NDN-MAG-April 2014

1Cover

Spring | 2014

Couple transformcommerical space into

a modern day

DOWNTOWN

LOFT

Riverside Junction:a variety of unique gifts

The busy life of

Dino Kostes

The history of local

Ghost towns

****************ECRWSS****

Local

Postal Customer

PRSRT STDU.S. Postage

P A I DPermit No. 371

Newton, IA 50208

3

April 2014 • Jasper County Living 3

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Jasper County PeopleMeet restaurant owner Dino Kostes,

orginally from Greece, who is dedicated to his family, work and students.

Jasper County LivingSee how Marty and JoAnne Kunkel

remodeled an old commerical building into a modern downtown loft.

Jasper County GiftsDiscover the variety of products and

services the quaint Riverside Junction in Lynnville has to offer.

9

Jasper County DiningLocated on the ground floor of the

Maytag Hotel, check out why the regulars at Midtown Cafe keep coming back.

Jasper County HistoryFrom Metz to Rushville, explore the

history of some of Jasper County’s ghost towns that have diminished over time.

Jasper County TreasureLearn more about a local treasure

to many artists and enthusiasts, the Cen-tre for Arts & Artists.

Jasper County IssuesFind out about the plans for a future

Jasper County Environmental Education Center and the fundraising taking place.

17

19

21

15

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Volume 2

Issue 2

Jasper County Living is a Newton Daily News publication. To contact our sales team

regarding advertising in future issues, call Jeff Holschuh at (641) 792-3121 ext. 300.

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11

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4 April 2014 • Jasper County Living

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When most Ameri-cans think of “ghost towns,” the first thing that comes to mind a r e t h e O l d W e s t stomping grounds — such as Tombstone, A r i z . , D o d g e C i t y , Kan. and Deadwood, S.D. — where cowboys roamed, outlaws plun-d e r e d a n d d a m s e l s were tied to railroad tracks as the country expanded further west in the 1800s.

While the history of these towns has been glamorized and exaggerated a bit, due t o t h e i r d e p i c t i o n s i n p o p u l a r m e d i a , they serve as a con-stant reminder of how things were and how they change over the course of history.

But not al l ghost towns get their own TV series on HBO or become popular tour-

ist destinations. Ghost towns sometimes just become pages in a book, placards on the side of a gravel road or memories that former residents occasion-al ly share out loud with those interested enough to listen.

Since the first white settlers staked their claims to Jasper Coun-ty in 1843, the county has a seen a number of cities, towns, villag-es and neighborhoods simply vanish, relo-cate or become a col-lective of homes and historical sites.

One such site was the vil lage of Metz. According to several historical accounts, William Hitchler was granted 140 acres of land from the U.S. government in 1853, and that land would eventually come to be known as Metz.

B a r b a r a H u g , a

M e t z r e s i d e n t a n d county coordinator for the Jasper County G e n e a l o g i c a l S o c i -e t y , w r o t e a b o o k “Lest We Forget: The Story of the People of Sugar Grove and Metz Neighborhoods, 1800-1950” which detailed the history of the area. She sat down for an interview to talk a bit about her family’s his-tory with the area and the changes that have taken place just in her lifetime.

“There’s not much left, but there’s more left than some of the o t h e r t o w n s , ” H u g said.

Currently, the area h a s a f e w h o m e s , a c e m e t e r y a n d a church and is con-sidered a “farm com-munity.” Hug, how-ever, can recall tales of when the area was more prosperous.

“ I n t h e 1 8 7 0 s …

my third great-grand-father — he was one of the early settlers … the Hitchlers and Millers were the first in that area — and Hitchler owned all of that land, and he sub-divided it into a com-munity. There were a number of businesses there, quite a few in fact,” Hug said.

“The only way we know that is because as we go through old newspapers, we find a d v e r t i s e m e n t s f o r t h e m , ” s h e c o n t i n -ued. “I know there were several stores — general stores — and there were a couple of different ones, and the last one burned at the end of World War II and, of course, was never then reopened. It was torn down, and the land was sold.”

She also said the town had a grain ele-vator, a train depot

and a blacksmith. In h e r b o o k , s h e a l s o indicates that Metz had a barber shop, a cooperative creamery that made butter and cheese, and a town d o c t o r n a m e d M a y Lyons.

A n a r t i c l e f r o m the Newton Herald in 1894 predicted big things for Metz: “Metz i s f a s t s e t t l i n g u p , needs more houses, two families in some of the houses. By and by, Metz will consti-tute a part of New-ton.”

“I’ve been told by two different people, my father and another person who grew up in that area … tell me that the depot at Metz had the largest stock-yards west of Chica-go,” she said.


GHOST TOWNSSee Page 7

By Ty Rushing

History keeps ghost towns alive

HISTORY


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1AFront

Mandi Lamb/Daily NewsHalloween came a bit early for the fifth and final installment of this year’s Thunder Nites. South-east Iowa band Rukkus (below) performed during Friday’s event, and Thunder Nites Treasurer Lib-bie Marshall said between 600 and 1,000 motorcycles come to downtown Newton for each event.

Thunder Nites concludes second successful year

Thunder Nites Treasurer Libbie Mar-shall enthusiastically describes the second series of Thunder Nites in Newton “a huge success.”

“We were very, very happy with the turnout. It’s just getting bigger and bet-ter all the time,” Marshall said. “We learn things every year, so there’s probably go-ing to be some changes, but we just ex-pect it to get bigger and better.”

During the fifth and final Thunder Ni-tes event of the year Friday night, Mar-shall announced next year’s band lineup, which will feature, in no particular or-der, Standing Hampton, Mr. Fugly, In-sane Jane, Small Town Superheroes and Gimikk.

By Mandi LambDaily News Associate Editor

Hog confinement hearing on Tuesday

Tuesday should be a short day of work for the Jasper County Board of Supervisors as only two items are list-ed on the agenda.

County Sanitarian Kevin Luetters will hold his second public hearing in as many weeks on hog confinements. This week, Gregg and Larry Pleima are seeking to expand their operation in Elk Creek Township from 4,000 finished market hog heads to 6,800.

Last week’s request for approval was unanimously approved by the board and Joe Brock expressed his gratitude towards Judson Vos who was present.

“Sounds like you are bringing an-other generation in and the hogs make that a possibility,” Brock said. “I’ve been driving around the county the last couple of weeks... (and) I do no-tice the farm construction, the big si-los, the hog buildings, machine sheds. There is a lot of building going on.”

“… Guys like you who are willing to take the risk and make the invest-ment and then put work into it — it’s not easy. I just wanted to thank you,” he continued. “You’re on the right track, and that’s what we need in this county.”

The second item on the agenda is a transfer order request from County Treasurer Doug Bishop. Bishop is seeking to transfer $88,773.06 from the county’s general basic fund into the secondary roads fund.

Staff writer Ty Rushing may be contacted at (641) 792-3121, ext. 426, or at [email protected].

United Way kicks off 2013 fundraising campaign

United Way of Jas-per County kicked off its annual fall fundrais-ing campaign Friday with a luncheon for employee contribution coordinators, board members and part-ner nonprofit organizations at the DMACC Confer-ence Center in Newton.

Board chairman Brad Magg first addressed those in attendance, thanking them for their involvement in United Way. He was followed by executive di-rector Travis Padget, who expressed his excitement for the year ahead.

“Last year, when I stood here in front of you, I had only been with United Way for about two months, so I still had a learning curve

ahead of me,” he said. “The past year was very rewarding. I’m confident for the year ahead.”

This year’s fundrais-ing campaign has a goal of $363,000, which is a 10-percent increase over last year’s fundraising to-tal. The $330,000 raised last year constituted a 10-percent increase over 2011 fundraising levels.

Padget said he’d love to reach $400,000, though.

“At that level, we would be close enough that we could fund all of our partner organizations’ re-quests,” he said. “Anyone who has sat in on those meetings knows, it’s really hard to say, ‘We’re going to give you 50 percent of what you need, but we re-ally want you to continue that program.’”

Local law enforcement agencies involved in

stand-off over weekend

According to the Jasper County Sheriff ’s Office, multiple local law enforcement agencies were involved in a stand-off that started early Sat-urday morning with a man who was threatening suicide and in possession of a handgun.

The incident took place at a resi-dence on Highway F36 West, and

THUNDER NITESSee Page 5A

Padget announces new ‘volunteer clearinghouse’ website for Newton

Bob Eschliman/Daily NewsUnited Way of Jasper County Board Chairman Brad Magg welcomed those in attendance at Friday’s fall fundraising kickoff at the DMACC Conference Center in Newton. Executive Direc-tor Travis Padget said this year’s fundraising goal is $363,000, a 10-percent increase over last year’s fundraising total.

By Bob EschlimanDaily News Editor

UNITED WAYSee Page 5A

By Ty RushingDaily News Staff Writer


2013 Freedom Flight DVDs available

On Sunday, Newton Senior High School served as the host for the premier of the 2013 Jasper County Freedom Flight DVD. FF Organizer Doug Bishop said that SouthSiders-Prodcution Studios had more than 70 hours of footage, which they trans-formed into two one-hour DVDs and a separate photo DVD, which consist of 2,500 photos.

SSPS producer Mike Kieler said they had 10 videographers, three pho-tographers, eight editors, 11 video cameras, four still cameras and more than 100 hours of editing to put to-gether the final project.

STAND-OFFSee Page 5A

FREEDOM FLIGHTSee Page 8A


With spirit week ahead, things

are about to get lively in Prairie City

and Monroe as the communities and

schools gear up to celebrate homecom-

ing.Each day of the week will bring a

different dress-up theme for students at

the high school.

Monday will be generation day, in

which students are able to dress up

as members of different generations.

Tuesday is class color, Wednesday is

twin day, Thursday is the crowd-favor-

ite costume day and Friday is spirit

day.“We release for a few hours on

Thursday to do the street painting,”

said high school principal Scott

Bridges. The painting of the road to

the school is an annual tradition, and

one that the kids get excited for.

“We want to get people pumped for

the school,” Bridges said.

7 p.m. Thursday night is “Spirit

Night” at the high school. According

to organizer and teacher Tara Wil-

liams, spirit night includes the coro-

nation ceremony in which the king

and queen will be announced, perfor-

mances by the dance and cheerleading

squads, class skits and a speech by

Coach Bonnett to get the students and

community pumped up.

The assembly festivities will be

followed up by a powder puff football

tournament. The senior girls will face

off against the freshmen, and the ju-

niors against the sophomores before

the winning teams square off.

“The community is proud of our

school and all of our students,” or-

ganizer and teacher Sam Pohl said.

“Homecoming is a special time for all

of us to support the district and show

our school spirit.”

The school will be shortened Friday,

with students dismissed to take part

in the parade at 1:30 p.m. in Mon-

roe. A pep rally follows on the town

square. The evening’s game against

Albia will be followed by the home-

coming dance in Monroe.

The Prairie City farmer’s

market has come to a close

for the year, and organizers

are examining lessons learned

and how to approach the event

in the future.

The weekly market, held

on Saturdays from 8:30 until

11:30, was originally planned

to run through Oct. 12, but

due to the alternative obliga-

tions of several vendors, it

was decided to coincide the

final farmers market with the

city-wide garage sale days.

“We think in the future that

we’re going to start it on the

spring garage sale day and run

it through to the fall garage

sale day,” Sheryl Kain, market

manager for the Prairie City

farmer’s market said.

The number of vendors

fluctuated throughout the sea-

son depending on what was in

season at the time, and how

many people turned out for

the event.“The vendors seemed hap-

py with the turnout … We

had larger participation as

first, but we hope to get more

people coming all through the

season” Kain said.

Many members of the

crowd were faithful attendees,

coming out each and every

week to see what some of their

favorite community farmers

had in stock, and Kain hopes

to see more of that loyalty in

the future.“We were averaging 50 to

80 participants,” Kain said.

“I’d like to see a larger per-

centage of the town showing

up.”She explained that more at-

tendees means more vendors,

Mustang cross country teams ready

to host ‘fun’ home meet this week

See Sports, Pages 8 & 9

Homecoming ahead, Spirit Week starts Monday

PC farmer’s market comes to a close

Inside This

Edition

Business Directory ..................... 13

City & County News .... 5, 7, 12, 13

Classified ..........................

.......... 15

Home Improvement ................... 16

Mustang Sports ........................

8, 9

Opinion .........................

............... 4

PCM Outlook ..........................

... 10

Prairie Farming .........................

. 11

Prairie People ....................... 2

, 3, 6

Public Notices ..........................

.. 14

MARKET

See Page 12

Lively celebration leading

up to next Friday’s big

football game with Albia

After a succesful

season, the market

closes its doors

Matthew Nosco

News Editor

Matthew Nosco

News Editor

Vol. 139 • No. 37

Thursday, September 26, 2013

16 Pages • 75¢NewsPrairie City

Bringing People and Prairie Together for 139 Years

2013 PCM Homecoming Court

Dana King/Prairie City News

The Prairie City-Monroe High School Homecoming Court were all smiles Tuesday, Sept. 24, as their parents snapped photos. Members of the court are: (front) Shelby Palm,

Lexi Kain, Jennafer Uitermarkt, Abbi Gilson, Megan Winegar; (back) Zach Uhlenhopp, Carson King, Luke Cummings, Glenn Gillespie and Dillon Bruxvoort. Soon, the electronic means of communicating

with the Jasper County Tribune, whether it is for

advertising or news, will change.For those who wish

to alert the Tribune news

staff as to story ideas and upcoming events, or to

submit letters to the edi-tor, club notes and other

items of importance to the newsroom, please

use our [email protected] email

Paul Walters joined the U.S. Air Force be-

cause he wanted to get off the farm and see the

world. It was important to him that he experience

more of what it had to of-fer, and he’d already had

a taste.In 1959, the year he

graduated from Martens-dale High School, Paul

had the opportunity to travel with his family to

Germany and visit his fa-ther’s home.

Vol. 118 • No. 52 Thursday, September 26, 2013

60cents

Photos from Baxter’s Homecoming Week

festivitiesAREA, pg. 13

Raiders fall to PCM in

homecoming game; take on Nevada nextSPORTS, pg. 9Serving Colfax • Mingo • Baxter • Western Jasper County

Jasper County Tribune

Saturday 67° / 48°Sunday 74° / 50°

Have you checked the expiration

date on your Tribune mailing label?

Baxter “office hours” 8 to 10 a.m.

each Thursday at Kountry Korner

Like us on Facebook

Boy Scout Troop 346, a troop com-

prising boys from Mingo, Ira, Baxter,

Colfax and Newton, came together

over the weekend to camp out, have

a good time and raise funds for their

troop.The scouts camped from Friday

night through Sunday just ouside of

the Ira community center, making use

of the large covered patio to do their

cooking and socializing.While the boys camped, tractors be-

gan to filter into Ira from the surround-

ing countryside. From recent models to

designs from the 1920’s and from John

Deere to backyard constructions, ev-

erything was represented in the roughly

30 tractors that came out for the show.

Each tractor owner paid a registra-

tion fee of $20, which entered him or

her into the show, as well as providing

a meal at the Saturday night pork chop

dinner. It also secured each owner a

spot on Sunday morning’s tractor ride

across the countryside.The countryside route took the

The Colfax-Mingo band is going to

be attending Oktemberfest, a fall fes-

tival held each year in Marshalltown.

The festival, which will run from Sept.

26 through 29, will feature a number

of events from the classic car show

and the grand parade to a barbecue and

chili contest as well as a motorcycle

rodeo.The marching band will take part in

the grand parade, which will follow a

carnival theme this year.Cindy Brodin, the board member re-

sponsible for the parade, said that she

already has over 100 float entries and 9

bands and she expects to get roughly 20

more entries before registration closes.

Gates for the parade will open at 8:30

a.m., floats will be in place by 9:30 and

the parade will kick off at 10:00 a.m.

Brodin said that the parade usu-

ally takes around two hours, and with

as many bands as they have this year,

along with another 15 to 20 musical

entries, she is hoping to space some

of the floats out more so their music

Collins-Maxwell Baxter

students come together for

the homecoming festivities Homecoming

Matthew Nosco/Jasper County Tribune

Football coaches Jason Akers and Rob Luther flip burgers for the students’ tailgating event, the

afternoon before their homecoming game against Prairie City Monroe. Go to page 13 for more photos

from Baxter’s spirit week events.

Jasper County Tribune switching email accounts

Colfax veteran joined

military to see world

Fundraiser brings in a crowd

C-M band to perform in M’town

By Jasper CountyTribune Staff

Matthew NoscoNews Editor



Matthew Nosco/Jasper County Tribune

Max Bucklin, a resident of Ira, stands next to the small blue tractor that he built

back in 1959. Bucklin brought the old tractor out as part of the Boy Scout Troop

346 fund raiser.

File Photo/Jasper County Tribune

Murray Moening, the director of Colfax-Mingo’s band program, conducts a

spring-semester concert last school year. Moening is taking the band to Mar-

shalltown’s Oktemberfest to march in the parade.

SCOUTSSee Page 3

BANDSee Page 3

CONTACTSee Page X

VETERANSee Page 2

Jasper County Tribune

515-674-3591515-994-2349NewsPrairie City

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“I’ve never seen that in writing, but it does sort of make sense. If they were hauling cattle from Chicago to Omaha or someplace to be slaughtered, they would have to let them out to water and feed, and Metz would be a good place to do that, so it does make sense.”

Hug said she enjoyed growing up in Metz. She said the com-munity had a very “family-like” feel to it since it was such a small area — a half-mile long she recalls — and because of the array of shops “it was like living in town.”

She believes Metz lasted longer than a lot of other smaller Jas-per County communities due to it having both a post office and a railroad stop. No one has a clear answer as to why Metz began to decline, but there are clues. The school building ceased educating students in 1958, the train depot burned to the ground in 1934, the last store shut down operations in 1942 before the location later burned to the ground in 1945. However, Hug said the population remained solid until the mid-1940s

“After World War II, there was still a lot of population around because people were still living in old houses,” Hug said. “In fact, housing was tight for everybody after World War II — that’s why Aurora Heights (Elementary School) was built. After [WW II], peo-ple kept coming in for (jobs at) Maytag, and it was tight because you had so many farm boys not going back to the farm but want-ing to live in their own house — getting married, having children and being in their own homes raising families.”

While Metz was more fortunate than other ghost towns, such as Rushville, Tool’s Point, Dixie, Seevers and Kimball, the memo-ries of these towns explain the early history of Jasper County and showcase how important location and, sometimes, simply luck can determine a town’s fortunes for the future.

The question of “What if?” is one that keeps most historians awake at night. For example, if it weren’t for a political disagree-

ment, the planned city of Monroe City (a different city than the current Monroe) would have been the capitol of Iowa.

Clarice McGriff Hoagland of the Jasper County Writers Inc. wrote a passage about the possibilities of Monroe City in one of her group’s collaborative anthologys “Jasper County’s Yester-towns.”

“Prairie grasses sprouted and withered where the State House and the Governor’s mansion were to have stood and the breaking plow has long since turned the sod many times.”

Another example is Newburg, located in the northeastern corner of Jasper County. Although there are a few homes and a historical church still there, some have wondered if the town’s proximity to Grinnell helped cause its decline. The town had a number of businesses, a railroad stop, school and grain elevator that had been in operation until a few years ago and was very prof-itable until the Great Depression. The elevator’s owner, Heartland Co-Op, had the structure demolished last year.

So, why have some towns in Jasper County grown and others have become ghost towns?

“I would say that all of these little towns sort of started declin-ing in the late-1800s and early-1900s,” Hug said. “Those that were not on the railroad would have declined as soon as a railroad came by, like Horn — which is up north on Highway 14. So, those that have post offices and a stage coach stop did not end earlier.”

One of Hoagland’s cohorts with the Jasper County Writers, Irene Allison Morton, wrote about a town called Draper. However, her closing passage could be the ending to just about any story written about Jasper County’s ghost towns.

“The only reminder of the town … is the blackened hills, the rotted timbers of the tipple, and the waste piles of gob and shale, where one can wander and perhaps hear the echoes of the ghosts of by-gone days.”

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Once Baxter residents, the couple considered moving to town after they purchased com-mercial space on North Second Avenue in Newton.

JoAnne had been wanting to build a salon with suites for a year when she came across the space for sale on a visit to Uncle Nancy’s.

She and husband bought the more than 150-year-old build-ing and decided they would not only build a salon on the ground floor, but they would create a beautiful home loft on the sec-ond floor.

The 2,400 sq. ft. loft includes an open living room, dining room and kitchen area with a hallway that connects to two bedrooms, spacious bathroom and patio.

The loft was built with 10-foot ceilings, skylights and Brazilian cherry hardwood floors, which Marty and JoAnne both agreed were the best choice.

Living room, dining room and kitchenThe living room features a

custom-built entertainment cen-ter with built-in fireplace and large TV. It is where the couple, their family and friends like to relax and enjoy each other’s company.

A line of tall windows face the south onto the Newton square. The windows provide natural light into the open living space.

“I like all the windows,” Marty said. “It’s like a sunroof when you open all the blinds.”

LIVING


DOWNTOWNSee Page 13


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The kitchen is large and open with new appliances and a two-tier island that separates the spaces.

“My favorite feature of the kitchen is the breakfast bar. It’s good for preparing meals and for entertaining, especially since it has the wine fridge under it,” JoAnne said.

“My brother, the contractor, made me put in several out-lets there, which we use daily,” Marty said.

Bedrooms, bathroom and patioThe loft has two bedrooms — a master with a walk-in clos-

et, washer and dryer, and a bedroom for Marty’s daughter and JoAnne’s step-daughter, Lea Kunkel.

The bathroom is large with a vanity, jacuzzi tub and tiled shower.

“My dad talked me in to doing the all tile shower and tub with a marble floor. Hauling that 1-inch thick marble up the 27 steps by hand was very memorable,” Marty joked.

Also on the north side of the loft is an outdoor patio that

faces the Newton Public Library. The couple and their family enjoy spending time grilling and relaxing outside.

ConvenienceJoAnne, who owns Aleya Salon and Spa on the ground

floor, and Marty, who works at Newton Waterworks, feel the best thing about their home is the convenience.

“My favorite thing about my home is the convenience. I just walk downstairs to our spa, and we can’t beat the drive in the winter,” JoAnne said.

“The convenience of our location is about two blocks to work, no travel time for anything. I can walk for anything we need - groceries, movies, restaurants, etc.,” Marty said.

The couple have lived in the loft for seven years now and are happy with the downtown living.

To protect their salon business and home, the couple have a 24-hour surveillance video system on the property and locks.

Kate Malott/Jasper Counting Living

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Jasper County Conservation has begun fundraising efforts on a project that has been more than 25 years in the making to create the Jasper County Environmental Education Center. The fundrais-ing goal of Jasper County Con-servation who has partnered with the Jasper Community Founda-tion is $2.9 million dollars.

“This has been the dream of Conservation Board and Leaders for more than 25 years,” Jasper County Conservation Director Keri Van Zante said. “We have projected that the fundraising project will last five years, but if we can get it done in less that would be great. We have estab-lished a fundraising committee that has already raised 12 percent of the goal through reap funds and private donations.”

The JCC with the help of

Fundraising begins for future Jasper County Environmental Education Center

Submitted PhotosThe Jasper County Environmental Education Center proposed building floor plan, acreage design and building model.

By Zach Johnson

ENVIRONMENTALSee Page 23

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The Centre for Arts & Artists, locat-ed just north of downtown Newton, has served as the home base for Jasper County’s art lovers and creative thinkers since it opened in 2007.

Linda Klepinger serves as CAA’s executive director and is affectionately referred to as the “First Lady” of the Jasper County Arts scene for all the work she has done to help promote local art-ists and events in the arts community.

While CAA may have art in its name, the organization is about more than just

art. CAA, a nonprofit itself, has taken to partnering with other local nonprofits to cross-promote events and causes. In February, it collaborated with the South Skunk Blues Society and Jasper County Animal Rescue League to raise funds to support rescued animals.

CAA has also teamed up with Daugh-ters of the American Revolution, several Jasper County school districts, Central College, the Iowa Sculpture Festival, Arts Connection and a number of other groups and organizations.


Centre for Arts & Artists: a home for artists and art lovers alike

By Ty Rushing

What’s there?A gift shop and gallery are currently

being built at CAA. The shop will allow artists to not only put their works up for display, but allow them to be purchased. CAA also regularly hosts “Art Stock,” which is an open house from 1 to 4 p.m. every Tuesday, where anyone can come and work on art projects.

During the summer and into the fall, CAA also hosts the Jasper County Farm-er’s Market in its parking lot, which fea-tures a number of farm-fresh produce, food and gift vendors.

Another big hit is “Ladies’ Night Out,”which begins at 5 p.m. and is held the second Friday of each month. LNO is where an artist guides a group of women on how to create their own masterpiec-es, while wine and snacks are served.

What makes it special? CAA serves as the home studio for

eight local artists, it provides a variety of art related classes, has pieces on display that date back to the 15th Century and there is even a social worker, who rents space in the building, who provides art-based therapy.

Having an organization and facili-ty such as this in a smaller community is rare, and Linda loves being able to provide such a service to the citizens of Jasper County. When talking about the upcoming gift shop/gallery she once said, “(it’s) exciting that we will be able to give a forum to the local artists that compromise a deep creative base here in Jasper County.”

Where is it located?CAA is located at 501 W. Third St. N.

in Newton. You may contact CAA via Linda Klepinger at (641) 521-3554.

When is it open?Hours of operation vary, so calling

ahead is best advised, or check the web-site, http://www.centreforartsandartists.org/CAA/welcome.html, for event and class schedules.

TREASURE


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The Friends of Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge

Invite you to an evening on the prairie with Tropical Steel, Caribbean Steel Band

This magical evening also includes:• Exhibition of nature art, photography & literature by select Iowa artists• Tour of the restored Oak Savanna• Wine tasting of delicious Iowa wines• Guided Twilight Tour of the overlook trail

Join us at Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge, 9981 Pacific St, Prairie City, Iowa

Ticket cost is $40 per person, seating is limited! Register by May 25, 2014

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“When people come into Midtown Cafe, we want them to feel like they’re coming home for a meal,” Midtown Cafe owner Dee Sharpnack said.

Midtown Cafe has been a Newton tradition for as long as many can remember. The cafe has remained in the com-munity through rough economical times. It has also created some new traditions with a new breakfast burrito like only Midtown can deliver, and new menu items that are exclusive to the cafe, while remaining true to its core traditions of big portions and low prices.

Breakfast

If you’re looking for a place for diner-style breakfast, then Midtown is the right place. Eggs, bacon, sausage, hashbrowns, biscuits and gravy. They don’t miss a beat.

The Midtown breakfast menu has many options, but one thing has never changed throughout the years is the plate-size pancakes — extra large.

“I will always have someone come in and order three pancakes, and I always remind them that the pancakes are very big,” Midtown Cafe owner Marge Horstam said.

The new breakfast burrito at Midtown Cafe is traditional in flavor and served on a 12-inch torti-lla. The cooks have created a new breakfast item, building its own tradition, called the “Hangover” which is a grilled cheese sandwich covered in sausage gravy with an egg on top cooked to the cus-tomer’s preference.

Lunch

The cafe serves a traditional lunch menu with burgers, tenderloins, sandwiches and salads, but it’s a great place for an old-fashioned hot roast beef.

The first Wednesday of each month, the restaurant serves Navajo tacos - a large fried taco filled with beef, lettuce and all traditional taco toppings. It has become a tradition many look forward to enjoying with the start of each month.

Besides its menu items, the cafe features a daily homemade lunch special, and all of the lunch menu items are served with a side.

Dessert

“A meal is never complete without having some desert,” Dee said.Midtown has become a key source for homemade, from-scratch desserts. The bread pudding

made by Marge is a customer favorite. The pies, like cocunut cream, strawberry rhubarb and pecan, are made with a deep-dish crust from scratch in Grinnell.

The third Sunday of every month and each Thursday, the cafe has a table filled with deserts for customers to enjoy for free with every purchase.

Service + Atmosphere

The cafe is designed with a museum-style theme with pictures showing the history of Newton and Jasper County. The wait staff features many seasoned Newton citizens, with an old-fashioned hospitality that will make any customer feel right at home. The cafe also serves as a catering service, event venue and vendor.

Midtown Cafe is located at 120 First Street North. The cafe is open on Monday through Saturday from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sunday 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Midtown Cafe may be contacted at (641) 792-7277.

Midtown Cafe Where everybody knows your name

By Zach Johnson


DINING


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Dino Kostes is a man of great integrity, respect and ethic — values he brings to those he manages, instructs and loves.

Dino is f rom Patra , Greece, where he served four years in the Greek Navy as a sailor and worked alongside the U.S. Navy for two of those years.

In 1976, he came to New York to attend Columbia University, but ended up working in the shipyards where he was most famil-iar.

He moved to Iowa in 1977 with friends, where he met his wife, Virginia, who is originally from Newton.

Dino and Virginia have been married 39 years and have a daughter named Christina.

In the Navy, Dino learned the value, art and finesse of martial arts and self defense. This skill is something that he continued in the U.S.

Dino is a sixth-degree black belt, member of the American Taekwondo Asso-ciation and a Taekwondo instructor.

“When you do martial arts, and you like it, it stays with you forever. I don’t know what it is. It’s like rid-ing a horse or a bike,” he said.

He teaches Taekwondo to a class on Sundays, dur-ing which he is hands-on and provides individual attention to each learning student.

Not only is Dino a pro-fessional, but he teaches the lessons that come along with the long history of mar-tial arts and self defense.

“He’s excellent. Not only is he a sixth-degree black belt, probably the best in the state, but he teaches the kids important life lessons,” Richard Phelps, parent of student Maya, said.

Dino is most well-known for his restaurant, Poppy’s Restaurant which he’s owned since 1986. He brings traditional Greek dishes to Jasper County and also serves Italian and American food.

He works hard every day in the kitchen, teaching his employees and managing the restaurant daily.

Poppy’s, which the build-ing has been a restaurant since 1868, is the longest running restaurant in Colfax and employs 12 locals.

Family, food and finesse: Meet Colfax man Dino Kostes

By Kate Malott

KOSTESSee Page 23

PEOPLE

Kate Malott/Jasper County Living

Dino Kostes and wife Viriginia are owners of Poppy’s Restaurant in Colfax.


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Extension Wildlife Spe-cialist and Former Iowa State University profes-sor Jim Pease found the location to fit the means of the future education center.

“The site of the Jasper County Environmental Education Center will be across the street from former Jasper County home building,” Van Zante said.

The education center will have a Leadership in Energy and Environmen-tal Design Platinum cer-tification. The center will be the sixth LEED Plati-num Certified building in the state.

“It was great to be able to create a center with a Platinum certifi-cation through LEED,” Van Zante said. “We were able to hire Jim Alloy of Improve/Consult LLC in

Des Moines, which Jim is a LEED Certified Archi-tect.”

The education cen-ter site measures at 40 acres. The site will fea-ture two ponds, a sculp-ture walk, a community garden, a natural play-scape, a wetland explo-ration area, amphithe-ater, shelter house, soft trail system, group camp area and prairie restora-tion.

“The Environmental Education Center will be a state-of-the-art facil-ity that will provide an extraordinary location for research, educa-tion and family enjoy-ment,” Van Zante said. “The facility will also serve as a community venue, capable of hold-ing events for 400 people utilizing the main and lower levels.”

The design of the facil-ity will be an education tool by demonstrating

environmentally sustain-able construction and operational practices.

“The installation of a 34 kilowatt photo vol-taic array could gener-ate enough energy to operate ‘off the grid,’” Van Zante said. “Build-ing mechanical plumb-ing and lighting systems will be extremely effi-cient and construction materials will be dura-ble, low maintenance and environmentally friendly.”

Donations toward the educational center are tax deductible. The gift can be a one-time donation or a pledge over several years.

“Your donation will continue to serve the public well into the future, as Jasper County residents and visitors to the area will enjoy the facility on a daily basis for many years to come,” Van Zante said.

Environmentalcontinued from page 15

Dino Kostescontinued from page 21

“Colfax is a great little town, really. Anybody who can support a foreigner like me is appreciated, and I feel I serve the people really well.”

“When you work and persevere, it pays out. You have to persevere and you have to have consistency, not only in work but in your personal life, as well,” Dino said.

Dino said the three most important things in his life are his wife, his daugh-ter and his grandchildren.

He and his wife enjoy going to visit Christina and family in Missouri, and when he gets the chance, he enjoys going back to his father’s house in Patra.

His hard work, knowledge and com-passion are his gifts to anyone he knows.

“Dino is the type of boss who works with you. He’s back there doing the cooking, he’s doing everything you’re doing. We have to clean the (stove) hoods every day. Half of the time he’s up there before I can, not because I can’t do it, but he’s just always involved in what he’s doing. I really enjoy working with Dino,” employee for eight years Joey Voshell said. “He’s been a really good boss, a good person too.”

Guess Who Runs Newton Village?

...All 107 of them.And....more to come this Spring

when Continuum Care is completed.

Our Tenants...

Newton Village is devoted to making your life enjoyable.

641-792-0115110 N. 5th Ave. W., Newton, Iowa

NDN-MAG-April 2014

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