Iowa Life Episode 210

[Charity Nebbe] Coming up on this episode of Iowa Life, we'll connect with a community of competitive pumpkin growers.

Once you get that one to the scale it's like, hooked, you just want to get better and better every year.

[Nebbe] We'll find out what it's like to be a Page in the Iowa House of Representatives.

My favorite part is probably getting to know the legislators, all the representatives, and to hear where they have come from and how they got here.

[Nebbe] We'll meet a man who is keeping the radio waves strong in Mason City.

I am Bob Fisher reporting. Local radio is that friend that people can always tune to, it's always going to be there.

[Nebbe] And we'll visit Spook Cave near McGregor.

This is actually the largest room here in the cave. It is about 45 feet tall.

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[Nebbe] It's all coming up next on Iowa Life.

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Funding for Iowa Life is provided by --

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The Pella Rolscreen Foundation is a proud supporter of Iowa PBS. Pella Windows and Doors strives to better our communities and build a better tomorrow.

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And by, the Lainie Grimm Fund for inclusive programming at the Iowa PBS Foundation.

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[Nebbe] Hi, I'm Charity Nebbe and this is Iowa Life. The Iowa State Capitol is the political and historical heart of our state. The people who work here play many roles. They shape policy and make decisions that affect our daily lives. Young people have a place here too. And in a few minutes, we'll learn about some of the contributions they can make. But first, we are going to meet some pumpkin growers, pumpkin growers who are thinking big.

 

[Nebbe] Every fall, pumpkins pop up all over the place. And some Iowa communities have woven one renowned variety into a giant spectacle.

[Dave Davis] This is our second year of doing it and there was a lot of wind this year too. But listen, these are 700-pound pumpkins falling out of the sky.

Holy cow!

Woo!

Oh my goodness!

[Dave Davis] That little bit of breeze isn't going to make them move that much. And they hit just perfect again. I was hearing four months later how neat and how cool that was, you know.

[Nebbe] These are not your ordinary pie or carving pumpkins. They are a variety originally from South America and when they are planted in Iowa soils the results are huge.

[Dave Davis] The largest one that we ever had, a 2,283-pound pumpkin.

[Nebbe] Known for their novelty, not their flavor, the behemoths have found a home at agricultural fairs of all size and scale since the mid-1800s. Ballooning from a world record 403 pounds in 1904 to the 2,749-pound record set in 2023, thanks to some modern know-how.

 

It'll carry all the nutrients. Once I get that dusting, the roots will make contact with that after I water.

 

[Nebbe] Replanted and crossbred, given away or sold, sharing seeds keeps the competition going.

Attention all units, Sheriff Davis, we sincerely thank you for your loyal and dedicated service.

[Nebbe] Recently retired Davis County Sheriff, Dave Davis, started the Bloomfield Weigh Off ten years ago, long before the pumpkin drops began. A farm kid with a green thumb, he was hooked after seeing them while working at the Iowa State Fair.

[Dave Davis] One thing that we try and do is vine burying. It is supposed to make them roots just go everywhere. The more of that you've got, the more water and more nutrients you've got, try to push that pumpkin.

It kind of gets in your blood.

[Dave Davis] I'm just like a little kid at Christmas time. And I know my little granddaughter, she is getting excited seeing these things grow for the State Fair.

The official is 1,294 pounds!

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Iowa Department of Agriculture weights and measures coordinator Ivan Hankins has emceed and officiated weigh-offs since the 1990s.

And who's this little punkin?

[Nebbe] He says, at the center of what might seem outlandish is good-hearted community.

[Ivan Hankins] I don't know if I'd call them a cult. I suppose you could, the pumpkin cult. They don't gather in dark rooms, they go out and they share their secrets.

[Nebbe] 2024 marked Hankins' second call of the Dave Davis State Fair win against hefty competition.

Oh, ho, ho, ho! Almost! 1,286. That means, should have brought the big one.

[Dave Davis] Oh yeah, we have some fun little banter back and forth. We're pretty fortunate to have Pete right here in Iowa with us. I beat Pete at the Fair, but that was because I had my good luck charm, my little four-year-old granddaughter helping me.

[Nebbe] Although their size is impressive at summer competitions, giant pumpkins reach their peak in the fall. That is when state and world records are set.

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I got the Iowa state record at 2,424 pounds.

Good job, Pete!

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[Nebbe] Pete Caspers is chasing a dream he's had since middle school, being the first Iowan to set a new world record.

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[Pete Caspers] Once you get that one to the scale it's like, hooked, you just want to get better and better every year. And it took a long time to get better.

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[Nebbe] Caspers was just named President of the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth, the international body overseeing rules and standards for quirky competitive produce weigh-offs.

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[Nebbe] It's a personal achievement, but also recognition of increasingly impressive pumpkins grown in Iowa.

[Greg Norlin] The first year the largest pumpkin came from Garnerville, Iowa. Everybody was just in awe. It took their breath away. Nobody had seen a pumpkin weighing 252 pounds in Iowa. It was unheard of.

[Nebbe] Of the over 100 sites across the globe sanctioned by the GPC, two are in Iowa, Bloomfield and Anamosa. Along with daughter Katie, Greg and Nancy Norlin have organized the Ryan Norlin Giant Pumpkin Weigh Off for decades. It's dedicated to their son, who had been his uncle's helper in the pumpkin patch.

[Greg Norlin] In the summer of 1989, July 9th, obviously you never forget that, we lost our son to a tragic drowning accident on the Mississippi River and because of that my brother Tom, who started this weigh-off, wanted to name the weigh-off in memory of Ryan. We became the 11th weigh-off site in North America at that time.

[Nebbe] Anamosa embraced the contest. And in 1993, the town was proclaimed the pumpkin capital of Iowa.

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[Greg Norlin] It's been wonderful. It has been wonderful in memory of our son. We're just going to keep continuing to grow.

This guy right here from Peosta, originally from Anamosa --

[Nebbe] Families like the Caspers are evidence of that spread. Pete's daughter Alba and father Rusty have both taken up the grower mantle.

[Rusty Caspers] Yeah, he's been doing it since he was a little kid. I finally quit working on the road and I had more time to get into things like this. I started working with my grandpa in the garden at four years old. And I got a picture of Pete at two years old helping me. So, it's cool to go to a weigh-off with Pete and watch him win. (laughs)

[Pete Caspers] But yeah, her I got pictures of her out here in her diaper and her sunglasses just talking to the pumpkins.

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[Nebbe] Pete grows multiple pumpkins to compete at several weigh-offs. And, though he won Bloomfield handily, he is both strategic and sentimental when it comes to Anamosa.

[Pete Caspers] I was a grade ahead of Ryan Norlin when the drowning accident happened. I am childhood friends with him and his older sister. They were a grade behind me and a grade ahead of me. So, I've got history with Anamosa. That will always be my hometown. So, the big one always goes to Anamosa. Yeah, I could have won the Fair. I could have brought the big one.

 

[Nebbe] Great care is taken in moving these harvests. Cracks and other damage are instant disqualifiers. So, reaching the scale intact is essential.

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The pumpkin master, his knuckles are white on the wheel as he drives over. The official weight, 1,933 and a half pounds!

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[Pete Caspers] I got the win. I was not expecting that. Winning Anamosa, that's like top notch right there.

You got first!

[Nebbe] Caspers intends to take time off after the season. But next year is always on the horizon. In the meantime, as everyone involved gets back to business as usual, some can't help but ponder the gravity of what they have witnessed.

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[Ivan Hankins] Iowa is about a lot of goofy stuff. We have celebrations for anything. I have watched this whole thing grow from a 300-pound, 200-pound pumpkin up to a 1,200, up to a 2,200-pound pumpkin. One of these guys are going to pull it off one of these days. I hope I'm around to call the numbers. To have a world record would be another bright star for Iowa.

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[Nebbe] Across the country, legislative page programs offer high school students a front row seat to see our government in action. It's a tradition that helps to create future leaders, engaged citizens and public servants. We spent some time with the pages of the Iowa House of Representatives to find out more about their role.

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It's definitely different days every single day. Nothing is the same ever.

So, I come in at about 7:50 a.m. We have committee meetings and subcommittee meetings and then we're on the floor.

Representatives will ask you to do things for them.

Get whatever they need like bills or coffee or whatever.

It's not even really that gradual. Like one week will be slow and then the week after that just really hammer down and put on the gas.

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The House will be in order. The prayer today will be offered by Representative Gustoff of Polk. Following the prayer, the pledge will be led by Samantha Olson, our Page from Ankeny.

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So, for this week one, Olivia I have you on the bill, okay? Irina, I have you on the switchboard this week.

Iowa House switchboard, how can I direct your call?

And then, mail room and printers, Peyton I have you on that this week. So, you're all set?

 

Okay, good.

[Nebbe] The Iowa legislature hires pages each session to assist in the House and Senate chambers. They are high school students from all over the state, selected from a competitive pool of applicants. It's a paying job and they gain valuable experience in government.

-- pertaining to 20 over the speed limit.

[Jason Chapman] We give them a couple of weeks to get their feet on the ground. They spend most of their day on the floor passing notes out, passing mail to different desks.

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[Jesse Sampson] Notes come in, they are handed to a door keeper, the door keeper brings them over to a desk and presses this button, which alerts us on our board that sits right behind me.

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[Jesse Sampson] And the board will tell us where it's coming from.

[Mariana Florez] And so then we take it to the representative. If they're not here, we go back and say hey, do you want to leave a message for them because they're not here currently. Or if they are here, we send them out and they go out and talk to them.

[Jesse Sampson] Periodically they'll give us tasks like I've had to put stamps on envelopes. Pretty much just anything the representatives ask us to do for them that we are there to do it. We make their load a bit lighter.

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The bill here tries to clean up any confusion we might have had --

[Mariana Florez] We run the subcommittees and committees.

[Peyton Hoffman] So, we get here about ten, fifteen minutes before the meetings starts and log into the computer and get the livestream up and running. And then we just sit.

[Mariana Florez] Anybody can join, the public can join. They don't get to talk on there. They can talk in person. I truthfully didn't know anything that happened, like the subcommittees to committees and then to the floor and then it goes to the Senate or the Senate sends it over here and then it goes to the Governor. So, all the processes are really interesting.

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[Irina Ahissou] We have a page uniform that we wear every day. They supply us with our blazers, pants and the only thing that we get freedom on is our shirts. But they have to be white.

[Mariana Florez] I think the biggest two rules that stood out to me was you can't walk down the middle aisle.

Good morning, Mr. Speaker. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen of the House.

[Irina Ahissou] We can't cross the line of vision between the Speaker and a Representative who is talking to them in session or in debate, things like that.

[Jesse Sampson] We also have to be respectful, understand that they are a lot higher position than us and that is our job is to do the things that they ask us to do.

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[Jason Chapman] We tell the pages that just like the rest of the staff, the professional staff that are here year-round that work for that same office, we're kind of statues on the floor. We don't show emotion, we don't show eye rolls if somebody says something that we don't agree with and we definitely do not clap or cheer on the floor. It's a decorum, it's a set of rules that help this place function in the heat of emotion.

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[Rep. Megan Jones] I am a State Representative from House District 6, which is basically Spencer to Storm Lake. When I became a page, it allowed me an opportunity to move to Des Moines, be in an apartment with a couple of other pages, friends. I came in this scared, meek, seventeen-year-old page and I found a network of people that fit me really well. I gained a lot of confidence. I got to interact with legislators and people in a world that I really wanted to be a part of. And so, I really think it helped me kind of find my way and be more confident in where I was headed.

[Mariana Florez] My favorite part is probably getting to know the legislators, all of the representatives and to hear where they have come from and how they got here.

[Irina Ahissou] I've met a couple of my best friends here so that has been awesome.

[Jesse Sampson] So, for me this is my first real job experience and I think it is a really, really good place to start. It has taught me how to be professional.

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[Rep. Megan Jones] I think young people have an amazing role to play at the Capitol because they provide that energy, but also a good reminder of why we're here and that they matter too and that we need to remember why we're talking about Regent funding and why we're talking about our colleges and why we're talking about being career ready and why we're talking about making sure that we have, our young people have the skill sets that are needed in our environment and our economy.

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[Mariana Florez] To see all the legislators work together, even if they oppose each other, and what they believe is different. They still are civil and they work together really well. And something I'm going to remember of how to do that and how I can achieve to be like them.

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[Jesse Sampson] I love this building a lot. It's pretty much my favorite building ever. So, I love being here and being able to be here every day.

It's an amazing opportunity.

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[Nebbe] Traditional media, that includes newspapers, television and radio, is struggling today. Changes in technology and declining ad revenues are just a few of the reasons people might want to get out of the media business. But not Bob Fisher. He is a news and sports broadcaster in Mason City and he is determined to stay in radio because of the impact it has on his community.

Now the weather. Temperature at eight o'clock 68 degrees.

[Nebbe] Radio. It's a medium that has been around for over a century, informing, educating and entertaining audiences around the world. In recent years though, traditional radio broadcasting has faced headwinds with the rise in podcasting and streaming. In 2023, auto makers even made moves to eliminate AM radio entirely from new vehicles. Yet, radio remains a valuable asset to communities, especially small towns and rural areas.

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Good morning. Here's a look at local news this hour from the northiowanow.com newsroom here on 98.7 KISS Country. I'm Bob Fisher reporting.

[Nebbe] Mason City native Bob Fisher has worked full-time in the field of broadcasting since 1995.

[Bob Fisher] You know, there's some people that know me for just doing news. There's some people that know me for just doing sports.

[Nebbe] Bob covers the communities of Mason City and Clear Lake around the clock, often starting his workday at 5AM with the morning newscast, then covering meetings around town later in the day, and sometimes not clocking out until after the final whistle at a high school football game.

[Bob Fisher] It can mean some very long days. But it's definitely just part of the job.

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[Bob Fisher] People need to know what is going on in their community. They need to know if there's major crime going on, if there's an uptick in crime. They need to know what their city council, their board of supervisors, they need to know what their legislators are doing because obviously those actions by those groups obviously have an impact on their lives.

Okay, we are adjourned.

[Bob Fisher] You know, there's great projects going on in the community as well whether that is city government based or not. There's still a lot of great organizations in town that do a lot of great things for the people in our area. Those stories need to be told as well.

Good afternoon. Here's a look at local news this hour. From the northiowanow.com newsroom here on 103.7 The Fox. I am Bob Fisher reporting.

[Nebbe] Like many communities in Iowa and across the country, the Mason City Clear Lake area in recent years has faced a decline in comprehensive news and sports coverage across radio, television and newspaper platforms.

I'm Bob Fisher reporting.

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[Nebbe] In May of 2024, Bob experienced firsthand the rapidly changing media landscape when he was laid off from his job of nearly 30 years.

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[Nebbe] Bob said the parent company of his employer had decided to terminate many local on-air personalities in their smaller markets across the country in favor of more syndicated shows. That effectively eliminated local news and sports programming that many people had come to rely on.

[Bob Fisher] Yeah, the whole backlash on social media and the people coming up to me, I would go out to some ballgames and people would come up to me or I'd be out in public just in general and people come up to me and say, we miss you guys on the radio, we miss hearing local news. That was a total reinforcement of local radio still being relevant in our North Central Iowa area.

[Nebbe] Bob was without a job for three and a half months, until he was hired by another local radio group.

[Jim Coloff] We've known Bob for years and he has been a great competitor when we weren't working together. And he was kind of the king of news in North Iowa.

 

[Jim Coloff] Bob knows what is important and he is available to cover what's important. He doesn't just work 8 to 5. If there is a meeting at night, if there is a big event, he's there. He puts out good, honest news. People know he is going to cover events and so people respect him and listen to him.

 

All right, we better get up there, I see the clock says twenty so we better -- thank you, good to see you, Mayor.

(applause)

Okay, we're going on in about 20 seconds I think, I hope.

[Bob Fisher] A lot of people probably don't realize how much equipment goes along with all these broadcasts. They think we probably just show up five minutes before the game and sit down in the seat and have a good time. But that's not the case. You've got to prepare with the equipment, we've got to prepare with getting starting lineups and things like that and making sure that everything works to get this game on the air.

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Dave, we've got a good football team here that's coming back from last year --

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[Bob Fisher] Radio broadcasting I think ties people together.

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[Bob Fisher] Local radio is that friend that people can always tune to, it's always going to be there.

 

5:35 to go here in the first. Decision time for Clear Lake. Lines converted 40% of the time on fourth down last year. Here's fourth and goal at the three, the pitch, the dodge around the right side, he's into the endzone. Touchdown Clear Lake Lions!

[Bob Fisher] Whether they want to listen to music, whether they need the news or want to listen to the sports, it's something that people can rely on as a service to the community.

Clear Lake 14, Forest City nothing. Let's take a 30 second break and come back after this.

[Bob Fisher] Grandparents can't always get to games. People want to know what the heck happened down the street. That is what keeps radio relevant in small towns.

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[Bob Fisher] Going out and seeing kids be successful whether it's in sports, whether it's in fine arts, whether it's just in anything that they do at school, it's great to tell those stories.

Back to Lions Field we come with 4:38 to go in the ball game. Second and ten at the left side hash mark, sixteen. Hand off to Wilson again. And he veers off the right side. He gets inside the 10.

[Bob Fisher] It's great to tell the successes and the challenges as well that are going on in our communities.

41 to 14 final score on the Clear Lake Bank and Trust scoreboard.

[Bob Fisher] Wanting to just tell that story and continuing to want to keep telling those stories, it's what keeps me wanting to continue to do radio.

That's going to wrap things up here from Lions Field tonight. For Dave Fritz, Bob Fisher, so long from Lions Field in Clear Lake.

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[Nebbe] Caves are the stuff of myth and legend. In our imaginations, they are filled with mystery, hidden dangers and treasure waiting to be discovered. In reality, they are unique geological formations with a rich history. Iowa's caves may not be the largest in the world, but they are still packed with adventure.

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[Kylee Bries] We will be giving you a cave tour through Spook Cave here in McGregor, Iowa. Before it was called Spook Cave, it was actually called Spook Hole. That is because right here there was a six-inch hole that had spooky noises coming out of it. It was unknown what the sources of those spooky noises were until a brave old man by the name of Gerald Mielke asked the property owners if he could dynamite his way into that hole and see what the noise was. After dynamiting his way in, he actually found some natural crawlspaces. He explored some of them and actually found a cave entrance. He explored the cave for about two years and the he opened it up to the public with cave tours in 1945.

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[Kylee Bries] While we are going through the tour, we will have to occasionally bend down.

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[Kylee Bries] This is actually the largest room here in the cave. It is about 45 feet tall. Right over behind us being our Galena limestone wall. Galena limestone is made of compressed sea creatures. So, if you were to touch that wall and then lick your fingers, it would taste exactly like seafood. I don't recommend that, however. There's no guarantee you'll find a spot that was not used by someone already. All of those white protrusions you see sticking out of the ceiling. Those are all stalactites. You might have heard the term stalactite and stalagmite. They grow about one inch every one hundred years.

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[Kylee Bries] Here are some of our bigger stalactites here in the cave. You can see that they are all very glossy. That is because they are all still growing. They carry water from the very top of the stalactite all the way down to where that tip is. That is what enables them to grow. They carry minerals all the way down. That is also why touching them is so dangerous. Human hands have little amounts of oils and dirt on them. So, if you were to touch one of them, the residue would be left on there, which would halt their growth.

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[Nebbe] Cave tours are the main attraction at Spook Cave and Campground near McGregor. Beyond the deep dwellings, this popular spot has earned a reputation for family fun and natural beauty. Whether you're passing through or staying the night, cave tours are available to all.

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[Nebbe] That's it for this week. Thank you for joining us as we work to grow our skills, serve our communities and embark on new adventures. I'm Charity Nebbe. See you next time for more Iowa Life.

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Funding for Iowa Life is provided by --

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The Pella Rolscreen Foundation is a proud supporter of Iowa PBS. Pella Windows and Doors strives to better our communities and build a better tomorrow.

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And by, the Lainie Grimm Fund for inclusive programming at the Iowa PBS Foundation.