Home Care In South Amana, IA

Late morning sunshine steaming from a wall of south-facing windows transforms a weathered wooden building that sets back a bit from 220th Trail in South Amana. It's bright and white, cozy and warm inside the space even in early December.

The natural light helped Cherie Hansen-Reiskamp imagine the building's potential when she and her husband, Gerald, bought the property. What for many decades had been a chicken coop is now the Garden Cottage, an adaptable room for holiday parties or yoga, reiki and meditation.

'The building has a lot of good energy. It's a very calming space,' Cherie said.

Historic property

The Reiskamp's bought their South Amana home in 2008. The house, built in 1994, sits on property that was once part of Ackerman Winery. They soon purchased the lot next door, which included the old wooden shed. There were missing windows and many dead animals in the space.

The building was erected before the Great Change of 1932 that ended the Amana communal society. It's insulated with bricks produced in South Amana during the communal period. The outside is covered in pine board-and-batten siding, replaced with Amana Society timber.

Pre-1932, the building had a wood-burning stove with a chimney next to the only human-sized door in the southwest corner. There was a chicken door at the southeast corner of the building.

Where Cherie visualized a sunny reading space, Gerald saw chickens.

Chickens

They tidied the place a bit, made some repairs, and added an outdoor chicken run. For several years, they raise chickens right next to George Berger's chicken coop and run. Their neighbor told them that in years past, a fenced area went all the way to the sidewalk leading to the old school next door (now South Amana School House Apartments). Up to 500 chickens roamed the yard back then.

The Reiskamp's flock numbered far fewer. About 25 broilers were butchered annually, enough to feed them for the year, plus eggs for sharing.

'They tasted great,' Cherie said. 'And we had a lot of eggs; we ate a lot of quiche.'

Raising livestock made it more difficult for them to get away. Every night and each morning, they had to let the chickens and in and out because of hungry wildlife. The building hadn't been wired for electricity, so this often meant working by flashlight.

When Gerald fell and broke his hand while getting feed about five years ago, they said goodbye to their chickens.

Versatile space

For a short time, Gerald used the chicken coop as a shop. When he built a separate blacksmith's shop, he ran electricity to the old chicken coop. Cherie jumped at the opportunity to repurpose the space. Their house didn't have a lot of windows, and she was starving for sunlight.

'Even when it was still a chicken coop, I would go out there in the middle of winter and sit with the chickens, sit right in the sun. That's how warm it got without any heat,' Cherie said.

With the chickens gone, they added a new roof and then painted the chicken coop inside. They intended to insulate the ceiling, but both really liked the look of the whitewashed, rough-hewed ceiling beams.

The old chicken coop is an odd shape: it seems like a small barn cut in half at its highest peak. The lower side of the sloped roof ends at about 5 feet before soaring to about 9 feet along the southern wall.

Six tall windows are each topped with a much smaller window. Cherie and her mother sewed long curtain panels from cream-colored painter's cloths, and Gerald, a blacksmith, made the curtain rods.

Four years ago, Cherie and a friend decorated the building and opened it to tours during the annual Prelude to Christmas Festival. About 500 queued through the small building to see its Japanese-themed holiday decor.

'Everybody loved it. It made them rethink something that could very easily have been abandoned,' Cherie said.

The renovation

Because it was built before the Great Change, all exterior changes to the old chicken coop must be approved by the Amana Colonies Land Use District. The seven villages of the Amanas were declared a National Historic Landmark in 1965.

After years of repainting the original wooden windows, they requested permission to replace the wood with vinyl windows. The ACLUD approved that change and an upgrade from a wooden door to a solid, six-panel steel door. Cherie's request to install a door with multi-pane windows was turned down.

It costs a lot of money to keep the old buildings up, Cherie said. She had to make sure that what she spent would be an investment in the property. Their property is zoned commercial, which means legally they could run a business out of the chicken coop. Cherie chose to repurpose it as a yoga, reiki and meditation space to hold classes. In 2019, she traveled to India to learn how to teach yoga. She was too busy at work that year to get to work on the building's transformation.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, she saw an opportunity to do a major renovation. The old floor was broken up and removed, and a new concrete floor poured. After it had cured, Cherie painted it a light periwinkle blue and sealed it. Ceiling lights add an industrial feel to the room. She estimated they spent about $6,000 updating the building this year.

Having spent time in England where such buildings are named, Cherie dubbed the former chicken coop the Garden Cottage.

The Reiskamps hosted a Halloween party for neighbors and their grandkids, who live four houses away. Everybody wore a face mask. They did a ghost walk and told ghost stories.

Then Cherie and friend Ursula Williams got busy decorating for Christmas. Williams chose German dishes with fat sheep and a sheepherder, edged in green to grace the large table. In line with the garden theme, they used birch-bark paper for place mats and included flowers on the tall Christmas tree. There is a decorative chicken on a large natural sheepskin under the tree as a nod to the building's former purpose.

The sheepskin and the white wicker furniture will stay after the holidays. Then the space will be transformed into a yoga studio. Someday, hopefully soon, the pandemic will be over, and she'll be able to invite friends in for yoga classes or meditation, she said.

Years down the road, when she and Gerald move, she imagines that the Garden Cottage could become a one- or two-person home office or a small business.

'It really is a versatile space,' Cherie said.

What used to be a bustling exit on Interstate 80 in Iowa County now is studded with empty buildings since the Wasserbahn Waterpark Resort closed last month.

But Iowa County officials predict Exit 225 will regenerate.

One sign of that, said Kate Robertson, executive director for Benton and Iowa County Economic Development, is the upcoming renovation of the Heritage Inn, a 25-year-old hotel on the north side of the interstate that she said is expected to join a national franchise.

“There’s only one way to go and that’s up at that exit,” Robertson said. “It’s a matter of the county and our organization to really market that exit, specifically. It has the potential to be a hot spot along Interstate 80.”

The last time Exit 225 was a true hot spot was before growth of commercial zones in Coralville and Tiffin siphoned off customers who might have stopped in Iowa County to eat or stay the night after a University of Iowa football game, said Aaron Sandersfeld, Williamsburg city administrator and an Iowa County native.

Little Amana

Exit 225 was developed in the 1970s by Amana-Nordstrom, now the Amana Society. They called the area Little Amana and, through satellite stores and restaurants, offered a taste of what visitors would find 10 minutes north in the Amana Colonies.

Amana-Nordstrom built the hotel that later became the Wasserbahn, which means “water ride” in German. In the early days, the hotel was a Holiday Inn that hosted wedding receptions, Christmas parties and buses of tourists who came to visit the Amana Colonies.

The Amana Society in 2004 sold the hotel property, which included several shops and restaurant spaces on the perimeter of the parking lot. After that, the Amana Society gradually distanced itself from Exit 225, said Jeff Popenhagen, Amana Society chief revenue officer.

“They kind of had a different mission and plan for that hotel and it didn’t fit with what we were trying to do,” he said. “There were numerous quality issues. We needed to protect our brand.

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“We try to emphasize quality and hospitality. Without any control over that, it was hard to have our name on it.”

In the early 2000s, a fire at a Best Western hotel at Exit 225 eventually caused that building and a nearby restaurant to be torn down, Sandersfeld said.

By 2018, when a YouTuber visited to document stops along I-80, he noted finding “a waterpark, an old restaurant, some hotels, some ice cream, some fire works.” He was particularly fascinated by the closed Colony Village restaurant and zoomed in on faded signs and overgrown shrubs.

Wasserbahn closure

The Wasserbahn was a popular stop for families in Eastern Iowa or travelers on I-80. Even as the COVID-19 pandemic hit hotels across the country, the Wasserbahn owner tried to renovate rooms and bring in new visitors with live music, Sandersfeld said.

“A lot of the local people would make comments that it was a nice venue to have,” he said. “There aren’t a whole ton of things to do in the area like that, like live music.”

But the owner decided to close on March 1.

Robertson hasn’t been able to get in touch with Wasserbahn owner Yule Park, but Park has filed paperwork with Iowa County indicating he plans to demolish the hotel, she said.

An online auction was held in late March to sell everything inside the hotel, from linens and kitchen supplies to two four-story fiberglass waterslides.

Park has told residents he wants to build a truck stop on the site.

But for now, all that’s left south of the interstate is an Amoco gas station and the 225 Artisans Gallery gift shop.

Renee Driscoll started working in the gift shop in 1972, back when it sold Amana jellies, wine and fresh-baked bread. Over the years, she worked at the hotel after staying home with kids and then rented the gift shop space for her own business, 225 Artisans Gallery.

Named after the I-80 exit, the store sells handmade items from 40 vendors who make everything from bird feeders from upcycled relish trays to cribbage boards with bullets for the pegs. Driscoll chuckled as she showed off a leather handbag with a pocket on the back for a firearm.

“We just have the best stuff,” she said.

Driscoll doesn’t want to move all her wares to a new location, but she’s started looking.

“I hate to uproot all of a sudden,” she said. “I’m looking at several options. I don’t know how long I have.”

Pino's Sicilian Pizzeria relocated from Exit 225 to the Outlets Williamsburg soon after the Wasserbahn closed. Owner Joe Taormina, Jr. said he knew the hotel was going downhill, but he didn’t know it would close so quickly.

“I moved 18 pieces of heavy equipment in a day,” Taormina said.

“I had two customers of mine who helped us move some of that stuff. We got our plumber in here, an electrician in here. There’s not even a word to describe this community. It’s heaven sent.”

Taormina and his family opened the restaurant at Exit 225 in March 2019 and built a strong customer base among locals from Parnell to Marengo. Many of those regulars now are coming to the outlet mall location, he said.

‘Really great things happening’

Iowa County went from 844 retail establishments in fiscal year 2020 to 695 a year later, a decline of nearly 18 percent. That loss of restaurants and storefronts happened in every community across the country during the COVID-19 pandemic.

What is more surprising is Iowa County’s taxable sales have stayed fairly consistent, between $186 million and $200 million, for the past decade, with fiscal year 2020 being an outlier at $178 million, according to data from the Iowa Department of Revenue.

“You can attribute a lot of that to the hard work the Outlets Williamsburg have done,” Robertson said.

“Some will say it doesn’t have the traffic like it used to, but I would tend to disagree. There’s still Nike and Under Armour and other flagship stores, but they (mall managers) have really diversified.”

Robertson and Sandersfeld pointed to other small businesses that have opened in Iowa County’s towns, such as Back Porch Flowers and Gifts in Marengo, Brickhouse Coffee Co. in Williamsburg and Salt and Light Market in North English.

The Amana Colonies struggled during COVID-19, especially because one of their target demographics is older Americans, many of whom were cautious about returning to travel, Popenhagen said.

The Hotel Millwright, a 65-room boutique hotel, restaurant and conference center built into a historic textile mill, opened in 2020.

“That had a rough 18 months, but it’s really growing right now,” the Amana Society’s Popenhagen said. “I oversee the general store, woolen mill and furniture shop. All of us had a really good year.”

The Amana Colonies hosted new outdoor events in 2021 that allowed visitors to safely socialize and has renewed tourism partnerships with other Iowa County communities, he said. An Iowa County Shop Hop May 21 and 22 will encourage visitors to hit stores across the county.

Robertson said the renovation of the Heritage Inn at Exit 225 shows you can’t count out Exit 225 for new development.

Work isn’t obvious from the outside the hotel, which still is surrounded by waist-high weeds, but there’s a construction Dumpster in the parking lot and a peek inside the entrance windows shows buckets of paint, new doors and piles of white tile.

The hotel’s new owner could not be reached for contact.

“That potentially could be the catalyst for that area as a whole,” Robertson said. “There are a lot of really great things happening.”

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We all want uninterrupted postal service, but that's just not always possible. The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has a responsibility to ensure the safety of its employees, customers, and our mail. And sometimes, that means operations can't proceed normally. Over time, we have seen the Postal Service suspend deliveries because of aggressive animals, and close post offices in the midst of natural disasters. Now, the agency been forced to suspend services in six different states. Read on to find out more about the latest closures.

If you were planning to head to the post office anytime soon, you may need to change your plans depending on where you live. The latest updates to the USPS Service Alerts website indicate that a significant number of facilities have just been shut down in multiple areas.

As of Feb. 24, more than 100 post offices are currently closed temporarily in six states: California, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

All of these post offices were closed for similar reasons.

The affected post offices may be spread across six different states, but they are all experiencing similar issues right now.

The Palomar Mountain Post Office in California was closed on Feb. 23 "due to winter storms," the USPS said in one alert. Separately, the Postal Service cited "weather" as the reason for the closures in Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

The agency closed two Iowa facilities in Maurice and South Amana, while it shut down 14 post offices in Minnesota, including those in cities such as Fairmont and Cologne. There were also 23 closures in North Dakota, impacting cities like Casselton and Ellendale, and 37 in South Dakota, affecting cities like Groton and Valley Springs.

Those aren't the only consequences of winter weather. The USPS stated in a Feb. 24 alert that it has temporarily closed retail operations at several post offices in Michigan "due to power outages caused by weather." There are 51 affected facilities in this state, including post offices in cities like as Franklin and Tecumseh.

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Dangerous winter weather is happening across the U.S. right now.

Various storms are stressing postal systems in these states. A massive winter storm began hitting the Midwest on Feb. 21, prompting the National Weather Service (NWS) to issue blizzard warnings for portions of Iowa, Minnesota, and the Dakotas, CNN reported.

As part of the same storm system, heavy, freezing rainfall was forecasted to hit Michigan, according to the news outlet. More than 700,000 homes and businesses in this state are now without power as of Feb. 24 because of this storm, per NBC News.

And California is currently being threatened with a "rare blizzard," The New York Times reported. According to the newspaper, the storm began unleashing rain, heavy snow, and strong winds in some parts of the state on Feb. 23.

The NWS said this has created blizzard conditions over mountain passes, even in the southern part of California. Flooding and weak tornados are also possible in the state over the next few days as a result of this storm.

The USPS could suspend delivery service as well.

Despite the hazardous weather, the Postal Service hasn't reported any delivery suspensions in its recent updates. In fact, the agency said in its alert for Michigan that "delivery operations will not be affected."

But never say never. In local press releases issued for both Iowa and South Dakota on Feb. 23, the USPS said this kind of dangerous weather could prevent people from getting their mail delivered.

"Delivery service may be delayed or curtailed whenever streets or walkways present hazardous conditions for letter carriers or when snow is plowed against mailboxes," the agency explained. "The Postal Service curtails delivery only after careful consideration, and only as a last resort."

To prevent this from happening to your home, the Postal Service is asking customers to clear any snow or ice from sidewalks, stairs, and mailboxes to ensure safe delivery service can continue without interruption from winter storms.

"With major snow accumulations covering the region, along with prolonged frigid temperatures, one tool is expected to make its return at homes and businesses—the shovel," the USPS said. "Snow and ice make delivery dangerous and slow. Maintaining a clear path to the mailbox—including steps, porches, walkways, and street approach—will help letter carriers maintain consistent delivery service."

Kali Coleman

NEWSpapers of Iowa County

AMANA, Ia. — The Iowa State Fire Marshal’s office was called to assist at the scene of a fire that destroyed the clubhouse building early Friday at the Amana Colonies Golf Course.

It was one of the bigger fires in recent memory that Amana firefighters were called to, according to chief Chris Herr. There was no preliminary indication as to the cause.

“We haven’t even started digging yet,” Amana fire chief Chris Herr said.

No injuries were reported.

Crews from four departments responded to the blaze about 3:45 a.m. The north end of the building was engulfed in flames upon arrival, and was starting to move through the building.

“We tried to attack as much as we could to the south end but it was a big fire,” said Herr. “It was in the front area and burning cross the ceilings and other areas.”

Assisting Amana were departments from Fairfax, Norway and Oxford. Due to the golf course’s remote location, water had to be trucked in from elsewhere.

By 10 a.m., Amana was the only fire department still on the scene, putting out hot spots. Smoke was still coming from the charred frame, the stench from the burned rubble still permeating the air.

Investigators were talking with employees who worked Thursday evening and representatives from the golf course’s owner, Greenback LLC. A representative from Greenback was not immediately available for comment.

“They’re doing their job and we’ll let them do their job,” said Herr of the investigation.

Representatives from the Amana Society were stunned and saddened by the news of the fire. President John Peterson said he had met with Patrick Slater, representing Greenback, to determine what happens next.

Peterson added that the golf course has been for sale for some time and that Greenback had been leasing it to its operators, and did not know how the fire would affect its sale.

“We’d like to see it continue as a golf course,” Peterson said. “It’s a great course and we’d like to see it continue in Amana.

“We’ll try and absorb it and think about over the weekend what we can do to help,” he added.

At least 36 golf carts parked in front of the building were destroyed, and several others were damaged due to the heat from the fire.

NEWTON, Iowa — If there wasn’t enough going on in August 2021 for the steam locomotive enthusiast, here’s one more special event to keep an eye on, or maybe even attend: An Iowa-based Chinese-built QJ 2-10-2 is starting its public tour.

On Friday, Central States Steam Preservation No. 6988 made a deadhead freight move from the Iowa Interstate shop in Newton, Iowa, to South Amana, Iowa, in preparation for short trips this weekend benefitting local emergency services agencies. On Saturday, the train will operate sold out excursions for the Oxford (Iowa) Fire Department. On Sunday trips benefit the Wilton (Iowa) Fire Department, and a few Sunday morning tickets remained available.

In addition to the Iowa steam trips, Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 is on a 31-day tour that is taking it to New Orleans this weekend (with a sold-out excursion Sunday), and the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic’s sold out 50th anniversary event (delayed from last year due to Covid-19), Victorian Iron Horse Roundup, begins Saturday and continues through Aug. 30.

No. 6988 was built in 1985 and saw extensive service in China until it was brought to the U.S. with sister 7081 by the Iowa Interstate. The two engines ran in community service until 2013 when they were set aside. The Americanized No. 6988, nicknamed Iowa Bolt, was brought back out in 2019.

Additionally, the Central States Steam Preservation Association and the Iowa Interstate Railroad, in partnership with Operation Lifesaver and the Science Center of Iowa, will run short passenger trips out of downtown Des Moines with No. 6988 Labor Day Weekend.

Riders will be able to enjoy an operating display from Operation Lifesaver to learn about railway safety, and a trip into the Iowa countryside behind the Chinese-built QJ No. 6988 as a part of this event. They can also enjoy the rest of what the Science Center of Iowa has to offer, such as a Mini Makers Fair on Monday, Sept. 6, for an additional fee.

No. 6988 will be on static display for the public (at no fee for visitors) on Saturday, Sept. 4, between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. outside the Science Center of Iowa on 4th street.

The train will make five runs on Sunday, Sept. 5, between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., and four runs on Monday, Sept. 6, between 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Each train ride will last approximately 50 minutes and will depart from 4th Street in front of the Science Center of Iowa.

For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit the Science Center of Iowa website.