3 Shows, 500 Miles & Heartfelt Thanks

On The Road Again dept.

To say I love my Iowa community would be a vast understatement. Old and new friends, family and community all came together over the Juneteenth weekend. We started out with a trip to Ottumwa to join in the Juneteenth community celebration in Central Park. IWC writer and author Rachelle Chase brought us (Monica Leo and the Eulenspiegel Puppet Theater) to the park for a performance of The Buxton Story.

As my readers and listeners know Monica, Rachelle and I put our talents together to produce an all-ages puppet show that tells the true story of Buxton, Ia., the historic Monroe County coal mining community.

Eulenspiegel Puppet Theater director Monic Leo and the author in Ottumwa for Juneteenth presenting The Buxton Story

Set in the 1890’s the script was written by Monica with support from Rachelle. Monica and her team built the puppets while I wrote the music and produced the sound design. It was special assignment for me as my own Grandmother Lettie Porter Thompson was born there in 1896.

The faces of the little kids sitting in the front row reflected the fun, mystery and adventure contained within this Iowa story of interracial harmony and striving where, in Lettie’s words, “We didn’t know nothin’ ‘bout no segregation”

Monica and I have an association which goes back to the 1970’s when were part of the Iowa Arts Council’s Touring Artist Team. Our merry band of storytellers, visual artists and performers (including dancers, musicians, magicians and more) traveled the State of Iowa encouraging community members to join with us in creating art, connections and friendships that exist to this day.

Grandmother Lettie and Me in Ottumwa. That’s her picture and her puppet character in The Buxton Story.

The warmth of these friendships is reflected in the warmth of the Iowa weather, which is to say “whew…where’s the lemonade”? It’s not too big a stretch to say that these kind of friendships are what spawned the phrase: Iowa Nice!

Here’s some actual Iowa Nice. IWC writers and journalistic legends Doug Burns (L) and Robert Leonard with the author on the square in Ottumwa for Juneteenth 2025

After the Thursday Juneteenth performance, I returned to Des Moines before heading back out to Washington, Iowa for a Friday evening solo show at the Mills Seed Co.

Produced by IWC member and All-around-good-guy Daniel Henderson, the show featured music and stories ranging from Grandmother Lettie’s Buxton heritage to the place my father Ellsworth and I hold in Iowa Blues, Jazz and Rock’n Roll music history.

It was my first visit to Washington’s Mills Seed Co. (a venue with its own unique place in Iowa history) but I don’t think it’ll be the last. Mills is a wonderfully intimate venue for listening and to engage in dialogue between artists and audience. What might have been a nice-but-normal kind of gig became a soul-fulfilling experience as Dan encouraged the audience to take part in a question and answer session that moved each of us in attendance to grasp the significance of what we mean to each other in this time of separation and strife. Thanks Dan, I’ll never forget this night.

The author in performance Washington Iowa Mills Seed Co. (photo Paula Egan)

Dan and I might never have met had it not been for Julie Gammack bringing us togther at last summer’s Okoboji Writers and Songwriters retreat. (hint, hint everyone reading this should be signing up to take part in the 2025 version of this only-in-Iowa cultural touchstone. Do.It.Now!!!)

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So, that was Friday night. On Saturday morning I packed up and headed back to Des Moines to prepare for a Sunday performance with my brother Don and I providing sonic support for Diedre DeJear CEO for the Homes of Oakridge Foundation holding her inaugural fundraising event.

A literal force of nature, Diedre manages the Homes of Oakridge and its efforts to provide housing, education and all manner of community support services. Oakridge is a godsend for those in our community who need a hand in establishing their place in Central Iowa. Everyone from the Mayor on down was there to lend their time and treasure to sustaining the mission of an organization established in the early 1970’s

Best of all for me was an opportunity to join with my brother Don to provide music. We hadn’t had an opportunity to perform together for awhile so this was a very special event. We rocked it, according to those in attendance (two thumbs up Bro!!)

Diedre DeJear (L) at the Homes of Oakridge fundraising event with musician (and brother) Don Brown, his daughter Lia and yours truly.

From Des Moines to Ottumwa to Des Moines to Washington and back to Des Moines again. Lotsa miles with unlimited happiness as we made music, and new friends throughout the weekend.

Heartfelt thanks to Monica Leo, Rachelle Chase, Dan Henderson, Diedre Dejear and my brother Don for making all of this possible. I was much too busy to think about the world-in-flames but our community contains the love, empathy and grit so necessary to extinquish the sparks of disharmony and disrespect that threaten us all in this crazy time.

After all…We’re all human, no matter the hue, man.

Juneteenth weather may be hot but it contains the elements of empathy and friendship that will, in time, cool the flames of strife that threaten our democracy. Believe it!!