Fulltime welder spends much of his free time in his garage working on the 1971 Chevelle.

By Rich Wicks | Guthrie Center Times, February 2026

Justin Zimmerman of Casey says he grew up working on cars while learning from his father. Later, he took classes to learn more.

“When I was in high school, we bought a 1977 Nova that I kind of tinkered on,” Zimmerman said. 

After graduating from West Central Valley in 2004, Zimmerman eventually enrolled at Southwestern Community College. When he started taking classes, Zimmerman found a car that he immediately connected with. It was a 1971 Chevelle.

“I bought the car in August of 2012. I was going to autobody school at SWCC down in Creston and somebody in Creston had it for sale, so I bought it for $3,000. Then, it sat in my garage in Dexter for five years, just doing a little stuff to it,” Zimmerman said. “Then, we moved here to Casey in 2018, and I decided it was now or never, so I started pouring all my weekends and money into it.”

Zimmerman works fulltime as a welder but happily spends much of his free time in the garage working on his car. Along the way, he has made many modifications.

“It’s a 1971 VIN, but I put a 1970 front clip on it because I like the two headlights and two taillights. I lowered the splitter and lowered the body line on the back,” Zimmerman said. “I lowered the bumper and opened up the whole grill to get all the air to the radiator for the big block 496 I have in there. I shaved all the chrome off, all the drip rails, and flush mounted all the glass. The last six years, it’s been every weekend. I did all that work right here in this garage. I painted it, body-worked it, metal-worked it.”

In 2025, the car finally became drivable.

“I painted it on Father’s Day weekend, and I had it running for the Good Guys show in Des Moines in July. That was the first official car show for it,” Zimmerman said. “Now that I have it driving and painted, I can take it to more shows.”

Although the car is being driven and in shows, it is far from finished.

“It’s still a work in progress. I’ve still got to do the interior, some back windows and stuff. Every paycheck I can put more money into it,” Zimmerman said. “You’re never done. You’re always adding something. I do not like chrome, and I like matte color, so it’s a matte finish. Also, I’m a Hawkeye fan, so I’ve got Hawkeye plates.”

Zimmerman’s philosophy is that the car was meant to be driven rather than sitting in a garage all the time. He also uses it to show the type of work he can do for others.

“I built it to drive it, so I want to drive it as much as possible,” he said. “Big John Customz is my LLC I have, so this is like my walking business card.”

The hood and trunk open differently than most cars, which is a feature Zimmerman spent time on to get it just right.

“That’s what took me the most time,” he said. 

Although some cars are restored to factory specifications, Zimmerman wanted his car to be unique. 

“Mine, I want one of one. Nobody else in the world has this car,” Zimmerman said. “That’s what makes it so fun, is the creativity of building these cars. Yes, it’s still a Chevelle, but it’s just tinkered a little bit to what I thought a Chevelle should look like.”

Zimmerman said he plans to keep the Chevelle forever. He also enjoys hearing others voice their appreciation for the results of his long years of working on the car.

“I can’t explain how much fun I had doing it. It’s just me, late nights, alone, just my vision,” Zimmerman said. “The best part was taking it to a car show and having somebody else say something about it. I had a completes stranger say, ‘Hey, I like this,’ and that six years felt like it was nothing. That’s been the biggest reward is having people say, ‘This is sweet.’ That makes all those late nights melt away.”

Special to the Times Vedette

Weary Ramblers racked up two more awards this week in a growing list of accomplishments. The duo’s song, “Kentucky Never Seemed So Blue,” has been awarded the Overall Grand Prize winner and Best Country Bluegrass Song of the 2026 International Acoustic Music Awards.

“It is an absolute honor to be awarded this prestigious recognition. Artists like Charlie Parr and Dom Flemons have won the Overall Grand Prize in the past. It’s exciting to now be in a club with those kinds of artists,” Weary Ramblers member Kathryn Severing Fox said.

Weary Ramblers is an Iowa-based duo featuring Severing Fox and Chad Elliott. They began performing together in 2022 and released their first album in 2024. Since then, the duo has collected a long list of achievements that has gathered recent steam.

“It’s been a surreal year, and this past month has been incredible. Each recognition is so meaningful, and it’s an honor to be recognized in the country, bluegrass, acoustic and blues music worlds. We love being artists that stay out of a box, so being recognized in multiple genres has affirmed our unique path,” Severing Fox said.

The award-winning song, “Kentucky Never Seemed So Blue,” is from Weary Ramblers second album, “Driftwood,” which was released in late 2025. The song features influential, bluegrass vanguard Sam Bush on mandolin. It was co-written by Elliott and Severing Fox while they were on tour.

“We were touring through the Southeast. We both caught pneumonia on tour, but it didn’t stop us from writing. It was late at night as we crossed the Ohio River into Kentucky. We saw a sign that read “Bluegrass Highway,” and a full moon hung on the horizon. We just knew a song needed to be written. With lots of time behind the wheel, we worked out the harmonies as we coughed between verses,” Elliott said.

In addition to the Overall Grand Prize win and Best Country Bluegrass Song award of the International Acoustic Music Awards, Weary Ramblers have recently garnered several other big achievements. They won the Josie Music Award for Song of the Year in the Americana Duo/Group/Collab category. They were awarded a Silver Medal in the 2026 Global Music Awards for both the Americana and Duo categories. They also won the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, TN in the Solo/Duo category. In addition, Elliott was awarded Best Guitarist at the International Blues Challenge.

“These recent accolades are opening many new doors for us. We are going on the Legendary Blues Cruise, the Durango Blues Train and we have tours in different regions starting to line up. We are very excited about everything that’s coming. It feels like our hard work of continuous writing and performing is really beginning to pay off,” Elliott said.

Learn more about Weary Ramblers by visiting www.wearyramblers.com.

By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette

As of Feb. 20, Adair and Guthrie counties are among 15 Iowa counties with a current open burn ban in effect. To see the updated status of burn bans or other important notices from the Adair and Guthrie County Emergency Management Agency, see the agency’s Facebook page or visit https://iowa.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/c22956334fd8435080ed851f549c5263.

Note: this ban does not prohibit the use of outdoor fireplaces or barbecue grills.

From the Iowa Department of Natural Resources

Ice fishing for winter 2026 is rapidly coming to an end in Iowa, including at traditional late season lakes across the far north part of the state.

In recent days, a UTV broke through the ice on East Okoboji Lake and a pickup truck broke through to its frame on West Okoboji Lake. Earlier on Wednesday, a wheel house-style ice fishing shelter broke through on West Okoboji Lake.

The UTV has been fished out; the pickup removal will happen soon; and the wheel house is being removed.

“The quality of ice is deteriorating quickly in a lot of places,” said Capt. Greg Harson, Law Enforcement supervisor for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources covering northwest Iowa. “For anyone coming up here looking for ice, the conditions are not great. Ice could be good in one place, then poor in another.

“Most of the locals have put their gear away for the season.”

Much of the north side of Spirit Lake is ice free and the ice heaves near shore on Clear Lake have opened. All other north Iowa lakes are losing ice as well, and while the spring like temperatures are forecast to retreat to more seasonal for middle February, the nightly lows will not be low enough to reset the ice.

Anyone planning to go ice fishing should do so on foot, with a spud bar to check ice thickness often, and plan to bring a throwable flotation cushion with at least 50 feet of rope.

From the Iowa Department of Natural Resources

While the weather was starting to feel like spring, water temperatures are still dangerously cold.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recommends that paddlers wait for consistent warm weather to allow the water temperatures to rise slowly. It could be several weeks before water temperatures are ideal and safe as water and air temperatures continue to change.

“Air temperatures are warmer than normal this year, but the water is still dangerously cold,” said Todd Robertson, Iowa DNR River Programs Water Trails coordinator. “We have not had enough consistently warm days to raise water temperatures adequately. Cold water shock and hypothermia can set in quickly if you fall into the water at current temperatures.”

Safety tips for paddling in cold water conditions

• Always wear a life jacket. Not only does the life jacket help keep your head above water, it helps to keep your organs warmer.
• Check your canoe or kayak and gear for any needed repairs or maintenance after being stored for several months.
• Don’t paddle alone, especially in cold water, use a buddy system. Go with a small group of paddlers and know which paddler has the most experience.
• Let a friend or loved one know where you are going and when you are expected to return. It will be easier to find you if you need help.
• Dress for the water temperature, not the air temperature. Plan as if you were to be in the water at some point. A wetsuit or drysuit is a must. Dress in layers so you can peel a layer off if you get overheated.
• Bring along a dry bag with extra clothing to change into should you get wet. Get out of wet, cold clothing as soon as possible. Having the right gear and understanding the stages of hypothermia is crucial for remaining safe.
• Stay away from strainers, wood/branch piles that can pull a paddler under. These are usually found on outside river bends where the current is going and are deadly hazards that must be avoided.