When you think of our 50 states, which ones come to mind as being the most “fun”?
Of course, each one of us may define “fun” a bit differently. I like to ride motorcycles. My wife likes to golf. Neither of us enjoy watching professional soccer. And that’s all OK.
The personal-finance website WalletHub recently released a report on 2024’s Most Fun States in America. They say their rankings help identify “where residents and vacationers can enjoy the greatest variety and most cost-effective options for activities.”
Fair enough, but how does WalletHub define fun? That’s where it gets a bit complicated.
The website apparently compared the 50 states across two key categories: Entertainment & Recreation and Nightlife. They evaluated those categories using 26 metrics with each graded on a scale with 100 indicating the greatest number and variety of fun and cost-effective options. They then determined each state’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order their sample.
With all that statistical stuff in mind, Florida ranks as the No. 1 Most Fun State to Visit in America in their report. Following closely behind are California, Nevada, New York, Colorado, Illinois and Texas. Those are fun places, no doubt.
The state at the bottom of the list is West Virginia with Mississippi, Delaware, Rhode Island and Arkansas also ranking poorly. I have had fun in several of these states, too. Except Delaware. There is no fun to be had in Delaware.
And Iowa? Well, as typical with these types of rankings, we are average — actually, below average. The Hawkeye State ranks No. 35 in their list of 50. And to make matters worse, we rank just below Nebraska. Yes, Nebraska.
Iowa scored 35th in Entertainment & Recreation, which may be fair. On a positive note, we scored 19th in Nightlife.
Some of the 26 key indicators include movie costs, accessibility of national parks and nightlife options per capita. I didn’t see any scoring on riding pigs, tipping cows or watching corn grow, which may explain a lot.
Just remember what Dr. Seuss wrote in “The Cat In The Hat”: “It is fun to have fun, but you have to know how.”
Have a wonderful Wednesday, and thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305
www.thedailyumbrella.com
See Shane Goodman's previous columns here. |
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Clear Mortgage meteorology
A few showers are possible this morning. Expect more heat as we move through the weekend.
For help with pre-approvals or refinancing, get in touch with Originating Branch Manager Carrie Hansen at carrie.mortgage. |
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| Featured in the August issue of CITYVIEW | | | PEOPLE & PETS
Conservation of the endangered bonobo
By Jackie Wilson
Did you know seven of our closest living relatives are located right here in Des Moines? No, it’s not your favorite uncle or grandpa. Instead, it’s bonobos — a great ape species.
The apes are part of the Ape Initiative, a nonprofit located in Des Moines dedicated to the conservation of the endangered bonobo. Bonobo species are the most closely related to humans, sharing 98.7 percent of our DNA.
The Ape Institute was formed in 2013 by Des Moines businessman Ted Townsend as an effort to rescue the bonobos, which originally arrived in 2005. He established a facility called the Great Ape Trust. | | | READ MORE |
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| CITYVIEW's Best Of Des Moines® | | | The results have been tallied and published in the February issue of CITYVIEW and online!
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Woebegone Wednesday. The Chicago World's Fair of 1893 attracted 27.5 million people and 87 beer sellers. The beers competed for a world's best blue ribbon which Guinness won. Pabst, however, stole the blue ribbon moniker and began calling itself "Blue Ribbon" and tying such ribbons on their bottles. Guinness remained too dark to care. (History Channel)
The end of the elongated inch. In 2016, Subway settled a class action lawsuit by paying $500 to each plaintiff and promising to measure their footlongs to 12 inches, not 11. (Chef’s Recipe)
Wednesday bargains
• Wine bottles are half price on Wednesdays at Trostel's Greenbriar (5910 Merle Hay Road, Johnston).
• Wings are $9/pouns at The Keg Stand (3530 Westown Parkway, West Des Moines) on Wednesday.
• Barntown's (9500 S.E. University Ave., West Des Moines) Wednesday specials are a pound of chicken tenders with fries and two sauces for $11.99, plus $13 core pitchers of beer.
• Bottles of wine are half price on Wednesdays at Trostel’s Greenbriar (5810 Merle Hay Road, Johnston).
• Wednesday is Biryani Festival at Chowrastha (5910 Ashworth Road, West Des Moines). Buy two and a third is free.
• Wednesdays bring steak night to Club 2000 (422 Indianola Road, Des Moines). Steaks are cooked to order with salad, potato and bread, $14.99.
• Kids eat free with every paying adult on Wednesdays at Chuck’s (3610 Sixth Ave., Des Moines).
• Rangemasters Training Center (10520 Hickman Road, Clive) has a Wednesday ladies day special of $13 per person for live firing range and one target. $10 handgun rentals or BYOG.
• It's cavatelli night at Eastside Eddie's (3517 E. 26th St., Des Moines) served with garlic bread for $10.
• Bordanaro's (6108 S.W. Ninth St., Des Moines) has a Wednesday-Thursday only special on carryout pizza. They start at $6.50 for a 10-inch cheese pie. Each ingredient added is an extra charge, but this pretty much adds up to half-price pies.
— Jim Duncan, jd91446@aol.com |
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| Featured home for sale | | |
$420,000 1808 80th St., Windsor Heights, IA 50324
This beautiful contemporary split level is located in a very established neighborhood. Offering just over a half acre of land (0.6), with a stunning 2 tiered deck. Peaceful wooded area, lots of privacy, and the wildlife gives this home a welcoming feeling. You will really enjoy the open concept and unique floorplan, with gorgeous floor to ceiling windows throughout.
See the listing here.
| | | See More Homes For Sale |
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| SOLD: Featured commercial real estate transaction | | | 3121 INGERSOLL AVE., DES MOINES
SALE DATE: 2024-05-24
SALE PRICE: $3,100,000
SELLER: HURD INGERSOLL LLC
BUYER: LIFESTYLE COMMUNITIES LLC
ACRES: 2.784
SQUARE FEET: 0 |
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| From the August issue of Norwalk Living magazine | | | Old yella
Locals have fun with largest dandelion contest
By Darren Tromblay
Dandelions are the bane of many a yard owner’s existence.
That is unless you’re Casey Bright or another member of a large group of locals who have a certain kind of affection for the yellow-headed weeds.
Each year, Bright and dozens of others scour fence lines, fields and yards in search of the “good” dandelions. Good, as in “large, and in charge.” These yearly hunts have blossomed into a competition — The Great Annual Iowa Dandelion Contest —an endeavor in which the participants attempt to wrangle that longest version of the plant they can find, measure it and post it to social media for posterity’s sake.
[...] | | | READ MORE |
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FROM KCCI: Iowa joins federal lawsuit against Live Nation and Ticketmaster. DESMOINES, Iowa — Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird has joined a federal lawsuit against Live Nation and Ticketmaster. It claims the company has created a monopoly over the live music industry across the country....READ MORE
FROM WHO-TV: ‘Minutes away from danger’ says DMFD after pulling multiple people from river. DESMOINES, Iowa — Seven people who flipped over in a boat on the Des Moines River near the Botanical Garden were saved by quick responses from the Des Moines Police and Fire Departments. .... READ MORE
FROM WOI-DT Local 5: Des Moines real estate agent weighs in on industry rule shake-up. DES MOINES, Iowa — A long-time real estate agent in Des Moines is weighing in on new regulations that change how agents are paid. ...READ MORE |
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ESPN: Looking back on Steve McNair's groundbreaking 1994 season at Alcorn State. ...READ MORE
SPORTS ILLUSTRATED: Date Revealed for John Calipari, Arkansas to Take on Kentucky in Lexington. ... READ MORE
CBS Sports: Big Ten expert picks 2024: Most overrated and underrated teams, projected order of finish, bold predictions. ...READ MORE |
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1974: The Equal Educational Opportunities Act is enacted. The new law addressed civil rights issues in education, barring states from discriminating against students based on gender, race, color or nationality and requiring public schools to provide for students who do not speak English. ... READ MORE
1986: Gas cloud kills Cameroon villagers. An eruption of lethal gas from Lake Nyos in Cameroon kills nearly 2,000 people and wipes out four villages on August 21, 1986. Carbon dioxide, though ubiquitous in Earth’s atmosphere, can be deadly in large quantities, as was evident in this disaster. ... READ MORE
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| Birthdays and notables | | | These celebrities were born on this date: Hayden Panettiere, Kacey Musgraves, Kim Cattrall, Usain Bolt, Carrie-Anne Moss, Alicia Witt, Loretta Devine, Serj Tankian, Brody Jenner, Bo Durnham, Jim McMahon
SUBMIT: Send your birthday greetings and congratulatory notes to: tammy@iowalivingmagazines.com |
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The answer to yesterday's riddle:
What do you get if you cross a pig with a dinosaur? JURASSIC PORK! - Judy Anderson, Gail Tomlinson. Or Extra bacon! - Aaron Koch. Or, an extinct swine! - Rex Post. Or, A Tyranno"sow"rus rex! - Carolyn Rogers
Today's riddle
Do you know what being vegan is?
Have a guess? Email tammy@iowalivingmagazines.com |
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To advertise in the Daily Umbrella or Winterset Living magazine, contact:
Kristine McDonald
Account Executive
Office: 515-953-4822 ext. 321
Mobile: C: 515-975-3543
kristine@iowalivingmagazines.com
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