It was a small, round footbag filled with plastic pellets that we repeatedly kicked into the air while trying to prevent it from hitting the ground. Standing in a circle, my teenage friends and I would kick this “Hacky Sack” around for hours while drinking Mountain Dew and spitting out sunflower seeds in the 1980s. Clearly, that time could have been better spent doing most anything else, but, for some reason, we found this entertaining. It was competitive. It required dexterity. And it allowed us to be able to gather together and talk about really important stuff teenage boys would banter on about like girls and sports and… did I mention girls?
Hacky Sack was invented in Oregon in 1972 by Mike Marshall and John Stalberger. They invented the product, but the patent rights are now owned by Wham-O. Hacky Sack gained national popularity in America in the 1980s, and, like most things, it hit the Midwest last. The “Hacky Sack” brand of this type of footbag became so popular that it has since become a generic trademark, and rightfully so. Apparently, similar activities have existed for years in
other countries and have been called kemari, chinlone, sepak takraw, sipa, jianzi, chapteh, đá cầu, jegichagi and other things I can’t pronounce.
Some Hackey Sacks were crocheted. Some had sand instead of plastic pellets. Some had “panels.” Some would even glow in the dark.
We played the basic “circle kicking,” standing in a circle and kicking the bag with the goal of keeping it from touching the ground. Play would continue until the sack hit the ground. Then a player would pick up the sack, and the game would resume. The object of the game was to keep the sack off the ground for as long as possible. If every player kicked the sack before it hit the ground, it was called a “hack.”
With a little research, I learned that other formal Hackey Sack games included Footbag Net, Hacky Attack, Hit The Man, Basse, Buce, Hack Slap, Footbag Golf, Horse, Kick Back, Killer, Knockout, Number Catch, Numbers, Shark, War and Burn. And you thought football was complicated?
Before you write Hackey Sack off as another total waste of time and energy, you should know that annual footbag world championships are held each year, and the current freestyle world champion in the singles category is Jan Weber of the Czech Republic.
I found a Hackey Sack the other day, and I had to think about what that thing was actually used for. I thought about trying to kick it around. Then I thought otherwise and put it back in the drawer. How about you? Did you play Hackey Sack? Send me a note and share your story.
Have a magnificent Monday, and thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
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FROM KCCI: AI farming technology prompting company overhaul, layoffs at Landus Cooperative. DES MOINES, Iowa — Company-wide layoffs at Ames-based agriculture company Landus Cooperative are part of a plan to introduce AI technology onto farms, CEO and president Matt Carstens told KCCI after laying off around 10 percent of the company's Iowa workforce on Friday. ...READ MORE
FROM WHO-TV: Police arrest two in connection with Walgreens robberies. DES MOINES, Iowa — The Des Moines Police Department announced on Sunday morning that two are arrested and facing felony charges after a 35 minute, three stop robbery spree. According to the department, 36-year-old Clayton Joseph Sanders and 23-year-old Neveah Jeaniya Burks have been arrested. ...READ MORE
FROM WOI: Collins-Maxwell track coach Robbie Erickson planning to run across state to raise money. The funds will go towards a timing system allowing the Collins-Maxwell School District to host track and cross-country meets. ...READ MORE |
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Clear Mortgage meteorology
Cold weather lasts into Tuesday. Milder conditions and slight snow chances come our way Wednesday and Thursday.
For help with pre-approvals or refinancing, get in touch with Originating Branch Manager Carrie Hansen at carrie.mortgage. |
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| Read the latest CITYVIEW | | | LUNCH WITH...
John Busbee at Waterfront
By Jim Duncan
John Busbee has been covering, creating, managing, promoting and producing the Iowa art scene for more than five decades. He and I both have columns in CITYVIEW and radio shows on KFMG. I thought it was time to finally break bread together and asked him to lunch.
We met at Waterfront Seafood Market Restaurant’s West Des Moines store. Over fried walleye plates and uni (sea urchin eggs) sashimi, we talked about the arts in Iowa over the last half century. | | | READ MORE |
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The No Tax on Tips Act is taking shape quickly. As currently written, all tips under $25,000 will be eligible except for those who receive more than $155,000 in tips annually. Restaurant employees, barbers, beauticians, nail salon workers and the beauty industry will be eligible and other categories can be added by the Secretary of the Treasury. (IRA)
Washington Post conducted a serious taste test of top selling chicken nuggets. For what it’s worth, Chik-fil-A’s were deemed best ahead of KFC’s and McDonald’s. Taco Bell’s were rated “unquestionably the worst” behind Burger King’s “spongy sad sacks” and Wendy’s which were deemed “handy for that small cult of people who like to peel their nuggets (yes, they exist) but a turnoff for the rest of us who consume them like normal humans.” The Post was surprised that only the top two were made with pieces of actual chicken.
Monday's deals
• Centro (1003 Locust St., Des Moines) offers half-price pizza and Peronis on Monday.
• Who's on First (810 E. First St., Ankeny) has steak night on Monday, and it's an 8-ounce filet with salad, mashed potatoes and beans for $22.95
• Pelican Post (265 50th St., West Des Moines) has a special today on hot beef sandwiches, $10.95 until 4 p.m.
• Eastside Eddie’s (3517 E. 26th St., Des Moines) Monday $10 special is ham and Swiss sliders with fries.
• Tito’s Lounge (3916 Urbandale Drive, Urbandale) offers all-you-can-eat wings Mondays.
• Trostel's Greenbriar (5810 Merle Hay Road, Johnston) offers half-pound steak burgers with fries or salad and a beer for a Monday-only price of $14.
• Monday brings prime rib specials to both Chicago Speakeasy (1520 Euclid Ave., Des Moines) and Christopher's (2816 Beaver Ave., Des Moines).
• Johnny's Hall of Fame (302 Court Ave., Des Moines) has $12 burger baskets on Mondays and Fridays.
• Urban Cellars (640 S. 50th St., West Des Moines) offers $60 wine dinners for two on Mondays including two entrees with soup or salad, a dessert and a bottle on wine.
• Club 2000 (422 Indianola Road, Des Moines) has a burger basket with fries deal Mondays for $9.
• Fareway has a sale on wild flounder at $9.99/pound and Iowa chops at $1.99/pound through Saturday.
— Jim Duncan, jd91446@aol.com |
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The 2024 results ...
CITYVIEW's Best Of Des Moines® | | | Best Place for Laser Hair Removal
1. Coachlight Clinic & Spa
2. Milan Laser Hair Removal
3. Skin Body Soul Spa
The 2025 Best Of Des Moines Poll is now closed. Results will be published in the February 2025 issue of CITYVIEW. |
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| Featured home for sale | | | |
$360,000 2415 White Oak Lane Granger, IA 50109
Enjoy the convenience of the metro and the charm of small-town living in this beautiful 2 story house. It features more than 2,000 square feet of finish and a large backyard with a deck and landscaping that are perfect for entertaining. 3 sizeable bedrooms are found upstairs, including the spacious primary bedroom with ensuite.
See the listing here.
| | | See More Homes For Sale |
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| SOLD: Featured commercial real estate transaction | | | 2001 E. GRAND AVE., DES MOINES
SALE DATE: 2024-09-10
SALE PRICE: $970,000
SELLER: SUMMERTIME LLC
BUYER: JDE INVESTMENTS LLC
ACRES: 1.101
SQUARE FEEET: 12,000 |
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Featured in the current
issue of Winterset Living magazine | | | Sewing Angels give to needs near and far
Using members’ talents to benefit others
By Rich Wicks
For more than 30 years, a group from Winterset Methodist Church has been sewing items that are then distributed locally, in the Des Moines metro, and globally. The group is known as the Sewing Angels.
“Our items primarily go to Midwest Mission,” Pam Zivley, a member of Sewing Angels, says. “They collect everything in Greenfield, and it goes to a center in Illinois, and from there it gets distributed all over the United States.” | | | READ MORE |
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LAR 22 PHI 28; BAL 25 BUF 27
FROM ESPN: Lions' Penei Sewell: Unfair to blame Jared Goff for playoff exit ... READ MORE
FROM SPORTS ILLUSTRATED: Saquon Barkley Made Remarkable History With His 62-Yard TD Run vs. Rams. ... READ MORE
FROM Yahoo Sports: Dodgers land reliever Tanner Scott on 4-year, $72 million deal, per report. ... READ MORE |
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1981: Iran Hostage Crisis ends. On January 20, 1981, minutes after Ronald Reagan’s inauguration as the 40th president of the United States, the 52 U.S. captives held at the U.S. embassy in Teheran, Iran, are released, ending the 444-day Iran Hostage Crisis. ...READ MORE
2020: First confirmed case of COVID‑19 found in U.S. Following a rapid spread from its origin in Wuhan, China, the first U.S. case of the 2019 novel coronavirus, which causes a disease known as COVID-19, is confirmed in a man from Washington State on January 20, 2020. ... READ MORE
1945: FDR inaugurated to fourth term. On January 20, 1945, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the only president to be elected to three terms in office, is inaugurated to his fourth—and final—term. At the height of the Great Depression, Roosevelt, then governor of New York, was elected the 32nd president of the United States. In his inaugural address in 1933, President Roosevelt promised Americans that “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself” and outlined his “New Deal”–an expansion of the federal government as an instrument of employment opportunity and welfare. Although criticized by the business community, Roosevelt’s progressive legislation improved America’s economic climate, and in 1936 he swept to reelection. ... READ MORE
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| Birthdays and notables | | | These celebrities were born on this date: Blueface, Evan Peters, Skeet Ulrich, Alex Sampson, Kazimir Crossley, Gary Barlow, Buzz Aldrin, Dena Kaplan, Tyler Herro, Rainn Wilson, Paul Stanley
SUBMIT: Send your birthday greetings and congratulatory notes to: tammy@iowalivingmagazines.com |
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The answer to the last riddle: What did King George think of the American Colonies? HE THOUGHT THEY WERE REVOLTING! - Gail Tomlinson. Or, He was TEA'd off at them! - Rex Post.
Today's riddle: What do you call an ancient joke that doesn’t get a laugh?
Have a guess? Email tammy@iowalivingmagazines.com |
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