A Midwest Daydream

Imagine a place where your kids and grandkids can ride their bike to the swimming pool, the library, the rec center, the ball diamonds, the ice cream shop, the convenience store, the bowling alley, and their best friend’s house.

Imagine a place you can enjoy live music, public art, live theater, cinematic theater, and a dance studio.

Imagine a place you can take a variety of music lessons, jujitsu, painting and many other creative artistic classes, sewing and quilting classes, woodworking classes, song writing workshops and more.  

Imagine a place where you have 11 choices of places to grab lunch or dinner within 5 minutes of each other, not to mention two locally owned coffee and treat options.

Imagine a place you have three choices of golf courses within 10 minutes.

Imagine a place you have a nearby river to paddle down and fish in.

Imagine a place with numerous city and county parks to explore, picnic and play in, and connect with nature.

Imagine a place you can shop for unique gifts, feel welcome everywhere you go, enjoy beautiful flowers and public gardens, take in an abundance of local history, and take an elevator to get a 128-foot-high view of one of a kind art and the of the community.

Let’s be honest, this sounds pretty dreamy, doesn’t it? Imagine you live in Jefferson, Iowa and all of this is at your fingertips. Sometimes it’s easy to forget just exactly how much is going on in our little community, and how much we have to offer – not just regarding amenities, but in richness of lifestyle. It’s quiet here, crime is very low, neighbors have one another’s backs, it’s easy to get involved in a number of ways in the community, cost of living is reasonable, and believe it or not, other communities around Iowa look to us as leaders in excelling at rural living. Wow, what a treat to be a Jeffersonian!

I also want to remind of you of a few things happening right now or coming up very soon:

By now you’ve surely heard about Barbie by the Bells. This has turned out to be a sensational draw for Jefferson! This, their final weekend being in operation, will see the visitor list approach 2000! Even more shocking than that number is that people from more than 30 states have come to Jefferson to see this display of 1000 Barbies. What a wild opportunity this has been for the community! A number of restaurants and retailers have expressed delight, seeing more shoppers in their doors spending money. Again, this week is your last chance to bounce into Barbie by the Bells on the south side of the square. Thursday and Sunday they’re open from noon-5:00 PM, and Friday and Saturday from 10:00-5:00. A big thanks to the Greene County Historical Museum for putting this together.

Coming up July 7 is one those unique opportunities for you to see live music that you won’t find in other small communities: Porch Fest! This free event consists of four musical acts setting up on four different front porches – none of which are far from downtown Jefferson. This is important to note because at the end of the porch concerts, there is a fifth act at Thomas Jefferson Gardens. How can you take advantage of this? Easy – grab your lawn chair and a cooler and head to the first house. The fun begins at 1:30 PM. Here’s the line up and front lawns you’ll want to be at:

1:30 PM at 206 East Park St to see Matt Terronez

2:30 PM at 103 East Park St to see Duchearme-Jones

3:30 PM at 506 South Wilson Ave to see Taylor King

4:30 PM at 300 South Chestnut to see Tanner Taylor

5:30 PM at Thomas Jefferson Gardens to see Heath Alan’s Deep Roots Band

It’s all free, sponsored by Jefferson Matters’s Tower View Team and Jefferson Telecom. There will be food trucks and a wine slush truck on Chestnut Street next to the gardens starting at 2:00 PM.

Lastly, the Jefferson Matters’s Economic Vitality Team started a new event to give folks an opportunity to learn more about local industry, called After Hours Insider. The first edition was at AAI/Spalding and was a huge hit, selling out quickly. The next one is coming up July 25 at Greene County Medical Center. Participants will get exclusive behind the scenes access to parts of the hospital that only doctors usually get to see, among other fun experiences. Pariticaption is limited to 40 so don’t wait to get registered! Follow the Jefferson Matters Facebook page to find a link or email info@jeffersonmatters.org to get added to our weekly news blast that will also have the link.

Okay, take a breath, as there are SO many things to do around Jefferson and Greene County this summer – you need to pace yourself just a little. I didn’t even get into citywide garage sales (July 12, 13), Cruisin’ to the Square in August, and Art in the Garden in September. You can go to experiencejeffersoniowa.com/events to learn more about these and so much more!