The Iowa Historical Foundation presents “A Gala Evening at the President’s Table,” a benefit to support the State Historical Society of Iowa’s educational programs and exhibits.
The gala will be at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24, 2008, at the State Historical Building, 600 E. Locust, Des Moines. Tickets are $125 and invitations may be requested by calling Iowa Historical Foundation Executive Director Barb Filer at (515) 281-8823 by 5 p.m. Oct. 20, 2008. Governors Terry Branstad, Robert Ray and Tom Vilsack and their wives will co-host the event.
Barry H. Landau, author of The President’s Table: 200 Years of Dining and Diplomacy, will be the special guest and speaker for the evening.
Landau is a presidential historian and one of the foremost collectors of presidential memorabilia and artifacts. He has planned historic events in service to eight presidents, dating back to President Lyndon Johnson. All guests will receive the book and may have their copies signed by the author during the event.
The evening will feature a tasting menu of presidential favorites from cocktails to dinner. Guests can also vote in a presidential straw poll and enjoy State Historical Museum exhibits, including The Working White House: 200 Years of Tradition and Memories, open through March 1, 2009.
The Working White House is an artifact-based traveling exhibition from the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, developed with the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage and the White House Historical Association.
Contact Barb Filer at (515) 281-8823 or barb.filer@iowa.gov for more information.
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The State Historical Society’s popular “History for Lunch” lecture series continues this month with Barry H. Landau, author of The President’s Table: 200 Years of Dining and Diplomacy.
Landau, one of the foremost collectors of presidential memorabilia and artifacts, will speak at noon Thursday, Oct. 23, 2008, at SHSI’s Centennial Building, 402 Iowa Avenue (Iowa and Gilbert streets) in Iowa City. The lecture is free and the public is encouraged to bring a brown bag lunch. Call (319) 335-3911 for more information.
Landau’s collection started after visiting the Eisenhower White House when he was 10 years old, and he has planned historic events with every administration since President Lyndon B. Johnson occupied the Oval Office.
The President’s Table is a lavishly illustrated book that provides an insightful and entertaining look at America’s dining habits as the nation grew through social and economic change.
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Iowans involved with archives, government and non-governmental records, library and museum special collections, and other documentary collections are invited to attend the open meetings. IHRAB members will be available to answer questions and receive feedback.
Meetings will be held in the following communities:
Oct. 22: Independence, Iowa
2-4 p.m.; Heartland Acres Agribition Center, 2600 Swan Lake Blvd., Independence.
Oct. 23: Indianola, Iowa
2-4 p.m.; Warren County Historical Society, 1400 W. 2nd Ave, Indianola. The Historical Society is located within the fairgrounds off of Highway 92.
Oct. 27: Mount Pleasant, Iowa
2-4 p.m.; Iowa Wesleyan College, Epsy McCurdy Room in the Howe Student Center. Includes free tour of the Harlan-Lincoln House after the meeting.
Oct. 29: Fort Dodge, Iowa
9-11 a.m.; Fort Dodge Public Library, 424 Central Ave., Fort Dodge.
Nov. 5: Red Oak, Iowa
2-4 p.m.; Burlington Northern Depot & WWII Memorial Museum, 305 S. 2nd Street.
Contact SHSI Deputy State Archivist Jeffrey Dawson at (515) 281-7801 or jeffrey.dawson@iowa.gov for more information.
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The State Historical Society of Iowa seeks a Museum Director to lead the curatorial, exhibition and education/public programming activities of the State Historical Museum in Des Moines. The Museum Director will manage and provide effective leadership for the curatorial (research and collections), conservation, registration, exhibition and education/public programming work units within the Museum. Deadline for applications is Thursday, Nov. 6, 2008. Complete job description and application information is available at the Iowa Department of Administrative Services Web site.
The State also seeks several architectural historians or historians to work as part of disaster recovery teams at the Department of Economic Development, Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, and the State Historic Preservation Office within the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs. The positions are expected to be full-time, temporary (initially 18 months) positions hired through an outside (non-state) employment agency.
Job responsibilities may include identification and evaluation of historic properties, assessment of effects to historic properties, review of federal projects for effects on historic properties, and review of federal projects for effects on historic resources. For a complete job description and application information, contact Doug Jones, Review & Compliance Program Manager at (515) 282-0502 or Doug.Jones@iowa.gov.
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Published for the State Historical Society of Iowa, The Biographical Dictionary of Iowa tells about the lives of Iowa citizens who have made invaluable contributions to the state and to the nation.
Written by an impressive team of more than 150 scholars and writers, the readable narratives include each subject's name, birth and death dates, place of birth, education and career, and contributions. Many of the more than 400 names will be instantly recognizable to most Iowans; others are largely forgotten but deserve to be remembered.
The Biographical Dictionary of Iowa is edited by David Hudson, retired SHSI acquisitions librarian; Marvin Bergman, editor, the Annals of Iowa; and Loren Horton, retired senior historian for SHSI.
The book is available for sale at bookstores or directly from the University of Iowa Press online at www.uiowapress.org.
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Even though no battles were fought on Iowa soil, the Civil War affected the lives of a large number of families in Iowa and Johnson County. Between 1861 and 1865, Iowa sent 67,000 men and boys to fight in the Civil War. More than 3,000 of those Iowans who served were from Johnson County including two former residents of Plum Grove Historic Home in Iowa City.
Find out what the lives of these and other soldiers were like Sunday, October 19, 2008 from 1-4 p.m. at Plum Grove Historic Home, 1030 Carroll St. in Iowa City. Local Civil War re-enactors from the re-enacting group the Hairy Nation Boys dressed in period Union uniforms will bring to life an important part of this nation’s history. Program participants will meet and talk with the re-enactors, get a close-up look at their gear and uniforms, take part in a soldier drill, and get a glimpse at the rations of an infantryman.
This program is part of a series of community wide events to celebrate Abraham Lincoln’s upcoming 200th birthday. The program is free and open to the public. No reservations are necessary. For more information, call Plum Grove Historic Home at (319) 337-6846 or the Johnson County Historical Society at (319) 351-5738.
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The Department of Cultural Affairs announced Marquette/McGregor, Spencer, Warren County and West Union as Iowa’s next Great Places.
The announcement came after the Iowa Great Places Citizen Advisory Board concluded a three-day tour of the four finalist locations and made its recommendations to DCA Director Cyndi Pederson. Pederson approved the advisory board’s recommendations, bringing the total number of Iowa Great Places to 20.
Iowa Great Places is a program that calls on state agencies to partner with Iowans by combining state resources with local assets to make Iowa’s communities, neighborhoods, districts and regions great places where people want to live, work and raise a family.
State agencies continue to work with Iowa’s previously identified Great Places – Adams County, Appanoose County, Charles City, Clinton, Coon Rapids, Council Bluffs, Davenport, Decorah, Dubuque, Fairfield, Guttenberg, Jackson County, Mason City, Perry, Sioux City and Valley Junction of West Des Moines – to achieve their visions by identifying technical assistance and existing programs such as grant and financial aid programs, and the State Historic Preservation Tax Credit program.
Following is a list of this year’s newly identified Great Places, their visioning themes and proposed projects:
Marquette/McGregor: “The Great Spirit of Iowa”
Spencer: “Sparkle in Spencer & Ignite Your Imagination”
Warren County: “… your natural choice”
West Union: “A Green Pilot Community”
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Water temperatures have cooled off and rainbow trout are making their way back to Council Bluffs! The Iowa Department of Natural Resources in conjunction with Western Historic Trails Center and Council Bluffs City Parks and Recreation will stock 1,600 trout October 22.
The keeper-size rainbow trout will be divided into two ponds: Sauganash at Western Historic Trails Center and Big Lake at Big Lake Park. Additional trout stockings are planned for March, 2009.
Last spring’s floods inundated two of the three trout hatcheries in Iowa causing a temporary shortage and a reduction in trout stocking across the state. Some trout from this restock will likely be enough to also provide winter fishing for ice fishing enthusiasts.
Iowa residents and non-residents, regardless of age, must pay a trout fee to fish for or possess trout. Individuals, 16 years and older, must also have a valid fishing license. Children, under 16 years, fishing with a properly licensed adult (i.e., fishing license & trout fee) do not need a trout fee to fish for or possess trout, but together their daily limit is five trout. For more information on fishing rules, see the 2007 Iowa Fishing Regulations booklet.
A fishing license and trout fee can be obtained at any local hunting and fishing license sales agent, including Western Historic Trails Center, or from the link of the Iowa DNR homepage at www.iowadnr.gov. For more information, contact Bryan Hayes at the Southwest Iowa Fisheries Office at (712) 769-2587.
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Oct. 17-18: 2nd Annual Geocaching the Bluffs
Western Historic Trails Center, 3434 Richard Downing Avenue, Council Bluffs
Treasure hunt the bluffs with your GPS during “Geocache the Bluffs – Part Deux” and see where it leads you. This is a partnership with the Council Bluffs Convention and Visitors Bureau. Call (712) 366-4900 or (712) 325-1000 for more information or click here.
Friday, Oct. 24: A Gala Evening at the President’s Table
6:30 p.m., State Historical Museum, 600 E. Locust, Des Moines
Featuring Barry H. Landau, author of The President’s Table: 200 Years of Dining and Diplomacy; tasting menu of presidential favorites and cocktails. Tickets are $125 and requests for invitations may be made by calling Barb Filer, Iowa Historical Foundation Executive Director, at (515) 281-8823 by 5 p.m. Oct. 20.
Oct. 26: Museum Monster Mash
1-5 p.m., State Historical Museum, 600 E. Locust, Des Moines
Music, crafts and storytelling with a Halloween theme. Children will receive a free bag full of fun, healthy treats and a book to take home (while supplies last). Call (515) 281-4132 for details.
Nov. 2: “The Museum Curator and the Meskwaki”
2 p.m., Western Historic Trails Center, 3434 Richard Downing Ave., Council Bluffs
Edgar Harlan was curator of the Iowa Historical Department from 1908 until 1937. In that time he developed a special relationship with the Meskwaki that led to the preservation of many Meskwaki artifacts. Harlan’s relationship with the tribe helped him pioneer an early form of diversity training for Des Moines elementary school teachers. State Curator Jerome Thompson will show images of well documented Meskwaki artifacts from the collection of the State Museum and tell the little known story of the “Indian Life School.”
Nov. 19: Book Discovery Discussion The Kramer Girls
11:45 a.m.-1 p.m., State Historical Museum, 600 E. Locust, Des Moines
Exploring literature that defines, reflects or captures the history of Iowa. Meetings are free and open to the public. Pre-registration is recommended, but not required, by visiting www.iowahistory.org. More information is available at (515) 281-6897 or by email to susan.jellinger@iowa.com. Participants are encouraged to bring a brown bag lunch.
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Preserving Iowa’s historic properties and other assets was the focus of a statewide preservation conference Sept. 19-20 in Sioux City.
The conference brought together Iowa’s leading historic preservationists to cover a wide range of topics and issues, including historic preservation tax credits, rehabilitation, cemetery preservation, archaeology, preservation advocacy, cultural landscapes and more.
The event featured a keynote presentation by Tim Samuelson, cultural historian for the City of Chicago, who talked about the story of Alfonso Iannelli’s artwork at the Woodbury County Courthouse.
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The Iowa Historic Preservation Alliance (IHPA) is now accepting nominations for Iowa’s Most Endangered Properties.
The nomination form and more information can be found at www.iowapreservation.org. Nominations must be postmarked by Nov. 1, 2008.
The Most Endangered program was implemented to educate Iowans about the special buildings and historic sites that are slowly and gradually slipping away from us. A panel of judges considers four criteria in choosing the final list: geographic distribution, historic significance, nature of the threat, and variety of building type. The program provides an excellent resource for media coverage and introduces endangered property owners to preservation advocates and resources that can help preserve their historic property.
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The U.S. Department of Labor will offer a financial and administrative grant management session for the 2008 Iowa Grant Symposium Dec. 16 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. in Ames.
The session is for grant management professionals involved in the financial and administrative management of their federal grant awards. Two experts from the U.S. Department of Labor in Chicago will be offering a compressed day-long training session. Topics include: controlling regulations, budgeting, cash management, financial reporting and more.
Registration is $75 which includes continental breakfast, lunch and breaks. The session is offered by the Iowa Office of Grants Enterprise Management (GEM$), in cooperation with the Iowa Association of Regional Councils (IARC). Visit www.iagrants.com and click on “2008 Iowa Grant Symposium” for more information.