Special to the Times Vedette
Diane Maness and Alicia Ciesielski with the All School Reunion Team invite the public to join them for a final all school reunion meeting. They will give updates on all that happened at the reunion and listen to feedback of what went well and what may need tweaking for the next reunion. The meeting will take place at the MJB Library, 400 Grand St., Guthrie Center at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 13.
I like to chew ice. Crushed ice preferably, but any type will suffice. It’s a habit — a bad one, some say. But I still chew ice.
It drives my kids crazy, and they continually ask me to stop. My friends in the dental industry tell me to knock it off, too. My wife Jolene is more patient with me, except for that childbirth incident. When our daughter, Sara, was in the early stages of entering this world, I wandered over to the soda machine in the hospital where they had this wonderful crushed ice. I came back to the delivery room, made a few crunches and was told by Jolene to “stop (expletive) chewing that (expletive) ice!” Lamaze class didn’t teach me how to respond. I stopped chewing ice for the moment, but the addiction returned — and I blame it on Frederic Tudor, the “Ice King.”
Frederic and his brother, William, envisioned a need for something that people in the early 1800s didn’t realize they needed: ice. The brothers devised a plan to ship ice from their home state of New England to the Caribbean. They were confident once people tried it, they would not want to live without it. Despite strong efforts, their business plan failed. As such, William pulled out of the partnership. Frederic drummed up enough money to continue, but the ice industry simply wasn’t catching on. Frederic persisted, and his ice business turned a profit in 1810. After some modest ups and some devastating downs, Frederic eventually found consistent success after developing techniques to convince people that they actually needed frozen water.
Frederic created this incredible demand in many southern U.S. cities, and even Havana, but like any new business, he had to find ways to continually improve. He soon enlisted help to devise a way to cut ice into large grids and float them downstream where a conveyor belt would lift the blocks from the water and carry them up to icehouses.
The ice industry was growing, but it was still a slippery slope. Only one-tenth of the ice made it to sale, and operations were unsafe. Despite these problems, ice became more and more popular in America and abroad. As such, Frederic Tudor died in 1864 as a wealthy man.
At the turn of the 20th century, iceboxes were commonplace. Ironically, America’s dependence on ice also created a dependency on electric refrigerators and freezers, and, ultimately, the ice empire of the time collapsed.
That gives you a little something to chew on today.
Have a terrific Tuesday, and thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital editions
shane@dmcityview.com
641-755-2115
Tristan Monaghan says Local Liquor has something for every taste.
By Rich Wicks | Panora Times
Quality bourbons from around the world are available at Local Liquor.
“It’ll be two years at the end of August,” Monaghan said. “Aug. 24, I think, was our first day.”
He went on to explain that the idea to open a liquor store came out of the blue.
“It started with one of our owners. They went into town and couldn’t find Bloody Mary mix anywhere, so they thought there’s a market for this here, especially in the summer.”
That realization led to seven co-owners who jointly opened the store.
The well-stocked humidor keeps cigars fresh.
Later, one of the original owners wanted to sell his share to pursue another business venture, so Monaghan bought out that share and became a co-owner.
When asked about Local Liquor’s best sellers, Monaghan mentioned a couple of familiar names.
“Busch Light and Crown Royal are some of our best sellers, but we stock different craft beers and high-end bourbon and wines.”
When asked what makes Local Liquor unique, Monaghan mentioned several non-beverage products.
Pre-packaged drink kits can be fun and convenient.
A closet-sized humidor is stocked with a wide variety of cigars, and it maintains proper conditions so the cigars don’t become dry and brittle. Monaghan also noted that vapes and CBD (hemp) products have been popular.
“We got into the Delta-9 stuff, which the State just re-regulated. That’s the cannabis-infused stuff. We sold a ton of it to people with arthritis or who couldn’t sleep.”
Monaghan said no major changes are planned at the store, but he’ll continue to monitor what new products come out and what customers are asking for. He added that, if the store continues to succeed, more space would eventually be needed and a wider variety of products could be offered. Monaghan mentioned a couple of products that have recently become popular.
“High Noon iced teas are selling well,” Monaghan said. “There’s always new stuff coming out, and we got a new bourbon in from Carson, Iowa, that’s sold like crazy.”
Monaghan believes strongly in keeping the inventory updated, since products will quickly grow in popularity.
“We’re always trying to get more high-end stuff and different craft beers,” Monaghan said. “If people ask if we can get something in, we’ll try to get it for them.”
Local Liquor aims to meet the local demand.
Special to the Times Vedette
A total of 48 women played in the Panorama Women’s Golf League on July 23.
In the A group, Carla Fitzgerald was the low scratch winner with a 35. The second low scratch winners was Emily Spradling with a 36. Carla Fitzgerald and Coop Rickert were the HDCP winners with a 27. The special event was handicap score closest to par, and Carla Fitzgerald and Coop Rickert were the winners. Phyllis Davis had the fewest putts with 17.
In the B group, Karen Bump and Michelle Welch were the low scratch winners with a 41. The second low scratch winner was Jen Olsen with a 42. The HDCP winner was Michelle Welch with a 21. The special event was handicap score closest to par, and Jen Olsen and Jan Tallman were the winners. Karen Bump had the fewest putts with 16.
Carla Fitzgerald and Susan Thompson each had a birdie. Peg Carr, Susan Thompson and Connie Ziller each had a chip-in.