North Iowa Times August 13, 2014 Page 1

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SATURDAY, AUGUST 23Color Blast 5K Fun Run, Walk & Roll 8:15 am Registration......................9 am RunLous Tractor Ride No Registration ..................... 10 am Start Your Tractors!Kiddie Tractor Pull 10:30 am Registration .........11 am e Pullin Begins!Waterball Fights 11:00 am Registration ........12 noon Waters SprayinLunch Being Served 11:00 am 1:00 pm ............Are Ya Hungry?Shredded Beef Sandwiches, potato salad, Chips & PieBean Bag Tournament 12:00 noon Registration ....1:00 pm Bags Are FlyinKids Activities 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm ............Lots of Fun!Corn Pile Dig & Bounce House!Dinner Being Served 5:00 pm -7:00 pm ...............YUM!!!Grilled Chicken Wings, Potato Salad, Piee Luana Tavern Street Dance 9:00 pm -1:00 pm..................Get Your Dancin Shoes On!Music by e Challengers

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LuanaCongratulations on 150 Years!

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Luana celebrates 150 years with Aug. 23-24 Luana Daze

Luana resident Wayne Desotel said the railroad, which used to be a primary feature of fun in Luana, even fea-tured a passenger train with a mail car (as shown here, even though the photo predates Desotel). Wed stand out there and play when the mail came in, Wayne remembered.

By Audrey Posten

The city of Luana will cel-ebrate its 150th birthday Aug. 23-24 at Luana Daze.

Organized by the Luana Community Club, the event was revived a few years ago with prompting from Luana Tap owner Todd Olson, who has held a street dance in the community for eight years.

He picks the date and band and we plan around it, said Brenda Boddicker with the Community Club. Its kept growing.

Like Luana Daze, the Luana Community Club has had a re-birth within the last few years, said Boddicker. She took the reins around 25 years ago, when she moved to the community. At the time, her sons were young, and they and other local boys had an interest in hockey, so a group of parents and other volunteers worked to create an ice rink.

Another project the Com-

munity Club worked toward was creating a park for local kids. With the help of donations and fundraisers, the park was made. A playset was added through a government initiative.

The Community Club fell by the wayside for awhile after that, but is back, with Kelly Moose now at the helm. Aside from Luana Daze, Boddicker said the Community Club holds Bingo once per year and works on community beautification.

That can be tough in a small town, Boddicker said, mention-ing that two flower pots have been placed in front of Luana Tap thanks to the Community Club. An event board was added to the side of the fire station and new stone and plants were put in by the community center. With help from Riveland Nurs-ery, the park is also maintained.

Luana Daze is the biggest un-dertaking. This years festivities will kick off Saturday, Aug. 23 with the color blast 5K run, walk and roll. Registration is at 8:15

a.m., with the race beginning at 9 a.m. It will start and end at the Old School Rec parking lot. Par-ticipants can walk, run or roll on their skates or bikes (bikers are asked to please wear helmets). Wear white and prepare to be color blasted.

Following the walk, run and roll is a kiddie tractor pull, with registration at 10:30 a.m. and the pull at 11 a.m.

Registration for the firemans water fight will be at 11 a.m. with

the competition at noon.A bean bag tournament will

also begin at noon.Kids can have fun from 1 to

4 p.m. with a corn pile dig and bounce house.

That evening, get ready for the Luana Tap street dance. The band The Challengers will play from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Good food will also be available throughout the day with lunch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. consisting of shredded

beef sandwiches, potato salad, chips and pie. Supper, from 5 to 7 p.m., will include grilled chicken wings, potato salad and pie. There will also be a shake machine.

Luana Daze continues Sun-day, Aug. 24 with a 9 a.m. church service. The Guttenberg Polka Band will perform from 10 to 10:30 a.m. There will also be an antique tractor pull with registration at 11 a.m. and the pull at noon.

Lu-wanna native shares stories of the pastBy Caitlin Bittner

When it comes to people who are in the know about

the history of Luana, Wayne Desotel could definitely be considered a history buff. The first thing hell tell anyone who

wants to know about Luanas history is that everyone says the name wrong. Its actu-ally pronounced Lu-wanna. Even the locals say it wrong, Wayne said, while recalling the first time he was corrected by someone from out of town.

From then on, Wayne had a lot of perspective to offer about being young in Luana. It used to have two churches, a Methodist and a Lutheran; two grocery stores, a bank, two taverns, two filling stations and a feed co-op, Wayne said, add-ing more as he remembered them, and pointing out the businesses that still existed.

The banks still there, so is

See STORIES, page 5

Community LUANACommunityCommunityCommunityspotlight LUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANACelebrating 150 Years

Page 2 North Iowa Times August 13, 2014

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Community LUANACommunityCommunityCommunityspotlight LUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANACelebrating 150 YearsLuana Old School Rec continues to growBy Audrey Posten

When Chad and Erin Keehner purchased the old school building in Luana two years ago, they wanted a gym to hold local youth activities. They never thought it would turn into a full-blown fitness and rec center. However, as Erin said, the venture took on a life of its own. With the nearby Monona Fitness going out of business, leaving some equipment available, and the rec center needing a source of income, the current format was born.

It was definitely some-thing the area wanted, Erin remarked. Its a good fit.

When the Keehners bought the building, some of the ground level had been used as a church following the schools closure. Walking down a red-carpeted hallway from the entrance and through bev-eled glass doors into the main workout room, that influence is visible.

Aside from that hallway and the workout room, which contains weights, exercise bikes and treadmills, the rest of the worka lot of cleaning and paintingwas completed by the Keehners. An all new heating system of four furnaces was added, doing away with the outdated boiler system. Two smaller exercise rooms were furnished. Littered with weights, kettlebells and exer-cise balls, they are perfect for small workout groups or people looking for some privacy. In

Chad and Erin Keehner bought Luanas old school building two years ago, turning it into a fitness and recreation center. Old School Rec-Luana Community and Recreation Center features several workout areas, a gym and outdoor exercise options. (Photo by Audrey Posten)

the basement, the schools old lunch room resembles a dance studio. It has a smooth floor, making it more amenable for movement.

The gym also received a lot of work. A brick wall was taken out that separated the stage from the court. Now, if there is a youth activity, concessions can be offered in that area.

That was a big, messy job, said Chad, mentioning that his dump truck, his wheel barrow and his back went into the tear down.

New backboards also went up in the gym this past winter, thanks to donations from local businesses.

It was pretty rewarding to put up the backboards, Erin said. That was a goal we set and accomplished.

Outside, patrons can enjoy a double sand volleyball court, a basketball court and a weight-lifting area perfect for power

lifting located on the tennis court.

There are still more changes to come.

It hasnt stopped, said Chad of the work. Theres al-ways something to do or redo.

In the near future, the Keehners hope to raise money to replace the roof. They would also like some newer volleyball nets and plan to create a wres-tling room in what was once the school library.

Use of the rec center is usually lower during the sum-mer, but Chad said 60 or more people utilize it daily during the winter. One snow day this past winter, Erin said she entered the gym to find 20 to 30 kids inside.

It was awesome to see it get used, she said. Thats what our original thought was when we bought it.

See REC CENTER, page 6

North Iowa Times August 13, 2014 Page 3

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Community LUANACommunityCommunityCommunityspotlight LUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANACelebrating 150 YearsLuana Fire Department: serving the community for nearly 100 years

Members of the Luana Volunteer Fire Department include (front, left) Derek Bentien, Matt Baade, Justin Grove, Steve Pape; (back, left) Lonnie Baade, Doug Schrader, Tim Sautter, Chris Anderson, Brant Schrader, Dan Van Wey, Lan Kleinow and Eugene Hemmersbach. Not pictured are Keith Johnson, Kevin Boddicker, Brad Moses, Doug Moose, Jim Meyer, Ryan Glawe, Calvin Chapman, Derek Eilers, Arlis White and Drew Pape. (Photo by Audrey Posten)

By Audrey Posten

The Luana Volunteer Fire Department has served the community for nearly 100 yearssince May 1918. Origi-nally boasting around one dozen volunteers, the depart-ment now includes 22 firefight-ers from both in town and rural Luana. There are three father-son sets.

Fire Chief Lonnie Baade, who has been chief since 2000 and with the department since 1987, said the fire department responds to 15 to 16 calls each year, including mutual aid. Calls involve fires, accidents, assisting the MFL Ambulance Service or even storm watch-ing.

The firefighters meet the first Monday of each month and train the third Monday. Some of the guys joked that getting together is like having a male support group, but they do get things done. Theyre supposed to have 24 training hours each year. Baade said training includes things like pump operation, controlled burns, night driving and search and rescue, where they put their gear on, turn the lights off in a building and try to find

someone.One training at a barn near

Pikes Peak was especially memorable for some of the guys.

It nearly melted the suits on our backs, explained Steve Pape. Guys were hosing us down to keep us cool.

Throughout the year, the fire department also does a lot of

equipment maintenancetest-ing the pick-up hose, air packs and the flow coming out of the pump.

The fire department is always on the lookout for new recruits. If they ever get called to your residence, you could be next. Just take it from Justin Grove, who was asked to join after the department responded to his barn fire.

If someones interested in joining, Baade said the fire-fighters discuss the addition at a meeting, gauging if the person is sincere.

Most of the time, they are,

Baade said. You dont want to turn anyone down. Were close to full roster now. Thats pretty good for a small town.

In a small town, its almost everybodys civic duty to do for a few years, added Doug Schrader, one-time chief and the departments longest-serving volunteer with 35 years of experience.

While the fire departments mission to serve the commu-nity hasnt changed since its inception, a lot of other things have, said Schrader.

Over the years, regulations have controlled a lot of what

we can and cant do, but thats good, he said. You need to be trained in order to be safe.

Schrader said the bunker gear improvements have been one of the greatest changes.

When I joined, there were long, heavy trench coats that almost went down to your calves. The boots were knee boots, he said, recalling that there was an exposed area. Once, we were fighting a barn fire and I felt something warm on my leg. It was change in my pocket that was warm because of the exposed area, from the way the suit was set up.

Many of the firemen also commented on the transition from the fire whistle and fire phones to notify them of a fire to pagers. In Luana, there used to be 10 fire phones. When someone called, there was a double ring on the house phone and a button on top to push that would blow the fire siren on top of city hall.

While being on the fire de-partment can be a challenge, said Baade, its a vital part of the community.

If we didnt have [the fire department], wed be in trouble, he remarked.

Page 4 North Iowa Times August 13, 2014

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By Audrey Posten

In June 2006, after spending 14 years working on the road for Design Homes, Todd Olson was ready for a change. The bar business seemed like a good fit.

I worked in the business after high school and enjoyed it, Olson said. I always had in the back of my mind that, if there was an opportunity, Id do it. It happened to be in a nice town like Luana.

Olson has been the propri-etor of the Luana Tap (other times referred to as the Luana Tavern) ever since.

When Olson took over, he put in a new floor, updated the kitchen equipment and fixed the sidewalk. He also put a new roof on the flat part of the build-ing, which, during its 100-some years, has been a grocery store and barber shop. Upstairs, there was an opera house and, at one

Todd Olson has owned the Luana Tap since June 2006. (Photo by Audrey Posten)

time, roller skating.The big changes are about

to come, Olson said, explaining that he plans to expand the busi-ness, making the kitchen bigger and opening up the dining area. The bathrooms will be moved back to accommodate more people. Im making more work

for myself, he joked.But the extra room is neces-

sary. People come from both lo-cally and further away to sample Luana Taps food. Friday nights are always packed, said Olson, as people come for the cod and jumbo shrimp.

The kitchen is small, he said. People wonder how I get all the food out.

Luana Tap offers different specials throughout the week, with bluegills on Mondays, tacos on Tuesdays, jumbo chicken wings on Wednesdays and steak and catfish on Saturdays. Other favorites include burgers ground fresh daily, steak sandwiches and four different types of Phillies, for which Olson has won awards.

Its important in this busi-ness to have good food, he said. We have a lot to offer.

Luana Tap also offers a place for the community to meet and socialize. Each morning, 10 to 13 coffee drinkers gather at the tavern. The Luana Community Club occasionally holds meet-ings there. For the past eight years, Olson has also held a street dance.

Its a chance for everyone to get together and have fun, he

said, explaining that he pulls a flatbed semi trailer with a stage onto the street for the event. This year, The Challengers will perform on Saturday, Aug. 23, from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Looking back on his time at Luana Tap, Olson said the street dances have probably been his favorite moments.

Its a lot of work putting it

on, but everyone enjoys them-selves, he said, so its special.

The community also helps make his job special, Olson added.

The people in this town are great and supportive, and that shows, he said. The town is still growing, with younger couples moving in. Its a nice, little com-munity.

Luana past and presentBy Audrey Posten

William S. Scott was Luanas first settler. The owner of 600 acres, which were surveyed in 1867, he mapped out the com-munity, located about four miles west of Monona and six miles east of Postville. The town was officially named Luana, after Scotts wife, Luana (Harvery) Scott, in 1864, when the post office was established. Scott also owned Luanas first tavern and hotel.

In 1848, with the coming

of the railroad, the town came into being. The first building was an inn, used as a rest stop for soldiers guarding supplies transported between Fort Crawford in Prairie du Chien and Fort Atkinson in Win-neshiek County.

Throughout the years, while the nearby town of Hardin died out, the railroad sustained Luana, which, this year, will cele-brate 150 yearssomething the community should be proud

See PAST/PRESENT, page 5

Community LUANACommunityCommunityCommunityspotlight LUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANALUANACelebrating 150 Years

North Iowa Times August 13, 2014 Page 5

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of, said Mayor Jerry Schroeder.I remember the 100-year

celebration. There was a ferris wheel, he recalled, adding that this years Luana Daze, which will celebrate the citys 150th birthday, should be a good time. Itll bring people to town and there are good things for the kids to do. Its always good to see them having fun.

Although he grew up outside Luana, Schroeder, who has been mayor for three terms, said he remembers visiting town as a kid.

I always went to church here. There was a tavern then, and a grocery store and barber shop, he said. The taverns one busi-ness thats held on. Its a really good place to eat.

He also attended the Luana School until 8th grade and said hes glad to see the building put to good use as the rec center.

Even though Luana is short-er on businesses these days, Schroeder said the community has continued to grow. Thanks to a new housing development

on the part of Luana Savings Bank, 16 new homes have sprung up within the last six years. Two basements are also being dug now.

Its nice to see the school bus going out there and picking up kids, Schroeder commented. I think Luana will keep growing and continue to be a good place to live.

Although finances and the communitys smaller size keeps Luana from doing some things, Schroeder said, with some of the lowest taxes in the county, the addition of a new well and with an active community club, Luana has a lot going for it. He also said the bank, which was recently named the 17th best performing community bank in the country, also helps keep the community viable.

Its a bedroom town, he said, referencing that residents can travel to Waukon, Monona or Prairie du Chien to work or get what they need, but a lot of people like that. The quiet is a good thing.a good thing.

PAST/PRESENT, from page 2

In 1848, with the coming of the railroad, Luana came into being. Through-out the years, while the nearby town of Hardin died out, the railroad sus-tained Luana, which, this year, will celebrate 150 years.

STORIES, from page 1the Lutheran church and one of the taverns, he remarked, adding that the church is not as packed as it used to be. The church and the choir both used to be full.

Among the businesses that have since closed, Wayne fondly remembers his father Emils garage and filling sta-tion, De Sotel Garage. The old cronies would come over and play cards at my dads, and theyd tell all these stories. I was just a kid riding my bike around them. Afterward, Id fall asleep on the radiator because it was warm, and, in the morn-ing, Id always wake up in my room, said Wayne, who is sure the old cronies are the reason he has so many stories to tell these days.

When asked about the dif-ference in his and his fathers names, Wayne simply stated that he got tired of filling out forms and having his name be wrong. It always looked like my middle name was De, he laughed.

Another significant change Wayne noted about Luana was the playground equipment. There used to be a cement vault company in town and five of us would run hoses over to make swimming pools, he said, smiling at the memory.

Wayne said there were only two other kids his age in town. There was me and Merle Gordon and Rosie Brown; her

parents used to operate the switchboard from their house.

When it came to fun, the area kids had to make a lot of their own when growing up in Luana. He recalled trips to Hickory Creek, baseball games and railroad adventures. We also used to play on the train tracks, but I dont know what we were thinking, he chuck-led. I never let kids play on the train tracks.

The railroad, which used to be a primary feature of fun in Luana, even featured a pas-senger train with a mail car. Wed stand out there and play when the mail came in, Wayne remembered. The guy who got the mail would stand there, too, and we always thought he was protecting us, but it turns out that we were protecting him! If we werent there, they threw the mail sack at him.

The children were also al-lowed to come into the Luana Depot if they promised to sit down and not touch anything. They let us in to dry our gloves off and warm up if we behaved, Wayne said.

Although it was before his time, Wayne had no trouble remembering the details of when Highway 18 and High-way 52 came through town, partially, he said, because their arrival meant a little re-modeling for his dads garage. It came though in 1932 and cut kitty-corner through the

property, he explained, add-ing that the highways and the railroad helped Luana grow in importance, and to some it even became known as a gateway to the West.

The Burgess brothers used to have buffalo up here and the train conductors used to get all confused. They thought they were really out West, he said, chuckling again.

One memory that doesnt make him chuckle, however, was the memory of WWII. When I was a kid, no one really told me about the War, but I heard a lot about it, he remarked, explaining that the wartime changes were visible. They stopped making cars and made trucks, jeeps and planes. Each town had scrap piles and wed cut the bottoms off of cans and flatten them. I still do that today.

Additionally, Wayne remem-bered his own contribution to the war effort. I collected aluminum from gum wrap-pers. Now it kinda hurts to see people use so much on take out food when it took me three years just to get a little ball of it.

While WWII was a very hard time for many Americans, Wayne cited it as the beginning of one of his biggest dreams. One day, there were contrails over Luana and they let school out. Our teacher told us the planes were from Alsworth

Air Force Base and they were training. I looked up and said Im going to do that.

Fifty-three years later, Wayne, with his wife Sharon and three others in tow, was finally able to make his wish of flying come true.

Thinking back on it years later, Wayne joked that he didnt know how the allies had been victorious. I thought, if my second grade teacher knew all this information, how did we win? he said, adding that his teacher had been dating an Army man. He surprised her twice at the school.

The Luana school, which was among the first in the state to consolidate, bringing all the children from the country schools into town, has since closed its doors. Back in its early years, the school played host to many students, yet not enough to make up a single first grade class. We started school in first grade and had the same

room and same teacher for first, second and third grades, Wayne explained.

Even though Waynes fam-ily moved away from Luana in 1946, when he was only 8 years old, he managed to find his way back. When he was thinking about retiring from his job at REC in Postville, he and his wife made a trip to a cemetery in Luana to visit his grandparents graves. At the time, the house across the way was for sale. My wife said she wouldnt mind living in that house and I was like yeah, right, but after we started looking at houses, we actually bought it, he said, speechless in the face of the memory.

When they arrived in Luana, Wayne looked at residents names and informed her that he knew everybody in town. It turned out that I only knew their names, he laughed. Most of them were two gen-erations removed!

Check us out! North Iowa Times

Page 6 North Iowa Times August 13, 2014

REC CENTER, from page 6

Updating the gym was a major project when the Keehners purchased the building. A wall of brick was torn down in order to open up the stage area to the rest of the gym. New basketball backboards were added this past winter, with help from several local businesses. (Photo by Audrey Posten)

Although the Keehners oversee the rec center, it is non-profit and community funded. When a person becomes a pay-ing member, he/she receives a pass code to enter. Once inside, users are asked to sign in to a book. For a minimal cost, youth groups can also use the facility on a punch card system.

Volunteers offer some class-es throughout the week and Erin said a few other small groups of two to six people meet to do Insanity or Beach Body workouts. Individuals leave exercise DVDs, weights and various workout items for other members to use, so, she said, its a community project in that regard as well.

Since there is no staff, mem-bers are also helpful in keeping the rec center clean and the outside shoveled during the

winter. For the most part, said Erin, people have been good about respecting the facility and equipment.

The Keehners are glad to uti-lize the space, mentioning that the school buildings age and historic significance add a lot of character. The upper levels, said Chad, have remained un-touched and look as they were left years ago. The couple has given a lot of tours, especially early on, to people who not only exercise there, but also to former students.

Erin and Chad said they often hear people are surprised a community the size of Luana has a fitness and rec center.

There are still people out there who dont know what this is, Erin said, adding that those who do know are often

impressed.We have people from other

states stop in who talk about bigger cities that fight for gym space, Chad explained. They dont have anything like this.

Ultimately, said the Keehners, the rec centers future depends on the community.

Last winter, we thought, Its new. Were lucky to have these numbers, Erin said. This year, we didnt know what to expect, but it grew.

It wasnt just a fad, added Chad.

Theyre also open to ideas from community members regarding additions or classes.

Were willing to work with people. Were learning as we go, Erin said. As long as the community supports and uses it, well keep going.