REVIEW 3100! Like my…read moreDad, I'm a bit of a history buff, especially when it concerns WWII Internment Camps. I've been humbled at both the old Nazi Concentration Camp at Dachau (near Munich) and Manzanar, where American Citizens of Japanese origin were sent when the fear of enemy aliens were at its peak. Another twist on this theme is the Camp Algona POW Camp, which was "home" for 10,000 German prisoners from April 1944 - February 1946. There were also many branch camps throughout the Midwest. These prisoners also worked for local farmers and light industry, and contributed about $4 Million to the various associated economies at that time. Camp Algona is long gone and was located where the airport is now. It consisted of 287 acres and was initially built by Italian POWs. Soon after the Camp was built, Italy surrendered, and those happy POWs wisely chose to stick around rather than being sent back to Europe. The Germans came soon after and with the Geneva Conventions rigorously applied. On our recent drive from Ames to Spirit Lake, I prevailed on Gayle and the Kid to stop at the Camp Algona POW Museum. It was a typical hot and humid Iowa day, and all they wanted to do was get to the Lake and cool down. I also remember Gayle giving me the "evil eye" as we paid the modest admission charge and the Docent began a long (and very informative) history of the Camp. By the time we left an hour later, everyone was better educated, impressed, and grateful that I dragged them here. The Museum is basically divided in thirds. On the left side is Camp related information, including various interesting pictures and displays. There were also lots of personal stories presented. I was particularly intrigued by a story about a German prisoner that was reunited with his brother, who had immigrated to Algona years earlier. An even better example were the 5 Iowans who had been held by the Germans in their prison camps. Once these men were brought back to the States, they came to Camp Algona as guards of German prisoners. In the middle of the Museum are examples of the various art pieces that the prisoners produced. That includes paintings and some pretty impressive wood pieces, including furniture, intricate boxes, etc. Prisoners also made the famous Nativity Scent that is located at the Kossuth County Fairgrounds. On the right side is a tribute to local folks who served their Country. Their story of sacrifice is a compelling parallel to the existence of Camp Algona. So if you're in the area, please stop, visit, and reflect. One personal takeaway I experienced was how we treated POWs then, compared to the related political discussions today.

"No, no, Kimberly, the Prisoners were NICE. They were just happy to be alive and doing something…read moreproductive." "Every Christmas we would go to see the most enormous Nativity Scene you have ever seen... all hand carved wood, exquisite in detail and size." My dad would get tears in his eyes telling these stories. "German Prisoners of War used their work earnings to create this gift to Algona. It was just amazing." "We could purchase handcrafted wood furniture from the prisoners and they were always so pleased to sell an item that they had worked on for hours." A small wooden step stool, handcrafted and still in perfect 1944 condition, has always graced my parent's home and dad would tell stories that really just sounded like made-up tales... Too fantastic to be true. Among the top highlights of a recent trip with my dad to his hometown in Iowa was going to visit this homage to the prisoner of war camp. During WW2 England ran out of places to keep Prisoners Of War so the USA decided to create camps... mostly in small towns where escape meant running through easy-to-view cornfields for days at a time. While the City of Algona, Iowa was greatly impacted by the 10,000 German prisoners housed here from 1944-1946, nothing exists today on those 287 acres from the Camp which is why it has always felt like a fantasy story to me... until my visit to this POW museum with my pop. Photographs, clothing, trunks, journals, guns... fascinating detritus from another age. The buildings, however, were disassembled and sold for materials in 1946. Long ago my sisters and I would jump out of the car and run to the farmland fence once we approached Algona. We were little, but we knew the drill. The first one to get a cow to come to the fence wins. Dad would get out of the driver's seat and slowly walk to the fence, mooing. He had the best moo, too. Dad ALWAYS won. For years, I thought that was the most exciting thing to happen in Algona. I thought he was pulling my leg with stories of Prisoners (Colonel Klink!) just to make his hometown sound more exciting. Now I know the truth. Dad doesn't lie. Moooooooooo.

This is a cute little coffee shop that we visited while we were in town waiting on our RV repair at…read moreWinnebago. I was happy to see that they had unsweetened almond milk, my husband ordered just a regular drip coffee, and we split a chocolate chip cookie. The place is really cute with a lot of variety of seating, including saddles at #1 high top table so your kids can act like they're riding a horse, lol. It's very country, country music and even some games for the kiddos. There was one large couch that would hold about four people, but otherwise the rest were wooden chairs. They serve breakfast and lunch only Staff were very friendly in our coffee was ready quickly It's a cute place to hang out Almond milk unsweetened Saddles as seating for the kids Couch for four Country music 12 for drip brew latte and cookie

Wife and I ordered our own separate meal. Wife was unable to finish her soup and offered to split…read moreit with me. The manager scolded me and stated that they do not allow sharing. Was in disbelief to the point of never returning again. Noticed that we were the only customers in their coffee shop... Go figure. If you're looking to get coffee, consider going to the large gas station down the street. I did.

I like flavored meat sticks and I purchased 6 pounds of Skoglunds "regular" meat sticks thru a…read moreschool fund-raiser and they were very good! I saw the company name on the package and when I ran out I ordered more of them directly from their website. If you spend $49 or more you get free shipping - Which I did!! I ordered 10 pounds of meat sticks from Skoglund Meats and my order was shipped out the next day. The reason I ordered that much is because I have problems with high blood-sugar and these meat sticks have replaced the sugar filled high-carb snacks I used to eat - And it works!! It took me almost a week to eat the first 2 pound package of meat sticks (I did also eat some cheese with these as well) and I checked my blood sugar level after they were gone - And it was back to a normal range!! Anyway, if you like meat sticks I highly recommend you try Skoglund Meats. Besides the "regular" beef sticks they have several other flavored beef sticks as well as several flavors of summer sausage too. And I intend to try them all!! Thank You!! https://skoglundmeats.com

If you haven't tried this place you need to. Excellent bacon, sausage, and beef sticks. Real top…read morenotch meat house. I prefer to spend $ at local and family owned because of quality, service and keeping $$$ local. Overall this is a great place and you will not be disappointed. They also ship out of state.

Cute place! Owners have done a lot to update an old building, mixing some of the traditional charm…read morewith more modern touches and making it very inviting. Service is super friendly and the latte was delicious. We're excited to have found a great new coffee place right here in my hometown.

I was searching for a good cup of coffee vs a convenience store coffee in town. To my surprise I…read morefound a GREAT cup of coffee at West Blendz! Cute place they have there. I was able to meet the owners there while they are working the counter. Had some great conversation about their journey and goals. Thanks for being there and having that GREAT cup of coffee for me!

"Why do you build me up Buttercup, baby…read moreJust to let me down?" (The Foundations) We bought two Butter Braided Pastries as a school fundraiser for a family friend's student son. We just cooked up the Cinnamon Loaf tonight and it was FANTASTIC. The loaves arrive frozen and you'll have to take them out of their wrappers, cover them with plastic wrap, and let them thaw and rise for 8-12 hours before baking. So you'll need to do some advance planning in order for it to be ready when you want to sample the goods. After our loaf thawed and rose, it was twice as big as when it started off. Next it went into the oven for 25 minutes at 325 degrees. It came packaged with an optional packet of white icing to drizzle across the top, but we didn't choose to use that. The packet says the loaf will yield 11 servings at 180 calories. We tried to faithfully cut our slices accordingly, and did a pretty good job. Each slice weighed in at around 2 ounces. The pastry was super flaky - almost croissant-like. The filling was sweet and decadent, and we didn't miss that optional frosting one bit. All in all, we were very very happy with the way our Cinnamon Braided pastry came out. And best of all, we still have a Cinnamon Roll loaf in the freezer!

We tried 2 kinds. This was the worst example of pastry. Hardly any dough. Was soft not flaky &…read moregrossly sweet. Really tried to like it but was mostly colored syrupy sugar filling with no fruit taste. It smelled artificial. Even the family that sold it hated the overpowering sugar. Wish they had option of the cheese flavor, might have been better.

Lovely hidden gem. Need a praise worthy gift for wedding, baptism or confirmation? Coffee and…read moreboutique too.

Amazing beer! A must stop if you are in the area! The middle of nowhere ipa was my favorite and I…read moreeven got cans to go! Great flavors and great people!!!

A bit of American history inside an old movie theater. Kinda small but a lot of interesting…read morestories. $5.00 per person The volunteer was super friendly and taught us a little about the importance of hobos. Hobos were the traveling workers of the USA. They jumped trains to travel here and there looking for work. They were not bums. Bums were travelers who didn't not work. Hobos were the hard workers. This museum is dedicated to the men and women who died being a hobo. Their stories live on.

Closed for the season! October 11, 2022…read moreBoo?!? In town well, in Iowa and drove from Billy Holidays memorial. Would have liked to know they are closed and seasonal