March 18 Daily Umbrella: "Tri-State Tornado"; Dr. Pepper; best burger; phone book?

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Tuesday, March 18, 2025

Good morning to you!

My grandfather, my grandson and me. Those two people and I are part of a generational quiz I have put together in hopes of amusing you. I listed out a series of activities I have done in my lifetime that I doubt my now-deceased grandfather (born in 1896) did and I doubt even more that my newborn grandson (born in 2024) will ever do. A lot has changed in 128 years.

Having a pager. When I published an auto photo magazine with sales reps across the state in the mid-1990s, we supplied pagers to everyone. Cell phones were not yet commonplace, and these were a great way for us all to communicate with each other and the home office. Grandpa? No. My grandson? Another no.

Sending a fax. I recall having a fax machine in the advertising department of The Des Moines Register 35 years ago. It was fascinating — and a huge timesaver. Most every business was adding a fax line and a fax machine with that curled-up paper. Grandpa? No. My grandson? Never.

Renting a VHS movie. For a few decades, Jolene and I looked forward to a trip to the video store. We wouldn’t always agree on what movie to rent, so we would often get two. This, of course, meant double the late fees, as well. We still have some VHS tapes stored in boxes somewhere. We just don’t have a VHS player. Neither did Grandpa. And neither will my grandson — unless he finds mine.

Writing a check. I opened my first checking account when I was 16 years old, and it was a big deal. I still write a few check today, but not many. I am not sure if Grandpa wrote any checks in his lifetime. If they had a checking account, Grandma probably wrote the checks. My grandson likely never will write a check or even know the feel of jingling change in his pocket.

Using a phone book. As a child and into my early adulthood, my fingers did the walking in not only the yellow pages but the white pages, too. That’s how we accessed phone numbers. And addresses. And proper name spellings. Grandpa didn’t even have a phone on the farm until he was a young adult. And I can’t imagine my grandson will ever feel the need to flip through the pages of a phone book — if he can even find one.

Listening to music in a boom box. Every kid my age had a boom box with an AM/FM radio and a cassette player. They could run on a truckload of D batteries, but that was way too expensive. We plugged them in, and we rocked them out. Grandpa would have thought a boom box had something to do with TNT. And my grandson will likely have speakers implanted in his ears.

Yes, my grandfather, my grandson and I have had — or will have — different experiences. I remember Grandpa laughing as he watched “The Jetsons” on his little black-and-white TV with the rabbit ears. I expect my grandson will be living it.

Have a terrific Tuesday, 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 more of Shane Goodman's columns here.

FROM KCCI: Central Iowa restaurant named finalist for Iowa's Best Burger contest. POLK CITY, Iowa — A central Iowa restaurant is among the top 10 finalists of the 2025 Iowa's Best Burger contest. The annual competition is run by the Iowa Beef Industry Council and the Iowa Cattlemen's Association. Nominations were open for the past month, and the finalists were named on Monday. ...READ MORE

FROM WHO-TV: Iowa bill requiring parental consent for minors using tanning beds passed by House. DES MOINES, Iowa — By a vote of 81 to 13, with six lawmakers not voting, Iowa House members voted through a bill requiring parental consent for minors using tanning beds in the state. ...READ MORE

FROM WOI: Court documents: Perry man killed wife 'to put her out of her misery' The suspect allegedly called 911 just before 8:45 p.m. Sunday, saying he had killed another person who lived in his home with him. ...READ MORE

Clear Mortgage meteorology

One more warm day before big changes tomorrow. Storms and rain very late tonight into Wednesday morning. Rain changes to snow in central Iowa by mid afternoon. The heaviest accumulations will occur in the western and northern parts of the state.

For help with pre-approvals or refinancing, get in touch with Originating Branch Manager Carrie Hansen at carrie.mortgage.

The 2025 results: CITYVIEW's Best of Des Moines®

Best Local BBQ

1. Smokey D’s BBQ

2. Whatcha Smokin’ BBQ & Brew

3. Kue’d Smokehouse

See all of the results

Tuesday touts
When Dr. Pepper followed the rest of American soda makers and substituted high fructose corn syrup for real sugar in the 1980s, they also continued to make the original recipe in their mother factory in Waco for local distribution only. People began traveling to Waco for the good stuff. A Waco CVB docent told me that "real Dr. Pepper" was the town's No. 3 tourist attraction, behind only the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame Museum and Baylor University. I stopped in Waco for seven years in a row to stock up on real Dr. Pepper while returning from South Texas. Now you can get it in Des Moines. The venerable B & B Grocery, Meat & Deli stocks it among its best-in-town selection of vintage sodas.

Noah's will host Italian-American Cultural Center of Iowa's first "Cicchetti Night" event, April 9, 5-8 p.m. Cicchetti are Venice's version of charcuterie/cheese boards, with more emphasis on seafood. $60.

Deals today
• Paula's (524 Elm St., Valley Junction) runs a Tuesday special hot beef sandwich with mashed potatoes, gravy and drink for $13.50 till Memorial Day.
• Irina's Steak and Seafood (650 S. Prairie View Drive, West Des Moines) offers live lobsters at half price on Tuesdays.
• Opa! (2800 University Ave., West Des Moines) has a buffet featuring fried shrimp, manicotti, chicken piccata, chicken meatballs, garlic knots, pasta alfredo, lamb and chicken, pizza, and all-you-can-eat dessert for $22.99 tonight till 8 p.m.
• Kids meals are half price till 2 p.m. today at Machine Shed (11151 Hickman Road, Urbandale).
• Taco Tuesday brings serious discounts to Mariscos El Pirata (6050 S.E. 14th St., Des Moines), La Familia (1610 Sixth Ave., Des Moines), all Taco John's, The Dam Pub (2710 Beaver Ave., Des Moines), all Abelardo's, all Fernando’s, Malo (900 Mulberry St., Des Moines), Beaver Tap (4050 Urbandale Ave., Des Moines), Club 2000 (422 Indianola Road, Des Moines) and Faustino’s (4944 Franklin Ave., Des Moines).
• Today is beef and noodles day at Maxie's Supper Club (1311 Grand Ave., West Des Moines).
• Django (1420 Locust St.) has happy hour all night Tuesdays. That means super deals on oysters, shrimp, duck frites, poutine, charcuterie, cheese boards, beers, wine and classic martinis.
• Sully's (806 First St., West Des Moines) has a burger basket special for $12 today.
• The Station on Ingersoll (3124 Ingersoll Ave.) has a tenderloin Tuesday special with BPT and fries for $10.

— Jim Duncan, jd91446@aol.com

Featured in the current issue of CITYVIEW

FOOD DUDE
The ‘Killer’ vibes of B & B Grocery, Meat and Deli

By Jim Duncan

B & B Grocery, Meat and Deli is the beating heart of Sevastopol. It has been since the first Brooks brothers, John and “Archie,” opened for business in 1922.

“Everyone called him Archie, but his real name was Joseph. That confusion has continued. Joe and I are the third generation of Brooks brothers to run this place,” John Brooks explained.

Sevastopol Township was named in 1840 for a Ukrainian fort in the Crimean War. It was annexed by Des Moines in 1890. When the Sevastopol trolley line was lost to bus service in 1940, Sevastopol lost its separate identity and became just a part of the southside.

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SALE DATE: 2024-11-27
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Featured in the current
issue of Adel Living magazine

Watson to run across Iowa
Benefits Iowa Masonic Charities

By Rich Wicks

Every July, thousands of people cycle across Iowa during RAGBRAI, which is a very challenging week of bicycling. Skylar Watson of Adel is creating his own challenge — to cross the entire state in only five days, without a bicycle.
            “It’ll just be me running across the state. There will be another person driving nearby in the support vehicle, and there are few others who are interested in running segments of the state with me,” Watson says.
            If this sounds reminiscent of an iconic scene in the movie Forrest Gump, that is an apt comparison. The main difference is that this challenge is being done as a fundraiser to benefit Iowa Masonic Charities.
            “I am a Freemason,

FROM ESPN.COM: South Alabama has NIT invite rescinded: 'Unacceptable' ... READ MORE

FROM SPORTS ILLUSTRATED: Four Teams With Clearest Path to the Men’s Final Four ... READ MORE

FROM Yahoo Sports: West Virginia governor threatens legal action against NCAA after Mountaineers’ tournament snub ... READ MORE

1937: Natural gas explosion kills nearly 300 at Texas school. At 3:05 p.m. on March 18, a Thursday afternoon, the 694 students and 40 teachers in attendance at the Consolidated School were looking forward to the final bell, which was to ring in 10 minutes. Instead, a huge and powerful explosion, which literally blew the roof off of the building, leveled the school. The blast, which came without warning because natural gas had no smell back then, was felt by people 40 miles away and killed most victims instantly. ...READ MORE

1925: “Tri‑State Tornado” hits, the deadliest in U.S. history. The worst tornado in U.S. history passes through eastern Missouri, southern Illinois, and southern Indiana, killing 695 people, injuring some 13,000 people, and causing $17 million in property damage. ... READ MORE

1911: Irving Berlin copyrights the biggest pop song of the early 20th century. On March 18, 1911, composer Irving Berlin copyrights “Alexander’s Ragtime Band,” the multimillion-selling smash hit that helped turn American popular music into a major international phenomenon, both culturally and economically. ... READ MORE

www.history.com

Birthdays and notables

These celebrities were born on this date: Queen Latifah, Adam Levine, Vanessa Williams, Dane Cook, Lily Collins, Geoffrey Owens, Bonnie Blair, James McMurtry, Mike Rowe, Ciara Bravo, Sutton Foster, Bill Frisell, Brad Dourif, Cornelius Smith Jr., Philip Sweet

SUBMIT: Send your birthday greetings and congratulatory notes to: tammy@iowalivingmagazines.com

The answer to the last riddle: What did the physicist get when he put coffee into a black hole? HYPER SPACE! Or, An empty pot! - William Snyder. Other answers from: Rex Post

Today's riddle: Where do bunnies live?

Have a guess? Email tammy@iowalivingmagazines.com

To advertise in the Daily Umbrella or the Grimes/Dallas Center, North Polk or Adel Living magazines, contact:

Dan Juffer
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dan.juffer@dmcityview.com

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