It wasn’t easy, but we did it! The total subscriber count for this Times Vedette digital edition surpassed 1,200 and is now at 1,238. That number is less than the distribution of our monthly print publications (Panora Times at 2,354; Guthrie Center Times at 2,277; and Lake Panorama Times at 1,766), but it far exceeds the subscription count the Times Vedette had when it was a paid subscription weekly newspaper. In fact, the 1,238 subscribers to this digital edition exceed the count for any paid subscription newspaper in the county, and our number will continue to grow.

Our texting option is moving along, too, albeit at a snail’s pace. So far, we have 10 subscribers to this option (and one of those includes me.) We simply send a text message each Tuesday and Friday to your cell phone with a link to the edition.  If you want to subscribe this way, or share this option with someone you think would enjoy it, sign up for free at https://formstax.co/222552eb. And, of course, you can unsubscribe easily at any time.

Our digital editions are certainly catching on. In addition to the aforementioned numbers, 630 of you have signed up to receive the Lake Panorama Times digital edition, 482 for the Guthrie Center Times digital edition, and 470 for the Panora Times digital edition. If you have not subscribed to any of these and want to, you can do so for free at https://gctimesnews.com/join-our-email-list. And, once again, if you change your mind, you can unsubscribe at any time. 

Those of you who prefer a printed copy in your hands should not fret. We have not given up on print, and we won’t. Our print editions continue to reach more people than any other medium in Guthrie County, providing effective advertising options that drive results for our local businesses, which, in turn, helps the communities we serve. I encourage you to buy the products and services from local businesses and tell the owners and operators who advertise with us that you saw their ads in our publications.

Thank you for subscribing to this newsletter and supporting all our efforts — in print and digital formats — to bring even more news and information about the people, places and events of Guthrie County to each of you. 

Thanks for reading. 

Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital editions
shane@dmcityview.com
641-755-2115

If I asked you what time it was, where would you look for the answer? A wall clock? A wrist watch? A computer screen? Your phone? It is difficult to imagine a time when personal clocks didn’t exist, when people would rely on the public clocks in their towns or villages, and a farmer or rancher only needed the sun as a guide. 

So how exactly did the wrist watch become so popular? Well, it started with pocket watches, which became a useful tool for many in the 1600s. These portable clocks were fragile and subject to damage from the elements, so they were often hidden away for protection — in “pockets.”

In the 1700s, some people decided that they wanted to carry time with them in something different than a pocket watch. These “arm watches” were large and cumbersome versions of clocks that were worn on the body. Some time passed before wrist watches, as we know them today, gained popularity. The story is that wrist watches were first worn by military men. A pocket watch didn’t fit the needs of servicemen when in the heat of battle or while mounted on a horse, so soldiers began to strap watches to their wrists. These “service watches” were designed with luminous dials and unbreakable glass. By the end of the World War I, almost all enlisted men wore a wrist watch. The post-war era then opened up a mass market for these types of watches. The pocket watch popularity had faded, and wrist watches were now a must-have device for the masses.  

That trend continued for decades, until consumers in recent years decided that they needed to start carrying another device — the personal cell phone. With built-in clocks, many who used cell phones didn’t see the need to wear a watch. As such, watch sales began to plummet. Then along came smart watches, and the popularity of wearing “time” returned. Who knows? Maybe pocket watches will gain popularity again, too.

Meanwhile, even with an abundance of clocks on walls, wrists, computers and phones, we still can’t seem to be on time, which leads me to quote the 1969 Chicago song, “Does anybody really know what time it is? Does anybody really care?” 

Thanks for reading. 

Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital editions
shane@dmcityview.com
641-755-2115

I was listening to the 70s on 7 channel on Sirius XM Radio on my drive to work a few days ago when I heard “Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Old Oak Tree” by Tony Orlando and Dawn. Of course, I sang along. And, of course, I could not get the song out of my head for the rest of the day.

The popular 1973 song, which sold 3 million records in just three weeks, depicts a man on a bus returning home from three years away and questioning whether he will be welcomed. Through a letter, he asks that a yellow ribbon be tied around the oak tree as a symbol that he should enter. If there is no ribbon, he will know to stay away. As the bus approaches his destination, the man can’t bear to look and asks the bus driver to tell him if a yellow ribbon can be seen. He then hears the busload of people start cheering as they see 100 yellow ribbons tied around the tree. 

For many of us, the origins of the yellow ribbon tie to that song, and the meaning carried on. When hostages were held in captive in Iran, Americans showed their support by tying yellow ribbons around their trees, with hopes and prayers of a safe return in 1981. The ribbons returned during the Gulf War in the 1990s when troops were sent to the Middle East. But the ribbon has a much deeper history. Here are three examples:

First, a young woman would often tie a ribbon in her hair as a pledge of faithfulness to the one she loves and to show that she was not available for courtship.

Second, when ships would prepare to pull away from docks, long lengths of ribbon were thrown to the people aboard the ship to say goodbye. As the ships pulled away, the ribbons would break, marking the beginning of long separations.

And third, today we continue to wrap presents with ribbons of yellow and all colors to celebrate with those we love.

So although Tony Orlando’s song deserves credit for making the tying of yellow ribbons mainstream, his music did not begin the tradition. John Wayne fans who remember the 1949 movie “She Wore A Yellow Ribbon” will certainly attest to this. 

These and dozens of other yellow ribbon historical ties can be found here, if you want to learn more. Or you can “just stay on the bus, forget about us, put the blame on me.”

Sing along, have a fantastic Friday, and thanks for reading.

Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital editions
shane@dmcityview.com
641-755-2115

Just a few years ago, I pondered whether I really needed a building for our publishing company here in Guthrie County. Now I own two buildings. 

When I bought the Lake Panorama Times, we published the newspaper out of our office in Johnston. We did not have a physical location in Guthrie County, and we didn’t seem to need one. We outsourced our printing, we didn’t sell subscriptions or classified advertising, and our staff worked mostly out of their homes. As such, we didn’t see a need to set up a shingle in town.

When I bought the Times Vedette, I had a change of heart, and we decided to continue the lease that the previous publisher had on the building, at least for the time being. I still wasn’t sure we needed a physical office, as I could count the number of people who walked through the door each week on one hand. Even so, we were expanding our staff, and I wanted a place where we could be together and work as a team. Not too much later, I purchased the building we were leasing at 111 E. Main St. in Panora, which has been the newspaper office for decades. We cleaned it out, gave it a fresh coat of paint inside and out, had a new awning mounted and had several new windows installed. 

Throughout this time, I was also interested in purchasing a storage building. Unfortunately, there were not many options. Then, a few months ago, I learned that a building in Guthrie Center at 104 Industrial Road may be up for sale. This nearly 14,000-square-foot facility had office space built inside of it that fit our needs better than what we had and provided massive amounts of space with overhead doors for storage. Even better, it had the building height and electrical capacity for printing and finishing equipment, if I chose to pursue that down the road. I ran some numbers to see if we could make this work, and I made an offer to the Guthrie Center Economic Development group, which owned the building and was leasing it to a tenant that had vacated the building. Within a short time, we agreed upon the price and terms. 

So, I now own two buildings in Guthrie County. We will be operating the Guthrie County wing of Big Green Umbrella Media out of the Guthrie Center office, and I am exploring options on what to do with the Panora building, which include selling it, leasing it, creating an extension of our current business, or launching another business and running it out of the space.    

We are in the process of making stark improvements to the Guthrie Center building, which you will notice soon. 

Meanwhile, regardless of where the physical office of our publishing company is located, our commitment to our readers and advertisers will be strong, and we will continue to invest in Guthrie County. 

Please note that our mailing address will remain the same at P.O. Box 38, Panora, IA 50216. Our physical street address is now 104 Industrial Road, Guthrie Center, IA 50115. And our new office phone number, as of Thursday morning, will be 641-332-2707.     

We are in the process of moving equipment and having services transferred this week, and we would be naïve not to expect a few hiccups. Please be patient with us as we work through this transition. 

We look forward to continuing to serve you in even bigger and better ways. 

Thanks for reading. 

Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital editions
shane@dmcityview.com
641-755-2115

My thanks go out to the 445 of you who have cast votes in our inaugural Best of Guthrie County poll. For those of you who have not, you have until 5 p.m. on Monday, July 15 to make your voice be heard on the best people, places, events and more in the area. Vote now by clicking here. 

If you have the task of hiring people, or you are a person who is looking for a job, be sure to check out our free job board here. Free to view help wanted ads. Free to place help wanted ads. This is a free service we provide to help employees and employers make the area an even better place to work. We currently have 15 ads on the site, and we want to have dozens more so this can truly be an employment resource. Check out the site and be sure to place your free help wanted ads. 

We have now received more than 150 photos of local veterans for our upcoming Veterans Salute that will publish in our October issues of Lake Panorama Times, Panora Times and Guthrie Center Times. The photos can be viewed here, and I encourage you to check them out, as you will know many of the names and faces. If you have a family member or friend who was or is in the military, or if you are a veteran yourself, please submit your photo so we can recognize even more of those who served our country.

As we inch closer to 1,000 subscribers to this noontime newsletter, I want to thank all of you who subscribe and read. I ask that you help us out by sharing this email with family members or friends who you think may have interest in Guthrie County news. They can sign up for their own free copy of the digital Times Vedette here, which also provides options to receive digital editions of our Lake Panorama Times, Panora Times and Guthrie Center Times magazines. 

If you are reading this, you are likely already a subscriber to the Times Vedette email editions. I encourage you to continue to read it via this format. I also realize that some people don’t use email regularly and would prefer a text message with a link to the news. For those folks, we created a simple sign-up page that texts a link to the updated newsletter each Tuesday and Friday. I personally subscribe via this option, as do many of our staff members. It is another great way to receive and read Guthrie County news and information. Sign up for the text version here.   

We appreciate being able to provide these additional features, and we look forward to continuing to serve you in new ways. 

Have a fantastic Friday, and thanks for reading.

Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital editions
shane@dmcityview.com
641-755-2115

Do you remember driving up to the gas pump and carefully rounding your petroleum purchase to the nearest dollar?

Some of you may recall the days before auto shut-offs when you would overfill your tank and have gas spill all over the side of your car and the pavement.

And a select few of you may even recollect driving off from the station with the nozzle still in your tank and the hose dragging down the road. 

Some of the more age-experienced readers of this column may even reminisce about the days of the full-service station when a friendly attendant would not only fill your tank but check your oil and wash your windshield. “Fill ’er up!”

Believe it or not, there was a time when buying gasoline was straightforward. Then along came a gazillion choices. It started in the 1970s with unleaded, and that was simple enough. Now we have a variety of octane choices along with three different ethanol blends. I didn’t know I needed a master’s degree in petroleum engineering to fill my car with gas. 

Unfortunately, choosing your gas is just part of the process. Although I appreciate the whole pay-at-the-pump idea — as it prevents me from indulging in a fountain drink and a candy bar — I cringe at all the information I am often asked to submit at the pump and the seemingly endless questions I have to answer. Debit? Credit? Zip code? Fuel saver card? Car wash? And then, at some stations, I can’t concentrate because of the blaring music and the barrage of ads popping up on the display screen. I just want some gas, for Pete’s sake!

But, alas, I eventually surrender my name, rank and serial number and begin fueling. And as I put the nozzle back in the pump and submit to accepting the entire pay-at-the-pump process, a message comes across the screen that I need to go inside the store to collect my receipt. Ugh. So I do — and I buy a fountain drink and a candy bar. 

“Fill ’er up!”

Have a terrific Tuesday, and thanks for reading. 

Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital editions
shane@dmcityview.com
641-755-2115