Gayle and I had a fine time at the Clay County Fair last Sunday. Has it really been 12 years since…read moreI last attended? What did we experience? - Farm Equipment - Lots of that! - Farm Animals. Apparently a high school classmate's grandkids won a bunch of blue ribbons in the cattle barn. Besides that we observed pigs, horses, and the like. Gayle's favorite was the "petting barn", especially the baby pony. - Fair Food. It not being good for you is besides the point. Our choice of Lilly Fries was just OK, with the cinnamon roll with soft serve being our favorite. - Adult Beverages. As far as we could tell, only the big tent near the entrance and a Bar further back within the fair served it. I enjoyed a nice West O Beer, while Gayle struggled with only 2 choices - A sweetish Moscato and a house red. I think I heard "I just can't..." a few times. - Art. We stopped by the "Art Barn" to say hi the Lissa and Perry. Gayle was surprised that I didn't buy anything, but I already have a number of their pieces. - Stuff. There are several buildings stuffed with these and other exhibits. One's mind gets numb after awhile. - People Watching. The fair was well attended, but not really crowded. I did run into a guy with a Fulham jacket leading to a nice discussion about English football. - Politics. I really wanted a Rob Sand yard sign for the Lake Cabin, but they had already run out. Gayle and I left wondering how badly the local Dems wanted to enhance the campaign. - Fluffy! We attended and very much enjoyed the evening Grandstand performance of Gabriel "Fluffy" Iglesias and some equally funny opening acts. If we would have been at Cabin a few days more, I would have come back.

They were very rude and disrespectful when I was trying to get a stamp on my hand all I wanted to…read moredo was go back to the car to change out of my hot pants and the ladies in the ticket booth, the lady under the tent to go through. We're all being very mean and judgmental, and looked me up and down like I was a lower ranked human.

Our family had not been to a movie in a longggg time due to Covid-19 Pandemic. We heard about this…read morequaint little movie theater through a friend on Facebook. We walked in and was greeted by the owner.She was very friendly with conversation. And the young lady at the concession stand was friendly as well! We were happy to find a theater that was open!! The movie was mediocre, but, the popcorn was good! It was a nice family outing!

During my formative years in Estherville, the Grand Theater was located on North 6th Street. I…read morestill remember the gruff owner telling a room (and balcony) full of hyper kids to shut up during the show. The current movie house is located within the old Red Owl Grocery building and is directly across the parking lot from Mother Nature's Bar. For small town Iowa, that's a pretty good combination a date night idea. There are 3 screens here and there's no problem seeing a popular feature. Plus, air conditioning in the summer and heat in the winter is always a bonus. It's also a typical chain experience and certainly lacks the character my boyhood memories.

The Iowa Rock and Roll Association Museum is great! I have been to the induction ceremony/concert a…read morefew times and visited the museum a couple times as well! The museum is great, it has some really cool stuff like the old recording desk and tape machine from the Iowa Great Lakes Recording company.. Legendary for recording DJ and The Runaway's hit "Peter Rabbit." Which is the first top ten hit for an Iowa Band ever. Over the years, tons of artists have been inducted. I would love to be enshrined here someday for my efforts in rock in roll. Like the songs, I hope this place never dies, cause its a fun little nugget of rock history in our little state of Iowa!

This is such a cute little museum, honestly I didn't read about the stuff, I should have, but I…read morewas there to ride the slide. It's amazing the fun amusement park stuff that they've kept over the years. The slide was so fun. I could have done that all day. I was a giggling mess by the time I made it down. Climbing the stairs was killer, but worth it. the had free admission during winter games. I'm so glad I stopped in to check it out.

A nice small town fair. It doesn't even come close the Clay County Fair (in nearby Spencer), but…read morethat's OK. The local food stands, the nearby roller rink and the farm animals and limited exhibits all add up to a comfortable stroll and social occassion.

REVIEW #4700!…read more Sweetcorn Days is my home town's big summer festival and arguably the annual highlight of Estherville's social calendar. It's sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce and runs from Thursday - Sunday during the first weekend in August. Event highlights include the Opening Ceremonies (Presentation of the Flames/Burning of the Cobs), the Remember the Fallen Display, Classic Cars, the Run for the Cobb Foot Race, Free Sweet Corn, and of course the big Saturday Morning Parade. And that's just the tip of the iceberg event-wise. I was in the Parade as Sweetcorn Days is a great weekend for various High School Reunion classes to get together. For the Class of 1974 (Yes I'm Old), that included our own Parade float, followed up dinner later that day at the Softtail Saloon in Superior, and lots of good conversation with a room full of friends. I had a great time and I was particularly happy to show off my home town to Gayle and my Son. Both in turn, learned a little bit more about where I'm from and how we stand together. One name for that is Midget Pride.

This was a really cool find in Arnolds Park! It's a museum full of old currency (money) from the…read morelate 1800s and on. It features lots of old money from different Iowa towns and cities of course, but has currency and change from every state as well. The museum curator (who is from Wisconsin) is also incredibly knowledgeable and helpful as well. He was very friendly and honestly, made the museum experience for us an unforgettable one. Definitely check this out! And it's for the low, low price of FREE to experience as well, though a donation would be nice of course.

Money, Money, Money - Must Be Funny - In the Rich Man's World…read more... The Higgins Museum is a quirky place that I didn't expect to find in the middle of the Iowa Great Lakes Region. It's been on my list for a few years now, and during one of my Gayle-permitted "wandering" times, I decided to stop in and look around. And since my grandfather's bank failed during the Great Depression, this was another personal historical journey that I sometimes like to take. What's inside is the chance to view and enjoy the largest collection of National Bank Note issues on permanent exhibit anywhere in the country. The Higgins Museum opened in 1978, with its stated purpose being the acquisition, preservation and display of the National Bank Notes. There's also a few cool historical displays including a money making machine, a bank teller window and vault, and a bullet safe. Many people regard these notes as America's commemorative paper money. The Landing of Columbus, the embarkation of the Pilgrims, the signing of the Declaration of Independence and other great events of our history are illustrated on the notes of the first charter period. All of the notes honor the towns (including one for Estherville), the banks, and many thousands of individuals who played key roles in the development of our country and its resources.

One of my earlier experiences with the Emmet County Historical Society was when I built this funky…read moremodel ship and then tried to donate it to their Museum for posterity. They provided kind words and a suggestion that my parents might treasure my historical efforts more. Mom tossed it at the earliest opportunity. I most remember the old basement level North 6th Street Location. However, for many years there as been a whole Historical Museum Complex that is located roughly between the High School and Iowa Lakes Community College. It consists of the H. G. Albee Memorial Museum which is surrounded by the old one-room Bolstad School, the former Palestine Lutheran Church building, a rural farm windmill site, a non-working outhouse, a blacksmith shop, the Farm Heritage building, and more historical antiques and Emmet County lore than you can shake a stick at. Special tours can be arranged and it's all impressive and overwhelming at the same time.

Event venue at Arnold's park. it's a nicely done venue. we went to see hairball during Winter…read moregames. they could have used a couple more bartenders. no wine cooler type drink. Just seltzer crap. the seltzer wasnt shown anywhere so I assumed they didn't have anything like that. so I ordered a Malibu pineapple, couldn't find the pineapple juice, so they had to use on which was fine, but then the drink was $12! Then I saw some one with the seltzer, so went with that the rest of the evening. bathrooms are clean. no paper towels, have to blow them and then use your jeans. the concert headliner was Hairball. no where on the website did it say there was an opening band. the opening band was Buzz Worthy. They were really good. I just don't think they got enough credit, no acknowledgment. Hair ball did great as usual.A good time was had by all.