September 2006 - Posts
Nicole
I told a friend who recently moved here from out of state that I was headed to Oktoberfest in Amana - specifically, to Millstream Brewery to ask people about their favorite kind of beer. "I didn't know the Amish drank," he said. "They don't," I replied. "The Amish live in Kalona, not Amana."
My friend isn't the only person mixing this up. Teresa Albert, a Homestead resident who owns the brewery, says it happens all the time. "I don't know how we can get it through people's heads, but we just keep telling them," she said with a laugh.
Albert tells me that the Amana Colonies were settled 151 years ago by a group of Germans who broke off from the Lutheran church. They called themselves the Inspirationists, and their settlement was "the Community of True Inspiration," a.k.a "The Amana Society."
Today, though, aside from the cool historic architecture of the shops and restaurants, the colonies are a modern community. Residents use electricity, allow people to take their photographs and travel in cars, not buggies. And, unlike the Amish, they have beer. (Millstream brewed 100 barrels of its seasonal Oktoberfest this year, and each barrel holds 31 gallons of beer. They expected to go through a whopping 40 to 60 barrels of beer over the weekend.)
Albert's theory on the confusion that Amana sort of sounds like Amish. I'm sure having the "Am" in common is a lot of it, but I also think it has to do with artisan aspect of both communities. The Amish are known for their quality workmanship when it comes to building things and quilting, and people associate Amana with hand-crafted goods, like Amana furniture or blankets and clothing from the woolen mill. Plus, both places sell great cheese, jellies and other tasty homemade foods.
I found another theory online, at www.amanacolonies.com. The writer attributes the confusion to the fact that the Amish and Amana's founders settled 50 miles from one another in roughly the same time period, 1846 and 1855, respectively. Their religious beliefs were different - conservative in Kalona, more liberal in Amana - but both groups spoke dialects of German.
Well, that's enough history for a Saturday. I'm off to watch the Hawks.
Check out On the Street in Monday's Gazette to see what Oktoberfest attendees consider their favorite beer.
And tune in next week, when co-host Carly Weber will be at Pumpkinfest in Anamosa. Oh, great . . . Anamosa. Now don't get THAT confused with Amana and Amish.
My mother's family is a little bit of English and Irish. As far as I know, there's no one in our family from neighboring Scotland. But, I have to admit growing up I was always a little envious of the Scots. With their bagpipes, kilts and highland games - they seem to have all the fun.
So, I was looking forward to hitting the CelticFest at Ushers Ferry Saturday. And the festival didn't disappoint. Scots and would-be Scots turned out in spades. Many men, women and children wore kilts. Bagpipe music welcomed me as I walked into the festival. The whole atmosphere was festive. And, though I didn't get to sample it, the food must have been good. Lines were long at the festivals main food stand. I'd like to think they were in line for the haggis and meat pies. But, maybe it was the hamburgers. I did grab an orange and cranberry scone on my way out. It was perfect. Not doughy, not too dry.
My favorite part of the event, by far, was the highland games. More than a dozen men (and one woman) tossed stones - not the preformed shot puts, but BIG rocks - cabers and something called a sheaf. It was fascinating to see the technique. The stones, for example, were launched after the thrower brought the stone to rest in the nook between their neck and shoulder. Those I talked to said they got into the sport after watching the participants at an event just like Saturdays. There are at least half a dozen opportunities to compete just in Iowa. There's even bigger competitions elsewhere in the country and the world.
Next week Nicole will be hanging out with people sampling the finest from another part of the world. She'll be at Oktoberfest in the Amana Colonies. Go check it out!
Yeah, I know. I told you last week I'd be at the Saturday Night Free Movie Series tonight. The movie was "Pirates of the Caribbean," and my plan was to ask people what their pirate name would be. That didn't work out so well because when I arrived at the University of Iowa Pentacrest a half-hour before the movie series festivities were supposed to kick off, only about nine people were there. I waited around until almost 7, and the crowd was still slim - probably because everyone was busy celebrating after the big football game. It was getting dark and I had to get my On the Street photos taken before it was pitch black out, so I went with Plan B: Ask fans how they think the Hawks played.
As I wandered through the Ped Mall doing interviews, I wished I had video camera to capture drunk moments. I probably could've won big bucks on "America's Funniest Home Videos." Here's what happened:
While I talked with a fan in front of the Sheraton, a drunk guy galloped through the "Weatherdance Fountain." Apparently his pants were a little too loose, and the water made them a little too heavy, because they fell down, causing him to moon everyone. Oops. Bet he wishes he would have worn a belt. Also at the fountain, another fan decided to lay down on the ground so part of the fountain spurted up between his legs, so it looked like he was urinating. He got about two laughs from his friends, but mostly people just stared and shook their heads. Hopefully he had a change of clothes stashed somewhere so he didn't have to spend the night milling around in drawers that were soaked in all the wrong places.
I wrapped up my interviews and decided to grab a gyro on my way back to the office. As I waited in line, a guy with a glazed-over look in his eyes stepped around me and walked behind the vendor's cart. At first I thought he worked there, because walked straight behind the cart and appeared to be helping himself to the pita bread. Well, he didn't work there, and the cook gave him a light push to keep him from getting burned by the hot cart. The guy was so tipsy that the light push caused him to topple over a stack of boxes, into a tree planter. The cook apologized because he didn't mean to knock the guy down, and reiterated that customers couldn't be back there. The would-be pita thief didn't seem a bit phased. I'm willing to bet he won't even remember it tomorrow.
It was a challenge, but luckily I found enough sober, or close-to-sober people to give their take on the Hawks' performance. You can read what they had to say in Monday's Gazette.
Carly Weber will be your host next week. You'll have to wait and see what the event is - we're still debating between a few options.
Nicole
This year marks my sixth summer in Iowa City, and I must say that the people I interviewed tonight about "What's best about summer in Iowa City?" were right on the mark.
You can read their answers in Monday's paper, but here's a sneak peek:
They told me they love the free cultural events, like the Friday Night Concert Series. Tonight, a huge crowd showed up to hear the Iowa City band Euforquestra's eclectic "Afro-Caribbean-Barnyard-Funk" music. The band caught everyone's attention by marching in through the Ped Mall, dressed completely in white, playing percussion instruments. For a second, I thought they were chefs making music with pots and pans.
The crowd was a wonderful melting pot of students, families, senior citizens, people with disabilities and people of various ethnic backgrounds. Some grooved in front of the Sheraton Hotel on the "Weatherdance Fountain" (which was turned off, of course). Others parked on benches or stairs, or let their kids burn off energy on the playground equipment by the library.
As I took it all in, I thought, 'How lucky are we to have an event like this every Friday night in the summer - especially when it's FREE?' (There's no admission, although I must say it's tempting to drop a few bucks to enjoy the music from the outdoor seating of one at one of the many downtown restaurants, or at least to buy tasty snack, like a George's Gyro, a Marco's Grilled Cheese or a Pop's Italian Beef, from the vendors.)
Another popular answer about what's great about Iowa City summers: the calmness. I'm thrilled to live in a college town (or near it, as I do now) that's packed with educated professionals, talent, fresh ideas and vibrant young people. The university makes the town tick. But summer's a nice break from the frenzy. Iowa City doesn't shut down, but it's a different place. Parking spots are easier to come by. Bars and restaurants are less crowded. You notice more "locals" out and about.
Speaking of out and about, I'll be in Iowa City again next weekend at the Saturday Night Free Movie Series. The movie: "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl." Hope to see you there!
So, I have to admit this was my first time ever at Hawkeye Downs. Well, except for that time I covered a fair there. But, Friday night at the Keith Fleck Miller 100 Race was the first time I came for the races. Which brings me to my second and third confession. I don't know much about racing and I was actually surprised by how loud it really is there.
But, my two-year-old, who is a big fan of the Disney Pixar movie "Cars" couldn't have been more excited to see real live racing cars. We bought him a checkered flag and he was dancing around waving it when he saw the race officials do the same. So, it wasn't long before his excitement and that of the other fans rubbed off on me. At events like this, the adrenaline is catching.
It was a nice night to be at the speedway with cool breezes and clear skies. I was impressed by the fan's too. They were there for the long haul. A few people were already milling around when I went to check things out at 4:30 p.m., five hours before the main event even started. And, when we came back two and a half hours before the 9:30 p.m. start time, the stands were nearly full.
And with a lot of local favorites as well as locals out on the tracks, it was an appropriate night to ask fans what they thought makes being a race car driver such a cool job? I was expecting a lot of answers about how fast you get to drive. But, people surprised me. My favorite was the woman who pointed out that the camraderie in the stands and on the tracks was the coolest part of the jobs. Whether you drive stock cars or hobby cars, all the drivers treat each other with respect, she said. What's not to love about that?
Next week, co-host Nicole Riehl will be on the Ped Mall in Iowa City for the free summer concert series asking people what the best or most memorable thing was about their summer in Iowa City. Euforquestra, an eclectic world-beat ensemble from Iowa City, will take the stage for one of the last concerts of the summer series. Go check it out.