Junction Firemen’s Bingo will open at Noon at 12th and Hager and a car show will be held along 12th Street south of Hager. Car viewers and lunch goers will be entertained by the Town and Country Band which will be performing at the food stand area, beginning at 12:30 p.m.
At 1 p.m. sidewalk art and games for kids will be held at the Presbyterian church. The winning pies from the pie contest and other items will be auctioned from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. at the high school on 12th Street. Auction items include two ISU football tickets and tailgate, double bed size quilt, hair cuts from the Hair Junction, and a catered dinner for six. Judging for the grilling contest is at 2:30 p.m. at the grilling venue on the school grounds.
A cribbage tournament will be held at 2:30 p.m. in the air conditioned band room of the East Greene Jr.-Sr. High School building. The band room is accessed through the main doors of the school's north entrance.
The Off the Track Players of Grand Junction will present its afternoon performance of a one-act play, “Ladies at Poker,” at 3:30 p.m. at the Presbyterian church hall, which is air conditioned. Bingo, sponsored by the Grand Junction Fire and Rescue Department, will be from 5-8 p.m. at the Community Center on Main Street. The Grand Junction Lions Club will serving supper from 5-7 p.m. by the Sports Court on Hager Street and First United Methodist Church will have an ice cream social at the church from 5-7:30 p.m.
A 3 x 3 basketball tournament will be held at 5 p.m. at the Sports Court.
The Off the Track Players of Grand Junction will present its evening performance of “Ladies at Poker” at 7 p.m. in the Presbyterian church hall (still air conditioned!). Admission is by free will offering at both presentations.
A street dance and DJ will be held on Main Street from 9 p.m. to midnight with a BYOB beer garden. Plans are underway by several East Greene alumni groups to hold their class reunions at the street dance, with the Class of 1986 planning a 25th year anniversary gathering at the event.
Other activities throughout the day include free admission to the Kennedy Museum, located at Hager and 11th Streets.
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