Not a night for 'angertainment'
Turn off the news and talk radio. Civility still lives in the towns of Iowa.
On December 14, a bi-partisan group gathered around a table with me in the beautiful Covered Bridges Winery to discuss Winterset and Madison County. I asked them what they liked about their community and what their challenges are for the future.
They were invited by Vicki Minor, editor of the Winterset Madisonian. My request of her was to ask 12 influential people for a discussion about life in their town.
Realtor Pat Corkrean looks the same after all the years since I first met him to look at Madison County land. I had long harbored the fantasy of living on a small acreage in rural Madison County - long before Robert James Waller, and his book, ‘The Bridges of Madison County romanticized the area. I still look online for an acreage about as often as I search for other unattainable stuff at this point in the life cycle.
Some around the table have done just that, moved to Winterset to live the dream of a rural lifestyle within a short commute to Des Moines. They laugh that they are still considered ‘newcomers,’ having lived there for 20+ years.
The rolling hills, a quaint downtown, the courthouse, and covered bridges make Madison County a tourist attraction. And, being just 40 minutes from Des Moines, it’s a growing commuter town. Surprisingly, the storefronts around the square are occupied, which is not the case in other towns around the state.
Two themes are emerging from the four gatherings like this I've held. First, residents love living in their hometowns in Iowa. The word 'community' is a cherished reason why they live where they do.
When asked what the challenges are, there is a theme: lack of affordable housing, child care, and employees.
So far, a consistent theme is that folks genuinely appreciate their communities and neighbors. There is also a shared concern that those issues make it hard to attract young families. All three problems are intertwined. And it is happening state-wide.
When a devasting tornado was a swirl of death and destruction in the town of Winterset earlier this year, Wendy Burket and her family lost their home but not their lives. Six neighbors, just a few feet away, did not survive.
The day it happened, Wendy was in shock. She didn’t have her purse or clothes.
It was the weirdest feeling. But the community came together, put us in a motel for a couple of nights, then Pat and Heather Riley offered us their AirBNB in town. That first night, my daughter curled up in a ball in the closet.
Addie Burkett, Wendy’s daughter, is a high school senior, a Madisonian County Fair Queen, and active in numerous extracurricular activities. Still, this year, she became known as the kid whose family was left homeless by the tornado. She laughs about it but quickly explains she uses humor as a coping mechanism.
“If I had a punching bag,” said Addie, “it would be nonexistent.” She says she would have shredded it in frustration.
Wednesday night, Addie was invited to our gathering at the Covered Bridge Winery, hosted by the Winterset Madisonian, as an 'influencer.' I understood why. Addie Burkett, if she so chooses, will be a leader. And as horrible as the trauma she endured was, it taught her empathy that will serve her well.
Those moments when a town faces a natural disaster test a community and when Wendy Burkett found her family on the unfamiliar receiving end of charity.
These visits aim to draw influential people within a community to talk about what’s working and what can be better about where they live.
Everything begins in a conversation, so if we can celebrate what is good while not ignoring what needs to be changed, folks like those assembled around the table can find new paths in problem-solving. Identifying issues is the first step toward finding a solution.
As an example of what one person can do to make a difference, Pat Nelson is it. She and her husband moved to the area in 1960 when he joined Montross Pharmacy. Until then, the Covered Bridges were a draw, but nothing formal had been put together to promote them. That’s when Pat came up with the idea of the Covered Bridge Festival and enlisted the Kiwanis Club in putting it together. It draws 150 vendors and thousands of visitors each year.
Tourism is the number one industry in Madison County.
Some around the table first learned about Winterset by visiting the Covered Bridge. The festival launched Pat into her entrepreneurial endeavor as a wedding planner for couples wanting to get married in Madison County.
Kevin Fifo, a part owner of the winery, said after the meeting he learned much about Winterset from the conversation. He and his wife do not have children, so it was eye-opening for the businessman to understand the ramifications of not having childcare or affordable housing.
Chris Nolte is a former Chamber of Commerce executive director who had also done similar work in other Iowa communities before landing in Winterset. He mentioned how hard it is to attract younger people to the service clubs that get things done in a community.
He added there’s always a tug-of-war about how money is spent. In years past, he said, there was a requirement that a percent of your building money had to go towards artistic use. On the one hand, he understood why that made some mad, but on the other, beautification efforts made a statement about the community.
For more than 35 years, The Art in State Buildings program allowed artists to be commissioned for public art. Iowa was one of the first states in the nation to adopt the program, signed by Governor Robert D. Ray. The legislature repealed it in July 2017. More: The Iowa Arts Council.
It is now active in 28 states, Iowa not being one.
Spotty internet service is a big issue, accentuated during the pandemic when classrooms and businesses required Zoom meetings. It remains unresolved, which is a headache for economic development advocates.
Tom Leners says the big concern regarding business is finding and retaining employees. A large percentage of residents commute to jobs in Des Moines, leaving unfilled positions locally.
“My wife and I are recovering commuters, “said Leners, the Madison County Development Group director. Previously, he worked for the Iowa Bankers Association and Iowa Medical Society, requiring a lot of ‘windshield time.’
He grew up near Ayshire and laments that towns like his former hometown are almost extinct. Younger workers are either heading toward central Iowa or leaving the state.
“We need immigration reform,” said Leners. “There are people who want to work.”
Someone around the table said, 'if we solved the problem, it wouldn’t be such a hot campaign issue.’
Why am I undertaking this project? When I returned to Iowa after a 20-year absence, I found the state unrecognizable in some regards. The level of incivility was palpable.
‘Angertainment’ was a word I first heard from a congressional candidate in the last election cycle trying to unseat a far-right extremist in Colorado. I think he hit the nail on the head. The outrage factor has seeped into our politics. Lying in the political arena seems to pay off. Making someone a target for being different stirs folks into self-righteous anger.
Radio, television, and even legacy newspapers rely on eyeballs to attract advertisers.
Anger sells.
So, is this what’s going on in Iowa?
I’ve been to Burlington, DeWitt, Cedar Rapids, and Winterset. I can conclude that challenges can be addressed when community leaders come together to identify problems and meet face-to-face. Not in one meeting, but it’s a beginning.
Vicky Brenner, a retired teacher, ran for the State Senate in 2018 against incumbent Julian Garrett. She lost, but after the election helped create a bi-partisan group to address community problems called Heart and Soul. Laura Bertelson also serves on the Heart and Soul committee.
Brenner found the evening inspiring and said, ‘I needed this.’
Pat Corkrean acknowledged many issues raised and that they should prioritize them and start tackling what they can.
“I like to be positive, proactive,’ he said.
So, what was Des Moines attorney Roxanne Conlin doing at this meeting? Some months ago, she, too, declared she wanted to understand what was going on in ‘my Iowa’ and wanted to go on a tour such as this. When her schedule allows, Roxanne might join us again.
“I truly was inspired,” she said.
Thank you so much to The Madisonian, especially Vicki Minor, editor, and Sue Smith, publisher. By hosting this event, they demonstrate an interest in the area's future and deserve support. As Sue Smith said, they are still working on the business model. Other towns in Iowa have lost their local newspaper, and the folks gathered in Winterset complimented the paper for providing local news and information. A newspaper can be a powerful force in identifying and solving challenges through stories and commentary.
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Debra Engle: A Whole New World, Madison County
Julie Gammack: Julie Gammack’s Iowa Potluck, Des Moines and Okoboji
Joe Geha: Fern and Joe, Ames
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Dana James: New Black Iowa, Des Moines
Kurt Meyer, Showing Up, St. Ansgar
Pat Kinney: View from Cedar Valley, Waterloo
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Robert Leonard: Deep Midwest: Politics and Culture, Bussey
Tar Macias: Hola Iowa, Iowa
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John Naughton: My Life, in Color, Des Moines
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Barry Piatt: Behind the Curtain, Washington, D.C.
Mary Swander: Mary Swander’s Buggy Land, Kalona
Mary Swander: Mary Swander’s Emerging Voices, Kalona
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keep it up Julie!
Terrific column, Julie. As a resident of Madison County, it's great to hear from some of the community leaders this way. You bring out the best in the communities you visit—a perspective we don't always hear. Thank you!