Hawkeye Nation

On Fridays, we talk about community.  Such a comforting word—community.  The warm, fuzzy feeling of belonging somewhere.  I am lucky enough to feel a part of many different communities, many of which I have mentioned on this blog (my family, my friends, etc.).  But there is one community I have not mentioned yet:  the HAWKEYE community.

We are a die-hard, close-knit, fun-loving community.  We wake up on game day and open our closets and dressers to reveal a sea of black, gold, gray, white, yellow...and LOTS of Herky the Hawk.  We “suit up”, we grab our favorite people and our favorite drinks (Cherry Pepsi is my tailgating beverage of choice), and we settle in for the win.  Or sometimes the loss.  But either way, you can hear near and far… “we’re gonna fight, fight, fight for IOWA!”

And last week in particular, the fight song was running through my head.  Why, you ask?  Because my cousin made the ill-informed choice to marry a non-Hawkeye fan…in fact, a Michigan State fan.  And so the day of the Hawkeye-Spartan match up is anxiously awaited by me and Ryan (her husband).  Last year, amidst all of his smack-talk and all of his puke-green Michigan State clothes, I sat on the couch next to him as the Hawkeyes won. Sweet, sweet victory.

This year, last Saturday to be exact, I woke up with a smile on my face, a good feeling inside.  I put on my Hawkeye gear, head to toe, and then one by one I dressed each of my kids in black and gold. (Side note: win or lose, there is nothing as cute as my little baby girl in her Hawkeye tutu). We settled in on the couch at my grandma’s house, sans Ryan (I think last year’s teasing on my part was too much for him..he didn’t even show up this year), and rooted for our beloved Hawks.

It looked like it could go either way…there were a couple nail-biting moments, and jump-off-the-couch moments.  And then it went into overtime.  And then it went into a second overtime.  Seriously, my heart was pounding out of my chest. When we won, I almost didn’t believe it for a second…but we did! We won again! I immediately texted Ryan (among some of my other, Hawkeye-loving friends). He never responded.  In fact, I haven’t heard from him since then…hmm…

Anyhow, like I said, win or lose, we bleed black and gold in this house.  Always have, always will. My boys know all the words to the fight song (ask anyone at Walmart…they have heard it loud and clear in the carts, in the bathroom stall, just about everywhere…) and soon my girl will be singing it along with them.  Last week we won, and for me it was an even better win because of the inner-family rivalry.  But this week we lost, and we lost bad. But we are no fair-weather fans.

GO HAWKS.

Summer Challenge!

Who doesn't love a good challenge, right? :) It's a proven fact that people achieve their goals, challenges, etc. much faster and more efficiently if they are working towards the goal with a friend, or two friends, or lots of friends. And so today I'm posing a challenge to all of you, but it's actually coming from my own goals. As I've mentioned before, I grew up in this community, but I feel like I could really get out there and do more to be involved and to be more familiar with our city and the surrounding area.

Here's the deal...I am challenging myself to do 10 things this summer (AKA before my baby arrives!) that will get me and my family more acquainted with our lovely hometown. My challenge to you is to do the same--not necessarily the same 10 things, but I challenge you to get out of your comfort zone, to pay more attention to the people in your daily life, and to grow to love your community!

Sara's Summer Challenge:

1. Get to know my neighbors. Do any of you have neighbors that you've never even talked to? We do, too. We have lived in our house for two years now, and we've only gotten together with our neighbors once. This should change! I'm challenging myself to invite some of them over for dinner...at least one time before the summer is up!

2. Visit the library. Now, this is something my boys and I already do, but I know we could do it more, and I really want them to love their library (remember the great post from my Aunt Kathy about loving your library?!). I'm challenging us to go to story time, check out some more books, and see what else the local libraries have to offer this summer.

3. Go to some new parks. I say "some" instead of a number, because I know this will be an easy challenge for us. My boys love the park--any park. A while back, a friend posted on the Quad City Moms Blog about some of our great local parks (www.quadcitymomsblog.com), and there were a couple on the list that we haven't visited. Those will be our first priority! Who doesn't love a good afternoon at the park? With or without kids, our local parks are something we really should not take for granted.

4. Buy local. If you know me, you know where I shop: Wal-Mart. And that's about it. Sad to say, but the main reason I do that is because it's easier--one stop shopping, as they say. However, in the summer when I'm not working, I'm really going to try and put some of my money into our local economy. The Farmer's Market, for example, is a great opportunity to see some of the wonderful local vendors and to support them in their endeavors. Small business owning is one of the hardest jobs on earth, and we as customers should keep that in mind! We have been to the market a couple times this summer, and I'd also like to find time to visit some of our local shops, bakeries, etc.

5. Eat out. This is something that Matt and I rarely do, and I'm actually OK with that. But, at the same time, I feel like we are so out of the loop about our town. When people are visiting and they ask us for suggestions for dinner, we only have a couple good answers, because we only go to the same couple places every time we get out of the house! I hope that this summer we can find the time to visit a couple restaurants that we haven't visited before...it's a great way to see a new side of the community, to interact with people, and of course to eat good food!

6. Go to church. It seems like so many people miss out on church during the summer months. It's a busy time for families, and we aren't in as much of a routine as we are during the "school year" (even if we aren't in school it seems!). I will admit to this myself, too. But my challenge to myself is to change that...my boys love going to Sabbath School, and it's my job to get them there. And it's another good way to keep connected with people in our community as well.

7. Visit some tourist sites. This is a good challenge to give ourselves, because we don't often visit the tourist sites in our own towns, for obvious reasons. But why not check them out? By doing so, we can teach our little ones about their home town, and most likely learn a little bit ourselves, too. And again, going to these places and supporting them financially only adds to our communities.

8. Pay it forward. After buying local and visiting some parks and tourist sites, I really want to focus on passing the word along and sharing our experiences with others. Obviously, my way of doing that is this blog! But if you are doing this challenge with me, just share with your friends when you talk to them...tell them the places you've been, why you liked them, etc. You just never know how much business you might be sending to a small business owner in your area, and they would really appreciate that!

9. Make the blog more interactive. Again, if you don't have a blog, this probably doesn't pertain to you. (Although you could make yourself a challenge to start a blog!) Anyhow...I'd really like to start hearing more feedback from all of the great people who have been reading this blog. I'd like to do some surveys, some interactive posts with your comments, etc. So if you are reading this today...post a comment! Either on here or on our facebook page (search for "The Good" on Facebook). Hearing from all of you is the most rewarding part of doing this blog...plus we are forming our own little community here at "The Good", and I think it's a great community to be a part of!

10. Take a different route. I'm ending with a super easy challenge, to make us feel like we really can accomplish all of this! :) This last challenge is to take a different route--to work, to church, to the grocery store. Instead of taking the same streets you always take, force yourself to make a couple turns, to "take the scenic route" (even if it's not even that scenic!) I want to do this challenge for a couple reasons...the first, is obviously related to the community. It's amazing how many parts of our own city we have never seen...I've learned that through garage-saling! :) Another reason I want to "take a different route" is that I've read it can really help our brains and strengthen them against dementia, Alzheimer's, etc. Always taking the same route and following the same routine can make us unaware of our surroundings, which brings me to the last reason I want to do challenge #10...it's scary to even think of, but we hear those stories about moms (or dads) who drive to work and forget that their kids are in the backseat. When you hear the story, you think "how could anyone ever do that?" But I am the first to admit, there was one day this year when I had my boys in the back seat and instead of turning on the road to my aunt's daycare, I kept right on driving towards work. I made it about 5 or 6 minutes down the road before I realized, and when I did, I was scared to death. Not to end the challenge on a bad note, but let's just start taking a different route, keeping our brains active! :)

Think you can complete your own list of summer challenges? Make them to fit your life. Maybe you are already involved in your community, and you feel the need to focus on a different area of your life. I'm sure I could make 100 lists of challenges and still need to do more! But for now I'm starting with this, and so for our Friday "look for the good in your community", take the time to make a list of things you could do in your own corner of the world, and challenge yourself to complete it! And please...keep me posted on your progress! You know I will be updating you on mine!

Happy Friday!

Community Spotlight: The Wilton Candy Kitchen

As I might have mentioned before, Matt and I bought our first house in 2008, just after finding out that I was pregnant with our first son.  Our house was in Wilton, Iowa—a city where neither of us had even been to before deciding that we would like to live in between our family (in Davenport) and our jobs (in Iowa City).  After growing up in Davenport, then living in Iowa City (and even Seville, Spain for 6 months!), it was quite a change to reside in Wilton—population approximately only 2800! (To put it in perspective, our high school  in Davenport had a population of about 2100…ha!)  Needless to say, Wilton and I did not have a happily ever after…but, it is a very friendly little town, and there were some things we really enjoyed about living there.  While I was pregnant, we enjoyed quiet, beautiful walks through the town (yes, through the entire town…lol), and I really liked the feel of the little downtown area.  In particular, the Wilton Candy Kitchen.

Mommy and Sam (only 10 months old then!) at the Candy Kitchen

As I said, we had never even been to Wilton, so we didn’t know anything about the Candy Kitchen before we moved there.  Then one Sunday we decided to go check it out…I’ve always loved little family-run places like this one.  And when we found out just how “family” it was, we were shocked! The history of The Wilton Candy Kitchen is amazing! In fact, when I turned on Internet Explorer about a month ago, the first thing that came across on MSN news was a picture of it!  Believe it or not, this cute little place in tiny little Wilton, Iowa is the oldest ongoing ice-cream parlor/soda fountain in the world.  Yes, you read it right…in the world!  They have been serving visitors for 150 years, and it has been owned by the Nopoulos family for 100 years now.  AMAZING!  Here is a little bit of the history from their website (www.wiltoncandykitchen.com):

Candy Kitchen, circa 1910

The building of the Wilton Candy Kitchen was constructed in 1856, before the Civil War, and is the oldest building in Wilton Iowa, surviving three major fires downtown. It served as a Confectionery Ice Cream Parlor Soda Fountain in the early years, founded by R.A. McIntyre in 1860, and shared the buiding with the U.S. Post Office from 1877-1893.

In 1910, Greek immigrant Gus Nopoulos traveled to Wilton from Davenport, Iowa, with a friend. They were going to attend what was then the Wilton Fair, and it was there that his friend pointed out the recently closed confectionery store in downtown Wilton with "the Tufts Soda Fountain, and all the fixtures in tact."

Subsequently, on June 10th, 1910, Gus G. Nopoulos started living the American Dream as he reopened the doors of the Candy Kitchen. Little did he know that first day the doors would stay open seven days a week, 365 days a year for the next 100 years. That first day, William Taft was President, women couldn't vote, and the Wright Brothers were still trying to sell their first airplane to the US Army.

Gus Nopoulos, 1983

Gus Nopoulos married a girl from Wilton Junction, Frankie Mildred Hudler, who assisted him in the business and raised their two sons, George and Leo. The entire family worked to run the store and all the candy, chocolate, and ice cream was made in house.The Candy Kitchen survived the Great Depression intact and the candy and chocolate making continued up until World War II, when sugar and chocolate became scarce due to the war effort and sons George and Leo left to serve their country.

Many years and decades then flew by, with son George taking over duties at the Candy Kitchen after returning home from the War. Leo moved on to open his own ice cream parlor in central Iowa, later attending law school and becoming a sucessful lawyer. In 1949, George married Thelma Sorteros, a dish washer employed at the Candy Kitchen since she was 10 and the daughter of another Greek imigrant, Peter Sorteros. The two met working behind the soda fountain and with both fathers being from Europe, the matchmaking was inevitable. They fell in love and after marriage, the couple has run the Candy Kitchen together ever since. They raised four children, Gus, Peter, Nic, and Peggy, who carried on the tradition a third generation by working in the parlor as they grew up.

Dr. Gus, Dr. Peter, Nic, Thelma, George, and Peggy - 1991

For over 100 years, the Nopoulos family has seen the Candy Kitchen be a favorite after school or work stop for students and adults alike. Babies become teenagers, teenagers become parents, parents become grandparents, and each succeeding generation continues the tradition of cherry Cokes and grilled combo sandwiches. Today, the seventh generation of patrons still has the Candy Kitchen to call home, just as their grandparents did, and George and Thelma are still working 7 days a week behind the marble soda fountain serving visitors from in the town and around the United States.

In 1993, the Wilton Candy Kitchen was inducted in to the National Register of Historic Places. At a 2001 Wilton City council meeting, George and Thelma were presented with a plaque, having been voted the "First Official Lifetime Ambassadors for the City of Wilton, Iowa," and they were the Grand Marshals of the 2003 Wilton Founder's Day Parade. They celebrated their 60th wedding aniversary with an open house in in 2009, and in 2010 George celebrated his 90th birthday with a celebration. George and Thelma also donated over $137,000 to help match funds for the construction of the Wilton Community center, and in 2010, the Candy Kitchen itself also celebrated 150 years of business from 1860-2010 and 100 years of being in the Nopoulos family.

…wow, what a story! It really is amazing what we can find in our own communities, if we just take the time to explore and find out the stories.  That’s the part I love—the stories.  And of course, the ice cream makes it even better! J

Love Where You Live

I am a true Quad-Citian.  My parents were raised in Davenport, I was born in Davenport, I grew up in Davenport, and after 5 years away during college, I moved back (with my husband, who was also born and grew up in Davenport!).

However, I hate to admit this, but I feel like I’ve never really gotten to know Davenport.  I mean, yes, I have a lot of childhood memories in this town, and there are parts of the city that really have significance for me.  But we were never big on “community” activities…we rarely went to any concerts/events downtown, we didn’t join any city councils or go to any town hall meetings, and I rarely even watched the local news.

But……I am currently in the process of changing this! I promise!  And I have to give credit where credit is due.  A big factor in my community-awareness “awakening” has been the Quad City Moms Blog (www.quadcitymomsblog.com).  This wonderful group of local moms, founded (in part) by a friend of mine from high school (Miss Camye Halvorson), has grown to be quite an institution around these parts!  Shortly after starting the blog, Camye and her co-founder Erin asked me to join a group of 10 moms who would regularly be contributing writers to the blog.  As a life-long writer, and mommy of 2 little ones (at the time), I was glad to participate!  However, I didn’t know just how much I would enjoy this new adventure!

Writing for the Moms Blog has led me to meet an amazing group of moms, and the best part is that they all live right here in the Quad Cities!  (Even though I’m from here and a lot of our close friends live nearby, not many of them have children yet, so I was eager to meet some fellow mommies!)  I have immensely enjoyed being a part of what Camye and Erin have started in our community. 

We recently held our first Mama’s Market in downtown Davenport, an opportunity for local moms to promote and sell their hand-crafted and home-based businesses.  What a great opportunity for all of us entrepreneur mommies (you can check out my personalized baby blankies at www.justduckieblankies.blogspot.com , just thought I would throw that out there….), and we had an amazing turn out!  Such a great response from a great community!  Along with great events, the Moms Blog is a daily reminder for all of us moms, both locally and nationally, that we are all living a similar experience, and that there really is someone out there who knows what we are going through.  It’s so inspiring!

And so,I have now become more involved, and more interested, in my local community.  So interested, in fact, that one day a week we will be celebrating it in this “Look for the good in your community” section!  But no worries, if you are reading my blog and you do not live in the Quad Cities, I have not forgotten you!  I plan to do lots of research into finding the best activities for any community you may live in, and how to both enjoy and give back to the city in which you live. 

For example, next Friday’s post about community will be from a very special guest-blogger, my aunt Kathy, who lives in Massachusetts.  She will be sharing her piece on why she loves her local library, which is a great asset to any community (who doesn’t love the library?!).

In the meantime, what do you love most about your community, whether it be here in the Quad-Cities, your hometown, or a community you have lived in at another time in your life?  And what are your best tips to get involved and give back to the community?