Sac City; McKee relatives; Barn Quilts

Sac City IA, a beautiful town of approx. 2500, is the home of Milo and Sally Lines. Sally is Dave's cousin on the McKee side. Their daughters and granddaughter also live in Sac City. Milo and Sally invited her sister Christy and husband "Tyke" Nyberg to visit while we were in Iowa so we had a cousin reunion. 

Luci was stationed at Riverside Park which had level pads, electricity and water, a clean restroom and shower house and lovely shade along the Raccoon River.

The camping area is part of the Sac County Fairgrounds and this beautiful Chautauqua building located in the park continues to be used for many events. 

Sac City is located on rolling hills above the river. Downtown buildings and many elegant, large Victorian style homes along the Main Street attest to its prosperity. A new library, hospital and clinic, swimming pool/water park and early childhood education center point to the pride that current citizens take in their community. Sally and Milo Lines being instrumental movers and shakers in this town are encouraging their girls to continue to push for a better community.

Sunday dinner at the Lines residence was a blast from our past as everyone gathered around the linen covered, china clad table for a delicious meal. Fresh sweet corn was on the menu. 

I took a video of all present http://youtu.be/-4Zv2RuxLHo 

I have a few still photos of the clan.

Sally and me at the lake house with Christy inside the screened porch.

      Milo and Tyke visiting by the lake.

Milo retired from the pharmacy business and Sally from nursing so they took up the next logical business to keep their hands busy. Now they are popcorn tycoons and Sac City has the worlds largest popcorn ball as a result. They own Noble Popcorn and produce Cedar Creek brand flavored popcorn in their ever expanding facility right there in town. Daughter Rhonda runs day to day operations but Milo and most all the Lines family lends a hand when needed. Here are some photos.

Product, process and production are described by Milo. Then on to their (his?) latest adventure.

The Scoop ice cream and soda fountain houses Milo's collection of pharmacy and Coca-Cola memorabilia.

The Scoop is open afternoon and evening for treats and birthday parties, coffee and conversation. Christy, Tyke, Sally, Milo, Dave and I enjoyed some great ice cream and conversation Sunday afternoon. 

Milo had some interesting paintings of barns in his Scoops office. We had noticed square quilt block looking decorations at the fairgrounds and now learn that this art project extends throughout the county and state.

 A map of Sac County with locations for 58 barn quilts.

 More info can be found at www.barnquilts.com.  

The project is sponsored by Iowa State as a 4H life skills project to promote tourism and restoration of old barns and corn cribs. Sac City resident Amy Peyton authored a book, Barn Quilts of Sac County, with proceeds going to Iowas 4H Foundation. The barn quilts are on a 4'X4'  or 8'X8' platform and are usually chosen and painted by the farm family. The local power company is engaged to attach the paintings to the barn. 

Here are some photos we took of the barn quilts at the Sac County fairgrounds.

We were quite taken with this project and looked closely for barn quilts as we left this nifty town and traveled south and east through Iowa on our way to Nebraska to see our kids, grand kids and our parents in Lincoln.