Author: Benji Nichols of Inspire(d) Media

 

Crystal Duffy, Community Developer for the Postville Community Heart and Soul program joins us on this episode to talk about one NE Iowa communities journey through the Heart and Soul framework. 

Postville, a small town of 2,500+ in rural Allamakee County, has been slowly growing for well over a decade as local processing plant jobs and various industries have continued to work to fill out the work force. In recent decades, Postville has actually almost doubled in population as workers have arrived from Guatemala, Mexico, Russia, the Ukraine, Somalia, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, and beyond. Entities like the Postville School District, Public library, and local churches have continued filling gaps to make newcomers feel welcome and find their places – enter the Community Heart and Soul Program.

 

Community Heart & Soul, a national nonprofit organization that, “builds stronger, healthier, and more economically vibrant small cities and towns across the United States through the Community Heart & Soul model – a resident-driven process that engages the entire population of a town in identifying what they love most about their community, what future they want for it, and how to achieve it.”

The idea for Postville to work through the Heart and Soul process originated through the cooperation of the Postville City Council, Allamakee County Economic Development, the Allamakee-Clayton Electric Cooperative, and the nonprofit Our Postville. For the past couple years, the group, led by a community developer, has implemented the four steps of the Community Heart and Soul Process: Imagine, Connect, Plan, and Act.

Developed and field-tested over a decade in partnership with over 120 small cities and towns across America, the national Community Heart & Soul program provides a framework for for supporting communities into the future – with community involvement at the heart of every step.

Join us for this conversation with Postville Community Heart & Soul program manager and community developer Crystal Duffy as we talk about her journey to NE Iowa, as well as Postville’s journey through the Heart & Soul process and into the future. Follow Our Postville Community Heart & Soul on Facebook at www.facebook.com/OurPostvilleCHS.

“Rhymes With Decorah” is a companion project of Inspire(d) Media.

Original music heard in this podcast performed and recorded by Nick Zielinski of Decorah. Find him on Instagram @indicative_of_drumming

 

Located on a stately corner of Broadway and River Street in downtown Decorah is the former home of Adelbert Field Porter (1879 – 1968) and Grace Young Porter (1880 – 1964).  Both single children of early Decorah and NE Iowa business families, Grace and Bert Porter left their home as a Museum of worldly collections that inspire exploration of history, nature, and art. 

Join Museum Docent Erica Reynolds, and Porter House Museum Manager John Reynolds on this episode for an overview of all that the Porter House offers visitors!

“Bert” (as he was more commonly called) was a gentleman naturalist, collector, and photographer who traveled throughout the world in pursuit of butterflies, rocks, and other curiosities.  A man of artistic sensibilities, Bert used his nature collections to create unique “nature art,” for which he became well known during his lifetime. 

At the museum, visitors experience the historic travels, art, and collecting of this naturalist and his wife against the backdrop of Victorian elegance that was their home and heritage.

You can learn about the Porters, their collections, the incredible rock wall surrounding the property, plus another 11 virtual exhibits on the Porter House website as well.

Visit the Porter House Museum at 401 West Broadway in Downtown Decorah, daily from June-August with guided tours at 1pm, 2pm, and 3pm. The Museum is also open weekends in May and September (closed October-April). It is worth mentioning that the grounds are open daily for visitors with no cost – including the incredible rock wall and garden. Visitors are welcome to check ahead at info@porterhousemuseum.org – (563) 382-8465.

Interested adventurers can also support the Porter House by becoming  a member. Group tours are also welcome, but require advance planning and timing due to the historic nature of the museum. Find all the information online https://www.porterhousemuseum.org/ at or on Facebook.

All Photos Courtesy of Porter House Museum

“Rhymes With Decorah” is a companion project of Inspire(d) Media.

Original music heard in this podcast performed and recorded by Nick Zielinski of Decorah. Find him on Instagram @indicative_of_drumming

 

Rhymes With Decorah is back after our fun mini-series of shows from Lansing, Iowa – and what better topic to talk about than the Service of Rotary International and the Decorah Rotary Club! Join Ward Budweg, Brecka Putnam, and Benji for a conversation about Rotary and all that this incredible organization does – Service above Self!

Decorah Rotary Road Cleanup Project 

Rotary is 1.2 million neighbors, friends, and community leaders who are creating positive, lasting change in communities around the world. Rotarians have diverse occupations, cultures, and experiences that give unique perspectives and have a shared passion for service to accomplish remarkable feats. 

Ward Budweg visiting a classroom via Rotary International

Through programs for emerging leaders, Rotary also helps young people get the skills and experience they need to make a real difference in the lives of others. Rotary offers both service clubs and programs to help students and young professionals strengthen their leadership skills, expand their world understanding, and make new friends. 

With clubs in nearly every country, Rotary’s positive impact on communities around the world has never been greater. If you share a passion for creating lasting change, contact the Decorah Rotary to become a member and get involved. 

Decorah Rotary serving hot dogs at a Decorah Communit Event

The Decorah Rotary Club is made up of a great and diverse group of leaders including:

Ward Budweg – President
Phil Iverson & Mike Huinker – Co-Presidents Elect
Kelly Reagan – Sec / Treasure
Jeff Tomlinson – Rotary Foundation
Shannon Duncan – Membership
Brecka Putnam – Club PR Chair

Decorah Rotary’s latest project – the Binzebo Trailhead at Carlson Park in Decorah

Decorah Rotary meetings have two options to fit busy and engaged lifestyles:

– Tuesday at Noon – Decorah VFW – 104 State St – Decorah

– Rotary After Hours – Every Other Thursday 5:30pm – Pulpit Rock Brewery – 207 College Dr

New and interested members are always welcome to just show up to a meeting and find out more. Membership also opens meetings across the world  – It is said that there is a Rotary meeting being held someplace in the world every hour of every day, as there are more than 34,000 Rotary clubs in the world.

Thank you to Decorah Rotary for all that they do in our community and region!

Participants in the Decorah Rotary Trout Run Trail ATV Tours

 

“Rhymes With Decorah” is a companion project of Inspire(d) Media.

Original music heard in this podcast performed and recorded by Nick Zielinski of Decorah. Find him on Instagram @indicative_of_drumming

Sangerfest 2022, Photo: Beth Skogen

Dr. David Judisch, Director of the Luren Singing Society and Director in Chief for the Norwegian Singers Association of America joins us for this episode to talk about Sangerfest – and so much more! 

Sangerfest is a celebration and gathering of Norwegian Singing Societies from across the country that happens every two years in rotating venues across the upper midwest. The 2024 Sangerfest public concert will take place on Saturday, June 8, 2024 at the Luther College CFL in Decorah, Iowa.

Since 1975, Dr. David Judisch has been the director of the Luren Singing Society, based in Decorah, and also serving as Director-in-Chief for the Norwegian Singers Association of America (NSAA) since 1984.

Dr. David & Gail Judisch, Vesterheim, Courtesy Luren Singers

Judisch earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Iowa, and is Professor Emeritus of Music at Luther College where he was Professor of Music, Head of Voice and Opera, and Director of the Dorian Summer Music Camps. He was the recipient of the St. Olaf Medal by Norway’s King, His Majesty, King Harald V in 2016. A Eastern Iowa native, Judisch graduated from Wapsie Valley High School and followed his musical education at the University of Iowa. Under the guidance of professors such as Herald Stark, Judisch found opportunities that lead him to Luther College in the early 1970s. With a young family in tow, David quickly made inroads in the community via friends and coworkers like David Greedy, Weston Noble, and Jack Nelson – who in 1975 recruited him into the Norwegian Singing Society culture.

The Luren Singing Society continues to hold the torch along with a small handful of other groups from across the upper midwest to this great Norwegian-American tradition. The group continues past 155+ years of building community through voice, broadening repertoire, relationships, and membership. Multiple tours of Norway and Scandinavia have been mounted over the years including full ensemble tours in 1969, 1973, 1983, 1993, 2001, 2015, and 2023. The NSAA also featured group ensemble tours in 1995 and 2005, with performances across Scandinavia and Europe. Dr. Judisch recalls several notable concerts in this show, including Temppeliaukio Lutheran Church (Church in the Rock) in Helsinki, and countless performances in Norway. Assistant Director Douglas Poppen has also served the group since 2018.

The Luren Singing Society, Photo By Peterson Photography

We hope you enjoy this fantastic conversation with Dr. David Judisch, celebrating the rich and deep tradition of Norwegian Singing Societies, and the Sangerfest Celebration.

Find out more:
www.lurensingingsociety.com
www.nsaaonline.org

“Rhymes With…” is a companion podcast project of Inspire(d) Media – find us online at www.iloveinspired.com

 

Welsh’s Village Farm & Home, Lansing Iowa – Photo Benji Nichols

Welcome to “Rhymes With Lansing” – a mini-series of podcast shows featuring just a few of the amazing folks that call Lansing, Iowa home. Recorded in the Spring of 2024, these shows represent a snapshot in time of life in one of Iowa’s great, rural, Mississippi River towns. Find the intro show to this series here.

Welsh’s Village Farm & Home was established in 1965 and continues to run as an amazing family owned store on Main Street in Downtown Lansing, Iowa. Rich Welsh continues on the tradition of his Family’s hospitality and service while offering all the basics off rural life – from automotive, lumber, farm, work wear, plumbing, electrical, lawn & garden, outdoor & sporting goods, and more. If they don’t have it – they’ll find it or tell you where to find it! 

While Rick grew up in a large family with many siblings, the store became his life’s work, along with all the things that one has the opportunity to do in a small town – like being a part of the Lansing Volunteer Fire Department, Ambulance Service, and EMS. 

Rick Welsh, Auto Isle – Image Courtesy Main Street Lansing

Along the Way, Welsh’s have also picked up parts of the business that have made sense to provide to the region – like lumber! Part of the secret to the longevity of a store like Welsh’s is not only the fantastic small town service they provide, but also seeing the products that customers are looking for and being willing to carry them. 

Welsh’s Lumber Yard – Image Courtesy Lansing Main Street

Listen in to hear Rick talk about all things Lansing, the many historical pieces that he’s collected over the years, and the benefits of living in a great small town – as well as “Life at 3mph”!

 

Rhymes With Lansing is being made possible by the generous support of the Allamakee Clayton Electric Cooperative and Dairyland Power, with additional support from Allamakee County Economic Development and Tourism. A special thank you to Lansing Office Works for hosting the recording of these shows – find Lansing Works on Main Street for co-working, meeting, and commercial kitchen space –www.lansingofficeworks.com
To find out more about Lansing Iowa – where Main Street meets the Mississippi visit www.lansingiowa.com

“Rhymes With…” is a companion podcast project of Inspire(d) Media – find us online at www.iloveinspired.com

Original music for the “Rhymes With Lansing” series by Benji Nichols. 

Welcome to “Rhymes With Lansing” – a mini-series of podcast shows featuring just a few of the amazing folks that call Lansing, Iowa home. Recorded in the Spring of 2024, these shows represent a snapshot in time of life in one of Iowa’s great, rural, Mississippi River towns. Find the intro show to this series here.

Melissa & Nick Hammell are both business owners (and spouses!) on Main Street in Downtown Lansing, Iowa – and so much more. Melissa started Simply Salon several years ago, now located in the same building, above The Safe House Saloon, which Nick runs alongside a crew of craft beer and pizza slingers. 

As anyone that has lived in a small town can tell you (population 951 at last count…) being a part of the community means wearing a lot of different “hats”. And my, the hats that Melissa and Nick wear and have worn! From being parents, to running 2 businesses, to being mayor (!), volunteering with the Fire Department, and more. This couple knows what it means to be part of their community. But the best part about small town life – you can be a part of the community too! Listen in to hear about life in Lansing – on this episode of “Rhymes With Lansing”!

 

 

 

 

Photo Courtesy of Walking Space

Welcome to “Rhymes With Lansing” – a mini-series of podcast shows featuring just a few of the amazing folks that call Lansing, Iowa home. Recorded in the Spring of 2024, these shows represent a snapshot in time of life in one of Iowa’s great, rural, Mississippi River towns. Find the intro show to this series here.

Andrew Boddicker is the Executive Director of Main Street Lansing, as well as owner of Walking Space – which provides opportunities for long distance walking retreats in the Driftless Region. 

On this show we talk all things Lansing, Iowa – “Where Main Street Meets the Mississippi”. Lansing continues to be a lively, creative, rural town in the very NE Corner of Iowa – just across the river from La Crosse, WI and mere miles from the Minnesota state line. 

Main Streets Lansing provides a framework for the town to continue finding paths forward to flourish on several fronts – from physical improvements, to funding opportunities, helping connect volunteers with projects, and so much more. 

Andrew and his husband Ian Zahren have lived in Lansing for several years, chaired Lansing’s RAGBRAI end host committee, both taught public education, and dedicated years to rural Iowa and beyond. 

Check it all out and listen to the entire conversation – then go visit Lansing, Iowa – one of Iowa’s best kept River Town secrets! 

Rhymes With Lansing is being made possible by the generous support of the Allamakee Clayton Electric Cooperative and Dairyland Power, with additional support from Allamakee County Economic Development and Tourism. A special thank you to Lansing Office Works for hosting the recording of these shows – find Lansing Works on Main Street for co-working, meeting, and commercial kitchen space –www.lansingofficeworks.com
To find out more about Lansing Iowa – where Main Street meets the Mississippi visit www.lansingiowa.com

“Rhymes With…” is a companion podcast project of Inspire(d) Media – find us online at www.iloveinspired.com

Original music for the “Rhymes With Lansing” series by Benji Nichols. 

Erin Cubbon, Naturalist, Allamakee Co Conservation

Welcome to “Rhymes With Lansing” – a mini-series of podcast shows featuring just a few of the amazing folks that call Lansing, Iowa home. Recorded in the Spring of 2024, these shows represent a snapshot in time of life in one of Iowa’s great, rural, Mississippi River towns. Find the intro show to this series here.

Driftless Area Education & Visitor Center

Erin Cubbon is a naturalist for Allamakee County Conservation, based out of the amazing Driftless Area Education & Visitor Center, on the south end of Lansing. Join us to hear her tails of critters, rivers, and culture from the Upper Mississippi River Valley (and beyond!). 

Better yet, catch Erin in action at the Driftless Visitors Center – or hear the many tales -and tails- from working with students young (and young at heart) from across the region via educational opportunities. 

Check it all out and listen to the entire conversation – then go visit Lansing, Iowa – one of Iowa’s best kept River Town secrets! (Did we mention the Driftless Visitors Center is FREE!?)

Rhymes With Lansing is being made possible by the generous support of the Allamakee Clayton Electric Cooperative and Dairyland Power, with additional support from Allamakee County Economic Development and Tourism. A special thank you to Lansing Office Works for hosting the recording of these shows – find Lansing Works on Main Street for co-working, meeting, and commercial kitchen space –www.lansingofficeworks.com
To find out more about Lansing Iowa – where Main Street meets the Mississippi visit www.lansingiowa.com

“Rhymes With…” is a companion podcast project of Inspire(d) Media – find us online at www.iloveinspired.com

Original music for the “Rhymes With Lansing” series by Benji Nichols. 

Baby Rattle Snakes at the Driftless Visitors Center in Lansing, Iowa!
(No, really, they’re adorable!)

 

 

Maryann Baldwin, Lansing Entrepreneur

Welcome to “Rhymes With Lansing” – a mini-series of podcast shows featuring just a few of the amazing folks that call Lansing, Iowa home. Recorded in the Spring of 2024, these shows represent a snapshot in time of life in one of Iowa’s great, rural, Mississippi River towns. Find the intro show to this series here.

Maryann Baldwinn’s story is one of building community and seeing opportunities when they’ve presented themselves. From an early background in broadcasting, a career in media and marketing took her across the country – until she and her husband found the Lansing area in 2013.

Her work in mentoring local entrepreneurs, supporting city and community agencies, volunteering on boards like Main Street Lansing, and running the coworking space, Lansing Office Works (or “The Works” as it’s known) shows just a few of the gifts that she shares with her community.  

Maryann and Benji recording at Lansing Office Works, April 2024

In a Community Builder feature from the “Summer 2022” issue of Inspire(d) Magazine, Maryann says “The way I see it, I’ve just created a garden. I provide the sunlight and fertilizer and water, and then I stand back and let it happen. Everything is connected, and it’s so fun to watch things grow.”

Grow, indeed – as Maryann continues to help along the next generation of entrepreneurs, business owners, and community leaders in Lansing and the greater area. Find out more or get details on how you can use the Lansing Office Works coworking space on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis (or rent their commercial kitchen!). A huge thanks goes out to Maryann for hosting us at Lansing Office Works to record this series of shows. 

Rhymes With Lansing is being made possible by the generous support of the Allamakee Clayton Electric Cooperative and Dairyland Power, with additional support from Allamakee County Economic Development and Tourism. A special thank you to Lansing Office Works for hosting the recording of these shows – find Lansing Works on Main Street for co-working, meeting, and commercial kitchen space –www.lansingofficeworks.com
To find out more about Lansing Iowa – where Main Street meets the Mississippi visit www.lansingiowa.com

“Rhymes With…” is a companion podcast project of Inspire(d) Media – find us online at www.iloveinspired.com

Original music for the “Rhymes With Lansing” series by Benji Nichols. 

 

 

Lansing, Iowa – Courtesy, Driftless Visitors Center

Welcome to a special mini-series of shows we’re calling “Rhymes With Lansing” – bringing you stories from “where Main Street meets the Mississippi” in Iowa’s very NE Corner. Located in Allamakee County, Lansing is a town of almost 1,000 people ideally tucked into a wooded valley along the Mississippi River. 

Photo Courtesy of Main Street Lansing

On this show, we introduce the series, take a walk around town to meet a few local business owners, and hear a little bit about what makes this small town such a unique place. 

Horsfall’s Variety – Lansing, Iowa – Photo Benji Nichols

Special guests heard on this introduction episode include:

Paul Horsfall Jr – Horsfall’s Variety
Dave Jansen – Lansing Hardware
Wendi Wilson-Eiden – Coffee on the River
Stan Fullerton – Lansing Transplant
Jeni Grouws – Musician, Avey/Grouws Band

Thee OP, Lansing Iowa – Photo, Benji Nichols

Join us as we roll out five new “Rhymes With Lansing” shows in the coming weeks – and better yet, start planning your trip at www.lansingiowa.com

Coffee On The River – Lansing, Iowa

Rhymes With Lansing is being made possible by the generous support of the Allamakee Clayton Electric Cooperative and Dairyland Power, with additional support from Allamakee County Economic Development and Tourism. A special thank you to Lansing Office Works for hosting the recording of these shows – find Lansing Works on Main Street for co-working, meeting, and commercial kitchen space –www.lansingofficeworks.com
To find out more about Lansing Iowa – where Main Street meets the Mississippi visit www.lansingiowa.com

“Rhymes With…” is a companion podcast project of Inspire(d) Media – find us online at www.iloveinspired.com

Original music for the “Rhymes With Lansing” series by Benji Nichols.