American flags a wavin’, this truck takes the northbound entrance ramp onto Interstate 35 off Minnesota State Highway 60 Friday afternoon in Faribault.
Have a safe and happy Fourth of July, everyone!
© Copyright 2015 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
My initial impressions of New Prague’s Main Street July 1, 2015
An impressive sign welcomes visitors to New Prague, Minnesota.
DO YOU EVER HOLD expectations of a community that, in reality, are not what you envisioned?
Minnesota Highway 19 runs through the heart of New Prague’s business district.
Such was my impression of New Prague, a southern Minnesota community of about 7,500 rooted in the Czech, Bavarian and Bohemian heritages. I expected a well-kept downtown burgeoning with lovely shops.
Beer bottles sat on windowsills and stoops at several downtown bars on a Sunday afternoon.
Instead, on a Sunday afternoon, I found a Main Street that needs a facelift or, at a minimum, an attentiveness to appearance. Cigarette butts littered on sidewalks and beer bottles perched on window sills and doorsteps outside bars did not give me a positive first impression.
J. T.’s Hideaway, one of several downtown bars.
Uneven and pitted sections of sidewalk made me wary of tripping. I noted worn steps and many weary looking buildings, with bricks even missing from the facades of some. I wasn’t purposely looking for these things. But they were noticeable enough that I noticed.
The old hardware store, right, has great historic character inside and out.
I also noticed many empty storefronts. Peering through the expansive front windows of the former Rynda Hardware, I spotted the loveliest of wood floors in a space that holds great potential for a business.
Looking up at the ornate architecture on the former First National Bank.
To the right of the old First National Bank is the former Prague theater, now DalekoArts.
Another view of the bank and theater buildings along Main Street.
That’s a key word here. Potential. Downtown New Prague, with attention to visual presentation and detail, could really shine. The many historic buildings are an asset to this community. Some, like the former First National Bank, now home to an optometrist’s office, have been well cared for and stand as examples of what this downtown could be.
Another building with space to rent.
It takes money, and a strong desire, to improve the physical appearances of buildings to create a cohesive and inviting downtown. And I realize business owners are likely just getting by and don’t have extra funds.
This tasteful awning adds a punch of color without overwhelming.
But I see what can be done with a few simple details. Bargain Betty’s Consignment Shop, for example, sports an eye-catching pink, white and black striped awning with pleasing graphic signage that makes me want to shop there, except shops aren’t open in New Prague on Sundays. That’s understandable given these mom-and-pop business owners need a day off, too.
Love this sign suspended from a downtown wine tasting business.
Prairie Pond’s inviting patio, closed on Sunday.
The Prairie Pond building is an example of a beautifully restored structure.
Prairie Pond Vineyard and Winery, in an exceptional restored building, has also created an outdoor patio oasis, complete with water features, between downtown buildings. My husband and I planned to sample wine there on Sunday, but found the place closed for a private party. It’s not typically open on Sundays, a disappointment.
This stunning windowbox punches natural color and life into the downtown.
A mural of the 1906 Bohemian Brass Band adds artsy interest to the side of a building. However, the mural, painted in 1989, could use some freshening.
This weathered covered wagon atop the Prairie Saloon draws attention to the business and gives it character.
Green spaces in the heart of a Main Street always please me. So do window boxes and planters brimming with flowers. And art. Downtown New Prague has some, but could use more. Again, it’s the seemingly simplest of details that can make a difference in how a downtown business district appears to visitors, whether they stop or continue driving through town.
I definitely want to visit this ethnic bakery. Businesses like this rooted in the town’s heritage are sure to draw customers.
I don’t want New Prague folks and business owners to take my comments the wrong way, to be discouraged. Rather, I hope my observations are useful. I’ve often thought communities could benefit from an outsider’s first impressions. I’ll return to New Prague, but next time on a Saturday, when shops are open. I want to experience Main Street from the inside, too, not just the outside.
BONUS PHOTOS:
Doing something with the vacant lot next to the Prairie Saloon (right in photo) would enhance the downtown.
The Corner Bar is aptly named. Cigarette butts litter the sidewalk here as they did at other bars.
A close-up look reveals that the Corner Bar offers karaoke by Billy. This is what I love, local character.
Another view of Main Street.
A variety of businesses line Main Street. If only all of the buildings could be restored to their former appearances, both in exterior and in subdued signage.
New Prague has a definite advantage over many other communities as a major state highway runs right through the downtown business district.
© Copyright 2015 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Another chapter in the book of Minnesota wineries June 30, 2015
WHEN VISITING A WINERY, it’s as much about the setting and experience as about the wine.
Rows of grape vines grow alongside the barn at Next Chapter Winery, 16945 320th Street, rural New Prague.
On Sunday, my husband and I discovered yet another delightful southern Minnesota winery, Next Chapter Winery, just southwest of New Prague.
This inviting canopied gravel driveway leads wine lovers to Next Chapter Winery. The house is a private residence, not the tasting room as I initially thought.
Randy parked our car to the right out of this photo, next to the house. There’s plenty of parking behind the shed and barn.
The barn quilt adds an artistic touch to the vintage barn.
Even the barn doors hold rustic charm.
From the time we turned onto the rural tree-lined driveway that tunnels toward a lovely home in a subtle buttery hue, parked our car in the shade of the yard near an aged red barn adorned with a barn quilt and entered the pole shed style winery, I felt comfortably at home. It was as if I had arrived at the farm of a favorite aunt and uncle for a Sunday summer afternoon visit. And wine.
A sign directs visitors to the tasting room.
The tasting room.
Love the ambiance the chandeliers create in the tasting room.
Inside a rather non-descript white metal shed, where chandeliers add unexpected elegance and stacked wooden wine barrels line walls, Randy and I settled in at the bar to sample eight wines ranging from a fruity/black cherry Merlot to the semi-sweet white Muzungu to the refreshing fruity MN Blushing Bride to the winery’s specialty Cranberry Burst, sweet and tart with a burst of fizz and crafted from Wisconsin cranberries.
Sampling Next Chapter wine.
For $6 you can sample six of eight wines. The fee is waived with each bottle purchased. We shared two of the wines so we could each try all eight.
The wine is aged only in wooden barrels.
There wasn’t a single wine on the sampling list that I didn’t enjoy. That’s unusual since I typically find at least a wine or two I don’t like upon tasting at a winery. Maybe it’s the time-honored, authentic aging of wine in wooden barrels (no plastic used here) or the land or the grapes or the crafters or even the comfortableness of this place that resulted in my appreciating every wine.
The grapes are still small and growing.
The attentive and friendly service of Laura, who poured the wines and also offered a brief history of Next Chapter, certainly added to a truly wonderful personalized experience. The winery, she said, is the dream of Timothy and Therese Tulloch, who met in the early 1980s when Therese served with the Peace Corps in the Congo and met Timothy, a native of South Africa. They fell in love, became engaged and planned then to someday own a vineyard.
Rows of grape vines stretch along the property.
Last July, Next Chapter Winery, with eight varieties of grapes growing on 3,700 vines on six acres, opened to the public.
Musicians perform Sunday afternoons in the tasting room.
A piano inside the reception tent.
To the left of the barn is a tasting tent.
But this winery is about more than just the wine. It’s about a sense of place, an embracing of rural Minnesota, of creating an experience, of celebrating life and good wine and special occasions and summer Sunday afternoons. Couples can marry here. From 3 p.m. – 5 p.m. Sundays, musicians perform. Tours are offered from noon to 1 p.m. Saturdays. On Wednesday evenings you can paint and sip wine. In the winter, you can catch the occasional theatrical performance.
Across the pond is the tasting room deck. To the left is the tent permanently set up during the warm months for wedding and other celebrations.
For couples like us, Next Chapter offers a brief respite, a place to snug up to the bar for some great Minnesota wines while chatting with new friends, Gary and Cindy from Prior Lake. Or, if we had been so inclined, we could have kicked back in Adirondack chairs or sipped wine on the deck overlooking a small pond spraying a fountain of water.
At home with a bottle of Cranberry Burst.
While Randy purchased bottles of Muzungu and Cranberry Burst, I headed outdoors with my camera, following the rows of grapes, stopping to photograph, extraordinarily pleased that we found this lovely rural Minnesota winery between New Prague and Montgomery.
Our second purchase, Muzungu, Swahili for “white guy.”
FYI: Wine tasting hours are from 1 p.m. – 7 p.m. Wednesday – Sunday. Be aware that, on weekends, the winery may host the occasional wedding and thus be closed to the public. I’d advise calling ahead at 612.756.3012 if you are driving from a distance. Click here to reach the Next Chapter Wintery website.
© Copyright 2015 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Memorable Geneva, Minnesota June 29, 2015
RECENTLY I STOPPED in Geneva. That would be in Minnesota, not Switzerland, population hovering around 555. Or, if you have a sense of humor, 100,000. Someone scrawled that number onto a sign marking entry to this Freeborn County community just off Interstate 35 north of Albert Lea.
My only knowledge of Geneva comes from radio spots and the personal endorsement (from my friend Howard) for George’s of Geneva. The restaurant is known for its prime and barbecued ribs. So when my husband and I pulled into town on our meandering way home from an overnight get-away to Clear Lake, Iowa, I was scouting for George’s.
But a few other sites caught my attention first…
…like a crayon fence
and the post office.
Then I nearly missed George’s. I was watching for an impressive building with bold signage. Instead, this dining place is housed in a rather unassuming low-slung white building with understated signage. I wish we’d taken time to step inside. But it was the middle of the afternoon and we weren’t hungry.
I’m pretty certain my husband was coveting one of these vintage pick-up trucks. Me too.
Set in the heart of southern Minnesota farmland, Geneva is definitively rural.
Refrigerators/freezers are corralled outside Sorenson’s Appliance.
We continued our brief tour, driving along several residential and commercial streets.
Geneva gives an impression that residents care. Not all small towns show that, meaning yards are unkempt and properties have fallen into disrepair.
I’ll also remember the quirky side of Geneva, beginning with that population notation and crayon fence and then a carnival-sized teddy bear spotted lounging on a bench.
As we turned north out of town toward Blooming Prairie, I knew I would remember Geneva.
TELL ME, WHAT WOULD visitors remember if they drove into your community for a brief tour? Just in and out, what would be their impressions, positive and/or negative? Does your town need to work on improving its image?
© Copyright 2015 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
A quick tour of Rochester shows me its artsy side June 24, 2015
The southbound exit off U.S. Highway 52 which took us to the Rochester Civic Center Theater.
FIFTEEN MINUTES. That’s all the time I had to view downtown Rochester before I needed to be at the Civic Center Theater for a weekday evening Poetry Bash.
Almost to the theater, left.
So my husband parked the car across the street from the theater. I grabbed my camera and we headed the opposite direction toward the heart of downtown.
A great idea: Turning an otherwise mundane utility box into a work of art.
We’d made it only half a block, almost to the railroad tracks, when I noticed art painted on a utility box. First photo snapped.
My first glimpse of the music themed mural.
Across the tracks, more art—this time a music themed mural on a building next to a vacant, fenced lot—distracted me. Focus, snap, focus, snap, focus, snap, focus, snap. Until I’d lost count, so intrigued was I by the mural fronting a dramatic high rise backdrop.
“Are you photographing the tall building?” a passerby inquired. I was and I wasn’t. It was the art that interested me more than the structure. I chatted a bit with the man from Chicago who was in town for treatment of his skin cancer at the world-renowned Mayo Clinic which centers this southeast Minnesota city’s downtown.
The historic Kahler Grant Hotel in the heart of downtown has been around for 80 years and offers 660 rooms and suites.
Next I photographed the Kahler Grand Hotel’s iconic sign, a work of art, too.
A skyline snapshot shows a mix of old and new.
A glance at my watch told me there was no time to wander any farther. The muses were calling.
But I am determined to return to Rochester and explore this city which we always bypass on our hurried way to somewhere. Its artsy vibe appeals to me. And I’d really like a closer look at the Mayo Clinic, only glimpsed as we swung through downtown after the Poetry Bash. By then darkness had descended. I couldn’t help but think of all the people from all over the world who would sleep this night in Rochester, perhaps restlessly, and rise in the morning to meet with medical professionals and undergo tests and receive diagnosis. Does the art distract them as it distracted me?
BONUS PHOTOS:
Waiting at a stoplight along Civic Center Drive, I spotted this artwork.
Downtown: the Rosa Parks Pavilion, a Mayo Clinic administration building and a former Dayton’s Department Store. The building was named in 2008 after Parks, well-known in the Civil Rights movement for refusing to give up her seat on a bus.
Another scene in downtown Rochester.
© Copyright 2015 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Delighting in the unexpected at a Pine Island cafe June 18, 2015
IT WAS WELL AFTER THE NOON HOUR on a Saturday. I was hungry. And we were still too many curving miles away from our destination of Pine Island in southeastern Minnesota.
I needed something, anything, to settle my immediate need for food. I unzipped my purse, scrounged for two peppermint Life Savers, unwrapped them and then dropped one into my husband’s hand and popped the other into my mouth. This would tide me over until I could get real food into my empty stomach.
Driving along Pine Island’s busy Main Street, I notice a meat market and a Subway. I was looking for a small town cafe but was semi distracted by the historic architecture.
Finally, we rolled into Pine Island from the west backroads, not from U.S. Highway 52, the crazy busy four-lane that connects St. Paul to Rochester and bypasses this rural community.
The Rainbow Cafe is among businesses housed in historic and architecturally interesting buildings.
Simple and lovely signage above the front door.
I like to see menus before entering an eatery. Since I don’t have a smart phone, this street side menu listing is helpful.
Now, where to eat. We drove through the downtown scouting for a place, finally settling on the Rainbow Cafe. The outside sandwich board advertising a variety of unique selections not typically found on small town diner menus drew me to this eatery.
My Prime Rib Sandwich.
The Rainbow did not disappoint. I ordered the grass-fed Prime Rib Sandwich with a bowl of Cream of Artichoke Soup. Randy chose a Cuban Pork Sandwich (with a delicious smoky taste to the meat) and fries. Both arrived promptly and piping hot. I like my food hot. And I always appreciate quick service.
First I enjoyed a bowl of Cream of Artichoke Soup.
The creamy soup would have been even better, though, with additional and larger chunks of artichoke. And both Randy and I agreed that our sandwiches, although definitely savory and filling, could have done with less mayo on mine and less mustard on his.
That said, I would not hesitate to return here because many menu items, like the Organic Blueberry Pork Sandwich—slow-roasted organic pork, blueberry and arugula on ciabatta—and the free-range Chicken Apple Sandwich and other lunch choices sound delectable.
On the cafe’s Facebook page, I noted this recent dinner offering: Grilled pork chop with pea vine macadamia pesto, bacon and chile roasted broccoli and kohlrabi over green garlic confit mashed potatoes.
The Rainbow features locally-sourced (from places like the farmers’ market) and (sometimes) organic food with an ever-changing seasonal menu. I welcome that approach in a small town restaurant where the usual lunch offerings often lean toward your basic burgers and fries or chicken/fish sandwiches with minimal creativity. You’ll find burgers at the Rainbow. But lots more, too. Among the salad listings is a Roasted Beet Salad that I’d like to try sometime.
The dessert menu and water served in a wine bottle.
The waitress tempted us with a dessert list. But we were too full to indulge.
Uncluttered decor with clean lines and those dangling stones define the interior.
Besides the appeal of creative and tasty food choices, the Rainbow Cafe presents a soothing environment in which to dine. Granted, we ate there at past peak meal time. But I think even at its busiest times, diners would feel comfortably relaxed in this minimalist setting. Randy and I were a bit curious about the stones dangling from the ceiling beside tables. I forgot to inquire. My guess: They are related to the concept of Fen Shui.
From my seat, I had a good view of beautiful historic buildings and Main Street.
We purposely seated ourselves next to a front window, for the light as much as the view of Pine Island’s Main Street which sees a steady flow of traffic. Cross carefully. We did exactly that after finishing our sandwiches and setting out to explore this town of some 3,300 only 18 miles from Rochester.
FYI: The Rainbow Cafe, 212 South Main Street, is open 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. Tuesday – Saturday; from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. for Sunday brunch; and is closed on Mondays. This post is based on our dining experience in May.
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OTHER DINING OPTIONS:
Borgy Boyz appears to be a popular pizza place which also serves wraps, salads, sandwiches and more.
I really like this signage. I’d like to know the history behind the name.
On a few drive through along Main Street, I saw a number of folks hanging out outside this sports bar. I don’t care for sports bars, so did not consider this a dining option. It seemed a popular place, though.
Because I know everyone has different tastes, such as a Wisconsin resident who didn’t find cheese curds at the Rainbow Cafe (so our waitress shared), there are plenty of other options like Borgy Boyz Pizzeria & Cafe, which looked busy; the Pine Island Sports Bar; Cathy’s Catering and Cafe; and Better Brew Coffeehouse. I’m sure I missed a few places.
The Rainbow Cafe serves mozzarella sticks. Not quite Wisconsin cheese curds. But then this isn’t Wisconsin.
FYI: If you missed my first post on Pine Island, click here to learn more about this southeastern Minnesota community.
© Copyright 2015 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Next time pull off in Pine Island June 17, 2015
Approaching Pine Island on U.S. Highway 52 southbound.
TRAFFIC ZOOMS BY on U.S. Highway 52 around Pine Island, hurried motorists rushing to Rochester or St. Paul or places in between.
On the left, a street sign directs motorists to U.S. Highway 52. On the right, the antique store that was closed the afternoon of my visit to Pine Island.
I’ve been one of those travelers all too many times while en route to and from Wisconsin. Never pulling off to explore Pine Island. But always wondering what this small town holds and thinking I really ought to stop at the highway side Pine Cheese Mart.
It’s too late now to visit the Cheese Mart. The long-time business folded last year after an exit into Pine Island was closed due to traffic safety issues. That closure made navigating to the Mart cumbersome, resulting in a business downturn. So I missed out on the cheese.
A view of Pine Island’s Main Street while driving into the downtown.
Early this spring, my husband and I took a day trip to Pine Island. We hopped in the van with our Minnesota atlas and road map and headed east, stopping first in West Concord.
My favorite scene of the day by the old butter factory where, yes, butter was once made.
I should have done my homework. After the fact, I learned that Pine Island was once considered “The Cheese Capital of the World” That would have been in the opening decades of the 20th Century when some 40 cheese factories existed in the area. In 1911, Pine Island cheesemakers crafted a 6,000-pound block of cheese for the Minnesota State Fair, earning that cheese capital title for the town.
Today the small cheese factories are gone with only the large Land O’ Lakes cooperative producing cheese. But the community honors its cheesy past with an annual July Cheese Festival.
Look closely at this downtown mural and you will see a hunk of cheese, a visual tribute to this community’s rich cheese past.
Perhaps I missed it. But I didn’t notice anything visually significant tipping me off to Pine Island’s rich cheese history other than a mouse and a block of cheese painted onto a downtown mural and a lovely brick building labeled BUTTER-FACTORY.
This old butter factory now holds bicycles available to ride on area trails.
I should have done my research. The old Butter Factory today houses bikes and bike helmets available to borrow at no cost from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. on weekends to cyclists using the nearly 13-mile Douglas State Trail from Pine Island to Rochester and Pine Island’s Paths to the Past trails: Historical Trivia Trail, Young People’s Path and Homes & Heritage Trail. Check ahead as this usage is seasonal.
So I missed a few things this visit. But I didn’t miss the remarkable historic architecture that defines the downtown business district:
Downtown historic buildings feature stunning architectural detail.
A broad view of downtown historical buildings with grand architecture.
A stairway appears like a work of art on the side of an aged building. I stood in an alley and aimed my camera up.
More historic buildings, including one that houses the post office.
The top of City Hall.
And some of the beautiful old homes close to downtown:
I snapped a quick shot of this lovely house with a wrap-around porch while driving by.
Another sweet house near downtown.
I was disappointed, though, to find the one antique/furniture refinishing store, Green’s Stripping & Antiques, closed when I was there.
Likewise, I really wanted to get inside the Olde Pine Theater:
The theatre that I wished I could have seen.
Maybe next time.
BONUS PHOTOS:
Many small towns still have thriving hardware stores like this Hardware Hank.
Outside Hardware Hank.
I even noticed a below street level barbershop.
I spotted this early spring scene in a flower box outside a downtown business.
Murals grace the sides of two brick buildings sandwiching a vacant lot that is now a downtown mini park.
Driving out of town, I shot this image of Pine Island’s mobile home court across the then stubbled cornfield.
IF YOU KNOW Pine Island, what other things did I miss on my first visit to this Minnesota community of 3,300 residents?
How did Pine Island get its name? According to the Minnesota Historical Society “Minnesota Place Names,” an early settler named the town Pine Island in 1855 for the large, lone white pine on a small island in the Zumbro River. The island was once thick with pines and was once a winter shelter to the Dakota.
Check back to read about the Rainbow Cafe, where we ate lunch.
© Copyright 2015 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Part VII: The character of Clear Lake, Iowa June 10, 2015
CLEAR LAKE IS AN IOWA town with character.
Downtown Clear Lake offers an abundance of locally rooted eateries.
It’s memorable in the sort of way that’s good. Main Street good. Welcome to our town good. Meander through the shops, dine in home-grown eateries good.
Relaxing outside a Clear Lake floral and gift shop, The Red Geranium.
People watch. Kick back on a bench. Dip your toes in the lake or dig them into sand.
Even the backs of buildings possess visual charm.
Fish or shop. While away a day or two. Take in the local history of the Surf Ballroom. Or simply amble downtown, right into a Norman Rockwell type scene.
Larson’s Mercantile, like an old-fashioned five-and-dime, has a back corner devoted to fabric.
Walk the aisles of the mercantile.
Hanging baskets line the alley behind Larson’s Mercantile.
Take the back route through the alley.
Order a treat from South Shore Sweet Spot, shaped like an ice cream cone.
Eat ice cream. Drink beer. Grab a burger.
From a window side counter (common in Clear Lake eateries) in a downtown restaurant, I photographed these guys crossing Main Avenue.
Come in your cowboy hat or no hat.
Something I’ve never seen until visiting Clear Lake: a drive-through convenience/ liquor store.
Clear Lake beckons with Americana charm rooted in character and small town Iowa friendliness.
FYI: This concludes my seven-part series on Clear Lake. Check back for more posts from my recent overnight visit to Iowa.
© Copyright 2015 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Part VI: The Little Chapel off the Interstate in Clear Lake June 9, 2015
My husband, Randy, leaves the Guardian Angel Roadside Chapel as Scott Kennedy and his nephew finish cleaning.
WHEN WE FINALLY FOUND the Guardian Angel Roadside Chapel tucked into the woods along South 24th Street in Clear Lake, Iowa, after we’d asked for directions and still drove by the unmarked landmark, we met Scott Kennedy.
Scott Kennedy outside the chapel built in honor of his aunt.
He was there with his nephew, an Iowa State University student from the western U.S., cleaning the chapel and grounds for a funeral the next day.
I forgot to count the pews. But I believe there are eight or ten, each seating only a few people.
It’s difficult to envision a funeral inside this miniscule place of only a few short pews. But one was planned and the mess from an invading squirrel needed to be swept and gathered into garbage bags. Although I did not see it, my husband spotted the succumbed squirrel.
The chapel is beautiful in its craftsmanship. This place is truly a labor of divine love.
I was more focused on the chapel interior with its beautiful center stained glass cross crafted by a local artist and side stained glass windows salvaged from Zion Lutheran Church. The cross was designed to attract the attention of travelers along nearby Interstate 35.
This truly is a functional church with altar, organ and baptismal font.
Exiting the chapel grounds.
I was especially delighted to find my favorite bible verse—the scripture that has guided me through some rough patches in life—inscribed on a dedication plaque inside the entry: We know that in all things God works for good with those who love him.—Romans 8:28. Serendipitous? Perhaps. But more likely divine.
It is the divine intervention of God which led Scott and others to construct the Guardian Angel Roadside Chapel in 1991 in honor of Scott’s aunt, Marguerite Williams. She was convinced that God protected her from kidnapping by a band of gypsies while growing up in Clear Lake. And later, while working at a Chicago medical clinic, Marguerite again experienced God’s protection when she encountered a gang of hoodlums.
It was hoodlums, or more accurately criminals, who set fire to the first Guardian Angel Chapel a year after it was built, Scott shared. The blaze was to distract responders from a break-in across town. Undeterred, Scott and others determined to rebuild this chapel which was rededicated on April 4, 1993.
An informational paper I found inside the chapel states its purpose:
This chapel was built as a witness to Christ. It is the hope and prayers of the builders that people worshipping here will be closer to Christ and will have their own guardian angel look after them.
This is looking toward the highway off which the chapel sits atop a hill in a wooded area.
FYI: The chapel is open daily from dawn until dusk, although I am uncertain whether it’s open during the winter months.
Check back tomorrow for my final installment in this seven-part series on Clear Lake, Iowa.
© Copyright 2015 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Part V: The artsy side of Clear Lake, Iowa June 8, 2015
ART IS, PERHAPS, in the eye of the beholder.
I loved the sweet surprise of these floral paintings brightening an alley in downtown Clear Lake.
In Clear Lake, Iowa, I beheld an abundance of art. Everywhere. In the local arts center. Inside and outside shops. On historic buildings. In words, colors, designs, shapes. Sometimes obvious, sometimes not so much.
Historic buildings, like this one housing Thrifty White Drug, oftentimes are detailed in art. You have to look up to see this intriguing sculpture.
Look up. Look down. Look around. Simply look and you will see it.
Creative window displays draw shoppers into businesses like Lake Lifestyle.
I appreciate a community with details that visually please me. And Clear Lake does. In so many artsy ways.
South Shore Sweet Spot was not yet open for the season when I visited Clear Lake. But I could admire the artsy architecture. No mistaking this for anything but a place to buy ice cream treats.
On a downtown shop window, inspiring words. Poetry really.
This stacked album sculpture in Three Stars Plaza next to the Surf Ballroom honors Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson. All three musicians died in a 1959 plane crash near Clear Lake after performing at the Surf.
All around town you’ll see posters from the annual Winter Dance Party at the Surf Ballroom. I found this one at the AmericInn Hotel.
Even collectible glassware is art, including this Carnival glass pitcher at Collectors Wonderland.
Shelves and shelves of artsy Clear Lake apparel fill shelves at Larson’s Mercantile.
The Clear Lake Arts Center centers the arts in this community. It’s impressive.
Iowa artists Pam Dennis and Ryk Weiss collaborated with local students and adults to create this tree sculpture from cattle panels, metal banding and clay. It is located at the Clear Lake Arts Center.
The tree sculpture (above) calls for an up close study of details.
Inside the Clear Lake Arts Center, I delighted in cornstalk panels suspended from the ceiling.
The arts center galleries showcase an abundance and variety of outstanding art.
There’s art in signage and architecture.
An artsy scene (in my opinion) at the Village General Store, a second-hand store along the highway on the north side of town.
Signage always grabs my attention, including these graphically pleasing signs in a downtown window.
Window displays, like this one at Collectors Wonderland, are art in themselves.
FYI: Check my posts from last week to read my first four photo stories from Clear Lake, located along Interstate 35 in northern Iowa. Two more installments remain in this series.
© Copyright 2015 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
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