Here are the winners for the 2011 Chili Challenge held Dec. 5 at the Armstrong Centre Food Court:

• People’s Choice Award: Quality Chef Foods, a division of Heinz
• Judge’s Choice: Red’s Public House
• Spiciest Chili: Dublin City Pub
• Most Festive Team: Quality Chef Foods, a division of Heinz

Mark Martin

With more than 45 years in the butchering business, Mark Martin knows a thing or two about meat.

Home and kitchen retailer Williams-Sonoma showcases Martin’s knowledge in their new cookbook, “The Cook & the Butcher: Juicy Recipes, Butcher’s Wisdom, and Expert Tips” by Brigit Binns.

Earlier this year, Martin, the owner of Nelson’s Meat Market, 1140 Old Marion Rd. NE, was contacted by Williams-Sonoma, who was seeking expert tips for the book’s recipes.

“They had the recipes all done,” Martin, 60, says. “They wanted to tie in tips. They sent me eight or nine recipes. I was comfortable with four and they picked all of them.”

Pam Hyberger hands a box of chocolate to Craig Campbell in downtown Marion, Iowa, on Monday, Oct. 24, 2011. A group of people lined up along Seventh Avenue to pass the remaining boxes of chocolate from the former location of The Chocolate Shop, 1026 Seventh Ave., to its new location at 1244 Seventh Ave. , which held its grand opening Monday. (Angela Holmes/SourceMedia Group)

MARION – While finalizing her chocolate shop’s move to its new location, co-owner Gae Sharp-Richardson wanted to come up with a clever, efficient way to transfer the candy between the two buildings.

So, she sent out invitations for a “chocolate brigade” to line up and pass boxes of chocolate from the former Temptations Fine Candies location at 1026 Seventh Ave. to The Chocolate Shop location two blocks away at 1244 Seventh Ave.

“This was the best way to get the chocolate here,” she said Monday afternoon during The Chocolate Shop’s grand opening.

After the candy was successfully transferred to the new location, members of the “brigade” were treated to chocolate samples and a tour of the new facility.

“I got a tear when the first box came,” Sharp-Richardson said.

Fittingly, the first box transferred was Almond Gaes, named after her, and the last box was the End of the Line chocolates.

Gae Sharp-Richardson and Deane Richardson

Sharp-Richardson and her husband, Deane Richardson, bought Temptations Fine Candies in Atkins seven years ago. The candy made in the Atkins production facility was transported to the Marion retail store.

In June 2010, the Richardsons purchased the former Herren Floor Covering building at 1244 Seventh Ave., Marion, with plans to combine the production facility and retail shop into one space.

The building was gutted and renovated to resemble Grant Wood’s painting “Young Corn” with warm brown and green hues.

“The footprint of Marion just got a little bit bigger,” Sharp-Richardson said.

Production in the new facility will begin this week, Deane Richardson said.

“We had a good seven years there (in Atkins), but we’re so excited about being here,” he said.

The Chocolate Shop’s hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Hand-made truffles by "chocolate artist" Gae Sharp-Richardson (Sourcemedia Group)

“Children who grow up feeling connected to their parents tend to do better in school, build healthy relationships, avoid risk behaviors and delay sexual activity,” says Marilyn Schneiderman, Director of Counseling Services at Aid to Women. ”This connectedness can help protect them from a lifetime of negative consequences. The Building Family Connections conference will strengthen families through interactive sessions designed to educate, equip and empower both teens and guardians.”

Building Family Connections is a conference to educate, equip and empower families to nurture healthy relationships, prevent risk behaviors and embrace a life of sexual integrity. Ten presenters from all over Eastern Iowa will present on a variety of topics in breakout sessions including “The Talk: How soon is too soon?,” and “When is it too late?,” Managing Family Dynamics and Conflict Resolution, Effective Communication Skills, Help for the Single Parent, Adoptive and Multi-generational Parenting, Parenting Teens in Rebellion, and Current Sexual Health information.

Tickets are $15 per family, $10 per adult or $5 per student, and can be purchased at Lemstone Parable Christian Store, Family Christian Stores, Treasures Resale shop or online at aidtowomenministry.com Scholarships are available, call Aid to Women, (319) 364-8967, for more information.

Author and television personality Alton Brown speaks at Theatre Cedar Rapids on Friday, Sept. 9, 2011, in southeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The host of the Food Network's "Iron Chef America" and "Good Eats" was in town as the inaugural speaker for the Cedar Rapids Public Library's Inside Out series. (SourceMedia Group News/Jim Slosiarek)

CEDAR RAPIDS — Ignoring the flickering lights indicating the main event was about to start, Food Network star Alton Brown continued to sign autographs and pose for pictures at a reception before his lecture Friday night at Theatre Cedar Rapids.
The Cedar Rapids Public Library presented its first “Inside Out” performance to a sold-out audience. The performance, as well as the pre-show reception, benefited the library, which will be rebuilt after being destroyed in the Great Floods of 2008.
“I’ve got a soft spot for libraries,” Brown said.
But then he admitted his real motivation for fitting the Cedar Rapids show into his busy schedule.
“I have a bucket list,” he said. “And on it was to visit the birthplace of Ashton Kutcher.”
Before his lecture, “10 Things I’m Pretty Sure I’m Sure About Food,” he presented a box of books he is donating to the new Cedar Rapids Public Library.
Sitting on edge of the stage, he went through the box and explained the books. The collection included his own books, including “I’m Just Here for the Food” and “Good Eats.”
Other books suited for Iowans were “The Story of Corn” and the “Food Substitutions Bible” — because Iowa is “prone to natural disasters.”
He explained his lectures change each time he gives them. Friday’s night’s lecture was no exception as each point he made was interspersed with personal stories and questions from the audience.
His lecture was a frank discussion about what he believes about food and how it should be prepared and eaten.
“If you want safe food, raise it yourself,” he said to a round of applause.
Brown said earlier in the week he wanted a piece of homemade strawberry-rhubarb pie during his brief stay in Iowa. He’ll have plenty to take back to Atlanta with him.
Andrea Lewerenz-Norris, 36, of Cedar Rapids, brought a homemade strawberry-rhubarb pie to the pre-show reception. “What made him perk up was that it has a little bit of lard in it,” she said.
Lewerenz-Norris said she has been a long-time fan of Brown.
“He was the first TV guy who got me interested in cooking,” she said.
Lewerez-Norris’ friend, Stephanie Rex, brought Brown a jar of her homemade strawberry-rhubarb jam. The Kirkwood Community College culinary arts program and Kathy’s Pies also delivered pies to him.

Food Network star Alton Brown will present a lecture to a sold-out crowd at Theatre Cedar Rapids on Friday, Sept. 9. (photo courtesy of Don Chambers Studios)

During a break from editing the final episode of “Good Eats” at his secret headquarters in Atlanta, Food Network star Alton Brown called to talk about his upcoming plans, including a sold-out lecture Friday at Theatre Cedar Rapids.

Brown decided to end his 13-year-run of “Good Eats,” which combines “Julia Child, Monty Python and Mr. Wizard,” while it was still popular.

“I’m not willing to let this go downhill just because I want to take time to do other things,” he says.

He admits the show isn’t typical.

“We look at each and every show as a clean slate,” he says. “Unlike most cooking shows, it’s 100 percent scripted.”

The final one-hour episode will feature dark chocolate.

“Who doesn’t like chocolate,” he says.

He doesn’t know when the episode – which he says may be the best one ever – will air on Food Network.

“It’s up to them,” he says. “I kind of like them dangling out there.”

On Friday, he plans to fly his own private airplane to the Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids for the lecture which benefits the Cedar Rapids Public Library.

He is no stranger to Iowa, as he used to direct commercials of agriculture products throughout the state.

“I used to know Coon Rapids like the back of my hand,” he says. “I am intimately familiar with Iowa.”

He doesn’t know yet what he will talk about on Friday night.

“That’s in flux,” he says. “I have a couple of lectures that are constantly changing that never quite settle down.”

The Power Point presentation he runs through his iPad will depend on the crowd.

“Iowans are smart, some of your better educated Americans,” he says. “You can sometimes go with a brainier angle.”

One thing he knows for sure is that there will not be a cooking demonstration due to the venue’s regulations. There will, however, be a question and answer session, including taking e-mails from the audience.

He will sign books after the show which will be available for purchase. Audience members are also welcome to bring items for him to sign.

His third “Good Eats” book will be available Sept. 27. He may also have a fourth “Good Eats” book in the making to bring closure to the series.

With his busy schedule, he made the Cedar Rapids date work primarily because it benefits the Cedar Rapids Public Library, which is being rebuilt after the Flood of 2008.

“I love libraries and I like books,” he says. “I wanted to be involved in some way in helping you rebuild.”

Alton said he is also bringing some books from his food library to donate to the new Cedar Rapids library.

Brown just signed a two and a half year contract with Food Network on which he will continue to host “Iron Chef America.” There are also new projects in the works for next year that he is “not at liberty to discuss.”

During his brief stay in Iowa, he hopes to have a pork chop or tenderloin sandwich.

But what he really wants is a piece of strawberry rhubarb pie.

“If they love me, they will bring pie,” he says.

Click here to listen to the full interview with Alton.

Cy and Herky will face each other in a rivarly food drive benefiting the Linn Community food bank. (Sourcemedia Group)

CEDAR RAPIDS – Fans can show their true colors by donating non-perishable food items during the statewide 3rd annual Iowa Hospice – UI vs ISU – Food Drive on Friday, Sept. 9.

Donations at the Cedar Rapids Johnson Avenue Hy-Vee, 1843 Johnson Ave. NW, will benefit the Linn Community Food Bank.

In the spirit of Saturday’s football rivalry, separate donation boxes will be set up for Cyclones and Hawkeyes. The team that donates the most wins the challenge. Donations will be accepted until 7:30 p.m. Friday.

The real winner is the Linn Community Food Bank, which has provided emergency food to families in need for nearly 40 years. Non-perishable food items in the highest demand include cans of vegetables, fruit, chicken, tuna fish and soup; boxes of macaroni and cheese, saltines, spaghetti and noodles; and fruit juice, coffee and tea.

Monetary donations will also be accepted.

Best of Show and winner of this year’s traveling trophy: Jerry and Sue Hutchcroft, Iowa Hawkeye football (Bethany Steichen Photography)

The Cedar Boat Club’s annual Venetian Night Lighted Parade and Fireworks Show was held Aug. 20 on the Cedar River along Ellis Boulevard.

The sheriff patrol lead the parade of eight decorated boats. Judges were Tim Seymour – Channel 2 Morning News, Katheryn Foxx – Mix 96.5 and Don Karr – Northwest Councilman at large. Their decision on the following categories for winners are:

Best of Show and winner of this year’s traveling trophy: Jerry and Sue Hutchcroft, Iowa Hawkeye football

Most Fun: Tammi and Jodi Janey, Blue Hawaii Elvis Style (Bethany Steichen Photography)

Most Fun: Tammi and Jodi Janey, Blue Hawaii Elvis Style

Most Colorful: Carl Cortez, Cinco de Mayo

Best Theme – Jim and Elissa Kaas, Cartoon Heroes

Most Colorful: Carl Cortez, Cinco de Mayo (Bethany Steichen Photography)

Best Theme – Jim and Elissa Kaas, Cartoon Heroes (Bethany Steichen Photography)

Brett Richards cuts a slab of pork inside his barbeque stand, Smoken' on the Cedar, in Vinton on Friday night, Aug. 19, 2011. (Angela Holmes/SourceMedia News)

VINTON — Even before Brett Richards was crowned the barbecue king of Iowa, customers lined up at his Smoken’ on the Cedar stand on Friday nights.

Last Friday, Richards’ trophy for winning the 2011 Iowa Farm Bureau Cookout Contest was prominently displayed at the stand’s window, cementing his reputation in the area as a master griller.

Tom Garwood, of Vinton, knew about Richards’ victory earlier in the week, but that wasn’t why he showed up just before the stand opened at 5:00 p.m. Friday.

“I try to make it every week,” Garwood says. “It’s good barbecue.”

Richards, 47, beat out 36 other grillers in the Iowa Farm Bureau contest Aug. 16 at the Iowa State Fair with his “Poor Man’s Prime Rib,” which also placed first in the beef category.

He used the upper part of a cow’s front shoulder for his winning recipe.

“It is a tender, well-marbled cut that nobody knows about,” he says.

It averages $2.89 a pound, compared to $10 to $12 a pound for top loin, usually used in prime rib — hence the “poor man” description.

Richards has placed three of the four years he has participated in the Farm Bureau contest. This year will be his last in the competition, as there is a standing rule that once you are crowned grand champion, you can’t go back.

But that won’t stop him from serving smoked favorites like ribs, pork loin, turkey and shredded pork and beef every Friday night to regular and new customers.

He and his wife, Dawnette, opened up Smoken’ on the Cedar four years ago. The camper frame which he transformed into a mobile kitchen sits in a parking lot west of the G&G Auto Parts store on Third Street in Vinton.

Brett smokes the meat, while Dawnette makes all the sides — macaroni salad, coleslaw and cheesy potatoes — as well as bread pudding and pies.

“We make the same amount each week,” Dawnette Richards says. “Sometimes we sell out by 6:30 p.m., sometimes we have a lot left over at 8:00 p.m.”

Although there is probably enough demand for the stand to be open more than one night a week, the couple have plenty on their plate.

He owns Richards Plumbing in Vinton and also works security. She works for Aramark Food Services in Cedar Rapids.

Smoken’ on the Cedar is open 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Fridays during mild weather, usually May through October.

“We close in the winter and hibernate,” he says. “It’s a hobby that got out of hand.”

Brett Richards of Vinton holds the trophy he won the at the 2011 Iowa Farm Bureau Cookout Contest at the Iowa State Fair. He is standing in front of his barbeque stand, Smoken’ on the Cedar, in Vinton on Friday night, Aug. 19, 2011. (Angela Holmes/SourceMedia News)

Tean-year-old Ryan Corrigan, a victim of shaken baby syndrome, smiles as he sits with his mother, Kirsten, and his father, Jeff, in their home in Marion on Monday, Aug. 15, 2011. Ryan was shaken by his daycare provider as a nine-month-old and now lives with severe physical and mental disabilities. (David Scrivner/The Gazette)

Jeff and Kirsten Corrigan didn’t choose the path their lives have taken as the result of their son’s traumatic brain injury at the hands of a caregiver.

But they hope their experience can help prevent other occurrences of Shaken Baby Syndrome, a severe form of physical child abuse resulting from violently shaking an infant by the shoulders, arms or legs.

Their son, Ryan, 10, has endured a lifetime of profound cognitive and physical disabilities due to being shaken when he was 9 months old by a trusted caregiver, Mark Francke.

Mostly confined to a wheelchair, Ryan is non-verbal, cannot walk or stand on his own and has limited use of his arms.

He receives physical therapy once a week to work on stretching, range of motion and functional activities.

“A child’s body is a changing body,” says Sarah Bengtson, Ryan’s physical therapist at Witwer Children’s Therapy Center, 1079 N. Center Point Rd., Hiawatha. “It’s important to work with his spasticity (muscle tightness) and tone.”

Although integrated with his fourth-grade peers at Indian Creek Elementary in the Linn-Mar School District, he is in the Level 3, severe and profound special education program.

But his parents don’t want sympathy or revenge; they want to educate others of this 100 percent preventable condition.

Ten-year-old Ryan Corrigan, a victim of shaken baby syndrome, looks up at his father, Jeff, in their home in Marion on Monday, Aug. 15, 2011. His father and mother, Kirsten, spend much of their free time as S.B.S. prevention advocates, speaking to small groups and schools. (David Scrivner/The Gazette)

“My tactic is to ease into education,” says Kirsten Corrigan, who speaks about Shaken Baby Syndrome through the Young Parents Network. “We’re not out to attack; we want to educate.”

The key to prevention is being aware that crying is normal for an infant. If the persistent crying is more than the caregiver can handle, put the child in the crib and walk away, she says.

“No child will die of crying, but they can die of shaking,” she says.

An estimated 1,200 to 1,400 cases of Shaken Baby occur each year in the United States. Of these, one in 4 babies die of Shaken Baby Syndrome; the other three need ongoing medical care for the rest of their short life spans.

Dr. Scott Nau, a St. Luke’s pediatrician who has treated Ryan since even before his shake injuries, says it takes fairly vigorous shaking to cause brain damage.

“It’s related to the tolerance and stress of the caretakers,” he says.

He treats several Shaken Baby Syndrome survivors who suffer from vision loss, seizures, gross motor disabilities and lack of communication.

Ryan’s story

When Jeff, 43, and Kirsten, 42, married in 1993, they realized they would not have children of their own due to health issues Kirsten developed as a teenager.

“Adoption seemed like a good possibility from the beginning,” she says.

They began the adoption process in January 2000 with Hillcrest Family Services in Cedar Rapids, thinking it may take up to two or three years to complete.

Ryan Corrigan was just learning to crawl before he was shaken by a caregiver Jan. 16, 2002. (Kirsten Corrigan photo)

But, just 10 months after their home study was approved, they received the call — a baby boy was in need of adoptive parents.

Ryan was born April 17, 2001, to a 15-year-old girl who didn’t know she was pregnant until the day before his birth when she fell and needed an X-ray.

Although he was born slightly premature at 35 weeks, Ryan was a healthy baby.

After several day care options fell through, the Corrigans interviewed a number of in-home providers.

They chose Francke, an elementary teacher who was taking time off to be with his young daughters.

“We thought we found somebody we comfortable with,” Kirsten Corrigan says. “With Mark’s values, we thought he (Ryan) would be in good care. No doubt he was our top choice.”

Ryan had been in Francke’s care for 3 1/2 months with no problems. Until Jan. 16, 2002.

Mark Francke makes a statement to the Corrigan family during his plea and sentencing hearing Friday, Apr. 4, 2003, at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids. Francke plead guilty to two counts of child endangerment and was sentenced to two ten-year, concurrent terms for the shaken baby case. (Gazette file photo)

When Jeff Corrigan picked up his son that day from Francke’s home, Ryan appeared to be sleeping on the floor.

“I put on his snowsuit and noticed his arm was stiff,” Jeff says. “He had a shot the day before so that muddied the waters.”

When Ryan still did not wake up at home, the Corrigans took him to St. Luke’s Hospital where doctors discovered 1/4 of his blood supply was pooling on his brain.

Doctors determined it was a shake injury and flew Ryan to University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City for surgery.

Jeff Corrigan immediately became the prime suspect because he was with Ryan before going to the hospital.

Before he went to Iowa City to be with Ryan, Jeff was surrounded by police investigators who also searched the Corrigans’ home.

“It was the worst nightmare in my life and I was being treated like a criminal,” he says. “It was surreal.”

Following a seven-hour surgery, Ryan was in a coma for a week, clinging to life.

“At the hospital, the social worker advised us to pull the plug because we wouldn’t want to be a caregiver of a child like this,” Kirsten Corrigan says. “I don’t think any one of us could have terminated his life.”

Ryan remained in the hospital for three weeks and wasn’t allowed to go home with Jeff until he was cleared by the Department of Human Services.

Francke, who refused a lie-detector test, was also investigated.

“It was hard for us to conceive that Mark could do it,” Kirsten says. “We were good friends.”

Another child in Francke’s care had rib fractures consistent with Shaken Baby Syndrome. Ryan also had injuries to his ribs, indicating he had been shaken before.

More than a year later Francke pleaded guilty to two counts of child endangerment in Linn County District Court, each with a sentence of 10 years in prison to be served concurrently.

Francke served just under 5 years in prison. The Corrigans have had no contact with him since he was released in 2007.

Their Christian faith has allowed them to forgive Ryan’s perpetrator.

Jeff Corrigan wheels son, Ryan Corrigan, 8, from first to second base during a Grand Slammers game played at Cleveland Park in Cedar Rapids on Thursday, July 9, 2009. Run by the Cedar Rapids Parks and Recreation Department, Grand Slammers is a youth baseball league for special needs kids. Everybody gets to play and the game is meant to build self-esteem and form friendships. (Chris Mackler/The Gazette).

“It’s always a continual thing,” Kirsten Corrigan says. “Forgiveness is as much for you. We had a child who was joyful. We wanted to be happy, we wanted him to see that. To be focused on anger would be to miss days with him.”

Parenting a child with special needs changes the way you look at life, she says.

“You have to live in the moment,” she says. “The highs are very high and the lows are incredibly low.”

The highs begin every morning when Ryan wakes up with a smile.

“I think we’ve become better people because of him,” Kirsten Corrigan says. “While we wouldn’t choose it, I don’t regret the life we have now.”

St. Luke’s participating in Knit-In

St. Luke’s Hospital is participating in Click for Babies Knit-In, a statewide effort to bring about awareness and help prevent infant abuse, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday in the St. Luke’s Center for Women’s and Children’s Health lobby, 150 11th St. NE.

Knitters are encouraged to gather and knit purple baby hats for distribution at Iowa birthing hospitals in November. The knitted caps will be given to babies along with educational materials to new parents about the Period of Purple Crying, which is a normal, although frustrating, period of increased crying infants may experience in the first few weeks and months after birth.

Frustration with an infant’s crying is the number-one reason someone shakes and harms an infant. By knitting purple baby caps, knitters can help St. Luke’s educate parents that crying is normal and it is never OK to shake or harm an infant.

“We must change the perception across society that infant crying — even excessive crying — is normal,” said Denise Easley, RN, St. Luke’s NICU. “It will help ease the stress parents are feeling when dealing daily with a crying infant. And easing the stress can help control the frustration that triggers an episode of shaking. Shaken Baby Syndrome is 100 percent preventable with education.”

To learn more, visit: http://clickforbabies.org/ or contact Easley at (319) 369-7724 or EASLEYDK@crstlukes.com

Tips to soothe a crying baby

• Feed your baby. Hunger is the main reason a baby will cry.
• Burp your baby. Babies do not have a natural ability to get rid of air built up in their stomach.
• Give your baby a lukewarm bath. A great soothing technique, but remember to never leave your baby unattended.
• Massage your baby. A gentle massage on a baby back, arms, or legs can be very comforting.
• Make eye contact with your baby and smile. Eye-to-eye contact with your baby when they are crying can distract and comfort them.
• Kiss your baby. This can help lessen the tension during fierce crying episodes.
• Sing softly. Lullabies were created because of their effectiveness at calming crying babies.
• Hum in a low tone against your baby’s head. Dad’s usually do this soothing feature best.
• Run a vacuum cleaner. The noise from a vacuum is referred to as white noise which is any sound produces a loud, neutral, masking sound. Babies find these noises hypnotizing.
• Take your baby for a ride in the car. The vibrations from a car have a sleep inducing effect on babies. Always make sure your baby is secure in a rear-facing car seat in the back seat.

From the Period of Purple Crying

The Iowa Farm Bureau-sponsored contest featured 37 outdoor chefs using their best grilling, roasting and smoking techniques.

“The Farm Bureau Cookout Contest continues to celebrate our state’s food and farmers,” said Iowa Farm Bureau President Craig Lang. “Every year, these cookout contestants impress our judges and fair visitors with their grilling talents; creating unique and healthy meal options.”

Cookout champion Richards won first place in the beef category before being selected by the judges as the overall winner. He received $200 and a permanent trophy as the cookout champion.

Other first place winners and their categories were Paco Ochoa of Stone City, lamb/goat; Troy Burmeister of Davenport, pork; Ashley Hanson of Alden, poultry; Dennis Hanson of Alden, turkey; and Chris Albright of Boone, combo/specialty. All winners received $75.

Second place winners and their categories were Daryl Witt of Carlisle, beef; Shelana Laing of Urbandale, lamb/goat; Phil Cummings of Center Point, pork; Jason Crees of Adel, poultry; Terry Clayton of Brooklyn, turkey; and Steve Heaberlin of Indianola, combo/specialty. All second place winners received $50.

Winners in special categories were youth first place – Caroline Sceszinski of Albia and youth second place – Lydia Close of Brandon; showmanship – Gene Petersen of Vinton; team – Scott Tibbal and Mike Vroom of Albia. The youth winner received $75 and second place received $50 from the Iowa Propane Association. The showmanship winner received $100. The team winners received $150. All category winners using propane in their grilling efforts were placed in a drawing for a new grill. That winner was Troy Burmeister of Davenport. In addition, all received a trophy.

Leo Greco smiles as he tells jokes to the audience between songs as he performs with Frank Buhr at Hallmar nursing home facility at Mercy Medical Center on Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2009. Greco, who died Tuesday, entertained in Eastern Iowa for nearly 70 years. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Leo Greco lived his life based on his father’s credo — “the only thing you can take with you when you die is your integrity.”

Greco’s integrity was firmly intact when he died at age 89 Tuesday night at the Dennis and Donna Oldorf Hospice House of Mercy in Hiawatha.

“His (integrity) was higher than anybody else I know,” said Andy Petersen, 28, 600 WMT-AM on-air personality.

During a career spanning nearly eight decades, Greco was best known for leading the Leo Greco Band in the 1950s and ’60s and hosting the “Variety Time” Sunday morning radio show on 600 WMT-AM since the early 1970s.

Another trait his father, Dominic, instilled in him was service to others.

“My dad told me when I was a kid, ‘We’re living in the greatest country in the world, you have to give back,’” he said in a 2010 interview.

GALLERY: Leo Greco through the years (story continues below gallery)

Gallery: Leo Greco

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Photo: Pineapple Committee

One of Greco’s favorite organizations was Camp Courageous in Monticello, a recreation facility for individuals with disabilities.

He promoted the camp on “Variety Time” every Sunday morning by allowing Charlie Becker, the camp’s executive director, to give updates.

He also partnered with Camp Courageous to collect millions of pop can tabs for the Shriners Transportation Fund.

Becker met Greco in 1980.

“I was 25 years old and the camp was in its infancy,” Becker said. “He risked his reputation to support the camp in its beginning stage. That taught me as I got older to reach down to younger generations and put your arms around them. He’s done that to so many people.”

Petersen is one of the young professionals Greco mentored.

While an intern at the University of Iowa, Petersen produced Greco’s Sunday show.

“I knew from watching him, the high standard he expected,” Petersen said. “For me, to be asked to be a part of that, it was very humbling. It showed he had confidence in me.”

When Petersen graduated from college and entered the workforce full time, Greco continued to guide him.

“As I was learning to interact with people properly, Leo was always there,” he said. “He would see I was struggling and tell me a story about a similar situation he was in. It was never a criticism, but an example.”

Katheryn Foxx, on-air personality at WMT-600’s sister station, Mix 96.5 FM, worked with Greco for 20 years.

A man of principle, she said, Greco would listen to song lyrics before playing them on the air.

“He made our world better by being in it,” Foxx said. “Everybody who worked with him wanted to follow in his footsteps.”

The last Sunday morning “Variety Time” Greco hosted was three weeks ago, according to JJ Cook, WMT operations manager.

It is not known how WMT will fill Greco’s Sunday morning spot from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

“Leo is irreplaceable,” Cook said. “There is nobody who can duplicate what he did. I’m not sure what we are going to do.”

A funeral Mass will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Matthew Catholic Church, 2310 First Ave. NE. Visitation will be held at Cedar Memorial Park Funeral Home, 4200 First Ave. NE, from 3 to 8 p.m. Friday and after 10 a.m. Saturday at the church.

Greco leaves behind five children, nine grandchildren and a great-grandchild. His wife, Louise, died in January 2008.

“They didn’t come any finer,” said Becker, of Camp Courageous. “He walked the walk and talked the talk. He set the bar on how to raise a family and love a spouse.”

To read Greco’s full obituary, click here.

Dawn Stephens portrays Poppy during a rehearsal for "Playtime Poppy: Outstanding in her Field" at the Carl and Mary Koehler History Center on Wednesday, July 27, 2011, in southeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The performance celebrates the 60th birthday of the Cedar Rapids Children's Theater mascot. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

In the past 60 years, entertainment has changed dramatically.

But one thing has remained constant in Eastern Iowa — Playtime Poppy, the mascot of Children’s Theatre of Cedar Rapids.

“Its staying power is awesome,” says Mary Locher, Children’s Theatre board president. “It’s one of the things in Cedar Rapids that people won’t let die.”

Playtime Poppy, a lifelike ear of corn created in 1951, was the brainchild of Margaret Collins, first wife of Collins Radio founder Arthur Collins.

Collins, a member of Cedar Rapids Junior League chapter, which presented children’s plays, wanted the youth theater troupe to have a face of its own.

Eventually, Playtime Poppy became the entity of Children’s Theatre of Cedar Rapids.

“You always get people who say they are excited that their kids are in the plays they grew up with,” says Locher, a Cedar Rapids native.

To commemorate the mascot’s 60th anniversary, a fictional play dramatizing its history, “Playtime Poppy — Outstanding in Her Field,” will be presented on Friday and Saturday at The Carl and Mary Koehler History Center, 615 First Ave. SE.

Bob Assink, 71, a member of both the History Center and Children’s Theatre boards, collaborated with Mike Moran, Marc Hammes and Cary Beatty on the  original script 10 years ago for Poppy’s 50th anniversary.

The script has been revised, replacing the candy corn character with cupcake kids to help celebrate Poppy’s birthday.

“It’s the Poppy story, but also a historical piece,” Assink says.

Max Locher (left), 10, portrays Jack as he acts a scene with 12-year-old Destiny Snyder who plays Sally during a rehearsal for "Playtime Poppy: Outstanding in her Field" at the Carl and Mary Koehler History Center on Wednesday, July 27, 2011, in southeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The performance celebrates the 60th birthday of the Cedar Rapids Children's Theater mascot. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

The play follows the storyline of Jeb (Logan Pratt) who befriends an ear of corn that comes to life and eventually becomes the mascot of Children’s Theatre.

Jeb lives in a house in Linn County that looks a lot like the American Gothic house, Assink says.

When the ear of corn becomes Poppy, she and Jeb relive stories from books.

Although Jeb is picked on by several kids at school, with the help of Poppy, he lands the role of Prince Charming in the school play, “Cinderella.”

Three Junior League members who were instrumental in Playtime Poppy’s creation are also represented in the play.

Cast members range from age 7 to 78.

“It brings tremendous life and vitality and balances out the kids,” says Assink, a retired humanities teacher and drama director from Kennedy High School.

Playtime Poppy plays are produced during the school year by students at Cedar Rapids Jefferson, Kennedy and Washington and Linn-Mar high schools.

As well as the play at The History Center this weekend, other events will mark Playtime Poppy’s 60th anniversary.

The Children’s Theatre has partnered with Old Creamery Theatre to present “The Legend of Blackbeard’s Gold” on Aug. 12 at Theatre Cedar Rapids, 102 Third St. SE.

Auditions will be held 9 to 11 a.m. Monday at the theater for actors ages 7 to 18.

Playtime Poppy also will appear at St. Jude’s Sweet Corn Festival Aug. 12 to 14 at St. Jude Catholic Church, 50 Edgewood Rd. NW.

“We plan to keep the birthday theme throughout the year,” Locher says.

Keeping with tradition, the Playtime song is still sung before each show by Poppy and audience members.

“I run into people all over who remember Poppy as a singing, dancing ear of corn,” Assink says. “Here we are, 60 years later, still singing.”

If you go

• What: “Playtime Poppy: Outstanding in Her Field”
• When: 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday
• Where: Carl and Mary Koehler History Center, 615 First Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids
• Tickets: $3 at The History Center
• More information: Call The History Center at (319) 362-1501 Ext. 11
• What: “The Legend of Blackbeard’s Gold”
• When: 4 and 7 p.m. Aug. 12
• Where: Theatre Cedar Rapids, 102 Third St. SE
• Tickets: $8
• More information: www.playtimepoppy.com

Vinton city crews spend a hot Sunday afternoon working to replace electric poles on E Avenue in Vinton. (Jeff Holmes photo)

A recurring theme at church this morning was “there are still a lot of good people in the world.”

Congregants shared stories of how they’ve dealt with storm damage the past week.

One member said her house would be uninhabitable for several months while it is repaired. As she and family members were cleaning up debris Saturday, a group of volunteers came by and offered to help.

Another woman randomly walked through the neighborhood offering plate of cookies and bottles of water to those working in their yards.

“My faith has been restored in humankind,” the woman who lost her home said.

Jo, a fellow church choir member, still didn’t have electricity Sunday morning at her house which is just a few blocks from mine.

I asked if she was living there, thinking surely her and her husband were staying somewhere with air conditioning and lights.

“We’ve been camping out (in the house),” she said warily, but with a sense of humor.

Vinton city crews spend a hot Sunday afternoon working to replace electric poles on E Avenue in Vinton. (Jeff Holmes photo)

It was hot, she said, but their neighbor had hooked them into his generator Friday night, making it a little more bearable with a few fans and lights.

Gail, a good friend down the street from us, didn’t have any generator power through this whole ordeal.

She just got her electricity back Saturday afternoon. The first thing she did was check to see if her neighbors’ power had been restored.

Friday night was the worst for sleeping, she told me, because it was so hot and stuffy in her house. The other nights she fell asleep quickly because she was so tired.

My mother-in-law, who lives right behind Gail, still does not have power as of Sunday night; nearly one week after the windstorm changed the landscape of Vinton.

She has been staying with us but really wants to go home. Hopefully, Monday morning.

Sure, there is frustration, especially among those who still don’t have power. But it isn’t because a lack of effort among the Vinton city crews and the countless number of workers from other towns like Waverly, Brooklyn and Maquoketa.

Okee Walker, right, brought his chainsaw to help my husband, Jeff Holmes, clean up my mother-in-law's backyard in Vinton on Saturday. A fallen tree had impaled her shed, moving it across the yard. (Angela Holmes/SourceMedia Group)

They all have been putting in long days trying to get everything back in order. The electric pole had to be replaced on my mother-in-law’s street, like many others throughout the area. Crews worked on it today and hope to hook the lines up tomorrow.

And if you think you were hot this weekend, imagine replacing light poles and hooking up power lines for 16 hours straight.

As I write this at 8:30 p.m., a neighbor who will be replacing our roof is up there measuring the shingle space. He’s been working on his own damage, but he wanted to catch the last moments of daylight today so he can get started on our roof soon.

Yes, there are still a lot of good, resilient people in the world, especially in Vinton, Iowa.

Our house in Vinton suffered damage to the roof after straightline winds of more than 100 mph ravaged the town early Monday morning. (Angela Holmes/The Gazette)

I knew something had to be wrong when my son, Sage, crawled into bed with my husband and me at 4:30 a.m. Monday.

“The storm scared me,” he said.

I could hear the rain pounding on the window, but there was something eerie about the wind. I’ve heard the howl of straight-line winds before, but never like this.

My husband, Jeff, woke up suddenly and said, “We’re going to the basement.”

Because the power was out, Jeff led us to the lower level by the dim light of his cell phone.

Our old couch is down there, so Sage and I cuddled as Jeff went in search of candles and a radio.

The wind continued to howl for what seemed to be another hour. In reality, it was about 12 minutes.

Once it stopped, or slowed down, Jeff went upstairs to survey the damage outside.

“It’s not good,” he said.

The scene from my front door Monday morning. Amazingly, the van in the driveway didn't get hit. (Angela Holmes/SourceMedia Group)

I didn’t grasp exactly how not good it was until I went outside and looked around in the still dark early morning.

Several of our neighbor’s trees and large branches had fallen on their houses and garages. On the other side of our house, several more trees were uprooted.

Our house didn’t escape injury. While the roof was still intact, many shingles had been ripped off. A branch tore down the eave spout and the siding was plastered with leaves.

We found some of the shingles and pieces of siding in the backyard.

I tried to take some pictures, but it was still pretty dark. It was windy and raining, making it dangerous to be under dangling tree limbs.

As the sun came up, the damage became more apparent. My street, like most in town, was blocked in by fallen trees.

I walked down the street where a tree had snapped and fallen on a house. The owners were on vacation. Good thing, as the tree landed right in one of the children’s bedrooms.

As I marveled at an uprooted tree, the owner told me how she and her husband planted that tree 27 years ago shortly after they were married.

The stories and the streets were similar all throughout town. Fallen trees, power lines, debris and leaves everywhere.

I went back home realizing my computer and cell phone batteries would soon die. I needed to reach work and try to load some pictures onto the web site.

Within an hour, I lost power to both, and with them, connection to the outside world.

Eventually, I was able to plug my computer and cell phone into the KCRG-TV9 satellite truck.

It was time to get to work. I got my notebook and pen and went walking.

I talked to a 92-year-old woman whose garage was ripped off her house. She was just thankful nobody got hurt.

At the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School, the roof of the historic Old Main building was ripped off. The remnants of copper, wood and tree branches were strewn across the lawn in front.

Americorps volunteers, who are housed in the dorms at the Braille school, were doing what they do best – helping in a time of need.

Across the street from the school’s track, pieces of sheet metal from a nearby roof of a large business were wrapped around playground equipment at Kiwanis Park.

The scene was the same on every street throughout the day – neighbors helping neighbors, people trying to figure out their next step.

Officials say power may be out for days. Our neighbor let us connect into his generator.

As I write this at 9:30 p.m., we have enough power for a fan, TV and computer.

Yes, it’s hot without air conditioning. Yes, it’s going to be a sleepless night without the usual comforts electricity provides.

But, there is much to be thankful for on this warm, summer night. Our house is still standing.

And most importantly, we are safe, as are our neighbors.

Last year there were more than 160 motorcycles, and close to 300 participants, making it the largest motorcycle event in Cedar Rapids.

Proceeds will go to HACAP – Homeless Childrens Trust Fund, and Mooseheart Child City and School in Mooseheart Il. Mooseheart is a facility sponsored by all Moose Lodges across the country and provides housing, education and assistance to children from infant to graduation. Last year the afternoon event netted more than $10,000 for our charities, Metro High School and Mooseheart.

The Cedar Rapids Police Department and Linn County Sheriffs Department will direct traffic at intersections from the Moose Lodge to Mount Vernon.

From Jaymz Larson

CENTRAL CITY – The Linn County Fair presents Saliva in concert as their headlining musical act. This year’s concert is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, July 7, at The Linn County Fair grandstands. This is an all-ages show. Local bands Downward Fall and Inch 75 open the show.

Saliva was formed in Memphis in September 1996 and is currently under Island/Def Jam Records. Saliva released their self-titled debut album Aug. 26, 1997, under Rocking Chair Records/Red Urban Records.

They were signed to Def Jam Records and went on to release their second studio album Every Six Seconds. Saliva later released their third studio album titled Back into Your System on Nov. 12, 2002, which reached #19 on the Billboard 200. Back into Your System launched one of Saliva’s most successful songs, “Always”, reaching #51 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Modern Rock Chart. Three years after Survival of the Sickest, Saliva released Blood Stained Love Story on Jan. 23, 2007, repeating Back into Your System’s chart performance at #19 on the Billboard 200. Its first single, “Ladies and Gentlemen”, peaked at #2 on the Mainstream Rock Chart.

TICKETS $10 IN ADVANCE!

Purchase tickets online at http://www.thelinncountyfair.com/, at all Farmers State Bank locations and Tailgaters Bar in Cedar Rapids.

Concert schedule:

Downward Fall: 7 to 7:30 p.m.

Inch 75: 7:50  to 8:50 p.m.

SALIVA: 9:15 to 10:45 p.m.

Concert location:

The Linn County Fairgrounds are located just south of Central City on the east side of Highway 13 at 201 Central City Road, Central City, Iowa. For more information on the concert, please call Jaymz Larson at (319) 241-7111

Jeanne Adams of Independence shows off strawberries she picked at Bagge Strawberries on Friday, June 17, 2011, in Independence. In addition to eating the berries fresh, she will make jam, pies, and freeze some for use throughout the year. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)

Jeanne Adams has been picking strawberries with her family since she was a teenager.

Now 29, she still goes to Bagge Strawberries, just north of her hometown of Independence, to load up on the fresh fruit.

Last Friday, she filled a flat with strawberries and planned to wash, clean and use them right away when she got home.

“I’m going to to cut off the tops, wash them and make strawberry pie,” she says.

She also makes jams, and her favorite, strawberry pretzel dessert.

The rest will be cleaned and frozen to use throughout the year.

Frozen strawberries don’t last as long in Heidi Roete’s home in Oelwein.

“Strawberries in the freezer last two or three weeks tops,” Roete said Friday as she picked strawberries at Bagge’s with her children Amy, 13, and Andrew, 9.

She started bringing her children to pick strawberries years ago.

“We try to come out once or twice a season,” Roete, 40, says.

Pick your berries

• Bagge Strawberries: 2029 170th St., Independence; 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday through beginning of July; $2.20 a pound for pre-picked and $1.40 per pound for “you pick;” (319) 334-3983 or (319) 334-3934
• Heartland Farms: 5111 Osage Rd., Waterloo; 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.; $4 per quart pre-picked and $1.59 per pound “you pick;” www.heartlandfarmswaterloo.com or (319) 233-7401
• Koehn Berries and Produce: 13814 220th St, West Union; 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays; $2.40 per pound for pre-picked and $1.20 per pound for “you pick;” www.koehnberriesandproduce.com or (563) 422-3716

They enjoy strawberries over ice cream and in pies and smoothies.

Fresh strawberries are “a lot sweeter, redder and juicier than the ones from the grocery store,” Roete says.

“They taste the way they look,” says Shelly Bagge, who runs Bagge Strawberries with her husband, John.

Strawberries transported from other places like California tend to be white and hollow inside, Bagge says. Locally grown fresh strawberries are red all the way through.

The Bagges began growing strawberries in 1999. They now have 21 acres of strawberries that are picked by customers and a group of workers. Already picked strawberries are sold on site as well as at farmers markets in Independence and at Cedar Rapids markets at Noelridge Park and downtown.

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Gallery: Bagge Strawberries, Independence

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Photo: strawberries

The short strawberry season — about three weeks — is in full swing. It typically winds down the first week of July. The cooler weather earlier this spring slowed down the season by just a few days.

During the thick of the season, 4,000 to 5,000 pounds of strawberries are picked in a day at Bagge Strawberries.

As well as being tasty and versatile, strawberries are also nutritious.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a cup of halved strawberries has 49 calories, less than 1 percent fat and no cholesterol or sodium.

They are also high in antioxidants and vitamin C and are a source of potassium and fiber.

“We push fresh fruits in our family,” says Adams, of Independence.

She is pleased her 11-month-old son, Rowan, already loves fresh strawberries and blueberries.

Roete says her children like to pick and eat strawberries, but they also like the way they look.

“I think they like them because they are so bright,” she says.

Better berries

• Buying: Look for firm, plump, full-colored strawberries that still have their green “caps” on. Medium and small berries have the best eating quality.
• Preparation: Remove the green “cap” with your thumbnail or a small metal spoon.
• Storing: Store in the refrigerator for several days with their green “caps” intact. Strawberries will keep for several days. Do not wash until ready to eat.
• Freezing: Select fully ripe, firm berries with a deep red color. Discard immature and defective fruit. Wash and remove caps. Freeze whole berries in simple syrup or sugar, or slice or crush berries before adding sugar. Leave head space, seal and freeze.
• From Iowa State University Extension, www.extension.iastate.edu/food

 

Melisa Fitch poses with some of the patients she helped care for during her time with Mercy Ships in West Africa. (Sourcemedia Group)

MARION — As a nurse, Melisa Fitch thought she had seen most everything.

But the 26-year-old’s eyes were opened to another world when she volunteered for Mercy Ships in Sierra Leone, in West Africa.

“It’s nursing, but everything’s different,” she says.

Mercy Ships is a Christian global charity serving those in need of health care and relief in the world’s poorest countries. The hospitals are retired ocean liners transformed into floating hospitals, which are docked for 10 months at a time.

Fitch, a nurse at Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids, studied in South Africa for a semester while a student at Luther College in Decorah.

“It got me thinking I wanted to go back,” she says.

This spring she joined the crew of the “Africa Mercy,” a 16,500-ton vessel that serves the nations of Africa. The lower decks of the ship have been converted into a hospital with a 78-bed hospital ward and an Intensive Care Unit. The crew, which averages 450 volunteers, including not only medical professionals, but mechanics, accountants and others who keep the operation running smoothly, has rooms in the upper decks.

“It’s literally a small town on the ship,” Fitch says.

The “Africa Mercy” docked at the port of Freetown, Sierra Leone’s capital city. All surgeries and medical supplies are donated so the patients are not charged.

Because there is no health insurance in Africa, the need for free medical care is great, Fitch says. In Africa, patients have to pay upfront for medical treatment, something many people can’t afford to do.

In Sierra Leone, there are four hospital beds for every 10,000 people, Fitch says. Only 95 doctors are available in the West African country with a population of more than 5 million people.

The “Africa Mercy” crew only performs surgical procedures. More than 1,000 people were screened for ailments such as goiters, cleft lips and palates, hernias, bowed legs and head and neck tumors. Most of these ailments were profound because people can’t afford to get them regularly checked.

The “Africa Mercy,” a 16,500-ton vessel that serves the nations of Africa. The lower decks of the ship have been converted into a hospital with a 78-bed hospital ward and an Intensive Care Unit.

Many people waited in line for days to be screened by the “Africa Mercy” crew.

“I knew there was a large need, but it still shocks you,” Fitch says. “It was really hard to see people you couldn’t help.”

During her two-and-a-half month duty, Fitch was involved in pre- and postoperative care.

With the help of a translator, she educated patients and their families about the procedures.

“Many people hadn’t even seen a doctor before,” she says. “Everything was new to them.”

The living conditions and lack of medical care in Sierra Leone was new to Fitch.

“I didn’t realize how much we take for granted, even at work,” she says. “There, you make do with what you have.”

On her days off, she walked around Freetown with fellow crew members. The city is poor, overcrowded and still suffering from the Civil War, which ended in 2002, she says.

“I’m a small-town girl from Iowa and it was a little overwhelming,” says the McGregor native.

She never felt unsafe but realized there are few opportunities for residents.

“It’s not a place to thrive,” she says. “It has very few entertainment options.”

She hopes to serve on another Mercy Ship within the next few years.

St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, 8300 C Ave., Marion, helped sponsor her trip, which cost about $4,000. As a volunteer, she was responsible for airfare and room and board.

“It’s expensive, but worth it,” she says. “It’s something I wanted to do for a long time.”

Above all else, the African people made the greatest impression on her.

“The things they have seen in their lifetime is amazing,” she says. “The resilience of their spirits is incredible. They showed so much love and compassion.”

Justin Baker, 25, of Marion, was diagnosed with Stage IV glioblastoma two months ago. His friend, Bobby Udell, 24, of Cedar Rapids, has been by his side since that day. (Karen VanderSanden/Mercy Medical Center)

After a lifetime of challenges, Justin Baker is facing the fight of his life — an aggressive brain tumor.

But with the help of his friends, the 25-year-old Marion man is staying optimistic.

“A positive attitude with a bad diagnosis can sometimes be the best thing,” says Sue Rowbathom, nurse manager of the Perrine Oncology/Neurosurgery Center at Mercy Medical Center, 701 10th St. SE.

Baker’s best friend, Bobby Udell, 24, of Cedar Rapids, has been by his side since he was diagnosed with Stage IV glioblastoma two months ago.

“His attitude has been unbelievable,” Udell says. “He’s gonna fight and exhaust all of his options before giving up.”

In March, Baker had severe pain in his leg. After several scans and MRIs, the brain tumor was discovered.

He had surgery April 26 at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City to remove 85 percent of the tumor. He was then transferred to St. Luke’s Hospital in Cedar Rapids for rehabilitation before going home.

“He did well for a few weeks,” Udell says. “For two weeks, we went out and did stuff to gain a sense of normalcy.”

How to help

Bobby Udell is planning a fundraiser for Justin Baker’s medical expenses. Send donations to Justin Baker Benefit, Farmers State Bank, 399 Edgewood Rd. NW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52405.

The week before Memorial Day, Baker began to have chest pains. Blood clots — a common result of being immobile for a long period of time, such as after a surgery — were discovered in his lungs and he was admitted to Mercy.

Last week his condition worsened and he was unconscious for several days. He has since stabilized and has resumed radiation treatments for the remaining portion of the tumor.

Udell’s sister reached out to Greg Cantwell, 37, of Iowa City, on Facebook. Cantwell is a seven-year survivor of glioblastoma and is now a motivational speaker.

Baker and Cantwell sent text messages to each other and now Cantwell visits Baker regularly.

“That’s what I do,” Cantwell says. “I’ve dedicated my life to helping people with brain tumors.”

Having a strong support system plays a huge part in recovery, he says.

Baker’s supporters include Udell, Caldwell and Baker’s sister, Dawn Houlsworth and her husband, Kyle, who he lived with in Marion. His grandmother, Sharon Marsh, just moved to Cedar Rapids from Council Bluffs to be closer to him.

Bobby Ratliff, former KCRG-TV9 helicopter pilot, visits Justin Baker, 25, of Marion, who has Stage IV glioblastoma. The two met 13 years ago when Ratliff took Baker on a ride in a helicopter. (Dave Carter/Mercy Medical Center)

His support system also includes his mentor, former KCRG-TV9 helicopter pilot Bobby Ratliff. When Baker was 12, he wrote a paper about his dream of flying in a helicopter.

“He got an A on it and I sent him $20 and it just went from there,” Ratliff, 43, says. “He’s the first and only member of my fan club.”

Ratliff took him up in a private helicopter and became a father/brother figure to Baker. He and his wife, Aimee, took Baker on trips and gave him guidance.

“We did as much as we could for him,” Ratliff says. “He is so gentle and kind and honest.”

When he heard about Baker’s worsening condition a few weeks ago, Ratliff immediately drove to Cedar Rapids from Cleveland, where he now lives.

“He has to be the least deserving person to have this illness,” Ratliff says. “He’s paid his dues.”

Baker seems surprised at how many people care so much for him, Ratliff says.

“If you go through life and don’t hurt people, you accumulate friends,” he says.

Baker’s prognosis is unknown, according to Rowbathom at Mercy.

His lifelong goal was to graduate from college. While he was in a coma, Kirkwood Community College awarded him an honorary degree.

But Baker hopes to complete the heating and cooling program and earn the degree himself.

He also hopes to “go some place fun on vacation” and attend home Hawkeye football games.

“It’s our goal to get him out of here,” Udell says. “It’s one step at a time.”

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago will perform a free show at 7 p.m. Sept. 4 on the Hancher Green, near the old auditorium. In conjunction with the performance, which falls on the anniversary of the birthday of Virgil Hancher, former UI president (1940-1964), Hancher Auditorium requests community members to share memories of the auditorium. Stories may be emailed to hancher-social@uiowa.edu

“We feel like the time is right to say goodbye to the facility as we move forward on the new facility,” said Rob Cline, Hancher’s marketing and communications director. “It’s appropriate to gather the community with a dance troupe.”

The auditorium is slated for demolition while plans are under way for a new venue to be built by the fall of 2015.

Until then, Hancher will continue to take its show on the road, with performances at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Englert Theater and Riverside Casino Event Center, among other venues.

“We continue to feel blessed to live in work in a community that appreciates the arts,” Cline said. “It’s a collaborative, rather than competitive, spirit.”

Tickets for season are on sale at www.hancher.uiowa.edu or by calling (319) 335-1160 or 1-(800)-HANCHER.

2011-2012 Hancher season

• Sept. 4: Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, 7 p.m., Hancher Green
• Sept. 15: Bomba Estéreo, 9 p.m., IMU Main Lounge
• Sept. 22—23: Hubbard Street 2, 7:30 p.m., Space Place Theater
• Sept. 29: Joey DeFrancesco Trio, 7:30 and 10 p.m., Club Hancher/The Mill
• Oct. 2: Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Chamber Ensemble, 3 p.m., City High School, Opstad Auditorium
• Oct. 19: National Acrobats of The People’s Republic of China, 7:30 p.m., Englert Theatre
• Oct. 20: National Chamber Choir of Ireland, 7:30 p.m., St. Mary’s Catholic Church
• Oct. 27: AnDa Union, 7:30 p.m., Englert Theatre
• Nov. 1: Paul Taylor Dance Company, 7:30 p.m., West High School Auditorium
• Oct. 8—9: Roseneath Theatre, “Danny, King of the Basement,” 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., Horn Elementary School
• Oct. 18: American String Quartet with the Maia String Quartet, 7:30 p.m., Riverside Recital Hall
• Oct. 27: Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra featuring Rockapella, 7 p.m., Carver — Hawkeye Arena
• Dec. 8: Catherine Russell, 7:30 p.m., Club Hancher/The Mill
• Dec. 9: American Beauty Project, 7:30 p.m., Riverside Casino Event Center
• Jan. 28: John Oliver, 7:30 p.m., IMU Main Lounge
• Feb. 2: Stew & The Negro Problem, 7:30 p.m., Englert Theatre
• Feb. 10: Chucho Valdés and the Afro-Cuban Messengers, 7:30 p.m., Englert Theatre
• Feb. 23: L.A. Theatre Works, “The Rivalry,” 7:30 p.m., Englert Theatre
• March 2: Tower of Power, 7:30 p.m., Riverside Casino Event Center
• March 6: Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, 7:30 p.m., Coralville Center for the Performing Arts
• March 8: Lucky Plush Productions, “Punk Yankees,” 7:30 p.m., Space Place Theater
• March 27: Soweto Gospel Choir, 7:30 p.m., Riverside Casino Event Center
• April 5: Dave Pietro, 7:30 p.m., Englert Theatre
• April 27—29: Working Group Theatre, “Mayberry”, Friday and Saturday, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, 2 p.m., Riverside Theatre
• May 4: Enso String Quartet, 7:30 p.m., Zion Lutheran Church
• May 20: The Gizmo Guys, 2 p.m., City High School, Opstad Auditorium

The Rev. B.J. Weber, founder and president of New York Fellowship.

The Rev. B.J. Weber vividly remembers watching a second plane hit the south tower of the World Trade Center as he stood on Eighth Avenue in New York City the morning of Sept. 11, 2001.

“I can still see it today, like slow motion,” Weber, 64, says. “It was the painful, painful reality that we were being attacked.”

Weber, a Dubuque native and  founder and president of New York Fellowship, an interdenominational ministry, will speak next weekend in Cedar Rapids about his experience as a chaplain to New York firefighters in the wake of the 9-11 terrorist attacks.

“These men became friends,” he says in a telephone interview from his New York City office. “I buried their friends and grieved with their widows and children.”

He also will share his personal experiences of 9-11 and its aftermath.

After the towers collapsed, he picked up his children from school. His son, Max, was a junior and his daughter, Rachel, a freshman in high school.

Rachel spent the next day at her close friend’s home, calling hospitals in search of her friend’s mother.

“Her mother was on the 102nd floor of Tower 2 and she didn’t make it home,” Weber says. “It was a traumatic experience for my daughter.”

As the chaplain of the New York Yankees, Weber counseled players, including third baseman Randy Velarde and his wife, who stayed with the Webers for a few days after 9-11.

During this time, two policemen asked Weber to identify the body of Jim Ford, a businessman and recovering alcoholic who was a member of Weber’s fellowship.

Ford had a card in his wallet that said, “In case of emergency, call Jesus Christ. If he is not available, call the Rev. B.J. Weber.”

When New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani set up a bereavement center just blocks from Weber’s house, Weber was the first minister to offer his services.

“People came to me with their stories,” he says.

Asking family members for items such as toothbrushes and hairbrushes for DNA evidence to identity victims was a particularly difficult task for Weber.

Realizing the sacrifice the city’s firefighters made to rescue people in the Twin Towers, Weber visited his neighborhood firehouse, Engine Company 16/Ladder Company 7 in Manhattan, which lost seven men Sept. 11, 2001. He asked the firefighters for forgiveness for not recognizing their everyday efforts before 9-11.

“I took it for granted that these guys show up,” he says.

He then counseled them and their families by starting a grief recovery group.

Every year on the anniversary of the terrorist attacks, Weber and his wife, Sheila, lead a service at the firehouse.

As the 10-year anniversary approaches, Weber is reflective on how things have changed — and remained the same.

“It’s hard to get your arms around it,” he says.

The children of families he counseled have grown — the babies are now 10 years old and children are adults.

But the same sorrow and unrest in the world still remains, he says.

When Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the 9-11 terrorist attacks was killed May 1 in Afghanistan by U.S. forces, there were open celebrations throughout New York City.

But the firefighters at Engine Company 16/Ladder Company 7 didn’t take part in the revelry.

“There was no dancing, no high-fives,” Weber says. A firefighter solemnly told him, “we don’t celebrate revenge.”

“That was just the spirit of the firehouse,” he says. “There was very little of the vengeance stuff going on.”

Peace and reconciliation are difficult to achieve, but should be the ultimate goal, Weber says.

“We go from war to war,” he says. “Peace has to come out of our hearts. That’s where profound change takes place.”

Hear Weber speak

What: An Evening in the Park with the Rev. B.J. Weber, president of New York Fellowship

When: 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, June 11

Where: Parkview Pavilion at Jones Park, 201 Wilson Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids

What: The Rev. B.J. Weber speaks to Growing Together Group

When: 10:30 a.m. to noon, Sunday, June 12

Where: Room 200, First Assembly of God, 3233 Blairs Ferry Rd. NE, Cedar Rapids

Contact: Linda Smith, (319) 540-4424 or jimmyvan62@msn.com

People walk passed craft vendors on 16th Avenue SW during the Houby Days Festival in Czech Village in Cedar Rapids on Saturday, May 15, 2010. (Julie Koehn/The Gazette)

CEDAR RAPIDS — As Czech Village continues to bounce back from the Floods of 2008, so does its signature festival — Houby Days.

The 34th annual festival celebrating houbys, the Czech word for mushrooms, will be held May 13 to 15. New events such as a Kids’ Day will be held along with traditional activities such as a parade, vendors and Czech food and music.

“It’s the perfect storm for the festival,” says Calvin Spinka, Houby Days organizer and Czech Village Association vice president. “The museum move is drawing interest, we have a lot more sponsors this year; this will be the best one we’ve had in a while.”

Robyn Rieckhoff, director of the Czech Village/New Bohemia Main Street District, agrees the event is generating more interest.

“We received a lot of donations from businesses within the district and beyond,” she says. “Everybody is ready to see this area come back.”

To spruce up the area for next weekend’s big event, Boy Scout troops cleaned up Czech Village on May 4. On Monday, seventh grade students from Franklin Middle School will plant red geraniums and hang baskets in Czech Village as the result of a $1,000 Youth Power grant from the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation.

“Czech Out Our Flowers” is a joint project between the Czech Village Association, students and Czech Village/New Bohemia Main Street.

“We are thrilled with this and it couldn’t have happened at a better time,” Rieckhoff says. “Business is picking up in the Main Street district, and I attribute that to the Czech Museum move and the streetscape project on Third Street SE. People are interested in what’s going on down here and they want to see us succeed at becoming the heart of the city.”

This year’s Houby Days festival kicks off with the 11th annual Taste of Czech and Slovak from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at St. Ludmila Catholic Church, 211 21st Ave. SW.

Chefs from Czech Village, New Bohemia and downtown Cedar Rapids restaurants, along with veteran home cooks, will dish up Czech favorites such as jaternice (sausage), goulash, cerna kuba (casserole), kolache and chocolate sauerkraut cookies. Two Czech beers also will be available to sample.

In the New Bohemia district, Czech jazz artist and composer George Grosman will perform at 7 p.m. Friday at Gatherings, 905 Third St. SE. His free concert, co-sponsored by the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library and Gatherings, will feature swing, gypsy jazz and klezmer music.

On Saturday and Sunday mornings, the Egg and Houby Breakfast at Kuncl Mall, 59 16th Ave. SW, will feature morels.

As well as mushrooms, this year’s festival will focus on Czech culture such as traditional music, dancing, costumes and artisans.

“We really tried to make Czech heritage more front and center this year,” Spinka says. “We really want to stress the cultural aspect of it.”

Another focus this year is kids’ activities. Sunday has been designated as Kids’ Day with events such as a children’s parade, sack races, karaoke, puppet theater, pedal pull and a construction zone.

“It’s going to be a great weekend of activities,” Spinka says. “There’s a lot more energy than there has been in recent years.”

Shawn and Tonya Samuelson sit with their children, four-year-old Layla and six-year-old Andrew outside their home in West Branch on Wednesday, April 13, 2011. (Cliff Jette/SourceMedia Group)

WEST BRANCH — Andrew Samuelson is a typical 6-year-old who likes to play catch and shoot baskets.

But when the Hoover Elementary kindergartner was a baby, his parents didn’t know if he would ever be able to participate in such childhood activities. Andrew was born with a congenital heart defect.

“It was pretty unexpected,” says his mother Tonya Samuelson. “We never thought we would have a child born with a heart defect, being young healthy parents with no family history of anything.”

Although he has been named the American Heart Association’s Heart Child for the Johnson County Heart Walk planned for May 7, Andrew doesn’t understand what all the fuss is about.

“We’ve really tried to make him not feel different,” Tonya Samuelson says. “He doesn’t know what to think about this.”

Shortly after Andrew was born on Sept. 20, 2004, in Ames, a nurse noticed he was paler than most newborns and was not breathing normally. After tests, it was determined he had coarctation, or a narrowing of the aorta, a hypo plastic aortic arch and a ventricular septal defect. The news shocked his parents, Shawn, 33, and Tonya, 32, Samuelson. Neither had any family history of heart disease, and Tonya had an uncomplicated pregnancy and delivery.

The morning after his birth, Andrew was transferred to Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines for further observation.

To treat pulmonary hypertension, he was transferred to University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City.

He was kept sedated so as not to agitate him because of his pulmonary hypertension, Shawn Samuelson says.

After three weeks, he was stable enough for surgery. Surgeons restructured his aorta and put in a synthetic patch.

“We didn’t get to hold him for three weeks,” Tonya Samuelson says. “That was hard — to not be able to pick him up and hold him.”

Andrew had a second surgery before his second birthday to remove scar tissue that was disrupting blood flow.

After that surgery, his heart didn’t have a rhythm of its own and an external pacemaker was used to keep his heart beating normally.

The day he was scheduled to have a third surgery to place an internal pacemaker in his chest, doctors discovered his heart was keeping a normal beat on its own and he was able to avoid another surgery.

The Samuelson family moved to West Branch in 2007 to be closer to family in Cedar Rapids and West Liberty.

When Tonya Samuelson was pregnant with their second child, Layla, 4, doctors did an extra ultrasound to see if her heart was developing normally. It was.

The family will join teams in the Heart Walk, which raises money for the American Heart Association and awareness of heart disease.

“Heart disease affects children too, not just old men,” Tonya Samuelson says. “Heart disease isn’t always a heart attack.”The event aims to raise $115,000 for the heart association’s research and prevention programs.

This summer, Andrew, who is not on any medications and doesn’t have any restrictions, plans to go swimming and ride horses.

“He’s just as normal as the next kid,” Shawn Samuelson says.

“We have lots of deaths and resurrections in our lifetime,” says the Rev. Beth Harbaugh of St. James United Methodist Church, 1430 Ellis Blvd. NW, Cedar Rapids.

Death can be anything from loss of a job or home to loss of a relationship and loss of life, she says.

“Death is not the end,” Harbaugh says. “We are not in charge; God is. The only thing we have is hope.”

Americans have a denial of death, she says, because we fear change.

“We need to keep fear in its place,” she says. “Love is the answer to fear. We need to live life to the fullest because we don’t have to be afraid.”

The message of love and rebirth isn’t reserved just for Christians, Harbaugh says.

“Once you have overcome death or addiction, you are able to be a witness to someone else,” she says.

John Davis was a drug addict and living on the streets of Phoenix as a gang member when he prayed for guidance and moved back to Cedar Rapids a few months later. He is now executive director of Building Knowledge and Humanity with Diversity, a non-profit that puts on weekly bingo games to raise money for a youth radio station. Photographed Wednesday, April 20, 2011, at St. Wenceslaus Community Center in Cedar Rapids. (Liz Martin/SourceMedia Group News)

CEDAR RAPIDS — John Davis, 48, hit rock bottom in 1998, when the once-promising radio and television engineer found himself living on the streets of Phoenix.

To cope with pain, he became addicted to crack cocaine. To gain a sense of family, he became a gang member.

“The majority of people I was hanging out with were uneducated,” says Davis, now of Cedar Rapids.

One day he looked in the mirror, and didn’t recognize his own reflection.

“I realized I was getting older and I had children who looked up to me,” he says.

Davis asked God for guidance and eventually, he “saw the light,”

“I prayed and a couple months later, the sun shone on me and I had a revelation,” he says.

The revelation led Davis to turn around his life.

“I got religious counseling and cleaned my system, body and spirit,” he says. “I decided the Lord had a plan for me.”

Davis moved back to Cedar Rapids in 1999 to be closer to his two daughters and work on his dream of starting a radio station for at-risk minorities.

Although he worked at Motel 6 and other jobs to pay the bills, he never gave up on his dream.

In 2008 while working with the Small Business Development Center at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Davis gained the tools and knowledge to start a small business.

A year later he assembled a board for Building Knowledge and Humanity with Diversity, or BKHWD, and began brainstorming. The plan began to fall into place in October when St. Wenceslaus Church in the Oakhill Jackson neighborhood donated space in its community center at 1230 Fifth St. SE.

To give youth a sense of community, Davis holds a Youth Arcade Project, or YAP, from 4 to 9 p.m. every Saturday at the community center where youth can play the Madden football video game for free.

“They can play games and work on social skills,” he says.

To raise money he also holds bingo games from 12:30 to 3 p.m. Wednesdays and at 6:30 p.m. Fridays at the community center.

Enough money has been raised to start an Internet radio station the beginning of May. Davis will use his experience at Kirkwood’s KCCK 88.3 and minority radio station KOJC to train students interested in radio.

John Davis was a drug addict and living on the streets of Phoenix as a gang member when he prayed for guidance and moved back to Cedar Rapids a few months later. He is now executive director of Building Knowledge and Humanity with Diversity, a non-profit that puts on weekly bingo games to raise money for a youth radio station. Photographed Wednesday, April 20, 2011, at St. Wenceslaus Community Center in Cedar Rapids. (Liz Martin/SourceMedia Group News)

“I want to give a positive environment in the community,” he says. “I want work with the youth. I’m trying to give them a tool to be successful.”

Times are tough for today’s youth, especially minorities in urban areas, he says.

“I know what the kids are facing,” he says. “I’ve battled addiction and gangs. If I can do it, they can do it, too.”

And he wants youth to realize he can relate to them.

“I’ve been down that road, even thought of suicide,” Davis says. “But I listened to the Lord. There is such a thing as a second chance.”

Comments: (319) 398-5860; angie.holmes@sourcemedia.net

For more information about John Davis’ non-profit organization, Building Knowledge and Humanity with Diversity, visit www.bkhwd.org or call (319) 540-5931.

Judith Wightman of North Liberty asks her son Nolan, 6, which plate of sushi he wants at Takanami, 219 Iowa Ave., Iowa City, during RiverFeast on Wednesday, April 13, 2011. (Angela Holmes/The Gazette)

The Pedestrian Mall isn’t just for partying college students.

This was evident Wednesday at RiverFeast, a RiverFest event offering samples of more than 20 restaurants, ranging from pizza and ice cream to pulled pork sandwiches and sushi.

Jay and Michelle Provorse, of Iowa City, brought their three young children to the event.

“I love the idea of a walking tasting tour,” Michelle Provorse, 32, says.

The family eats downtown often, she says, and RiverFeast gives them a chance to try new places.

While the Pedestrian Mall does attract college students to its bars, Provorse isn’t worried about bringing her children downtown.

“If you’re down here before 10 p.m., it’s a great place for families,” she says. “It’s a fun environment with the park and the library.”

College students also appreciate the diversity of downtown Iowa City, especially its restaurant scene.

Seniors Zane Umsted, 21, of West Bend, and Corin Nisly, 22, of Kalona, took advantage of free senior tickets to RiverFeast.

Both are resident assistants at Daum Hall and tire of dining hall food.

Because the dining halls don’t serve food on Sundays, they explore what downtown Iowa City has to offer.

“We come down here and try something new,” Nisly says.

While they enjoy pizza and burgers, they also like places like Japanese restaurant, Takanami, 219 Iowa Ave.

At RiverFeast, Takanami offered samples of sushi.

“People love trying it,” says owner George Etre. “We like to expose it to people who wouldn’t otherwise try it.”

Takanami’s customers range from college students to business people and families.

Judith Wightman, 37, and her son Nolan, 6, of North Liberty, enjoyed a couple pieces of spice lobster sushi.

They attend RiverFeast every time it is held in Iowa City.

“For a town this size, we have quite a variety of restaurants,” Judith Wightman says.

Along with restaurants, Wightman and her son also visit the library, fountain and Old Capitol Museum.

Bruce Hink, owner of Mia Za’s, 122 E. Washington St., admits the college students downtown are a little intimidating to families, but he says the main issue is parking.

“The city needs to adjust its thinking about parking,” he says.

Free parking downtown would allow customers of downtown restaurants and shops to stay longer and spend more money, he says.

“You have to spend money to make money,” he says.

Cedar Rapids TalentFest judges Michele Burns, Karen Bruess, Debbie Wright and Dawn Wilber listen to an audition for the talent contest, Thursday April 7, 2011 at West Music in Cedar Rapids. (Becky Malewitz/SourceMedia Group News)

CEDAR RAPIDS — Cedar Rapids TalentFest shares several elements with Vision in Motion, the non-profit organization it serves.

Both create awareness, thrive on people working together and push everybody’s potential, says Sandy Mostaert, TalentFest coordinator in charge of fundraising for Spanda Inc., Vision in Motion’s parent organization.

“We’re all about empowering people being successful,” she says.

Vision in Motion started in September 2008 as a program of Spanda Inc. It serves patients with low vision or vision problems due to a stroke or brain injury and children who have learning difficulties due to vision problems.

From 2009 to 2010, the clinic saw a 58 percent increase in patients; one-third of them eligible for financial assistance.

Last year, Spanda sponsored its first talent show to raise money for scholarships to assist under- or uninsured Vision in Motion patients.

“We wanted to create a fundraiser that is as special as the clinic,” Mostaert says.

With the first show under its belt, Spanda has built upon what worked and tweaked what didn’t.

Auditions are under way for this year’s TalentFest to be held Aug. 14 at Theatre Cedar Rapids. Again, prizes will be awarded for first ($2,500), second ($1,000) and third ($500) places.

During the auditions, judges use a 100-point scoring system to determine who will be called back.

“We try to make it as fair as possible,” Mostaert says.

Different judges from the area’s performing arts community volunteer at each audition. Contestants can audition as many times as they want, but must pay an audition fee each time.

“It’s the one event I have no problem finding volunteers,” Mostaert says.

Callbacks will again be held during Freedom Festival on June 25 at Greene Square Park and the Fourth of July on the Main Stage.

The first Cedar Rapids TalentFest, held in August 2010, nearly sold out the 540 seats at Theatre Cedar Rapids.

It attracted 130 amateur individuals or groups vying to be a top 16 finalist.

Auditions were held last spring with about 30 to 40 callbacks who performed during the Freedom Festival in Cedar Rapids.

“There’s a lot of interest in watching it,” Mostaert says. “People were surprised at how much talent out there is untapped.”

Any type of talent is welcome as long as it’s not dangerous to the crowd or R-rated, Mostaert says.

While there were a lot of singers and musicians, last year’s talented contestants ranged in age from 12 to 86 and included a belly dancer, beat box flutist, actors and jump ropers.

The majority were between 30 to 40 years old, Mostaert says.

“They haven’t done it in years,” she says. “You saw it all.”

The winner of the $2,500 grand prize, singer Cortney Alber, has already signed a deal in Nashville.

-Several performers also caught the attention of NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” producers who requested three videos of all the performances Mostaert videotaped and posted on YouTube.

“They found us,” Mostaert says. “We were the only talent show in the area.”

Like Vision in Motion, TalentFest gives opportunities for people to gain confidence.

“It’s something that also gives back,” Mostaert says. “It’s very humbling being a part of something that affects so many people.”

People walk by the "Generations" statue, which sits in the Administrative Office of the Cedar Rapids Library, in Westdale Mall. This is a temporary location for the statue since it was moved during the flood. (Julie Koehn/The Gazette)

CEDAR RAPIDS — As the city rebuilds from the Flood of 2008, leaders are making sure visual arts are included in major projects like the new library and transit facility.

“The city has seen the flood as an opportunity to take public art to the next level,” said Jim Kern, chairman of the Visual Arts Commission and executive director of Brucemore.

In November the City Council approved a resolution to revise the Visual Art Enhancement Program, increasing the amount of a public project’s cost for art and visual enhancements from 1 percent to 2 percent.

When the commission was formed in 1994, a resolution approved 1 percent spending, but that was discretionary, Kern said.

The amended resolution changed “may” to “shall reserve” 2 percent for eligible projects of $250,000 or more.

“It will have a profound impact of the aesthetics of building projects going forward,” Kern said.

To encourage a variety of ideas and community input, the visual arts commission is holding its first “Ignite Cedar Rapids” event Thursday at Gatherings restaurant in the Bottleworks building, 905 Third St. SE.

“Ignite is a national event to spur public conversation of the importance of visual arts,” Kern said.

Members of the public as well as city and business leaders are invited to watch eight five-minute presentations.

“The ideas are fun,” Kern said. “Some are not new, but some are in left field.”

Ideas include live art, dressing up the facades of parking structures and telling history through a series of murals.

The commission will not endorse any of the ideas but business leaders, City Council members, foundations, philanthropists or “anybody who appreciates visual arts” can take an idea and develop it.

“We hope it sparks ongoing conversation,” Kern said.

Iowa City

In Iowa City, council support for public art is harder to come by as the recession continues to take it toll on the budget.

As recently as fiscal 2002, Iowa City’s public art program received $100,000 per year in city funds. That was reduced to $50,000 annually for several years, and it’s now down to $14,750.

“Right now in terms of the budget, it’s tough to pass,” said Marcia Bollinger, Iowa City neighborhood services coordinator who also administers the Iowa City Public Art Program.

University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and the UI each have their own art programs, adding to the visual arts in the Iowa City area.

The Herky on Parade project in 2004 and the upcoming Book Marks project are private projects not funded by the city.

Although the Iowa City Public Art Program’s funding has been reduced, the city is able to maintain popular smaller projects such as Poetry in Public which displays poems by writers of all ages in city buses, one of the downtown kiosks and other public facilities.

The Neighborhood Art Program is also an inexpensive popular city-funded program encouraging residents’ participation.

“It allows them to identify their neighborhood,” Bollinger said.

Neighborhood projects include street and historical markers. The most current project in the Washington Hills Neighborhood features a bench and mosaic markers in Pheasant Hill Park made by Iowa City art teacher Jill Harper.

“It’s a fabulous project,” Bollinger said. “It should be done this spring.”

Museum educator Michelle Poe talks to seventh graders from Harding Middle School about African Americans' roles during World War I during a tour of the African American Museum of Iowa on Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2011, in southeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

CEDAR RAPIDS — Although the Flood of 2008 caused $1.3 million in damage to the African American Museum of Iowa, the natural disaster gave the museum’s directors an opportunity to repurpose the building and refocus its programming.

“Education is a huge part of what we do now,” said Tom Moore, executive director.

Moore, 64, one of the museum’s founders, admits the board didn’t focus much on education during the museum’s planning stages in the late 1990s.

“We really missed our calling,” he said. “It’s not so much about having a building, but what we do in the building.”

After the flood damaged the first floor of the museum at 55 12 Ave. SE, the board decided to emphasize education. A schoolteacher was brought in for input when the exhibit area was redesigned, the former library now is a learning lab classroom and a full-time educator and an assistant educator were hired.

As well as hosting students at the museum site, the staff offers traveling exhibits, public programs and classes through the Iowa Communications Network, or ICN.

In a state with an African American population of less than 2 percent, the museum’s goal is to reach as many young students as possible.

“We are still in the process of changing the thinking in schoolchildren,” Moore said. “We have to tie in African American history with core curriculum requirements.”

Another factor in focusing on education is the availability of state grants.

Harding Middle School seventh graders Lucas Berry (left) and Brandon Etscheidt (right) smile as fellow seventh grader Bryan Castek tries on an African mask during a tour of the African American Museum of Iowa on Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2011, in southeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Though made in Africa, the human mask was more likely made for tourists rather than worn by indigenous people. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

“More financial grants are available for education than for programming as it fits in with the statewide diversity focus,” Moore said.

Since the flood, the museum also partners with libraries throughout Iowa more often.

“We come free and they provide the venue, equipment and audience,” Moore said.

Later this year the museum’s board plans to launch an endowment campaign to ensure long-term sustainability. The museum had its debt paid off in April 2008. Then the flood hit, damaging the building and at least half of its artifacts.

More than 90 percent of the damaged artifacts were preserved, thanks to the museum carrying flood insurance on its contents before the flood.

Now the museum has full flood insurance on the building and its contents.

All the damage and expenses have been paid.

“We’re doing quite well, thanks to the community,” Moore said. “We are back from the flood completely.”

While it is possible the museum may have to move depending on where the city council decides to build a levy, Moore wants to stay in the general area near Czech Village and the New Bohemia Cultural District.

“Within two years, this will be the cultural hub of the city,” he said. “We want to be in this area. We are flood-ready and are comfortable living by the river.”

Earlier this week we learned that Thekla died Feb. 20, just five weeks after her twin, Irene, died Jan. 13.

“I kind of suspected Thekla would be gone within a month afterwards,” says Sherri Dohrmann, Thekla’s daughter-in-law. “She was keeping herself busy but questioned why Irene passed so quickly.”

Thekla’s funeral was Feb. 23 at St. John Lutheran Church in Newhall, where her late husband, had served as pastor.

Like always, the two were dressed alike the day they met with a reporter in June.

As they looked through scrapbooks Sherri Dohrmann had made of their lives, the pictures, from childhood to adulthood, sparked vivid memories for the twins.

They’d dressed alike since they were born June 19, 1912, in southern Indiana. They continued to stump people growing up in Fort Dodge and after they graduated from Hampton High School in 1931.

The easiest way to tell them apart was by how they used their hands. Irene was right-handed and Thekla was left-handed, making them mirror-image twins.

The twins didn’t dress alike when they were married and raising families, although their similarities continued through adulthood.

Both married Lutheran ministers, like their father, Ernst G. Juengel. Irene’s first husband died in 1960; eight years later she married another Lutheran minister. When Irene had children with her first husband, Thekla adopted children around the same time.

Being pastors’ wives led the twins to different parts of Iowa. Irene lived most of her married life in Garner and then in Alta with her second husband. Thekla moved around more often, living in Victor, Adair, Ida Grove, Newhall and Buckeye. They moved to Cedar Rapids last March to live with Thekla’s son Tim Dohrmann and his wife, Sherri, where they received in-home care from Hospice of Mercy.

A large sign adjacent to the blueberries in the produce section at the Hy-Vee on Collins Road in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday, February 9, 2011 indicates that blueberries scored a maximum NuVal score of 100. The nutritional scoring system uses an algorithm to compare the nutritional value from food items like protein and vitamins and then subtracts for unhealthy aspects like cholesterol and sodium. (Cliff Jette/The Gazette)

A can of whole kernel corn is the same as the next one on the shelf, right?

Not according to NuVal, a nutritional scoring system which rates products from 1 to 100 based on the nutrient density per calorie. The higher the number, the better for you.

At Hy-Vee, 279 Collins Rd. NE, a regular can of corn has a NuVal score of 34 while the no-salt added can of corn scores a much higher 91. Likewise, a regular can of green beans has a score of 55, while the no-salt added can scores a perfect 100.

“There’s a lot of good nutrients in both,” says Nicole Johnson, registered dietitian at the Collins Hy-Vee. “But something like sodium can bring the score down.”

The NuVal Nutritional Scoring System takes more than 30 different nutrients and nutrition factors into account when developing a score. Nutrients with favorable effects increase the score, while nutrients with generally unfavorable effects decrease the score.

The effect of nutrients on health conditions is also considered. For example, because trans fat is linked with heart disease, the amount of trans fats in a food lowers its score.

The quality of macronutrients (fats, proteins, carbohydrates) also factors in the overall equation.

“It’s an overall healthy eating system, not for weight loss or control of certain diseases,” Johnson says.

The NuVal system was developed independently by a team of nutrition and medical experts throughout North America. It is used by Hy-Vee as well as other grocery store chains nationwide such as Price Chopper, Meijer and Festival Foods. It also partners with Active Health Management, www.activehealth.net, and Sisters of Mercy Health System’s facilities in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma.

It’s an unbiased system, Johnson says, based entirely on a product’s nutrients. Food manufacturers or grocery store owners don’t calculate the numbers.

“Hopefully, the manufacturers will up their nutrients to get a better score,” Johnson says.

At Hy-Vee stores, the NuVal number is placed on the price tag of nearly every food item.

Scores shouldn’t be compared between different food groups, but within them, Johnson says.

For example, produce will always score higher than crackers, but crackers can be compared to each other.

“A lot of people think crackers are all the same or they aren’t good for you at all,” Johnson says.

But in the cracker aisle at the Collins Hy-Vee, scores range from 3 to 32. A large factor is whether or not the crackers have whole wheat or grain fiber, which raise the score..

The range of scores in milk also vary widely. Fat-free milk scores 91; 1 percent 81; and 2 percent drops to 55. Chocolate milk with an artificial sweetener scores 69 while fat-free chocolate milk scores 27.

Johnson leads tours and consultations of the NuVal system.

“I show them the score and have them make their own decisions,” she says. “It’s a tool to help people.”

Although there is a trend to eat healthier, Hy-Vee doesn’t advocate certain foods over others, Johnson says.

“We still carry things that score 1,” she says. “We’re not taking the choice away from them.”

It is up to the consumer to choose what they want to eat.

“There are no bad foods, just different options,” she says. “NuVal is intended for the consumer to make decisions.”

NuVal factors

• Nutrients considered to have generally favorable effects on health: Fiber, folate, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin B12, vitamin B6, potassium, calcium, zinc, omega-3 fatty acids, total bioflavonoids, total carotenoids, magnesium and iron.
• Nutrients with generally unfavorable effects on health: Saturated fat, trans fat, sodium, sugar and cholesterol.
• Additional factors: Protein quality, fat quality, glycemic load and energy density.

Lehnertz, 43, and her best friend, Gretchen Knoell, of Irvine, Calif., were selected by the Oprah show as super fans of the ABC soap opera “All My Children.”

They appeared on the “Legendary Soap Stars Reunite” episode that aired Feb. 9.

“We had been trying to get Oprah tickets for years, and Gretchen saw a promotion on Oprah’s website to be soap opera super fans,” Lehnertz says.

They both wrote letters describing why they should be selected as super fans of “All My Children.”

“Gretchen’s letter caught their eye,” Lehnertz says.

Harpo Studios provided them both with travel and lodging for the taping of the show Feb. 4.

The two friends sat in the front row as “All My Children” stars Susan Lucci (Erica Kane), Michael E. Knight (Tad Martin), Darnell Williams (Jesse Hubbard) and Debbi Morgan (Angie Hubbard) sat on stage with Oprah.

“It was like, ‘My gosh, you’re all sitting right here,’” Lehnertz says.

She was just as surprised as Lucci when all eight of Erica Kane’s husbands walked out onto the stage.

The stars were all gracious, she says, interacting with the crowd during commercial breaks.

“I screamed ‘Tad, I need a hug!’ and he gave me a hug,” Lehnertz says.

The super fans were interviewed on the show about their love for the soap opera.

“I look like a teenage girl going crazy,” Lehnertz says. “But that’s OK; I was star-struck.”

Lehnertz and Knoell met in 1991 in California where they swam competitively together.

Although Lehnertz moved to Iowa 17 years ago with her husband, Rod, the women’s mutual obsession for “All My Children” still ties them together.

“We drive our husbands crazy talking about it,” Lehnertz says. “They think we’re talking about real people.”

Cedar Rapids native Caleb Halstead has earned one of the top 3 spots in the Perry Ellis Most Wanted Model Contest.

Cedar Rapids native Caleb Halstead has earned one of the top 3 spots in the Perry Ellis Most Wanted Model Contest.

He joins Andre Douglas from Chicago and Marshall Showalter from Savannah, Ga., as finalists after 10 days of voting.

The contest, hosted on Facebook.com/PerryEllis, now enters the second phase, in which Caleb, Andre and Marshall will compete for votes. The model with the most votes will walk in the Perry Ellis Fall 2011 fashion show at 11 a.m. Feb. 11 at Lincoln Center.

The winner will be announced by Perry Ellis Creative Director John Crocco via livestream just seconds before the lights go down and the models strut their stuff. Viewers can watch the show live at http://www.perryellis.com/ and www.facebook.com/PerryEllis

At 16, she left home and admittedly struggled to make ends meet.

Now 33, and a graduate student in social work at the University of Iowa, she wants others in that situation to learn how make nutritious, yet inexpensive, meals.

Last month, the first of three Kitchen Helpers classes was held at the North Liberty Community Pantry, thanks to a $1,315.78 grant from the Clifford Be Big in Your Community contest sponsored by American Family Insurance.

Williams applied for the grant during an internship at the pantry last summer. In October, she was awarded second prize in collaboration with the pantry, an outreach ministry of the North Liberty First United Methodist Church, 85 N. Jones Blvd.

“I found out about the grant the day my practicum (for her UI coursework) ended,” she says.

Tina DuBois, the pantry’s director, says the Kitchen Helpers program provides participants three things families need to prepare healthy meals — food, concrete items including a pot and utensils, and knowledge.

“Families choose their own food at the pantry rather than receiving prebagged food, but they don’t always have the cookware and knowledge necessary to prepare healthy meals,” she says.

The North Liberty Family Resource Center referred 30 families to the program. At the first class Jan. 24, participants ate dinner made with spices and items from the pantry, including white bean soup, tuna noodle casserole, meatballs, spiced chicken and fruit dessert.

A booklet containing recipes for all the dishes and tips how to cook with spices, pasta and beans was given to the participants, who also received a 3-quart saucepan or skillet and ingredients to make one of the dishes.

Donna Hemingway, a registered dietitian from Iowa City, presented ways to cook with spices.

“Everybody tells me it’s so expensive to eat healthy, but it’s not — just add a few spices,” she says. “Spices are good for you and makes food taste better.”

For example, ginger root can calm stomach aches and onions can help keep bones strong.

Ginger powder or onion powder — both inexpensive and readily available — can be substituted for the actual roots or vegetables.

“It’s important to try new things,” Hemingway says.

After the presentation, the participants broke off in small-group discussions.

“Cooking is almost like a part-time job by the time you shop, prepare, cook and clean up,” Hemingway told her small group.

However, preparing meals yourself is typically cheaper and more nutritious, she says.

Erica Anderson, 33, of North Liberty, expressed concern about her 3-year-old son who only likes to eat chicken nuggets, grilled cheese and fruit.

“Say, ‘this is what we’re having’ and be firm,” Hemingway suggested.

Another woman in the group suggested making homemade chicken nuggets or sneaking vegetables into meals.

Anderson and the woman exchanged phone numbers and plan to trade recipes and tips.

Williams, who secured the grant, was pleased with the interaction among the participants.

“I hope they take home one skill,” she says. “I’m not thinking I’m going to change the world but it’s important that the kids here learn the skills.”

Two shots of espresso are brewed at Coffeesmiths in NE Cedar Rapids on Monday, January 10, 2010. (Cliff Jette/The Gazette)

When a new customer walks into a coffee shop with a puzzled look while browsing the menu, baristas, as coffee shop bartenders are known, are prepared to give a brief lesson.

“We try to head them off before they order if we haven’t seen them before,” says Nicole Millard, operations manager and espresso trainer at Java House, 211 1/2 E. Washington St.

New customers unfamiliar with coffee shop lingo, might assume a cappuccino or latte is similar to those sugary coffee drinks that come out of a machine at a convenience store. Those are a concoction of a powdered mix, water and flavored syrup.

But a “real” cappuccino or latte doesn’t have any sugar flavoring or, for that matter, much water besides steam.

In their purest form, cappucinnos and lattes are shots of espresso with steamed milk and foam. No chocolate, no caramel, no whipped cream.

Espresso is shot of concentrated coffee created by forcing hot water under pressure through finely ground coffee. Unlike coffee dripped-brewed through a filter, which takes several minutes, espresso brewing takes about 25 to 30 seconds.

“It is a shot of pure coffee,” says Julie Lammers, co-owner of Coffeesmiths, 7037 C Ave. NE, Cedar Rapids. “It is the finest and freshest coffee you can offer.”

Many baristas, such as those as Java House, grind the beans and hand tamp the coffee grounds of each espresso they make.

The consistency of tamped grounds is important, Millard says.

“Tamping compresses the grounds of espresso evenly so no pockets of air get through,” she says.

Properly brewed, an espresso will have a layer of light reddish brown cream — crema — on its surface.

Crema, the frothy part of espresso, contains the bulk of the coffee’s natural sugars and oils. While mixing in the steamed milk for a cappuccino or latte, it is important to not break up the crema, Millard says.

So, if they both contain espresso and steamed milk, what is the difference between a latte and a cappuccino?

Size, for one thing, Millard says.

Typically, a cappucinno is smaller than a latte and has a smaller milk to espresso ratio. At Java House, a cappuccino is 6 ounces and a latte is 16 ounces.

Cappuccinos are usually served straight up — without any flavoring. Lattes can be ordered straight up or with flavoring.

“If somebody wants something with a flavor, they want a latte,” Millard says.

While espresso is coffee in its purest form, specialty coffee drinks can add up in calories depending on type of milk or syrup in them, Lammers says.

Calories can be cut here and there. For example, a “skinny” uses skim milk. Sugar-free syrups can also be used.

Each customer has their own tastes, whether it be a straight espresso shot or super sweet latte.

And lattes and cappuccinos are just the tip of the coffee bar. There’s also mochas — espresso and chocolate with steamed milk — and Americanos — hot water and espresso — to name a few more.

“It’s really about what you prefer,” Lammers says.

Coffeehouse terms

• Espresso — Coffee beans extracted under pressure with steam

• Americano — Espresso and hot water

• Latte — Espresso with steamed milk

• Cappuccino — Espresso with a mixture of steamed and foamed milk

• Caramel Macchiato — Vanilla, steamed milk and espresso, drizzled with caramel

• Frappuccino — Sweetened coffee blended with ice

• Mocha — Espresso and chocolate syrup or chunks with steamed milk and whipped cream

• Chai — Steamed milk with tea and spices

• Wet — 1/2 foam, 1/2 steamed milk

• Dry — Just the foam

• Skinny — Uses skim milk

Sources: Coffeesmiths, Cedar Rapids; and www.Coffee.org

Samples of Templeton Rye were served at Short's Burger and Shine in Iowa City on Thursday during the Templeton Rye Mobile Speakeasy Tour. (Angela Holmes/The Gazette)

While Templeton Rye whiskey has been flying off the shelves since the release of its fourth batch earlier this month, the supply has not been depleted, according to the company’s owners.

At the Templeton Rye Mobile Speakeasy Tour which stopped Thursday at Short’s Burger and Shine, 18 S. Clinton St., Templeton Rye owners Scott Bush and Keith Kerkhoff discussed the history, current status and future of the sought-after whiskey.

The whiskey’s original recipe was created in Templeton by Kerkhoff’s grandfather, Alphonse Kerkhoff, in the 1920s during Prohibition. It was a favorite of gangster Al Capone who bootlegged cases of it to speak-easies across the country.

In 2001, Kerkhoff and Bush (who also had a grandfather involved in Prohibition whiskey bootlegging) resurrected Templeton Rye and began to sell it legally for the first time in 2006.

It sold quickly and the company made a much larger batch in 2006. Because the whiskey ages for four years in oak barrels, that batch wasn’t released until a few weeks ago.

The company’s production has increased significantly — 7,500 cases were distributed in 2010, and 40,000 cases of the current fourth batch will be distributed throughout the next year.

“You don’t find a lot of small whiskey makers,” Bush said. “We made as much as we could with the resources we had at that point. We thought we were being aggressive, but apparently not enough.”

Of the 40,000 cases of the latest batch, 5,000 were sent to Iowa distributors in December. An additional 1,000 cases were sent to Chicago and 200 each to New York and San Francisco, Kerkhoff said.

“It’s not gone,” he said. “We’ve spread it out.”

Bush realizes the company is not keeping up with the demand, but plans to “grow wisely.”

“We’re not going from 50,000 cases to a million in a year,” he said.

Not that those lined up at Short’s for the speak-easy tour would mind.

“We’ve been waiting,” said Willa Goodfellow, 58, of Coralville, who tried Templeton Rye for the first time Thursday.

“It’s the spices that make it so good,” she said after savoring the sample.

A bag of chestnuts harvested from the Red Fern Farm in Wapello sits on the counter of the home of Mary Crooks Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2010 in Coralville. (Brian Ray/The Gazette)

While the lyrics “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire …” may be one of the most well known openers of any seasonal song,

“Most Americans have never seen a chestnut,” says Tom Wahl, owner of Red Fern Farm in Wapello. “Far fewer have ever tasted them.”

It’s a different story elsewhere in the world. Chestnuts are one of the most popular nuts in the world, just behind peanuts and coconuts, Wahl says.

“Americans are just about the only people who aren’t familiar with them,” he says.

About 100 years ago, a chestnut blight fungus nearly wiped out the

U.S. chestnut tree population.

Wahl and his wife, Kathy Dice, grow more than 50 species of fruit and nut trees, including chestnuts, on their farm. Wahl is also the marketing coordinator of Prairie Grove Nut Growers, a group of about 60 chestnut growers in Iowa, Illinois and Missouri.

The chestnut harvest in early September is brief — and sells out quickly.

Mary Crooks of Coralville harvested chestnuts at Red Fern Farm in Wapello earlier this fall.

“They are a really good local food,” she says.

She uses chestnuts in a variety of ways, including roasting them in the oven and putting chopped nuts in stuffing and chestnut flour in a cookie recipe.

Chestnut flour is gluten-free and is usually used for gourmet cooking or with other flours because of its high cost, Wahl says.

“It’s much sweeter than wheat flour,” he says.

Roasted chestnuts are similar to a baked potato in flavor and consistency, he says.

“Don’t treat them like nuts,” Wahl says. “Pretty much anything you can do with a fruit, vegetable or grain, you can do with chestnuts.”

Fresh chestnuts are available throughout December at Saigon Market, 803 Second Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids.

“We have them every year around this time of the year,” says Tram Nguyen, market manager.

She expects a fresh batch from Chicago to arrive this week.

Saigon Market also carries bagged snack chestnuts year-round.

Wahl hopes chestnuts will continue to catch on with Americans.

“It’s an acquired taste,” he says. “It’s so dramatically different from what people expect.”

When it comes to choosing a proper wine, let your personal taste be your guide.

Hosting a holiday party can be intimidating if you are not sure what to serve — especially when it comes to wine.

With so many wines on the market — from dry to sweet to sparkling and reds and whites — how do you choose varieties which appeal to the majority of your guests?

Area wine experts agree that while wine/food pairing lists are helpful, you should stick with what you and your guests enjoy.

“You gear wine selections toward the palettes of your guests,” says Traci Weber, co-owner of 1st Avenue Wine House, 3412 First Ave. NE, Cedar Rapids. “Throw a bunch of stuff on the table and let people choose. Eat what you want to eat and drink what you want to drink.”

Wally Plahutnik, the “Wine Guy” at John’s Grocery, 401 E. Market St., Iowa City, says the level of your guests’ wine sophistication needs to be taken into consideration.

Those with a more sophisticated wine palette tend to gravitate toward dry wines, he says. But that doesn’t mean sweet wines shouldn’t be considered.

“When I’m helping someone pick a wine for a party, it’s important that everyone is going to enjoy it and that it can complement a variety of foods,” Plahutnik says.

Both Weber and Lauren Chalupsky-Cannon, owner and operator of The Secret Cellar Wine and Gift Shop in Shueyville, say a sparkling wine is a great way to start a party.

“Something bubbly is indicative of a celebration,” Weber says. “Serve it as guests arrive.”

A Spanish Cava has bubbles without the bitter bite, Chalupsky-Cannon says.

“I recommend Poema Cava Extra Dry to serve as soon as guests arrive, which also pairs perfectly with party appetizers and light cheeses,” she says.

Here are some more recommendations:

Traci Weber

Co-owner, 1st Avenue Wine House, 3412 First Ave. NE, Cedar Rapids

www.firstavenuewinehouse.com

• Riesling or Gewurztraminer (Silk Purse, Sonoma): These spicy white wines are versatile with most food and available in sweet and dry.
• Pinot Noir (TR Elliot) and Grenache: These red wines are typically a little lighter and pair well with turkey.
• Cabernet or Chardonnay: Top-sellers in their grape categories (Cabernet red and Chardonnay white), these dry wines also pair well with a variety of foods. Cabernets range from medium-bodied to full-bodied, pairing with hearty flavors common in red meats, hearty pastas, lamb, strong-flavored cheese and dark chocolates. Most Chardonnays have a buttery flavor, pairing with poultry and seafood as well as dishes with a heavy cream or butter base.

Wally Plahutnik

“Wine Guy,” John’s Grocery, 401 E. Market St., Iowa City

www.johnsgrocery.com

• Harlow Ridge Pinot Noir: This red wine has rich fruit with just a touch of oak on the finish. While this wine is dry, the tannins and acidity are very mild, appealing to a wide range of tastes. It pairs well with turkey, ham and beef.
• Marietta Old Vine Red: “This is as close as I have seen to a ‘one-size-fits-all’ red — robust, spicy fruit and a smooth finish,” he says. A blend of classic California grapes including Zin with Syrah, Carignane. Petite Sirah and Cabernet to add even more flavor. Tasty on its own or with any type of hearty fare.
• Canyon Road Sauvignon Blanc: This white wine is crisp, bright and refreshing with mild citrus notes. Easy to drink, easy on the pocketbook.
• Vignetti Pinot Grigio: All Pinot Grigios are not created equal. Vignetti has the good fortune to come from Friuli, Italy’s best growing region for white wines. The perfect climate in these stony hills below the Alps give Vignetti a zippy, mineral character that sets it apart in the vast sea of Pinot Grigio.

Lauren Chalupsky-Cannon

Owner and operator of The Secret Cellar Wine and Gift Shop, 1205 Curtis Bridge Rd. NE, Shueyville

www.secretcellarwines.com

• 2008 Eroica Riesling: The sweetness and crisp acid levels of this semisweet white wine enhance rather than clash with savory ham, especially if you’ve used a sweet honey or mandarin glaze. Ham can bombard your palate with a combination of sweet, salty and smoky flavors, and some believe ham needs a powerful wine to match its boldness.
• 2007 Chateau des Capitans Julienas Beaujolais: This Gamay (purple-colored grape primarily grown in France) is soft and light, but still retains presence of smoky, black currant and a hint of cinnamon. It pairs well with roasted fowl or salmon.
• 2007 Groom Shiraz: This spicy, savory red wine with juicy black fruits pairs well with red meats such as beef tenderloin, prime rib, ribs or lamb.
• 2006 Dry Creek Vineyard Cabernet: With its sweet smoky oak flavors, this rich and bold Cabernet also pairs well with beef and lamb.

Charles Phoenix shows off the Cherpumple - cherry, pumpkin and apple pies each baked with cake and frosted together. (Charles Phoenix photo/www.charlesphoenix.com)

As if the Turducken won’t stuff you enough.

Apparently, the one-stop poultry dish of turkey, duck and chicken has a dessert counterpart — the Cherpumple.

That’s right — cherry, pumpkin and apple pies each baked with a different flavor of cake mix, slathered with frosting, placed on top of each other and slathered with even more frosting.

I learned of this “monster” pie cake from Mike Wagner, SourceMedia Group’s manager of information content, who is also a culinary connoisseur.

Humorist Charles Phoenix came up with the idea after watching family members take slivers of each pie at the Thanksgiving table. He thought, why not make it easier and put all three pies into one?

He made an entertaining how-to video and posted it on You Tube. The idea caught on and now people make their own versions of the pie cake and send videos and pictures to Phoenix to post on his website, www.charlesphoenix.com

The Thanksgiving Turkey Cake is the one-stop meal with turkey, mashed pototes, cranberry sauce, stuffing, sweet potatoes and marshmallows. (www.chow.com)

And if you want the main meal and dessert all together, there’s a recipe for that too.

The Thanksgiving Turkey Cake, as described on http://www.chow.com/, combines layers of turkey cakes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes. Mashed potatoes holds it all together as “frosting.” Top the cake with marshmallows, pop it in the oven for an hour and you can have your whole meal in one slice.

Do you have any variations of these all-in-one holiday meals? I’d love to hear about them.

Here’s the recipe for Cherpumple. To see the video, go to Phoenix’s website, www.charlesphoenix.com, and click “Test Kitchen.”

CHERPUMPLE “MONSTER” PIE CAKE

1 8-inch frozen pumpkin pie

1 box spice cake mix

1 8-inch frozen apple pie

1 box yellow cake mix

1 8-inch frozen cherry pie

1 box white cake mix

Eggs and oil according to the cake mix

3 tall tubs of cream-cheese frosting

3 8 1 /2-inch round cake pans

Bake pies according to instructions and cool to room temperature overnight. Mix cake batter according to instructions. For each layer pour about 1 1/3 cup of batter in the cake pan. Carefully de-tin the baked pie and place it face up on top of the batter in the cake pan. Push down lightly to release any trapped air. Pour enough batter on top to cover the pie. Bake according to box instructions. Cool and remove from pans then frost it like you mean it.

From Charles Phoenix, www.charlesphoenix.com