By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette

Although some school-aged kids may disagree, Monday was a beautiful morning with sunshine and temperatures around 50 degrees, a welcome change from summer’s heat and humidity. As the kids headed into the ACGC and Panorama schools for the start of the 2025-2026 school year, a few paused to share a smile. 

Lenox and Knox Matthies were all ready for their first day of school on Monday at Panorama Elementary.

Hunter and Avery Hines were all smiles for the first day of school. They are now both in the Panorama secondary building.

Finley Sheeder (third grade) and Walker Sheeder (kindergarten) are ready to learn.

Brantley Martin (first grade) pauses before heading into the first day of school.

Otto Ecklund (kindergarten) and Lucy Ecklund (second grade) strive for good vibes as they start the new year.

My smart phone wasn’t working correctly the other day, so I did what most of you would do: I looked at the signal strength bars to see if I had proper coverage, and I looked at the battery level to see if I had enough juice. That’s about all we do with cell phones today, other than the occasional reboot, of course. The complications come when we opt to purchase a new phone, but that is a column for another day.  

Cell phone bills are much simpler today, too. Sure, there are plenty of charges on the statement that we wonder about, but at least they are consistent now. Not too long ago, we would be reviewing our cell phone bills for various amounts of roaming charges, data charges, texting fees, etc.

I remember when text messages were about 10 cents each. I sometimes miss those days, especially when I am on a group text of 12 and all the others feel a need to “like” each person’s comments. Enough already. I knew these texting charges irritated my friend Darren back in the day, so each time he would text me I would reply with “thanks for the message,” and then a “no, seriously, thank you,” and then a final “I really appreciate it.” He didn’t send me many text messages after that. 

I used to receive our cell phone bill in the mail and send a summary to each member of our family who was on the plan, pointing out who used the most minutes, the most data and the most text messages. It was not a victory to be at the top of the list, especially when we had overage charges. 

I probably did this phone bill review because I remember my parents doing the same with our landline bill as a kid. We did not have many long distance charges, so when we did, each one was scrutinized. I remember my dad once asking me if I made a call to Memphis, Tennessee. I didn’t recall doing so and told him that. He wrote a note on the bill stating that he did not make this call and deducted that amount from his phone bill. I wonder how long the phone company kept billing him for that 42 cents? Later, I remembered that I did make that call, and I recall Memphis, Tennessee, because of the Chuck Berry song with the line, “Help me, information, give me Memphis, Tennessee.”

Anyone remember the Nights and Weekends plan, when it was cheaper to call during those “off peak” times? Some variations of this still exist. Did the phone lines really get clogged up with too many calls during the day? That never made sense to me. Rates were so much cheaper on nights and weekends that most everyone made family calls at that time. If you received a family member’s call during the week, you had a feeling it must be horrible news. 

And finally, have you tried explaining “calling collect” to a young person today? Give that a try, and you will surely get some strange looks.  

Have a terrific Tuesday, and thanks for reading.

Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital editions
shane@gctimesnews.com
641-332-2707

Special to the Times Vedette

There’s nothing quite like quality time spent outdoors. Lucas Gaynor, 10, was recently enjoying a day of fishing at the lake with his father — an experience filled with friendly competition, laughter and the excitement of trying to catch the biggest, most and best fish.

Joe Gaynor and his son, Lucas, enjoy some friendly competition while fishing at Lake Panorama.

Lucas Gaynor shows his big catch.

Special to the Times Vedette

The Panora Chamber of Commerce hosted a welcome back breakfast for Panorama School District teachers on Wednesday at Panorama High School.  The first official day of school for students is Aug. 25. 

Ashley Smith welcomes anyone to experience a massage.

Ashley Smith specializes in therapeutic massage.

By Rich Wicks | Guthrie Center Times, August 2025

Ashley Smith, owner and operator at Main Street Stop in Adair has the knowledge and experience to help with many aches and pains.

“I do massage therapy; I specialize in therapeutic massage, for people who may have pain, migraines, tingling back or arms, lower back pain,” Smith said. “I also do Swedish massage, which is more of a relaxing massage, and I also offer prenatal massage.”

Prior to opening her shop in Adair, Smith worked many years in other communities.

“Aug. 6 of 2012 is when I first opened my business in Waukee. I worked there in Waukee for a year and then eight years in Clive. I also opened in Atlantic, so I was driving between Atlantic and Clive for a while,” Smith said. “I bought this shop in 2020, and then in 2022 was when I was finally able to open up here. This was a Mexican restaurant before I bought it, so we had to take everything down to the studs. There was a lot to do here.”

Opening a massage therapy salon during the COVID pandemic was obviously a major setback, but Smith weathered that storm and is happy for much more favorable business conditions now.

Since opening in Adair, Smith has chosen to cut back on traveling.

“I went fulltime here in 2023 and closed my other locations,” she said.

That change has allowed Smith to focus on family and the Adair community. 

“I have three kids and my husband, Jared, has three kids,” Smith said. The kids include Javin (20), Addison (18), Valia (13), Ari (10), Lexie (10) and Neela (9).

Smith also serves as president of the Adair Chamber of Commerce and coaches youth softball. She said she is proud to be helping the Adair community thrive and grow.

Smith’s building houses two other businesses. 

“I have an aesthetician (skincare specialist) in the building, too. She’s able to do facials, microderm abrasion, waxing and other services,” Smith said. 

This summer, all downtown businesses in Adair have faced a challenge due to the major street renovation on Audubon Street. Because of this, most downtown businesses have welcomed customers through their back doors. At Smith’s Main Street Stop, that means customers come in past the tattoo artist’s shop (White Trash Tattoo) before arriving at Smith’s business. The street project is expected to be completed later this fall.

Smith welcomes anyone to come in and discuss what she can offer to help with various conditions. She encourages customers to view her massage services as a way to keep bigger issues from occurring. She drew a comparison to regular oil changes for a vehicle. She says it is something that, if done regularly, “helps keep everything running smoothly.” Smith said for any individual, the frequency of massage will be determined by many factors, but she noted that many clients enjoy returning every four to six weeks, on average. Smith also stresses that massage can be beneficial for anyone, young or old.

“I’ve worked with all ages. I’ve worked with babies, and I think, right now, my oldest client is 96,” Smith said.

Smith offers sessions ranging from 30 minutes to 120 minutes in length. 

“I always tell people who are new to it, ‘Try a half-hour. If you like that, we can do 45 minutes the next time,’” Smith said. She added that her philosophy is that the clients should speak up regarding what they prefer. 

Those interested in booking an appointment can do so via the shop’s Facebook page or by calling or texting Smith directly at 641-745-9095. Her usual hours are Mondays through Thursdays, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Fridays, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., but she also schedules some appointments on Saturdays as needed.

“It’s your massage, not mine,” Smith said. “There are many different modalities, deep tissue, reflexology and other things. I don’t charge extra for those. I try to treat my clients as if they’re my family members.” 

Conservation Board Member Kristen Crouthamel, Conservation Director Brad Halterman, and Park Ranger Brandon Caldwell show the trail signage.

A story sign brings fun and literacy to the trail.

Approximately 50 people of all ages gathered on Aug. 19 for Panora’s Story Walk to celebrate the new Story Walk signs installed along the trail. The signs are designed to encourages physical activity and to help young minds learn to read.

Attendees gather before the walk begins.