When we covered the “I” states I wimped out on Iowa. I bumped into so many options for searching that I gave up. But today I ran into a really worthwhile attraction that I know I will put on my “Must See” list when I visit Iowa.
Located in Gladbrook, Iowa is a museum dedicated to matchbook art.
Iowa artist Patrick Acton has glued over 4 million ordinary wooden matchsticks into 65 incredibly detailed scale models of life-like sculptures, complex machines, and world renown architecture with more in the works.
http://www.matchstickmarvels.com/
Plan your visit at the right time of year and you can enjoy the simply a-maizing Corn Carnival of Gladbrook.
The Gladbrook Corn Carnival is an annual event well known for its Friday evening Grand Parade and free nightly entertainment.
As long as I’m revisiting Iowa, did you know that the Iowa State Fair was the inspiration for the 1931 Phil Stong novel State Fair that eventually caught the attention of Rogers and Hammerstein? It became a Broadway musical and 3 motion pictures and it continues to run today for 11 days in August.
Another story set in Iowa that gained fame on the big Screen is The Bridges of Madison County. The movie itself was shot on location in Winterest, Iowa. Madison County had 19 covered bridges but floods , arson and old age have taken their toll. There are just 5 left so if you have a hankering to photograph an original Madison County Covered Bridge, well you’d best not delay.
One last thing to mention are the “bear mounds” or Effigy Mounds.
It is located in Allamakee County and Clayton County, Iowa. According to the literature these mounds are best viewed from above if you want to see them as bears.
Information about the park, a National Monument is limited because of the government shutdown.
So there Iowa, I hope I have made it up to you for cutting corners on my first post. Wait until I actually get out to visit!
