Ichard Brooks Was Born in Keokuk, Iowa in 1949. His Parents Were George Brooks and Doris

“Click” on any of the articles listed below to go directly to them.

Grand Anne……………………..7 Editor's note: the Keokuk Art Center will be having an exhibit of Richard Brook's work Green Goods…………………….9 during the month of February with a reception for the artist planned for 5 to 7 p.m. on @KPL: Library Park……………14 Friday, February 1. Simply Home…………………..17 The Helm at Victory Park…….22 Keokuk’s First Airplane………23 ichard Brooks was born in Keokuk, Iowa in 1949. His parents were Creative Expressions…………..25 George Brooks and Doris (Brilon) Brooks. They lived in a big rambling Calendar of Events…………….30 apartment house at 10th and Johnson with much of the Brooks family. All that remains today is an overgrown set of steps leading to an empty lot. Growing up, he had many friends and went to nearly every school in Keokuk. His family moved often. He thought his mother was a gypsy and AAUW..………………………...26 just always wanted more! They struggled to keep life together, but they Conn Communications………..28 did. Life was not easy for Rich and his family. His mother worked in a local factory until she was forced into retirement due to illness. Connection Bank………………28 Keokuk Union Depot…………19 Brooks knew he was Main Street Keokuk…………...10 hungry for more than Nancy Seabold, Realtor………...4 what had been offered to Pilot Grove Savings Bank.…….31 him as a child. People like Junior High Principal River Hills Village…………..…15 McCoy and his wife Sutlive Real Estate…………….6 helped establish his love Vigen Memorial Home………..11 for the arts by taking him on trips to St. Louis to the Fox Theater, St Louis Symphony, and St Louis Art Museum. Brooks Flight of the Blackbirds mowed their grass for 10 years. Bill Dawkins influenced him by pushing him to be better, encouraging him to do more during his high school days and at Keokuk Junior College.

Continued on Page 2 Continued from Page 1

But Brooks attributes his early love of art to his mother Doris Brooks, Joyce Glasscock, Ex-Officio and Charlie Anderson of Keokuk. His mother was an artist and always Chuck Pietscher, President had paint and paper around the house. She enjoyed his work and knew Ed Kiedaisch, Past President he wanted more from the art world. Carole Betts, Vice President Dev Kiedaisch, Treasurer Anderson by chance was babysitting Brooks and his brothers one day Tom Gardner, Secretary and asked them to draw a mountain. His brothers declined to draw, but Kotch Belmonti Noel Brown “Dicky”, as he was Rose Marie Karre called back then, was Alka Khanolkar up for the game except Mike O’Connor Sandy Seabold he was only given three Nancy Tweedy Seabold crayons, a red, a yellow Dianne Stanley and a blue. He said he Nathalie Dal could not do it. The Keokuk Confluence is a quarterly Anderson said that’s all publication of the Keokuk Cultural & he needed and showed Entertainment District. Advertising and news may be submitted by calling or him how to blend. He e-mailing the contacts listed below. was hooked and has All opinions expressed in this been an artist since the publication are those of the advertisers, writers, or other news sources, and do not age of four. This was Center Storm Irma reflect the opinions of the magazine, the the first lesson he publisher, or the editor. The Keokuk offered to his entire school when he started teaching for Francis Howell Confluence is not responsible for any errors. School District, Becky David Elementary School back in 1971: “how to Contents are copyrighted. blend.” Reproduction of any material in this publication without written permission of Today this not so ordinary artist is involved with activities in the the publisher is prohibited. © 2018 Keokuk St. Louis area in a multitude of artistic and social events. Formerly the Cultural & Entertainment District. cultural arts director for the city of St. Peter's, he created the St. Peter's The deadline for copy and advertising is one month prior to publishing. Email Cultural Arts Center. In 2005 as an artistic director for the Spirit of St. stories and articles to Ellen Norman. Louis Marathon, he mentored and coached 30 local artists in methods and materials to create larger-than-life sculptures and large artistic mile Publisher: Ellen Norman markers for the marathon. [email protected] His past honors in the area include volunteer of the year for the State Calendar: Carole Betts [email protected] of Missouri in 1992. In 2004 he volunteered after semi-retiring to keep a Advertising: Dianne Stanley local art school, Tap Roots, open and to create an atmosphere where [email protected] learning in an underserved south St. Louis neighborhood was needed. Editor: Tom Gardner [email protected] He became very involved in the St. Louis People Project, creating Editorial Advisors: a crowd of “characters” citywide. His studio was one of the busiest in St. Carole Betts Louis when he created nine characters. Also, he created an award- Joyce Glasscock winning sculptural piece for the St. Louis Mardi Gras parade taking the Janet Fife-LaFrenz Alka Khanolkar highest honors along with his team. Dev Kiedaisch Ed Kiedaisch Dianne Stanley Designer: Kira Kruszynski Technical Advisor: Adam Zetterlund Continued on Page 3 Continued from Page 2

When he was the Director of Cultural Arts for the city of St. Peter's he helped change how St. Charles County viewed the arts. Almost single- handedly, he developed the St. Peter's Cultural Arts Center, which in the mid-90s celebrated 25 years. He helped save Frenchtown Museum in St. Charles as it was being put on the auction block. He saved thousands of small items from St Charles history and inventoried them, turning them back to a working non-profit group. Richard also worked with the College for Kids programs at Meramec, Florissant Valley Community College in St. Louis, teaching art techniques. The Perfect Lines He helped write a grant for St. Louis Alzheimer's Association for newly diagnosed individuals. He helped them tell their stories and create memorable pieces of art with them for their families. He currently teaches classes in painting and fused glass. Two years in a row he held workshops at Meramec Community College with as many as a hundred plus people attending a three-day workshop. He co-coordinates the Soulard Art Gallery in Soulard, the oldest part of St. Louis. Along with others he has brought new life to the gallery, substantially raising their sales. Richard continues working on a series about “Life’s Dance”: generations of man and how we evolve, change, repeat ourselves and replicate ourselves. He created a series of artworks including paintings, metal sculptures, prints and small drawings. “We think we give our children blue eyes, but if we have two elbows, they are likely to also have the same!” Brooks said.

Beside one of his paintings Brooks donates each year to the fundraising efforts of the Stray Rescue in St. Louis

Continued on Page 4 Continued from Page 3

He still studies artists, materials and methods. He is hungry for artistic knowledge to express his creative self. Currently, he is working on a series of sculptures about man and machines which helps continue his support in the efforts of recycling life's castaways. Most of his work has a playful nature that tends to express how he lives and loves life. Richard has received many awards for his artistic achievements; among them a Lifetime Achievement award from the St. Charles County Arts Council, a First Art Laureate award from the St. Louis Watercolor Society and a Lifetime of Distinguished Cultural Service Award from St. Peter’s Chamber of Commerce.

Contact information Rich Brooks, Not So Ordinary Artist 1306 Sidney St., St. Louis, MO 63104 Email: [email protected]

Painting one of 19 cakes to celebrate St. Louis’s 250th Anniversary have the good fortune to live in a 92 year-old house where previous residents were flower gardeners. Upon taking ownership of the property, I was delighted to find some old-timey flower varieties growing in my gardens … varieties which are no longer commercially grown. For example, I have self-seeding native columbine (genus Aquilega) plants thriving on all sides of my house. The plants grow tall with delicate flowers and multiply quickly. Today, you'll find other varieties of Aquilega available to buy in seed packets, but not the old-fashioned plants like mine. On the east side of my house I found a flower bed entirely planted in giant flowering nicotine. The white and purple flowers produce a fragrance in the evening that is nothing short of intoxicating. Within their genus Nicotiana, you can purchase seed packets of shorter, less fragrant varieties, but seeds from the plants I have at my house are not readily found. To anyone who asks about a flower in my garden, I give them a seed pod along with encouragement to give the seeds a try. Exchanging seeds is a common practice among gardeners. In order to exchange seeds with a large number of gardeners, organized seed swaps are growing in popularity. These events not only provide a place for gardeners to share seeds of diverse flower and vegetable varieties, seed swaps also provide a venue for gardeners to share information about their gardening projects and successes … and occasional failures. The Keokuk Public Library, whose staff excels at providing a wide variety of learning opportunities for the community, will cohost a seed exchange with the Keokuk Garden Club from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 21 in the Round Room of the library. According to Pam Witt, president of the garden club, a seed swap has been under consideration by club members for awhile. When Tonya Boltz, KPL Patron Services Librarian, approached the club to jointly sponsor the event, the members were onboard. In addition to sharing some seeds from their own gardens, members of the club, which include several master gardeners, will be on hand to answer questions.

Continued on Page 6 Continued from Page 5

Generally, seeds are harvested in late summer. “The decision to schedule an exchange for this upcoming spring came a little late in the year for garden club members to collect a huge amount of seeds, but we'll have some,” said Witt.“ We'll see how much interest this first seed exchange has and the club will be ready with many more seeds in future years.” “The Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company in Mansfield, Missouri has donated and shipped a box of vegetable seed packets for the Keokuk event,” said Boltz. “Additionally, we are getting seeds to share from the Seed Savers Exchange in Decorah.” Boltz said the library will furnish small envelopes and markers so gardeners can help themselves to seeds and write pertinent information on each packet. Participants are encouraged to bring seeds from their own gardens to share and Boltz added “the seeds need not be heirloom.” For additional information about the March seed exchange, contact Boltz at 319-524-1483 or by e-mail at [email protected].

n our city replete with beautiful historic homes, certainly the most iconic of all was located at 816 Grand Ave. and known as the Grand Anne. Built in 1897 by Clyde Royal Joy, president of the Baker Patent Medicine Company and international director of the YMCA, the house was of Queen Anne style architecture designed by famed architect George Franklin Barber. Surrounded by a half city block stretch of green lawn, the Grand Anne was a Keokuk landmark. With the first floor exterior constructed of buff color ashlar stone, a second story of St. Louis white-coated bricks, a slate roof, a corner tower and expansive front porch, the house was nothing short of stunning. So significant was the house to the city, nary an informational or promotional piece of literature about Keokuk was published during the The Grand Anne past half century without featuring a photo of the Grand Anne's ornate facade. As they say all good things must come to an end, and in the early morning hours of July 21st of last year, a fire later determined to be electrical in nature critically damaged the Grand Anne. Most fortunately no one was injured in the fire. But, because of heavy fire, smoke and water damage, the event spelled the end for the Grand Anne … heartbreaking news to current and former Keokuk residents alike. Since the time of the fire, I have driven past the house many times only to see people sitting in their cars or standing on the sidewalk sadly watching as a salvaging crew removes reusable materials in preparation for demolition. During my formative years in Keokuk, the Judge W. Logan Huiskamp family lived in the Grand Anne. Living three blocks away, we knew the Grand Anne best for the full-sized basketball court on the west side of the property. Judge Huiskamp built the court for his two athletic sons, Jack and Bob, but all the kids in the neighborhood took advantage of the asset. Daughter Kathy Huiskamp Hays remembers her father was pleased to see the court get so much play. “The court had lights,” Kathy recalled. “It was not uncommon for kids playing an evening pick-up game to knock on our door in the dark asking if we could turn on the lights. Which we did.” Kathy said her mother, Nadine, loved the Grand Anne and frequently entertained in the home. Kathy was very much a tomboy noting her idea of a

Continued on Page 8 Continued from Page 7

good time was climbing over the bluff to smash geodes. Kathy fondly remembers one afternoon when she was outside playing while Nadine was inside the Grand Anne hosting her brother's engagement party. Needing to speak to her mother but not wanting to dress for the occasion, Kathy climbed up the back staircase, found a dress draped over the sewing machine, slipped it on over her striped t-shirt and shorts and made a grand en- trance into the party by sliding down the front banister. 1960s kind of fun! Kathy recollects her father spending hours after dinner in his library reading law books. In the late seventies, after the four children had grown and moved away and her father had retired, her parents sold the Grand Anne and moved to Arizona. It wasn't a smooth decision, though. “My mom loved the house and did not want to move,” said Kathy. “After much back and forth between my parents, one day as she was heading out on errands, my mom, exasperated from talking about moving, finally gave into my dad saying Huiskamp family circa early 1960s. From left are Bob, 'just go ahead and sell the house'. When my mom Nadine, Jack, Kathy, Judge Logan, and Joanne returned from her errands, there was a For Sale sign in the yard. The house sold the next day.” In the early 1990s, Bob Diefenbach and Dana McCready took ownership of the Grand Anne, turning the 22-room mansion into a bed and breakfast. Opening the Grand Anne as a business presented the opportunity for thousands of guests to admire and enjoy the beautiful home. My friends and I stayed at the Grand Anne once when we were in Keokuk for a class reunion. It was my first time seeing the handsome interior of the home. Quarter sawn oak was prominent, but other types of wood … maple, cherry, pear wood, were exclusively used in some rooms. Huiskamp daughter Kathy also had the opportunity just a couple of years ago to stay as a guest in the Grand Anne. “I was so happy to see the house,” said Kathy. “It was very well cared for and in excellent condition.” Even though Keokuk won't be the same without the Grand Anne sitting prominently on the corner of 9th and Grand, for those enamored with the Grand Anne's architecture, there exists across the nation and even in foreign countries dozens of buildings designed by Barber, the Grand Anne's architect. Google George Franklin Barber for lists of addresses to these buildings as well as photos. here is a theory—and a plausible one at that—stating that, had the Almighty never forbidden our first parents to eat of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, they never would have done so. It is amusing to suppose that, as a consequence, there could be seven and a half billion of us presumably roaming the earth, all as naked as jaybirds yet blissfully unaware of it. The allure of forbidden fruit is, per se, undeniable. Add to it the promise of much gained for little ventured, and the mixture becomes downright irresistible. That is the premise underlying this narrative: a tale combining a thick roll of banknotes exchanged for a satchel of newsprint, a counterfeiting scheme involv- ing no counterfeiting, easy money at its absolute easiest, and finally, the afore- mentioned allure of impropriety itself… All of these elements are blended together in what has come to be known as “the green goods case.” Three years, or thereabouts, after the close of the Columbian Exposition in Chicago, and hardly a stone’s throw from its celebrated Midway Plaisance, federal agents based in Iowa shut down a sweet little swindle based on the rock-solid proposition that, in regard to their desire to obtain something for nothing, all men are created equal—or at least equal enough often enough to capitalize handsome- ly on the margin. The particular beauty of this particular scheme was that the schemers, reasonably enough, believed that the victims of their schemes would find themselves as deep in the mire as the schemers themselves; ergo, the whole operation would be rendered airtight. However, as the designers of the RMS Titanic were to discover nearly two decades later, nature contrives so that nothing is ever completely anything. Thus it proved to be in this instance: There were some who, naturally enough, strongly resented being relieved of thousands of dollars in return for as close to nothing as it is humanly possible to receive, so much so that they thought it worth the risk that they themselves might be accused of a crime in order to accuse those who had deceived them. Their accusations that something was rotten in the State of Illinois, the County of Cook, the City of Chicago, were received with the greatest interest of the appropriate federal authorities. Consequently, steps were taken, perpetrators were apprehended, and the accused were bound over for trial at the Federal Courthouse in Keokuk, Iowa. The scheme itself can be briefly presented as follows:  Circulars mailed from Chicago, Illinois, to points west offered “green goods” (i.e., counterfeit U.S. notes) for sale. The circulars’ enclosures were headed “confidential” and their recipients were addressed as “friend.”  The “friend” was assured that those mailing the circular had received his name from a confidential agent who promised that the recipient was a person who was in a position to handle “the goods” with “safety.”

Continued on Page 10 Continued from Page 9

 The “goods” themselves ranged from one through twenty dollar notes that had been “printed from genuine plates.” (This assertion, at least, was entirely accurate.)  If interested, the “friend” was instructed to respond only by telegram and to write no letters. (Clearly, this instruction was meant to foil the postal inspectors of the day.)  Finally, the “friend” was apprised of the rates of exchange: “$300 buys $3,000; $400 buys $5,000,” etc., up to “$1,000 buys $20,000”—a sliding rate for a slippery deal!

Should the “friend” be willing, he was subsequently informed where to stay in Chicago, was interviewed by the schemers, and was invited to examine a satchel containing genuine banknotes that were represented as being perfect counterfeits made from genuine plates.. The amount of money in the satchel was precisely the same amount as the “friend” had agreed to purchase. If the “friend” then agreed to complete the transaction, the satchel was turned over to him—or so he supposed. The “friend” was then instructed to take the first train home and counseled not to expose himself to the very real danger of being robbed en route by opening the satchel until he was safely back home. Of course, what this “friend” would discover when he finally opened the satchel was that it had been switched with another identical satchel, only it was filled, instead, with old newspapers! Although the schemers believed that their victims would not dare expose themselves as would-be counterfeit distributors, by 1896 a fair number of complaints on this very swindle had come to the attention of W. Mercer, a post office inspector residing in Corning, Iowa, but who was then on duty in Chicago. Following a bit of solo investigation, Mercer decided to impersonate one of the men listed on the schemers’ “sucker list.” Upon further reflection, he enlisted the aid of Deputy U.S. Marshall Thomas P. Gray, chosen in part because Gray did not drink, an important qualification as Mercer knew that the schemers frequently relied on alcoholic lubricants to oil the wheels of their nefarious machinery. With Gray’s assistance, Mercer went about the task of setting his trap.

Main Street Keokuk, Inc is a not-for-profit, 501(c)3 organization dedicated to the development and ongoing support of downtown as THE place to live, work, and play.

To learn more visit us at www.mainstreetkeokuk.com or call us at 319-524-5056.

Continued on Page 11 Continued from Page 10

Deputy Marshall Gray was to impersonate a man named T.C. Bratton of Warren, Arkansas, who had recently received a circular from the schemers. Inspector Mercer had withdrawn from the actual sting itself, rightly suspecting that his identity may have become known to the schemers. He also recruited a second U.S. Marshall, W.A. Richards of Des Moines, to accompany Gray. All three men then traveled to Chicago, Mercer by express train, so that he would arrive well ahead of Gray and Richards, who arrived on the morning of March 5th, 1896. Shortly after their arrival, Gray and Richards noticed that they were being observed—and followed—by a man who was later proved to be working with the schemers. Proceeding as directed by the circular to the Atlantic Hotel, they were visited that same morning by a man calling himself Albert Vogel (but was later determined to be a grifter named Al Sloan). Signs and countersigns were exchanged, followed by explanations being asked for and accepted, all characteristic of the caution by which the schemers sought to avoid detection by officers of the law. In time, Gray and Richards were led by “Vogel” to his office at the World’s Fair Hotel where they were separately introduced to yet another schemer purporting to be Vogel’s father Frank. (This man was later identified as Charles Hurd.) This com- plicated process was a prelude to the schemers finally laying out how the exchange of money for “green goods” had to be carried out. The younger Vogel explained that Gray and Richards would not be permitted to view what they were buying while in each other’s company. He said, “You may be officers, and when we have shown you these goods, you will then want to testify against us, and if both of you have been there together, your testimony would equal ours; but in talking to us the way we will let you, there would be two of us to testify against one of you, and we could beat you in court! You see, we always protect ourselves and in that way our customers.” In this way the Vogels were

Continued on Page 12 Continued from Page 11

always careful to protect themselves while instilling in their customers a sense of security that they were in the company of men concerned with their mutual protection. One at a time Gray and Richards were led up to the second floor of the Vogels’ operation, and after being thoroughly questioned, they were pronounced “all right.” While negotiating the specific terms of the exchange, Deputy Marshall Gray attempted to secure additional evidence in writing, but, as usual, these birds were not to be so easily caged. (“Vogel,” the nom de guerre the two men were using, is German for “bird.”) The elder Vogel assured Gray that both he and his son were “honorable men,” that their word was “as good as their bond.” This latter statement, at least, was true. So the deal was set to take place without documentation at eleven o’clock the following morning. Aware that they were being constantly followed, Deputies Gray and Richards spent the afternoon following this interview touring the big city and playing the part of country rubes seeing Chicago for the first time. Rising at eight o’clock the next Thomas Palmer Gray morning, they stopped at the Globe Savings Bank and withdrew five hundred dollars in small bills, in order to make their roll of cash appear to be much larger. Shortly after returning to the lobby of their hotel, they noticed the arrival of the younger Vogel, who surreptitiously gestured that they should follow him. This they did, and soon found themselves back at the Vogels’ office. They approached this rendezvous with some measure of trepidation, not knowing how many armed desperadoes might be waiting for them. Thus, they were obliged to “operate blind” and hope for the best. Once again, Vogel informed the men that they’d have to enter the office one at a time, with Richards going first, in order to examine the goods. Grey was to follow him after Richards returned and actually close the deal. This reversed the order from their meeting the day before, and was not the order for which they had prepared. Thus, the deputies insisted that, as before, Gray must go first. Surprisingly, Gray agreed. Having inspected and approved of the goods, Gray returned to the street below, and in the younger Vogel’s presence advised Richards that, should he also find the merchandise acceptable, he should buy it. The younger Vogel then accompanied Richards up to the office. Gray, unnoticed by them, followed, now accompanied by Inspector Mercer, who had been tailing the two deputies ever since their arrival in Chicago. Following both Gray and Mercer was yet another United States Deputy Marshall, George Christian, who was accompanied by a Post Office Inspector named Stewart.

Continued on Page 13 Continued from Page 12

It was Christian and Stewart who nabbed the tail that the Vogels had put on Gray and Richards. The resulting scuffle could be heard up in the Vogels’ office, which alarmed Richards as he was about to close the deal with the Vogels. Richards demanded to know what all the commotion was about, fearful that he was about to be robbed of the money he brought. It was at that moment that Gray burst through the door and, seeing the elder Vogel with his revolver drawn, He and Mercer both drew their own revolvers. (It is tempting to speculate as to whether or not this was the face-to-face meeting that the Vogels had anticipated in their original plan, but even if it was not, this was the meeting they were now stuck with.) Facing the inevitable, both Vogels dropped their weapons and surrendered to the gathering crowd of law officers. Fearing that trying the case in a Chicago courtroom might not result in a sufficiently harsh sentence, indictments were returned in the United States District Court at Council Bluffs, Iowa. The case was subsequently transferred to Keokuk, where the trial was opened on April 28th, 1896. The defendants, Charles Hurd (a.k.a. Frank Vogel), Al Sloan (a.k.a. Albert Vogel and Frank Smith (the man tailing Gray and Richards), all pleaded not guilty. Two days later, however, they all changed their pleas to guilty. His was done on the advice of their attorney, and when this took place, Judge John Woolson instructed the jury to return a verdict of “guilty as charged.” Judge Woolson then lost no time in pronouncing sentence. All three men were to serve a sentence of fifteen months in the Men’s Reformatory at Anamosa, Iowa, on each of two counts, the sentences to run consecutively. Furthermore, Charles Hurd (the elder Vogel) was fined $2,000, while Al Sloan and Frank Smith were each fined $1,000. All three men later said they thought they had “got off pretty easy,” and, as there is no record of their fines ever having been paid, it would appear that the thirty months each man spent at the Anamosa Reformatory was the full and complete price each man paid to society for their misdeeds. Deputy U.S. Marshall Richards accompanied the men to Anamosa. On the way there, he asked Charles Hurd to explain just how it came to pass that the satchel of banknotes was switched with an identical satchel full of newsprint. Hurd said, “The green goods scheme is presented as a drama in four acts. You and your friend paid the price of admission to three acts only. You should not ask to see the other act.” So, as it often happens, we find the soul of the showman in the skin of the swindler, and a drama worthy of the stage performed on the streets of the city.

Author's note: A source for information contained in this article is an account entitled “The Green Goods Case” written by Frederic C. Smith and published in The Iowa Journal of History and Politics, vol. 38, nr. 2 – April, 1940. nly a dwindling few have clear memories of the first Keokuk Public Library at Third and Main Streets, built in the 1880s and in use by the city for eight decades. More recall the planning and construction of the second, and current, library building 50 years ago. Still more residents will remember the new addition and lower-floor renovation at the current library building 15 years ago. Truthfully, Keokuk’s public library on Fifth Street at Concert is arguably the most architecturally interesting and among the best maintained of the city’s buildings. Now the public library’s site will be enormously enhanced by the creation of a unique “library park” comprising the entire city block on which the library sits. The Keokuk Public Library Foundation, a private charitable organization which has assisted the public library for 30 years with capital improvements, last year announced initial plans to transform a vacant city block next to the library into a library park for the use of all library patrons and residents. Over several years, the foundation was deeded parts of the property, including the former church building at the corner of Sixth and High. Most recently, the library foundation has purchased the three remaining parcels on the block surrounding the library building and has razed the structures on the site. The library park concept near Keokuk’s public library is not brand new. Ten years ago the Library Park artist rendition from 5th & High Streets library trustees had initial plans for the space as a specialized park. But those first plans were shelved. Those plans were dusted off in 2016 and re-imagined for the 21st century. In 2017 the Keokuk Public Library Foundation contracted for an updated version of a unique library park and worked for a year to produce a revised, innovative and affordable concept. As newly envisioned, the park will feature a reading and sculpture garden, a hard-surface plaza with cafe seating and mobile device charging stations, and an outdoor performance and classroom area with in-ground seating. Using best environmental practices, the new park will also feature a large space planted with native Iowa flowers and plants, examples of native species of

Continued on Page 15 Continued from Page 14

trees, and an environmentally sensitive water run-off system. Other gardens will be located throughout the park. “Some work for the park has already been completed,” said Duane Taylor, president of the foundation. “Preliminary site preparation for the park began late last year with the razing of one small house on the park site, the purchase and razing of a nearby apartment house, and the purchase of adjoining empty lots to be added to the site. Res- toration of a vintage stone wall on the park site has already begun.” “The library park will be another important milestone for the improvement and renewal of the city of Keokuk,” said Taylor, “joining the Keokuk-Hamilton Dam Muse- um, the Union Depot restoration and reconstruction, the Rand Park Pavilion project, the on-going revitalization of Main Street, important housing initiatives, the development of Keokuk’s riverfront and new barge facility, and many other volunteer projects undertaken by a variety of local service organizations.” The Keokuk Public Library Foundation believes that the library park will provide a unique and useful green space in the heart of Keokuk’s Cultural and Entertainment District and has the potential to be a transformative focus for the city and its outstand- ing library. Foundation directors are hoping that the park may also be used by Keokuk schools as a venue for outdoor educational experiences and to enhance environmental educa- tion at all grade levels. The Keokuk Public Library Foundation has accumulated about half of the estimated $650,000 cost of the park’s design and construction. The other half of the cost will be funded by grants and individual donations from friends of the library. “Private donors and friends of the library have already donated generously to the library park,” said Taylor, “but additional donations are still needed.” The park project has been supported by Emily Rohlfs, the director of the library, and by the library’s board of trustees, all of whom have contributed to the planning for the park.

Continued on Page 16 Continued from Page 15

The public fundraising campaign for the library park began late last year with an appeal to former and current donors to the foundation on behalf of the library. The foundation is currently soliciting grants to assist in the work, and several grants awards have already been received, including awards from the Keokuk Area Commu- nity Foundation, the Lee County Charitable Fund, the Howard Jackson Family Trust Foundation, and others. Main Street Keokuk, Inc., chose the library park project as the “charity of choice” for last December's “Puttin' on the Glitz” celebration. One sculpture, “Journeys of the Imagination” by Gary Price, has already been donated to the sculpture and reading garden of the park. The acquisition of a sculptured bench is currently being planned. A vintage stone wall is being restored and carefully preserved to serve as an enclosure for this particular garden. Initially proposed ten years ago, the library park is being designed by Massie Massie & Associates, a landscape architecture firm of Springfield, Ill., which refined and Proposed sculpture garden re-imagined the original concept. Massie will manage construction drawings, coordinate the bidding process, and manage the construction of the park. In addition to Taylor, members of the foundation’s board of directors include An- drea Rogers, vice president; Mike Woodring, treasurer; John H. Smith, secretary; Kathy Fox; Martha Marsot; Tom Seabold; Josh Kirchner; and Kaki Piper. Emily Rohlfs, director of the Keokuk Public Library, is an ex officio member, and Dr. Phil Caropreso serves as liaison with the library trustees. If you wish to donate to the construction of the library park or to receive more information, you may contact Emily Rohlfs at the library, 319-524-1483, or access the foundation’s link at the Keokuk Public Library website, or contact Duane Taylor at [email protected] or 217-256-4685.

ne of Keokuk's newest businesses, Simply Home Boutique and Antiques, celebrated its one year anniversary in December. According to owner Kandie White, during its first few months on Main Street, the business expanded to the point where more floor space was needed. The business moved in October to its newest location at 527 Main St. The new space adds 400 to 500 square feet, which accommodates merchandise from approximately 20 vendors and crafters. In addition to adding more room for product, White said she prefers the lighting in the new store and believes the location gives the business better visibility. The store offers an interesting blend of old and new. Interspersed among the antiques are hand-crafted items, most of them created in the Tri-State Area. Colorful home furnishings and accessories are plentiful. There is also a variety of hand-made soaps and body lotions as well as a selection of homemade sauces and mixes for culinary use. Wood signs of all shapes and sizes, designed with quotations applicable to just about any situation, are on display in every room. If you don't see one that is suitable for your purpose or occasion, a custom sign can be ordered. Being the proprietor of Simply Home is not White's full-time job.

Business in Business District the White also serves as the Chief Deputy Assessor for Lee County. Because White has other responsibilities, current hours for Simply Home are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m, Thursday through Sunday. Once she retires, which is still some years away, White will include additional weekdays to the store's schedule. Currently assisting White in the store are Samantha Ford and Tammy Myers. For additional information call 319-795-3711 or visit Simply Home on Facebook. Forgotten History Burgess died on May 6,1897. keeper and the services were held in the chambers of the circuit court. Reverend othersand who seldom if sawever the inside of a church. The organist was asaloon calaboose keeper, the chief ofpolice and several of those that he regularly locked up congregation that contemporary newspaper accounts described asconsisting of the of the 19th century. He was best known as the pastor of the Free For All Church, with a fore ill health forced him toresign. He was one of Keokuk's most respected preachers away on September 26, 1874. war, he re to Keokuk to recuperate, but died on June 12, 1862. developedHe afever while performing heroic duties the on battlefieldand home came Keokuk's Unitarian minister 1861in and immediately joined the 11th Illinois Cavalry. fromone World War I. have militaryfive chaplains buried within its boundaries,four thefrom Civil War and diedwho in 1940 atthe age of 96 who chose to be buried Oakland.in getting ajob, marrying, raising a family and eventually dying, lastthe being John Drain bloody battles only to returnhome after being discharged, resume civilian life by combat most sections of Oakland Cemetery. More than a diedscore during the war from either veteransburied from that conflict are buried there. Not so. Nearly 400 lie resting in signed into law during the Civil War, most everybody thinks that ofall the locally cemetery, one that allows more leeway in burials. requirements. Some prefer the more simple and lenient requirements ofa municipal veterans, for various reasons, want to be buried in acemetery that has rigid our National Cemetery has several thousand veterans within its sacred grounds, not all place tobe in the Keokuk National Cemetery, which sits adjacent toOakland. Though usually comes totheir faces. within its borders. When you mention this tomost local residents, a look of surprise eokuk's Oakland Cemetery has nearly a thousand known military veterans buried Laurence O'Connor served with the 5th New York Cavalry. theAfter end ofthe The first chaplain to be buried there was Leonard Whitney. He resigned as One ofthe more interesting facts about Oakland Cemetery is that it is blessed to Since Keokuk Most people take it for granted that veterans will chooseall as their final resting - John Burgess served with the 30th Iowa Infantry afor short period of time be- related wounds from variousor diseases. Mostare men that survived their - enlisted in 1866 served and out during west the Indian Wars. passedHe ’ s National Cemetery was one of the original 14that Abraham Lincoln

Continued on Page 19 Page 19 on Continued

—

Continued from Page 18

Robert Hassall was born in England in 1820 and came to America in 1844 and served as a Methodist minister in Canada. Between 1850 and 1861 he was the pastor in four different churches before joining the 50th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment as its chaplain. In 1863 he came to Keokuk and began preaching at the Unitarian Church here. He passed away on October 4, 1900. The Reverend Joseph O'Donnell was in charge of St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church for four years before dying on March 26, 1939. He had enlisted in the army with the 23rd Infantry at Camp Dodge, Iowa in March of 1918 and was commissioned a Lieutenant Chaplain. He was wounded in September of 1918 and received the Purple Heart and other awards "for courage and coolness under fire." He served later in the National Guard and was very active in American Legion affairs. He came to Keokuk in 1934 and served as pastor of St. Francis until his death. The Continental Congress established chaplains as an integral part of the Continental Army on July 29, 1775. Today, there are close to 3,000 military chaplains serving in all branches of the armed forces, representing over 200 different denominations. The Southern Baptists have the greatest representation with 787 members of their clergy serving as chaplains, while the Roman Catholic Church is next with 350. Since the founding of the United States, 419 chaplains have died in wartime, with At top, John Burgess. Above, John WWII claiming the most lives, 182. The Burgess stone in Oakland Cemetery Civil War is next with 158 lives taken, 117 on the Union side and 41 on the Confeder- ate side. So far, during the present-day conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, one chaplain has been killed.

The sources for this article include an earlier piece by Terry Altheide that appeared in the February 26, 2018, issue of the Daily Gate City, as well as an article by Joe Carter titled "9 Things You Should Know About Military Chaplains" that was published November 11, 2014. Leonard Whitney

Rents range from $100 to $200 per day. Call Carla Celania at 319-524-4887 for further details and available dates. ore than 100 people attended the November, 2018 Festival of Trees. Funds generated by both the silent and live auctions will be used to support the art center’s 2019 programs. Here are photos of some of the creations donated by local artists.

Wreath by Robin Johnson

Peppermint Twist Tree by Tammy Panther

Golden Pear Tree by Ginger Swank Editor’s Note: the following article is a reprint from the December issue of NRHS News (National Railway Historical Society)

rews from Keokuk’s Commercial Contracting Services (CCS) worked through the Columbus Day holiday to install the remaining clay tiles on the Keokuk (Iowa) Union Depot roof. Although the roof restoration project was scheduled for completion by the end of 2017, the tile manufacturer delayed the final shipment of tiles beyond acceptable weather conditions last fall. Because of the delay, the original tile installer was unable to complete the job due to prior commitments for 2018. CCS stepped in to finish the work by scheduling work around its existing projects. “Not only did CCS re-arrange its schedule, it dealt with one of the more challenging roof areas — the hipped roofs over the trackside ticket window and the bluff side sandwich shop area,” commented Janet Smith, president of the Keokuk Union Depot Foundation. Work on the depot roof began in 2015 with restoration of the chimney and the soffits, eaves and brackets around the waiting room area. In 2016, a re-constructed apex was hoisted onto the central tower to restore the tower to its original height and design with turrets and dormers. The rest of the soffits, eaves and brackets were restored in 2016 along with installation of clay roof tiles on the central tower. The upriver and downriver roofs were tiled in 2017 except for the ticket window and sandwich shop portions recently completed by CCS. Throughout the roof restoration project, the depot has hosted numerous weddings, graduations, reunions, concerts, art shows and other functions in its role as a community event center. The Keokuk Union Depot Foundation and the Keokuk Union Depot Commission are currently assessing the next steps and timing of further restoration projects. The depot’s roof restoration was supported in part by the Jeffris Family Founda- tion, the State Historical Society of Iowa Historical Resource Development Program, Lee County Charitable Fund, Keokuk Area Community Foundation, the Landes Fund for Iowa of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, local banks and businesses, and over 400 individual donors. ictory Park is the site of Keokuk’s newest sculpture The Helm by Keokuk sculptor Mark Stanley. The work represents a river boat captain’s helm. The piece is crafted from Cortense steel. Mark was assisted in creating The Helm by Josh Leggett and Bret Rader. Karen Meierotto Drucker, a former Keokuk resident who now lives in Los Altos Hills, Calif. provided the funding for the sculpture. Karen requested something that would represent the Mississippi River and was very pleased with the resulting artwork. The design for The Helm was first submitted to the Keokuk Art Center Board of Directors for their input. They enthusiastically en- dorsed the design. The sculpture is about 10 feet tall and 16 feet tall including the base. Pictured from left Josh Leggett, Mark Stanley, and Bret Rader The new sculpture is one of many additions to the riverfront in recent years. Victory Park has a new shelter for picnics, new play equipment and a new restroom building. Farther down river Keokuk residents are enjoying a beautiful new Southside Boat Club. Be sure to drive down to the Keokuk riverfront to see all of the new improvements to our beautiful city!

At left, The Helm sculpture in Victory Park. Above, base of The Helm. hile the Benoist Model XIV, Number 43, which Tony Jannus flew to Keokuk for the 1913 dam celebration was perhaps the most significant aircraft to visit Keokuk, it was not the first. In fact, a number of men and women had ventured into the skies over Keokuk long before the Benoist’s visit, but until 1911 they were all balloonists. Balloonists began entertaining large crowd in Iowa’s most eastern cities as early as the 1870s. There was a regular pattern to these events. As the balloons would slowly fill with hot air, the balloonist would stand in or on or near the basket that was suspended from the balloon. Sometimes there was no basket, just a ring that the balloonists would cling to. Suitable weather was, of course, essential. A warm day and a gentle breeze from out of the west were strict requirements. The balloon could not be steered, nor could more hot air be added to it once underway. The balloonist would wait until the balloon was over the Mississippi River but, ideally, still in sight of the crowd. Then hot air would be let out of the balloon, so that it would descend to ten or twenty feet above the water. At this point, the balloonist would jump from the basket (or drop from the ring) into the Mississippi, hoping to be picked up by a following boat that was also responsible for recovering the balloon. This descent to the river was not always a part of the performance. Instead, the balloonist would separate from the balloon while still at a considerable height, using a parachute to reach the ground—but frequently landing in the river. All of these balloonists all had to be young, fit and daring. Most of them, but not all, were men. The men would be dressed in suitable bathing attire, not all that revealing by today’s standards, but clearly physical attractiveness was a part of their appeal to the crowd. An ability to engage spectators in light banter was also important. The women who became balloonists were undoubtedly even more impressive to the thoughtful observer. Indeed, their performance might well remind one of what Texas Governor Ann Richards once said about Ginger Rogers, that she “… did everything that Fred Astaire did. She just did it backwards and in high heels.” Women balloonists did not wear bathing costumes as the men did, but would be dressed in the fashionable sporting attire of the day, including a hat, pantaloons and boots that enclosed their lower limbs to mid-calf. Ideally, a female balloonist would drop into the Mississippi River and then swim to her “rescue” boat, her hat still in place. In the latter part of the nineteenth century Louisa Bates, Elsie Lavare, Mrs. Elew Dockstader and Dorothy De Vonda all performed balloon ascensions in eastern Iowa towns, though it is uncertain whether any of them performed in Keokuk. It is certain that Samuel Archer King came to Keokuk in the 1870’s with P.T. Barnum’s Hippodrome and performed a balloon ascension. In 1888 Samuel Baldwin of

Continued on Page 24 Continued from Page 23

Quincy also came to Keokuk for a balloon ascension and parachute drop that drew a crowd of over 8,000 enthusiastic spectators. Of course, the future for balloons, blimps and dirigibles was limited by their slow speed, poor maneuverability and risk of blowing up or burning in the case of hydrogen-filled dirigibles. No, the future belonged to airplanes, and this part of the future arrived in Keokuk on May 27, 1911. The airplane was a Curtiss-type Pusher bi-plane flown by Charles F. Willard. Willard is sometimes described as the first barnstormer and as the first pilot to be trained by Glenn Curtiss. He was also a graduate of Harvard and a motorcycle racer before turning to aviation. When the first pilot’s licenses were issued, Glenn Curtiss received License #1, while Charles F. Willard received #10. (The Wright Brothers received licenses #4 & #5, perhaps because the first five were issued all at one time, Charles F. Willard sitting in his plane near alphabetically.) Toronto, Canada. This is most likely the same Willard set up his operations at the edge of town at a plane he flew when he came to Keokuk. location then known as the Messenger pasture, a long grassy strip that paralleled Belknap Boulevard. It was estimated that a thousand people paid admission to this area to witness the event, while several thousand more watched for free somewhat farther away. A later accounting of actual gate receipts indicated that fewer than six hundred had actually paid the admission fee, and so this first visit of an airplane to Keokuk was not financially successful. Local National Guard soldiers patrolled the perimeter of the field and guarded the large tent being used as a hangar for Willard’s plane. There were two flights that afternoon, and these soldiers participated in a performance planned for the second flight. The first flight, lasting five minutes, involved nothing fancier than dipping Several months prior to his visit to Keokuk, the plane’s wings and badly frightening several cows in a Charles F. Willard flew the same kind of airplane, a neighboring field. The second flight, lasting seven or eight Curtiss-type Pusher biplane—and perhaps even the minutes, featured the soldiers forming up and then very same airplane—at an aviation meet held near marching double time into the tall grass at the end of the Toronto, Canada. field from which they fired blanks at the returning “invading” airplane. This display everyone found quite satisfying, although there were some who expressed the wish that the airplane might have dropped a “harmless bomb” back at the soldiers. It was, as the Daily Gate City pointed out the next day, “a picture of the future.”

Editor’s Note: With this issue we welcome Tim Ayers, a new writer for The Confluence. Tim is evidently someone for whom retirement holds no lasting charms, having already retired as a church pastor and as a real estate agent, only to become earlier this year the pastor of Keokuk’s First Baptist Church. Tim is also a writer. He ghostwrote a bestselling children's series of books and has published several articles and uncounted cartoons in major magazines. He recently sold two novels and a twelve-book children's series.

now laid its quilt batting on the low-mileage, highway-driven automobiles at Larry Ferlinghetti's Quality Used Cars. The morning's warm breath exhaled turning the roadway's pristine, white virginity into a dirty chocolate milkshake oozing down the gutters out into the intersection. Larry's hand guided his bulbous Cadillac through the ooze. His mind had checked out before he hit second and long before third. Used cars fed families, clothed their kids, gave gifts to charities, but used cars gave Larry an unsatisfying emptiness. He was still just Larry Ferlinghetti, that “used car guy on TV.” Inside the mundane Larry had words, words strung together in thoughts like Christmas lights wrapped around the tree standing inside a big-windowed showroom. He slid his old worn key into the lock tumbler and heard it click. Larry said, “Get right in or be left out.” He could never remember the banalities of his life. Keys, locks, cars, even Larry himself was insignificant when the words, forming in his own mind, twinkled like those Christmas lights. They were strung together and gave birth to art in labor's pain inside his leashed mind. But outside, he never said anything about them. Not to his wife, nor his kids, nor even to the pariahs of sweaty men working for him. Used car guys on TV don't string beautiful words, they sell cars, cheat old ladies and turn back speedometers. Blind, filled with deception, deceived by their own pitch, yes. But used car guys don't juxtapose phrases and spin them out like poetry to the

Creative Expressions Creative commonness of life. Used cars are what he did, but Larry still had words inside. Whenever a mark slipped behind the wheel of a Ferlinghetti car, Larry's lips rattled off the poetry of the pitch. When it happened, like showroom magic, the other salesmen pressed their shrinking cheap, slick suits and hot Binaca breath around him to hear those words. “It's like poorls,..” they said. And Larry cast them before the swine like no other man. Random, offbeat, rhythmic, and exciting. He was a Da Vinci with the sales pitch. It was divine to watch a master ply the trade of golden words on the pre-owned shopper. They sat enraptured. They stood captivated.

Continued on Page 26 Continued from Page 25

“Have you ever stopped to consider leather seats in the abstract? When you really dig into it some shocking problems rise. Leather seats are something we wish for, long for inside. Everyone wants some kind of leather seats. Even Indians want leather seats. Even Cubans want leather seats. The Pope wants leather seats I hope.”

Larry spun out the words. He was regal with each phrase. The salesmen smiled and thrust their hips, their chests. “Master at work,” they thought. They watched Larry like a star on the basketball court. He spun out words and slam dunked the close. That day ended. The next ended, the next one and the next one. Every day ended with Larry clicking the tumbler. There were lots of words, lots—but like the pastrami sandwich from his dinner, words constipated him. Nothing came out. “They're just words. They couldn't really whisper anything to anybody interested in the words of a pre-owned pied piper,” he mumbled as he loosened his greasy stained tie behind the wheel of his idling Cadillac. That night was like others. He clicked the TV on and dropped with a whooshing thump into his faux leather, flaky armed La Z Boy. The news rolled its bleakness. One neighborhood horror to another sad story. A two year old—shot! Gang bullets broke the night the window her bones her parent's heart. Woman is raped, beaten and robbed. She was ninety The rapist fresh from jail distributed to her a taste, a touch the impact the deprivation of hell.

Continued on Page 27 Continued from Page 26

Larry heard this. He grunted. Larry had words somewhere pulsing through his heart and carried through his veins. Larry had words for every news story, for every pain and for every tearful victim of humanity's eroding, crumbling core. But who cares about the words of a used car salesman named Larry Ferlin- ghetti? He turned his face from the tortures of the TV news, peeled his aging body out of the aging chair… He wondered if La-Z-Boy wasn't his name as well. Larry scuffed to the kitchen in his heel-worn wingtip shoes. The house lights were out, but Larry knew the sticks of furniture and where they all sat for years. No changes. His wife, she wanted no changes. There were none. Everything the same. Pulling open the fridge, he scanned the frosted shelf over the mustard, ketchup, green bread and a lone can of beer. He needed to get food. His wife didn't do that. Larry even had words for food. No time to buy it, but he had words. The world of words brought fear to Larry. A poet Constantly risking absurdity above the heads of his audience A poet like an acrobat climbs on rhyme to a high-wire of his own making

After all these gray years, a used car salesman can't remove the words locked deeply inside deeper than life. To say more, to let out more would risk...absurdity.

So Larry sat in his La Z Boy, watching TV, thinking about used cars and swallow- ing his words. “A poet? That's absurdity! It's just words, Larry's words.”

Tom’s opinion is important when I write a poem about a dream last night

Santa didn’t visit me

1-28 • Richard Brooks Artist Exhibit, Keokuk Art Center, Round Room, Keokuk Public Library 1 • Richard Brooks Art Center Reception, 5-7 pm, Keokuk Public Library • Adult Paint Night, “Wine Time”, 6 pm, The Lost Canvas • Comedy Night with Marc Price (Skippy from Family Ties), 9:30 pm, L-Treyn’s 5 • Photo Tour with Leroy Wolfmeyer, 6:30 pm, Round Room, Keokuk Public Library 6 • First Wednesday Jazz, 8-10 pm, The Hawkeye Restaurant 9 • KHS Power City Classic, Wright Fieldhouse • Decade of Decadence, 80’s Hair Night, 9:30 pm, L-Treyn’s 11 • Beekeeping with Bernie, 6:30-7:30 pm, Round Room, Keokuk Public Library 12 • Family Night Slime Science, 6-8 pm, Keokuk Public Library 16 • Fortnite Dance Party, 1 pm, Round Room, Keokuk Public Library 19 • Black Veterans, presented by Terry Altheide, 6:30 pm, Round Room, Keokuk Public Library 15-16 • “Leading Ladies”, presented by Great River Players, 7:30 pm, Grand Theatre 17 • “Leading Ladies”, presented by Great River Players, 2 pm, Grand Theatre 20 • Lunch & Learn, presentation by Mary Hightower, Iowa Dept of Public Health, 12 pm, Hawkeye Restaurant 22 • Heidi Riepe & Dr. Joe Brown Concert (1 Piano, 4 Hands), presented by Keokuk Concert Association, 7:30 pm, Grand Theatre

2-31 • Annual High School Art Competition, Fine Arts Council, Round Room, Keokuk Public Library 2 • Nalani Proctor, 4 pm, Lost Canvas 2 • Wine, Cheese, & Chocolate Tasting, Relay for Life kick-off, 4 pm, Labor Temple 4 • Book Tasting for Adults, 6:15 pm, Round Room, Keokuk Public Library 5 • KHS Show Choir Concert, 7:30 pm, Grand Theatre • Photo Tour with Leroy Wolfmeyer, 6:30 pm, Round Room, Keokuk Public Library 6 • First Wednesday Jazz, 8-10 pm, The Hawkeye Restaurant 7 • All City Band Festival, Keokuk Community Schools, 7 pm, Wright Fieldhouse 9 • Feather Follies, KHS, Time TBA, Wright Fieldhouse 10 • McNamara’s Band, 2 pm, Grand Theatre 12 • Jazz & Chili, KHS, 6 pm, First Christian Church 21 • Seed Swap, Keokuk Public Library and Keokuk Garden Club, 6 pm, Round Room, Keokuk Public Library 31 • High School Art Competition Reception, 2 pm, Round Room, Keokuk Public Library

Calendar of Cultural Events Cultural of Calendar

1-26 • Tri State Quilt Guild Exhibit, Round Room, Keokuk Public Library 3 • First Wednesday Jazz, 8-10 pm, The Hawkeye Restaurant 4 • Ben Clark & Nalani Proctor, 5 pm, The Lost Canvas • Bird Watching with Mike Sallee, 6:30 pm, Round Room, Keokuk Public Library 5 • Tri-State Quilt Guild Reception, 5-7 pm, Round Room, Keokuk Public Library 6 • In Season Cooking with Joni McKay, 1 pm, Round Room, Keokuk Public Library 9 • Murder of William Martin by Russ Fry, 6:30 pm, Round Room, Keokuk Public Library 13 • Raeann Dance Competition, 10 am, Grand Theatre • Show Choir Solo/Ensemble Contest, KHS, Wright Fieldhouse 14 • Quincy Symphony Orchestra Concert, presented by the Keokuk Concert Association, 3 pm, Grand Theatre 15 • Opera Iowa, 7:30 pm, Grand Theatre 20 • Mississippi Rat Pak Car Club Cruise Night, 5 pm, WalMart parking lot 27 • Our Cultural Heritage, presented by Patrick Atakor Bisong Otang, 1 pm, Round Room, Keokuk Public Library

In order to add an event to this calendar, contact Carole Betts at [email protected]. To advertise in the Confluence, please contact Dianne Stanley at [email protected]. All ads should be approximately 3x5 inches in size and may be either vertical or horizontal. The cost is $40 per ad.