If you know the music of the Zac Brown Band, then you know they like their chicken fried, a cold beer on a Friday night, a pair of jeans that fit just right and the radio turned up.

That all sounds pretty good to me, even the part about the jeans. There is something about a pair of blue jeans that has been worn and washed enough times to fit your body perfectly. Once you get used to that feel, no other pair seems quite right. Can you relate?

As a kid, jeans did not matter much. Most of mine wore out at the knees from hours spent pushing Hot Wheels cars across the floor. The exception was Toughskins. They lived up to their name. The rest did not stand a chance. Fortunately, Mom was handy with a sewing machine. When my jeans developed holes, she patched the knees and gave them a second life. At the time, I thought those patches looked pretty cool.

I attended a Catholic grade school, where blue jeans were not part of the dress code. Outside of school, however, that was all I wore. Brand names did not matter much. The important thing was that they were long enough. Nobody wanted to be accused of wearing “floods.” They also had to be as flared as possible, which occasionally created problems with bicycle chains. It was the 1970s, after all.

By the time I reached junior high in the 1980s, Levi’s had become the jean of choice for both guys and girls. The fancy pocket-stitched disco jeans had mostly fallen out of favor, although my friend Ian somehow managed to make them work.

Back then, a new pair of Levi’s felt as stiff as cardboard. You could not wait to get them through a few wash cycles so your knees could bend without a struggle. Before long, new options appeared: button-fly, stone-washed and shrink-to-fit styles. As long as they carried the Levi’s label, most people were satisfied.

A few years ago, my wife bought me a pair of “skinny” jeans. I could not get them past my calves. These days, I prefer relaxed-fit jeans. I am not built like Earl Campbell, but I do appreciate a little extra room in the legs. As I have written many times, the older I get, the more I value comfort over style.

The worst part comes when a pair of jeans that fit perfectly finally wears out. Then the search begins again for a replacement that feels just as good. And the wear and tear on the jeans? Well, it is no longer the result of pushing Hot Wheels around on the floor. These days, it might have more to do with the fried chicken and cold beer.

Have a fantastic Friday, and thanks for reading.

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

By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette

During the June 9 meeting of the Guthrie County Board of Supervisors, the supervisors unanimously voted to appoint Charles Abel to fill the vacancy created by Dana Minteer’s resignation from the role of County Attorney.

County Auditor Dani Fink also read the unofficial results of last week’s Primary election.

“On Election Day, we had a total of 1,693 people vote at the polls. We had 410 absentee ballots that were accepted for counting, so we had a total of 2,103 people who voted,” Fink said.

No changes were noted from the unofficial results. The supervisors approved the canvas of the results, which are now considered official.

Health Services Director Jotham Arber discussed a proposed Health Services Agency Vehicle Use policy, which he explained would help standardize the expectation for all employees and the nine vehicles used by the department. The supervisors approved the policy as proposed.

The supervisors approved two recommendations from County Engineer Josh Sebern. The first was the awarding of the contract to Murphy Contracting for the bridge replacement project L-CA226-73-39. The second was to award the contract to Genco Construction for the culvert replacement project on 150^th Street.

The supervisors discussed the planning for RAGBRAI, including designating the courthouse as an option to be used in case of dangerous weather so that all bicyclists would have shelter available. EMS and law enforcement personnel will have the ability to open the courthouse as needed during RAGBRAI.

The supervisors also discussed whether or not to have the courthouse open for business on July 20, due to the influx of thousands of bicyclists and others. The consensus was to remain open as usual on that date.

Supervisor Maggie Armstrong shared information on the community survey being rolled out by the EMS Advisory Council to gauge county residents’ opinions about EMS services. She said the survey will be roughly 20 questions. She noted that when the survey is opened, communication will be made through a variety of means to inform citizens of the availability of the survey.

“That will be on our county website and will be pushed out. I encourage everybody to take the survey. It’s easy; it takes about 10 minutes,” Armstrong said.

The supervisors meet regularly on Tuesdays at 9 a.m. The public is welcome to attend in person at the courthouse or via remote technology. To join remotely, call 323-792-6123, then use meeting code 547029216#

By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette

During the June 8 regular meeting of the Guthrie Center City Council, City Administrator Kris Arrasmith reported on the planning for RAGBRAI and vendor participation.

“So far we have, between our local food participants and regular food vendors, we have mapped about forty-some,” she said.

Arrasmith noted the committee did a good job assuring a wide variety of food vendors will be on hand.

“They had over 100 applications from food trucks, so they narrowed it down,” Arrasmith said.

Arrasmith also reported on plans for citywide garage sales and citywide cleanup.

“For the garage sales, we have 13 signed up so far,” she said. “For the cleanup, we have 46 so far.”

The council discussed concerns related to the apartment building at 303 Prairie St. An inspector was brought in to make recommendations on what needs to be done at the property. At this time, no structural problems with the building were noted. The main concern has been the need for cleanup.

Councilmember Ian Steensen shared his concern that some citizens park with vehicles blocking sidewalks. The consensus was to ask the Sheriff’s department officers to address any such situations seen.

Building/Fence permits were approved for 901 Grand St. (M. Reinhart, garage), 204 S. Fifth St. (A. Scroggins, four season porch), and 602 N. 12^th St. (T. Masters, portable shed).

The next regularly scheduled meeting of the city council is set for June 22 at 6:30 p.m. The public is welcome.