A Coordinator Gone Tourist
Usually when I talk about the Amana Colonies along the Iowa Valley Scenic Byway, I am promoting a Festival; I mean, Amana does have the best festivals. I found out this past week that Amana is perhaps even more enjoyable on a solo visit in the heat of the summer between festivals.
You might think that as a Byway Coordinator I visit the communities and experience them on a regular basis. This isn’t the reality. I did, however, have a stack of new Iowa Valley Scenic Byway Audio & App Tour brochures sitting on my desk that needed to get to Amana somehow. I have also been eager to see Lily Lake in full bloom for a long time now.
So, on a beautiful sunny morning I headed over to Amana. My first stop was the Amana Colonies Visitor’s Center where our brochure has been flying off the shelf. I was delighted to see the Grant Wood Artwork in the yard as Grant Wood has many connections to many of our eastern Iowa byways.
I visited with the docent myself for a few moments while I purchased a Grant Wood book and asked about “The People Are Kind: A Religious History of Iowa” by Bill Douglas of Clutier (I don’t know for sure if the Community of True Inspiration was included in his book but I assumed it would be). When I left, she said that she hoped that I had time to explore the Amana shops before heading back to work. As I walked outside into the sunshine having had this cultural experience, and the antique shop across the
road was calling, I decided to do just that!
After restocking our brochure and adding our Lincoln Highway’s Eastern Iowa: Breweries, Wineries, and Distilleries brochure (Millstream Brewing & Millstream Brau Haus are listed), I headed over to the Amana History Museum and Book Store to drop another load of brochures. While I browsed the books available (for research!), I overhead a tourist conveying to the docent that they knew that the people were kicked out of the commune in the 1930s. No, no, I shook my head as I listened. The docent explained that “The Great Change” was at a time when Society members were seeking more personal freedom. Then she mentioned her own family, telling her own story.
I went to that antique shop, I took photos of all the buildings on the street (I did need summer photos for the app), I went in the General Store and International Christmas Market, I found a metal art shop, and the Haus Maus t-shirt shop. I even found live music at the brewery. Finally, I visited the Chocolate Haus for fudge. As a famous Iowa Hawkeye basketball announcer used to say, “Oh, myyyy.”
As I reflected on this trip on my way back to work, I realized that I wouldn’t have had this experience if I 1) had mailed the boxes of brochures and 2) had gone to the Amanas during a huge Festival when the museums and shops are crowded. Oh, and if you want to see the lily blooms at Lily Lake, there is still time. The lake is full of lilies but the blooms were closed.
Enjoy and I will see you on the byway!
Jeanie
