In the living room of my childhood home during much of the 1960s and 1970s was a console stereo complete with an AM/FM tuner and a turntable. The country music (or “country western” music, as Mom called it) of Buck Owens, Charlie Rich, George Jones, Conway Twitty, Tammy Wynette, Marty Robbins, The Statler Brothers, Charley Pride and others flowed from the booming speakers of that 5-foot by 2-foot stereo with the lift-top lid. I can still hear the crackling sound of the needle hitting those spinning 33 LP vinyls — scratches, skips and all.

As a pre-teen, with the help of my friends at the local Radio Shack, I learned how to use a patch cable to connect my boom box to Mom’s console stereo so that I could crank my cassettes as loud as possible. The sounds of Charlie Rich, George Jones and Conway Twitty were replaced with KISS, Queen and Thin Lizzy, at least when Mom wasn’t home. That console stereo was sold in a garage sale sometime in the 1980s, but I still have the memories.

In recent years, I got caught up in this nostalgia and purchased an inexpensive used turntable for my aging home stereo. And, as such, I also began the search for classic records. Jolene thought it was a waste of time and money, but she played along, at least until my DIY repair work on the used record player failed to do the trick. Her solution was to throw it away. Mine was to buy another turntable and keep this one for parts.

Tuesday, Nov. 16 (through Jan. 23)
Exhibit: “Here Comes the Sun”
At: Iowa Quilt Museum, 68 E. Court Ave., Winterset
Info: The exhibit “Here Comes the Sun” honors the sun with a study of the color orange in both historic and contemporary quilts. Iowa Quilt Museum welcomes quilters, quilt lovers, history buffs and appreciators of American art and culture. www.iowaquiltmuseum.org

Nearly 14,000 votes were cast in the 2021 CITYVIEW Best Of Des Moines readers' poll.

Best Local Seafood
1. Waterfront Seafood Market
2. Splash Seafood Bar & Grill
3. The Seafood Trap

[...]

Meet Kylie McDonald: Enjoys “eager, cheerful and brave” first graders

By TK West

Kylie McDonald, who grew up in Winterset, studied elementary education and literacy education at the University of Northern Iowa.

With two parents who also received education degrees from UNI, she says that education runs in her family. She joined the staff of Adel-DeSoto-Minburn Community School District where she currently teaches first grade at Adel Elementary School.

“I student taught at Adel Elementary in the fall of 2020 and knew it was where I wanted to be from the moment I stepped into the building. The atmosphere is positive, and the staff is so welcoming and supportive. I can't imagine teaching anywhere else,” McDonald says.

She also says that teaching first grade is a joy because her students are eager, cheerful and brave. She enjoys watching them grow into themselves and become more confident every day. She says one of the most rewarding aspects of being an educator is seeing her students excited to learn and their willingness to try new things.

[...]

Happy Birthday Martha Kester!

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