Why would a neat, clean small town "full of pride" name their annual celebration Old Muddy Days?
The 180 people of Somers have a good reason. Muddy, Iowa, was the birthplace and location of the town until 1902, when it was moved lock-stock-and-Methodist-Church two-and-a-half miles northeast to its present site.
Not only did Somers pay tribute to its birthplace recently with its Old Muddy Days, but the town also inaugurated a sparkling new $50,000 Community building, which was erected using all volunteer labor.
"This town has a lot of pride," said Mayor Wes Garvey. "The can-do attitude of Somers is unbelievable. Every person in this community donated to our new building and a lot of farmers from as far away as twenty miles helped."
Garvey talked as he cracked eggs for the Muddy Days breakfast. He declined to name individuals who spearheaded the building project because, "I'll forget someone, and I don't want to do that."
He nodded to some as they came in to eat breakfast. "That fellow laid all of the tile. That family did most of the painting. This lady gave a large cash donation. That gentleman comes at 6:30 each morning and opens the building for coffee, then makes sure every thing is clean and neat before he locks it at ten."
The story of Somers move from Muddy is detailed in a book put together by Audrey Frotscher and Judy McKenney, local women.
Two things forced the move, according to the book. First, the town of Muddy was built beside a creek, which flooded frequently, hence the name. Secondly, the railroad chose the area which would soon become Somers as a site for their depot instead of Muddy.
The local blacksmith saw better opportunity and moved out of Muddy to be near the rail depot. That started the chain reaction, which eventually resulted in the Methodist Church being moved, using horses and the Capstan method, where the building is rolled along on long poles. As each pole rolls out from under the building, it is carried around to the front of the building and reused.
Old Muddy Days grew out of the Centennial Celebration years back, according to Garvey.
"We had so much fun at that celebration, we started an annual observance to celebrate our history," he said.
Old Muddy Days starts with an early morning Fun Run to the creek where Muddy once stood. Other activities are breakfast, lunch, softball tournaments, children's games, an antique car display, and a remote-controlled vehicle race.
The Community Building is a great success, Garvey said. "People from many towns in the area have rented it for anniversaries, graduation parties, wedding receptions, reunions and picnics."
The 50x30-foot building is located in the City Park, a neatly trimmed grassy area, with play equipment, and ball fields nearby.
The small-town mayor is a story in his own right. He is retired from the Air Force, and the postal service.
While in the military he worked at the "five-sided insane asylum run by the inmates," as he refers to the Pentagon. He worked in the intelligence department, and served on the team that established the Internet, rubbing shoulders with high government officials, he said.
"Al Gore didn't invent the Internet," Garvey laughed, "the military did. I'd tell you the story, but then I would have to kill you."
I guess that is the kind of humor needed to run a small Iowa town that was conceived in a place called Muddy.
Marty RicKard Bio
Marty RicKard attended William Penn College, Iowa State University and University of Southern Mississippi, from which he holds a BS degree in journalism and photojournalism. He also has a Masters Degree in photography, in addition to the Craftsman, CPP, and A-ASP degrees. Marty spent two years as a technical writer for White Motor Company, and has worked for the Charles City Press, Mason City Globe-Gazette, and Davenport Times-Democrat. He was co-owner of the weekly New Sharon Star, where he was twice named Iowa Master Columnist for his article, which was syndicated in twenty Iowa newspapers. For more than a decade Marty's regular column appeared in the Professional Photographer magazine. He has been published in many other magazines and newspapers, including Writer's Digest, Writer Advice, Golf Digest, Resource Magazine, Picture, Range Finder, and Darkroom. In addition to his writing credits, Marty has won numerous photography awards, has lectured in 48 states, and has traveled internationally as lecturer, and judge. He was one of thirty from the U.S. to participate in the first cultural exchange with China in 1986. He currently is a regular columnist for Lens Magazine, and a full-time writer of fiction and poetry. He is the author of two poetry books and one volume of short stories. He is an entertaining speaker. |
