The HO gauge replica of the Fourth Street tracks running through downtown Cedar Rapids, circa 1954, has taken shape once again, this time in Dave Lodge’s Cedar Rapids basement. And this time with the help of primary builder Don Lodge of Atlanta, Ga., who grew up in Cedar Rapids in the ’40s and ’50s. (See today’s Ramblin’ [...]
Posts Tagged as ‘Cedar Rapids’
July 20, 2009
Man On The Moon Memories
Eastern Iowan seemed to be everywhere, from Vietnam to South Dakota, from Germany to Alaska, from Nicaragua to Canada, when Apollo 11 landed on the moon July 20, 1969.
For the 40th anniversary of this great achievement, I asked them to send me their recollections of where they were and how they watched Neil Armstrong become the [...]
July 15, 2009
Studebakers Invade CR
Everywhere you look in Cedar Rapids this week, you’ll probably see a Studebaker cruising somewhere, even though they haven’t been made since 1966. Nearly 500 of them are here for the 45th annual Studekaer Drivers Club International Meet, the first time it’s been held in Iowa. Last year it was held in Lancaster, Pa., and [...]
June 17, 2009
Military Convoy In CR – 1919
Today’s Ramblin’ column in The Gazette provides a simple contrast between the original 1919 First Army Transcontinental Motor Convoy and the Military Vehicle Preservation Association 2009 Transcontinental Motor Convoy that is slated to arrive in Cedar Rapids this Sunday.
In researching the 1919 convoy, I found some interesting stories in The Evening Gazettes of July 23 and [...]
June 15, 2009
What A Year With Reinert Brothers
On May 25, 2008, Tom Reinert and his family lost their Parkersburg home to a tornado.
On June 12, 2008, Mike Reinert and his family lost their Cedar Rapids house to the flood.
Since then, I’ve followed the brothers, who grew up in Elkader, in their recovery efforts in The Gazette. (Today’s is the 9th and last installment [...]
June 10, 2009
A Year After The Flood
While some folks might wonder why we’d celebrate the first anniversary of a flood that devastated so much of Cedar Rapids as well as Eastern Iowa, Duane Wood, publisher of WDG Communications, doesn’t have to wonder. While many people are still recovering, plenty of other people want to remember.
Duane (left), has published a new book, ”One Week [...]
June 8, 2009
Geneva Tower After The Flood
Geneva Tower, the 12-story HUD project built in downtown Cedar Rapids in 1971, has always fascinated me. That’s why I enjoyed touring it with administrator Bob Hagarty as my guide for today’s Ramblin’ column in The Gazette for a report a year after the Flood of 2008.
Virtually a city unto itself, it has 183 efficiency and one-bedroom [...]
May 25, 2009
Parkersburg A Year After Tornado
An amazing sight in Iowa these days is the quick recovery of Parkersburg a year after a tornado destroyed nearly 300 homes.
I’ve been following the family of Tom Reinert (left) because he and his brother, Mike, faced similar tragedies. After Tom’s family lost their Parkersburg home to the tornado on May 25, Mike and his [...]
May 22, 2009
What A Shame: Mexican Artist Forced to Leave Cedar Rapids
I was so disappointed to learn this week that Mexican artist Leonardo Torcuato and his family must return to Mexico by June 4. It’s hardly enough time to say goodbye. (See today’s Ramblin’ column in The Gazette.)
I first told you about this possiblity in February and am updating my Feb. 11 post here:
People like Leonardo make Cedar [...]
May 18, 2009
I Never Thought of That …
The title of Anita Barta’s book (I Never Thought of That …) as pointed out in today’s Ramblin’ column in The Gazette came from the prompts she used to give her students at the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse. She gave them a “prompt” and had them write out their answers on a piece [...]
