I'm Charity Nebbe.

And this is Greetings from Iowa.

A small town that builds a new park.

A group of master gardeners designing a community flower garden.

An entrepreneur taking the risk and opening up a coffee shop to serve as a space for gathering.

There is no shortage of towns, groups and individuals who want to see the best of their communities.

Coming up on this episode, we'll meet an individual who created a community refrigerator that serves as a food resource for those in need in Des Moines.

We'll head to Waterloo to meet an entrepreneur who opened a bookstore for her community.

Plus, we'll hear music from an eastern Iowa band that performs traditional Irish folk tunes.

Join us as we celebrate our communities and the people in them.

Coming up next on Greetings from Iowa.

Funding for Greetings from Iowa is provided by with our Iowa roots and Midwestern values.

Farmers.

Mutual hail is committed to offering innovative farm insurance for America's farmers, just as we have for six generations.

Farmers Mutual Hail America's crop insurance company the Pella Roll Screen Foundation is a proud supporter of Iowa PBS.

Pella Windows and Doors strives to better our communities and build a better tomorrow.

[music] Manning is one of the better kept secrets in Iowa.

We're as far away from any place as you can get in western Iowa.

So our claim to fame in Manning is we're about 90 minutes from everything.

So we're right in the middle between Council Bluffs, Des Moines area, and Sioux City is about 90 minutes north of us.

It's a it's a great little community.

We've got population around fifteen hundred, plus or minus one hundred, one side or the other.

And for a town of our size, we have lots and lots of things to offer.

The brick streets... can't beat it.

That's if you don't, if you don't have a brick street, you're not Manning.

Active Main Street.

Business District.

We've got a fantastic trail system throughout the community for walking or riding bikes.

Great public library.

Lots of services to offer and things to do within our community.

I would say the best word that describes Manning or sums up Manning would be progressive.

We're progressive, we keep changing, but yet stay home town.

I am the director of Manning Hausbarn and Heritage Park, which encompasses this beautiful grounds that we're on now, which consists of the early 1900s Historic Farm, which is on the national registry of historic places.

But really unusual type of house to build on a farm in Iowa in 1915.

And then we also have Historic Trinity Church, which was moved here from Gray, Iowa.

And then, of course, the authentic 1660 German Hausbarn And we were able to, as a community community, acquire that back in the 1990s at some point.

So the whole concept of the hausbarn is it is where the animals and people live together.

It was one dwelling that everybody shared.

Our particular barn here has one bedroom.

It's incredible.

The roof is absolutely incredible.

Made out of reeds harvested from the Baltic Sea.

I think the most incredible part of the roof is not only the fact that it doesn't leak, but none of those reeds were cut when they put that onto the roof.

But it came to be because we had a group here in Manning that said, we need to do something to honor our heritage.

We really focus on our German heritage, so we still celebrate Weihnachtsfest every winter and and the whole town has embraced that.

Don't let the population of fifteen-hundred fool you, and like well it is just another boring little town.

There's nothing to do here.

Come see us.

There's lots of things that we can do to keep you busy on any given day.

We got lots of art around town, lots of trails, the rec center, shopping, restaurants.

Come see us.

You will not find a place more open, more friendly, and more willing to accept people than Manning, Iowa.

The COVID pandemic amplified food insecurity all over the country.

But one individual in Des Moines found an intriguing way to make sure her neighbors could get enough to eat.

♪♪ Monika Owczarski: We are in the heart of Des Moines.

We are just north of downtown in the River Bend neighborhood.

And when everything really started shutting down in March of 2020 and a lot of the programs in the neighborhood that feed people every night couldn't operate because it wasn't safe, my neighbors and I really noticed a huge hole.

And it's not new.

The pandemic certainly didn't create food insecurity, but it did exacerbate it.

♪♪ Monika Owczarski: I remember listening to a podcast about community fridges popping up in the Bay Area.

And I just texted my friend Aubrey who runs Eat Greater Des Moines.

And I said, wouldn't that be so cool if we had one in Des Moines?

♪♪ Monika Owczarski: This is the fridge.

This is our insulated shelter.

This is what makes sure that the fridge itself doesn't freeze or get too terribly hot.

This is just the weatherproofed structure.

♪♪ Monika Owczarski: So you have one side that is pantry.

This was completely full this morning, so things move fast.

♪♪ Monika Owczarski: There are rules.

And really the rules revolve around protecting the community.

We really just ask people to give what they would eat.

So people ask me, well what should I shop for and what should I bring?

What does your family like?

What do you like to eat?

What would you give to your children?

There's no waiting period, sign-ups, etcetera.

It's that you feel like you need food, you take the food.

I believe you.

That's it.

There is no qualifier.

And so it is very empowering to see such direct action happening.

I mean, we'll have days where we see 20, 30 cars an hour stop by.

And so it's a pretty utilized resource.

♪♪ Monika Owczarski: In terms of the volunteers and our partners, no expired foods, no opened or eaten foods and no alcohol.

We do get lots of hygiene products, diapers, wipes.

When it was really dangerously cold we got a lot of mittens, scarves, things to heat yourself with, blankets.

We really just listen to the folks who are utilizing the fridge.

Monika Owczarski: Soon there will be four community fridges in Des Moines.

These are all places where there's a lot of foot traffic, there's a lot of people and it's going to be really accessible and it's just going to be more options for people to get what they need.

And really what I hope people can understand is that a community fridge is really about mutual aid.

Mutual aid doesn't mean that you're saving someone, it doesn't mean that you're putting up a charity, it means that we understand that we are all connected and we all need to take care of each other.

♪♪ Monika Owczarski: I've been thinking a lot about why I do all of this.

I just really realized that it doesn't matter who you are and it doesn't matter what you've done or what you do, you have to eat.

It doesn't matter what language you speak or where you come from, we all have to eat.

And it is a primal and simple and loving way to connect with people that really transcends all of that.

It transcends language, it transcends everything.

And so to me it is an ultimate act of love and of radical love to create a system in which there are no restrictions and there are no barriers and you deserve good food because you exist.

♪♪ Monika Owczarski: And that really is what drives me.

♪♪ Soul Book Nook is a book store.

And it's located in in downtown mainstreet in Waterloo, Iowa.

And I like to say it across the bridge.

It just has a story sound to it.

You know, across the bridge.

It's a community bookstore.

An African American, women ran bookstore, that's been providing resources literary publications to the community.

I mean, we have history we have art We have people perform here with the spoken word.

We want to become a community fixutre.

But we are a bookstore.

If they're still living they would have to be at least 80 years old.

They liked all of the tweets that we put out on them.

So we should see if one of the would speak... Amber: I was running with a dream in my head and hope in my heart.

that a book store would help our community to heal, relax, recover.

But the dream has always been with me to own a bookstore.

And "Book Nook.

” 'nook' I always think of a comfortable place.

I use to go under a big tree when I was young, and I could get off and read my book I would hide under a huge tree out in the yard.

And to me that was my nook.

And I would read until the sun went down.

So that's where I got "Soul Book Nook."

So my daughter what she does is she's the tech that handles the Facebook.

"We Like to Move."

Exercise is fun.

Amber : And that's it.

We just want to be that local bookstore where people can come sit.

Drink a cup of tea.

Talk.

We want to be a place where book clubs can take up residence.

on the calendar.

We want to be a place where we offer those podcasts and those virtuals where they can connect with the outside world far away with other authors.

We're bringing those who we never thought we would be able to engage with we're not engaging with through technology.

So we also want to be that place that stays progressive.

And meeting the needs of the community as a bookseller, as a bookstore.

We do have books here by local authors.

We take those local authors and display their books like theyve been writing for ages.

That they're prolific too, on the New York Times Bestseller list.

We put them, right up there with renown authors.

Just because they haven't been discovered that doesn't mean they aren't just as prolific.

I wanted to create an awarness that there were more books to pull from that had to do with African-American history or that could educate.

That could be part of a curriculum.

That could be in a lesson plan.

Theres more history, you know what Im saying, there's C.T.

Vivian who worked in in the Civil Rights movement with John Lewis.

There is Toni Morrison Theres Nikki Giovani.

There works are so prolific they need to be studied.

And also, it makes it relevant.

There needs to be more diveristy in what we offer in lesson plans and currciulums, because it makes us all better.

That is the purpose of the store to create an awareness of literary works and publications and talent out there that are full of African-American faces and backgrounds and history.

I have a human concern.

Im concerned about the souls of humans.

None of these books can get us to salvation, but we can help each other get there.

What they can do is they can increase intellectual power and insight.

They can give you a different perspective.

I can get a different perspective of you, if I read a book.

Or why an author writes a book and talks about his experiences, but it relates to your culture or your people.

Why cant we just pick up books and read them, and find out about different people?

Why should you not pick it up?

It liberates us.

You see what Im saying?

When were liberated we cant go back.

You may go back with guilt.

You wont go back the same way you came.

Once you read a book.

Once you read a book about me.

And so its important for us to read.

And gain insight.

My name is Andrew and I play traditional Irish music with the group Blame, not the Bard.

One of the hardest parts of starting a band is figuring out your band name.

Luckily for us, the Irish music has a deep tradition of pulling literary references for band names.

So I took a cue from that, and we got a hold of a Thomas Moore book of poems.

Thomas Moore was the poet laureate for Ireland in the 1800s, and one of his poems was Oh, Blame, not the Bard.

And it tells a very.

The poem itself tells a fun story about you know the the nobility of being a musician.

Great [music] All right.

We're going to start you off with a traditional Irish tune, a little pub song called Whiskey in the Jar.

And for those of you at home, if you do not know this one yet, this is one thing you need to learn.

Those are just two claps.

So I'm going to say some funny words and then I need to clap through here so it'll be just like this.

Ready?

Oh, one, two, three, four.

Whack fol the daddy o Whack fol the daddy o There's whiskey in the jar [music] All right, here we go.

With me ring am a do ama dah Hey, Whack fol the daddy o Whack fol the daddy o There's whiskey in the jar As I was going over the Cork and Kerry mountains, I met with Captain Ferrel and his money.

He was counting I first produced me pistol and then produced me rapier and stand and deliver for you are the old deceiver With me ring am a do ama dah Whack fol the daddy o Whack fol the daddy o There's whiskey in the jar.

Now I counted out his money and it made a pretty penny.

So I put it in my pocket and I took it home to Jennie.

She sighed, and she swore she never would betray me.

But the devil take them women for it can never can be easy.

With me ring am a do ama dah Whack fol the daddy o Whack fol the daddy o Oh, there's whiskey in the jar.

So I went in to me chamber up for to take me slumber.

I dreamed of golden jewels.

And for sure it was no wonder that Jenny drew me charges and she built them up with the water and sent for Captain Farrel to be ready for the slaughter.

With me ring am a do ama dah Whack fol the daddy o Whack fol the daddy o Oh, there's whiskey in the jar.

That was early in the morning, just before rose to travel on up.

Jumps around the footmen likewise Captain Farrel I first produce me pistol for she's stolen away me rapier.

But I couldn't shoot the water so a prisoner.

I was taken With me ring am a do ama dah Whack fol the daddy o Whack fol the daddy o There's whiskey in the jar now if anyone can aid me, it's my brother in the army If I can find his station is a Cork or in Killarney?

we'll go rovin' and through the mountains of Kilkenny.

And I'm sure he'll treat me better than my darlin Jenny With me ring am a do ama dah Hey.

What?

Whack fol the daddy o Oh, there's whiskey in the jar With me ring am a do ama dah Hey, Whack fol the daddy o Oh, there's whiskey in the jar.

[music] So for me, I have always loved songs that tell stories, but listen to a lot of music.

And I was always drawn to the songs that was telling a story.

And kind of my aunt shared with me a cassette tape of some traditional Irish music.

And that kind of got me looking in that genre.

And I found that I just there's so many Irish tunes that tell stories that I just fell in love with.

All the different stories that are told from, you know, the most mundane, you know, guy going about his life to like the, you know, epic remembrance songs.

And there's just all sorts of in between.

And even even instrumentals in Irish music tell a story to some extent.

A lot of them have very story driven names oh I will tell you a story that happened to me one day as I went down to Youghal by the sea.

Well, the sun that was high in the day.

It was warm.

Says, I quick pint It wouldn't do me no harm.

So I went in to the barman and I said, Give me a stout.

But the barman said, Sorry, all the beer has sold out Try whiskey or paddy's ten years and no, wood says, I'll try cider.

I've heard that.

It's good.

Oh, never, never, never again.

If I lived to be 100 or 110 when I fell to the ground and I could get up after drinking a pint of the Johnny Jump Up Well, after lowering the pint, I headed straight for the yard where I bumped into Brophy, the big civic guard.

Come here to me, boy.

Don't you know I'm the law?

Well, I jumped with my fist and I shattered his jaw.

And he fell to the ground with his knees doubled up.

But it wasn't.

I hit him to the ground.

twas the Johnny Jump Up and the next thing I met down and y'all by the sea was a cripple on crutches and says, hey to me, I'm afraid of me life.

I'll be hit by a car if you help me across to the railwayman's bar And after three pints of cider, so sweet.

Well, he threw down his crutches.

And he danced on his feet.

I will never, never, never again.

If I lived to be 100 or 110 when I fell to the ground and I could get up after drinking a pint of the Johnny Jump up Well, then I went down to the Lee Road, to see, and they called it to the madhouse, in Cork by the Lee And when I got up there, the truth I do tell.

They had the poor bugger locked up in his cell, says these guard testing him.

Say these words, if you can, around the ragged rocks the ragged rascals and tell them I'm not crazy.

Tell them I'm not mad.

Oh, it's only six points of the cider I've had now.

A man died in the union by the name of McNab.

They washed him and placed it outside on the slab.

And after O'Connor, his measurements did take well, his wife took him home to a bloody fine wake It was about 12:00, and the beer went to his high when the corpse's head up.

And he says with a sigh, I can't get to heaven.

They won't me up till I bring them a jug of the Johnny jump up never I'll never, never again if I lived to be 100 or 110 when I fell to the ground and I couldn't get up after drinking a pint of the Johnny jump up.

Oh, never, ever, ever again.

If I lived to be 100, 110 and I fell to the ground and I couldn't get up after drinking a pint of the Johnny jump up Thanks for joining us.

As we look in on the people, cultures and communities of our state, we'll see you next time for another episode of Greetings from Iowa.

[music] Funding for Greetings from Iowa is provided by with our Iowa roots and Midwestern values.

Farmers.

Mutual hail is committed to offering innovative farm insurance for America's farmers, just as we have for six generations.

Farmers Mutual Hail America's crop insurance company the Pella Roll Screen Foundation is a proud supporter of Iowa PBS.

Pella Windows and Doors strives to better our communities and build a better tomorrow.