Once in a life-time events... When I think back at the many events I've seen and participated in over the decades here in Manning, I have an interesting perspective about these once in a life-time events that occur and how few people take the time to watch or get involved.

I remember listening to old-timers how they watched various buildings being built or unique events that happened in Manning...the thing that struck me is how they could give a play-by-play of most of those events, which meant they appreciated that point in time and were interested in preserving it through story-telling.

When I look back at the pictures I took in 1975 when the Bicentennial Freedom Train came through Manning, there was a nice crowd up along Railroad Street to watch it, but as I think back I wonder why more people didn't take the time to participate in that once in a life-time event and also an event very FEW communities in the US had the honor of having that train go through because they didn't have a rail system in their town like Manning does.

For this first event shown below I never heard any old timer talk about it, but I also did not know about it until 2004 when I scanned Mildred Horbach's collection so I wasn't able to ask most of the old timers about it because they had passed away by then...BUT there should still be quite a few of the kids in the picture who are still living who could tell me more about the event.
Mil passed away in 2008 and after trying to track down her collection, it appears to have been thrown away...Pictures of this sub, as far as I know, are/were the only ones in existence, since I have never seen them before and not since in any other Manning collection.
I would have loved to rescan Mil's pix in super high resolution to make better images but at least I have what I have - which sadly is what I find out with so many collections that they are thrown away when the parent/grandparent dies.

1943 mini-sub on Main Street

October 1, 1943 in front of what is now Cliff's Place

Japanese Midget Submarine HA-19

This Japanese mini-sub was captured at Pearl Harbor in 1941, and sat on Main Street. Even though it was used to sell war bonds, think of how unique it had to be to come to a very small town like Manning. I'm guessing someone in Manning back then knew someone higher up in the government and took the time to get Manning on the list of towns for the sub to be viewed.

1918 students

Arithmetic 8th grade students watching the construction of the 1918 high school. Even young students were more involved in observing construction sites years ago.
Today, everyone seems to be distracted with unimportant things on the Internet.
The teacher used real-world experiences in 1918 to show how math is used in the construction of a building.

Freedom Bond Drive June 1962

I'm assuming that is Iowa's 1950 replica of the Liberty Bell used to help sell Bonds.
"Honest John" rocket mock-up of actual missile.
"Underwrite your country's might - Keep Freedom in your future"
"Let Freedom Ring"

Manning's unique national celebration in 1975-76
The Bicentennial Freedom Train.

Monitor photo

September 15, 1975

Melvin Kusel waving

Photo by William F. Ohde

Milwaukee Road Bicentennial Train - in 1976

Then in the mid-1970s through the 80s there was the renovation and construction of the Rec Center, Raquetball court, and indoor pool.

April 18, 1988

August 1988

Then along came the 1981 Manning Centennial.

School sign paid for by the 1966 & 67 Student councils.

August 14 - 16, 1981 Roger Hansen, Joy Hansen, Jim Hansen 10 K run

Carnival rides

Centennial "Senior" royalty

Arlene Hoffmann, Robert Hoffmann, Art Rix, Ila (Claussen) Rix, Patricia (Wiese) Mueller, Elmer Mueller, Edna (Karsten) Sonksen, Joe Sonksen, Elaine (Karsten) Struve, Merlin Struve
1981 King & Queen court standing in front of the Corner Cafe.

Next the Manning Fire Department celebrated its centennial in 1983.

VFW honor guard & colors
Front: Alvan Hansen, Harold Schmidt, Herbert Bruhn, Ed Reischl...

Mayor Gene Dales

Bob Beck driving "Big Bertha"

Alfred Meyers (former MFD member) driving his Ford

Lyle Jahn driving the LaFrance with John Ohde riding

Does anyone remember who the Bulldog was?

Dave Souter

Manning Fire Sirens

Past members MFD

Barry Dunshee in front

Next comes the Hausbarn construction in 1999.

August 8

Irlbeck to Janssen

Mathias Schüler and Jens-Uwe Winter thatching the roof

September 14, 1999 rare photo of myself

Great Western Park brought was back to life in 1999

November 14 - Named 4 Corner's Park then later changed to orginal name of Great Western Park

Log restaurant 2002.
Note how many of our amazing volunteer Manning citizens are no longer with us...

November 2002 Curt Struve

November 7, 2002

November 13

December 12

December 19

December 26

December 30 Larry Genzen

December 30 Glenn Rowedder

January 2, 2003 Leroy Rowedder & Duane Hansen

January 2, 2003

January 3, 2003

January 3, 2003 gift shop

January 3

January 6 Ruth Ohde & Joelle Puck

January 6 Bill Opperman

January 15

January 15

January 16

January 16
I remember my fingers freezing while taking pictures against the north wind.

January 16
One of Nature's miracles

January 20 Russ Mohr

January 21

February 6

February 28

March 13

March 13

March 17

March 25

March 25

April 9

April 12 Claus Bunz

April 12 Warren Puck

May 1 Richard Crandall

May 3 Douglas Duane Boersma

May 7

May 15 Darwin Haskins & John Detlefsen

May 28 Dick McConnell & Russ Mohr

May 28 Rexanne Struve

June 4 Larry Genzen

June 4

June 7 Ken Puck

June 7 Trey Boyle

June 18

June 19 Deloris Rowedder

June 19 volunteers

June 19 Kevin Boersma

June 19 Chad Stammer

June 19

June 20 Dave Kusel

June 20 Clifford Tank

June 24

June 27 Michael Olk

June 28

June 28 Karl Maass

June 28

July 18

July 21 Katie Rasmussen

July 22 William F. Ohde

August 13 Clint Hansen

August 13

August 20

August 22 Steven Renze

August 28

Trinity Church move occured in 2006

Manning Quasquicentennial in 2006

June 11, 2006 Presbyterian Church model for parade

Judy (Gehlsen) Joens holding miniature bell

Roy Soll and Pastor Brown

Random scenes during the 3 days

Manning police

Ron Colling, Doug Kusel

Bud Mohr - D-Day and WWII survivor

Quasqui Kings & Queens

Garnet Stribe, Helena Tank

Ken Jensen, Wes Nulle, Duane Otto, Bob Wegner

Glen, Connie, Arlene Kusel

Carroll County Sheriff Sam Hansen

Eric & Jodi Ramsey family

Pedal power pull

Nate Boersma

Manning youth racers

New hospital in 2014

Old hospital emergency entrance

May 2014

January 7, 2013

February 18, 2013 snowing

March 7, 2013

March 27, 2013

March 29, 2013

April 2, 2013

April 30, 2013

June 14, 2013

July 26, 2013

August 3, 2013

October 1, 2013

December 20, 2013

2014 Freedom Rock

March 8, 2013

Arnie Wiskus farm near Dedham

Coming into Manning 12:00 on a foggy morning

1:02 PM March 8

1:40 PM March 8

June 5

June 6

June 7

June 12

June 13

June 16

"Bubba" Sorensen with his family
According to Bubba's website, he finished the 99 Iowa county Freedom Rock project.
He is now starting a 50 state project.

August 9, 2013 fundraiser

"Brad Morgan" son of Allen & Paula (Warner) Muhlbauer

September 3, 2014

September 15, 2014

New fire department in 2015

May 14, 2014

May 10, 2014

May 24, 2014

August 13, 2014

September 2, 2014

September 16, 2014

November 12, 2014

November 21, 2014 - heated piping in the concrete

December 1, 2014

December 2, 2014

December 3, 2014

Charter members of the Manning Schuetzen Verein

Schuetzen Verein members who built the 1925 brick hall.
Which replaced the wooden Germania Hall that burned down in 1924.
The 1925 Schuetzen hall was later donated to the Manning Fire Department.
This is why these plaques have followed along with the fire department.

New hotel in 2016

April 1, 2016 - many local investors who believe in Manning and its future!!!

April 3, 2016

April 11, 2016

April 22, 2016

April 25, 2016

May 16, 2016

May 19, 2016

June 1, 2016

100th Anniversary of Armistice Day in 2019 - unfortunately I was not able to take a formal picture of the color/honor guard because one member didn't want to take the time for a group picture. Again, another once in a life-time event that none of us will see again and because of one person there is no formal/official picture to document the event.

November 11, 2019

100th Anniversary of the Emil Ewoldt Post #22 American Legion in 2019 in Manning

July 14, 2019

Legion Auxiliary

Pledge of Allegiance - with boy & girl scouts participating

Legion Commander James Martens

Dan Peters presents a history of the post

Manning VFW Pack 110

Kitchen crew

2020 All new fiber optics main trunk and fiber to each home/business.
Replacing the old fiber/copper lines.

April 1, 2020

April 1, 2020

April 20, 2020

April 24, 2020 - coming from the communication building

June 15, 2020

August 3, 2020

August 4, 2020

September 2, 2020

And now the Water slide in 2021 which will be finished in one phase because the bid came in $200,000 below the anticipated total cost. So rather than hold off to raise the rest of the money for the last phase, it was decided to do it all at once and not lose the advantage of the much lower bid...also realizing that the price of material and labor would go up if they waited for the last phase in another year or two.

Each day I was amazed that no one seemed interested in coming down to watch the installation of this once in a life-time project.
Something that you'll NEVER see happen again in Manning in the life-time of its current citizens...

April 9, 2021

April 9

April 10

They use a credit card to make sure the seams are lined up.
A punch is used in the bolt holes to wiggle the seam until they get a smooth pass with the card...

April 11

April 12

nearly 3 hours inside the chute calking the seams

April 22

Setting the poles for the fencing

Now to end this feature where we started - showing how sacred this site actually is where 181 of Manning's 360+ WWI soldiers posed after their homecoming parade in 1919 on Main Street.

South bank of the present day splash pad.

WWI Homecoming parade 1919 - north end of Main Street - August Reinke's blacksmith shop back left.

Now to give you a little idea of what life was like for many of these boys before and after they served during WWI - here are some 1919 farm pictures from the Ress collection.

Chopping fire wood

October 1919 using a derrick to unload a wagon of ear corn into the corncrib

October 1919 Ress girls coming in with a load of ear corn

September 1919 loading manure into a spreader

April 1919 Wilhelmine Ress feeding her chickens

July 1919 Emil Ress putting bundles of oats into shocks to dry

July 1919 binder back left - lunch break shocking oats

August 1919 - threshing oats

Ehlers family on the south bank of the current splash pad location circa 1946

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