The public is invited to join the Muscatine Art Center for the presentation, "American Musical Organettes: The Early Years of Mechanical Music in the Home", by Muscatine collector Brian Walter. The 45 minute presentation will explore the use of musical organettes in the home from 1879 to 1920. The presentation is offered in conjunction with a temporary exhibition on Musical Organettes and will take place on Thursday, January 23^rd at 5:15 PM in the Muscatine Art Center's Music Room. Admission is FREE.

An organette was a mechanical accordion that was manufactured in the late 1800s by several companies, most notably the Autophone Company of Ithaca, New York. Music was recorded on rolls of perforated paper and turned over a track bar. Air was produced by hand- or foot- operated bellows, which would be pushed through the perforations corresponding to different notes, much like a player piano. Some models of organettes were played by mechanically blowing through them, but most were played with a crank that was turned to create a vacuum.

There were at least six models made - the standard 22-note model, the 32-note Autophone, the Concert model (tabletop with operating handle and cabinet style with floor pedal) and other floor standing models. The Autophone Company manufactured the organette in vast numbers. In 1889, it was noted in Harper's Magazine that the Autophone Company recorded 18,000 units sold.

Although these types of machines were sold into the 1930s, they began to lose their popularity by 1900 while the home phonograph rose in popularity. The Rollmonica -- or "player harmonica" -- sold during the late 1920s and the 1930s was the last organette produced.

The Laura Musser Mansion Small Gallery currently features the first in a series of music box exhibits from the private collection of Brian Walter. The temporary exhibition and the presentation by Brian Walter are the first in a series on historical music boxes.

 

EVENT DETAILS:

Lecture: "American Musical Organettes: The Early Years of Mechanical Music in the Home"

Who: Brian Walter

When: Thursday, January 23, 2014

Time: 5:15 PM

Where: The Muscatine Art Center's Music Room

Admission to this program is FREE.

 

Please contact Katy Loos, Program Coordinator, with any questions or concerns at 563-263-8282 or by email at kloos@muscatineiowa.gov.

Oskaloosa, Iowa - William Penn University is pleased to announce that Carmen Christina Wetzel of Bettendorf,  Louise D. Hill and Nannette L. Sims of Davenport, and Nathan Alexander Gray of Rock Island have been named to the Dean's List for the fall 2013 semester. To be included on the Dean's List, a student must complete at least 12 hours of credit with a grade point average of 3.5-3.89 on a 4.0 scale.

William Penn University in Oskaloosa, Iowa offers both post-secondary and adult education programs. Founded by Quakers in 1873, we strive to provide a vibrant learning community where all students grow intellectually, socially, and spiritually through academic, creative and athletic pursuits. For more information, visit the university's website at www.wmpenn.edu or call 1-800-779-7366.

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New Study Finds We're Suffering a National Friendship Crisis

 

Most Americans (75 percent!) are not satisfied with their friendships; 63 percent lack confidence in even their closest friends; and almost half of us would choose to have deeper friendships rather than more friends.

Those are the findings of a new study, The State of Friendship in America 2013, by Lifeboat Friends at Their Best and Sea Change Strategies and Edge Research.

"Strong, trusting friendships are crucial to our sense of peace, happiness and well-being," says Dawna Hetzler, a speaker, women's mentor (and mentoree), and author of the new book, "Walls of a Warrior: Conquering the Fears of Our Hearts" (www.DawnaHetzler.com).

"But many of us, women in particular, build so many walls around our hearts to protect ourselves, we can never open ourselves to all the possible relationships we could have. Or, we do allow some people in, but we keep them at arm's length."

Strong friendships do make us happier, according to the new study. Forty-nine percent of people with seven or more close friends strongly agreed that they feel happy most of the time, while only 24 percent of people with just one good friend, and 19 percent with no friends, could say the same.

"You have to know and trust a person before you allow them into your heart, because when you open yourself up, you become vulnerable," says Hetzler. "We all build walls to protect ourselves from hurt, fear, rejection, disapproval and other painful emotions, and that's natural. Some walls are healthy. But the invisible walls we're often not even aware of prevent us from experiencing the honest, real relationships that can benefit us in so many ways."

Hetzler shares some of what she learned working with Jericho Girls, the women's group she founded that focuses on dismantling unhealthy walls:

• First, identify the walls you have. We build walls in response to many things - real and perceived threats, fears, conditioning, rejection, Hetzler says. Many of us put up walls to hide our weaknesses; if you have trouble asking for help, this may be you! Jericho Girls members learned that acknowledging and being honest about their weaknesses allowed them to grow stronger. And that asking for help from friends offers those friends the gratification of giving. Making a list of your walls and understanding why they're there is a good place to start the process.

• If the wall is unhealthy, identify the steps necessary to dismantle it. Sometimes we erect walls to protect ourselves from ourselves, Hetzler notes. "One of my walls revolved around being needed too much," she says. "I tend to take on a lot, then exhaust myself getting it all done." She realized she built a wall to prevent people from seeing that she really cannot do it all, and she pushed away those she feared might demand too much of her time and energy. She dealt with that wall by setting limits with herself and others. "I say no when I need to, which allows me to build friendships instead of pushing people away."

• Arm yourself with words of inspiration. Powerful words help when we need positive reinforcement or reassurance when the way ahead looks scary. Hetzler has found that calling upon a quotation that she believes in provides both. "Write down the quotes, Bible verses or other inspiration that have great meaning for you," she says. Each day, read one, reflect upon the meaning, pray or meditate, and contemplate the message it holds for you. "These words will stick with you, and you'll have them to call upon when you need them," she says.

Creating deeper, honest friendships begins with opening our hearts to others, Hetzler says.

"When you begin taking down the walls, you'll find you're more at peace with yourself," she says. "And that allows you to develop the wonderful relationships that come from trust and sharing."

About Dawna Hetzler: Dawna Hetzler owns a real estate firm and is an author and speaker focusing on women's connection groups and retreats. She's also a Bible study teacher and speaker for Stonecroft Ministries. She wrote "Walls of Warriors" based on her experiences with Jericho Girls - a group of women who meets to discuss the walls they build around their hearts that inhibit relationships with others.

(DES MOINES) - Iowa Gov. Terry E. Branstad today announced he is donating 100 pounds of Iowa ham to the Food Bank of Iowa in Des Moines, Iowa, and 100 pounds of Iowa ham to Grace Place Ministries soup kitchen in Monroe, Louisiana.

The donation comes after a friendly wager with Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal on the 2014 Outback Bowl, which featured the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Louisiana State University (LSU) Tigers. If the LSU Tigers beat the Iowa Hawkeyes, Gov. Branstad was to donate 100 pounds of Iowa pork to a Louisiana food bank and another 100 pounds of Iowa pork to an Iowa food bank.  LSU beat Iowa 21-14 on January 1, 2014.

"I'm proud of the season the Iowa Hawkeyes had and for their tremendous effort in the Outback Bowl against Louisiana State University," said Branstad. "I'm pleased today to donate Iowa pork to two fine organizations that help feed the hungry in local communities. I would also like to thank The Deb & Jeff Hansen Iowa Select Farms Foundation for their generosity in donating the pork for this friendly wager."

The Iowa ham will be delivered to the organizations by Iowa Select Farms.

"A core mission of the Deb and Jeff Hansen Foundation is hunger relief which is why we were glad to support Governor Branstad with his friendly wager," said Jeff Hansen, President and CEO of Iowa Select Farms and co-founder of the Foundation. "We're happy to be able to donate hams to both organizations in an effort to help both Iowa and Louisiana families in need."

Iowa taxpayer dollars were not used for the friendly wager between Gov. Branstad and Gov. Jindal.

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Iowa Select Farms, based in Iowa Falls, is Iowa's largest pork producer with nearly 1,000 employees and 300 producers in Iowa. The owners of Iowa Select established the Deb and Jeff Hansen Foundation in 2006. Providing hunger relief for Iowans is one of the core missions of the Foundation, which to date has donated more than 1.5 million servings of pork to food banks, pantries and shelves across Iowa.