Iowa City, IA - November 7, 2011 - Original holiday stories sure to warm your heart.

Get out of the cold and enjoy an evening of heart-warming holiday storytelling with Riverside Theatre's production of Small Miracles, a moving, one-man show by Resident Artist and Production Manager Ron Clark, November 25-27.

"It's a nice thing to do on a holiday weekend with family and friends," Clark said.

Small Miracles takes the audience on a nostalgic, heartfelt journey as Clark shares his recollections of growing up in a small Iowa town where the mayor/street cleaner doubled as Santa, a courageous dog, a 10-cent silver bell that became a family heirloom, a terrifying audition for the fifth grade Christmas pageant, and his stint at a department store Santa.

"It's about as sentimental as you can get," Clark said.

Clark's vivid storytelling will captivate you and bring to mind your own fond memories. This show is perfect for the whole family.

"The joy of performing this piece comes from the collective memory between me and the audience. As I look at the audience I see a connection not just between me and the audience, but in the joy of the recollections of holidays past," Clark said. "In a perfect world I would have my own children and grandsons gathered around me for these stories."

In addition to Small Miracles, Clark's writing for the theatre includes the plays Kindred Hearts, Grocery Stories, and Coffee and Hope, as well as many monologues over the years for Walking the Wire, Riverside's annual monologue festival.

Clark, a professional actor and director, founded Riverside Theatre in 1981 along with Jody Hovland and Bruce Wheaton. Clark graduated from the University of Iowa with a Masters of Fine Arts (MFA) in 1980.  In addition to his work at Riverside, Clark is a Distinguished Artist-in-Residence at Cornell College.

Small Miracles features original composition by Dan Knight and lighting design by Zachary Begley and Rachel Dudley.

Tickets for Small Miracles, November 25-27, are $20 with discounts available for those over 60, those under 30, and youth. Tickets are available by phone at (319) 338-7672, online at www.riversidetheatre.org or in person at the Riverside Theatre Box Office, located at 213 N. Gilbert St., Iowa City, IA.

Small Miracles is sponsored by Lensing Funeral & Cremation Services.

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Davenport. Iowa, November 4, 2011 - The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) announced today that Davenport Parks and Recreation became one of only 104 park and recreation agencies accredited by the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA). This distinguished accomplishment was announced during the NRPA 2011 Conference in Atlanta, Georgia.

National accreditation through CAPRA is an extensive multi-year process, which includes the completion of an application and detailed self-assessment report, a site visit by a committee of experienced park and recreation professionals, and a final assessment completed by the agency and the Commission. Accreditation requires agencies to respond to 144 standards representing elements of effective and efficient park and recreation operations. To become accredited, agencies must fully meet 36 standards deemed fundamental to a quality agency and at least 92 of the remaining standards.

CAPRA accreditation is the only national accreditation for park and recreation agencies, and is a measure of an agency's overall quality of operation, management and service to the community. Accreditation is valid for a period of five years, renewed thereon for 5 years terms.

The Commission is comprised of representatives from NRPA, the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration, the National Association of County Park and Recreation Officials, the International City/County Management Association, the American Association for Physical Activity and Recreation, the Armed Forces Recreation Society and the Council of State Executive Directors.

"I'm proud of the hard work and dedication from the department staff to achieve this recognition," said Seve Ghose, Director of Parks and Recreation. "The City can also be proud knowing that their Parks and Recreation department has been recognized for excellence in service and operations." "By successfully completing the CAPRA accreditation process, these agencies have proven their ability to provide the highest level services and programs. NRPA truly commends our 2011 accredited agencies for their overall excellence in serving their communities and contributing to the health and vitality of America" said Barbara Tulipane, CEO of NRPA.

Parks and Recreation joins Davenport Police, Fire and Public Works in achieving national accreditation status. With formal presentation to Parks and Recreation of accreditation status, Davenport is now the first city in the United States to achieve national CALEA, CFAI, APWA and CAPRA accreditation status, while operating libraries accredited at the state level.

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Are you looking for a beautiful way to spend a Wednesday morning? Join Davenport Parks and Recreation at the Conservatory in Vander Veer Botanical park for our Senior Coffee. This informal program is designed to encourage senior citizens to visit the warmth of
the conservatory during the colder months and enjoy the color and fragrance of beautiful flowers.

On November 9th, participants will be able to enjoy the Traditional Chrysanthemum Display from 10 am - Noon. The cost for the program is $1 and each participant will have the opportunity to experience the sights, sounds and fragrances of the colorful and vibrant Chrysanthemums as well as enjoy refreshments. Davenport Parks and Recreation's Environmental Education staff will present a program on Turkeys at 10:30 am.

Preregistration is not required, for further information, please call, 326-7812.

WEST DES MOINES, IOWA - Nov. 4, 2011 - Livestock production continues to provide important support to Iowa's economy. According to the recently-released Iowa Agricultural Statistics booklet, Iowa's cattle, hog and sheep producers' receipts grew by 20 percent last year, growing to $8.32 billion.

Information in the 136-page book is compiled by the National Agricultural Statistics Service's (NASS) Iowa Field Office, a division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The book consists of five sections: general information, county information, crops, livestock and farm economics. It also lists several agriculture-related websites on the back cover.

Iowa's farm sector dominance carries across several commodities, from livestock to crops. According to the booklet, the state continues to rank number one in hogs in the United States, raising 29 percent of the nation's hogs. Iowa also leads the nation is raising layer hens (and eggs) and is in the top ten for raising cattle and calves (seventh) and sheep and lambs (tenth).

"The livestock and poultry industries are positive economic factors that contribute to job growth in Iowa's rural communities. Our farmers continue to be more efficient and productive in the face of rising feed and energy costs," said Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF) President Craig Lang. "They are poised to move forward, grow their businesses and continue to be national agricultural leaders."

Despite the cold and wet temperatures that led to planting and harvest delays last year, Iowa farmers continue to lead the nation in the production of corn and soybeans. May began with heavy rains, cold temperatures and widespread frost that caused soil erosion and planting delays. But, after dealing with the wettest June on record and snow during the second week of November, Iowa farmers raised the fourth-largest corn crop and the second-largest soybean crop on record.

The combination of strong livestock and crop sectors helped boost Iowa's overall ag economy, with Iowa farmers selling farm commodities worth $23.2 billion in 2010, up 6 percent from the previous year. The number of Iowa farmers dropped just slightly to 92,400.

"Continued improvements in the general economy during 2010, in both the United States and the world, supported higher commodity prices for Iowa farmers and improvements in net farm income," explained Dave Miller, IFBF director of research and commodity services. "Higher commodity prices helped farmers to overcome higher input prices and poor growing conditions across a significant portion of the state in 2010."

Greg Thessen, director of the NASS Iowa office, said the booklet is an important resource for many different audiences, including farmers, bankers, insurance agents, agribusinesses and more.

"This book wouldn't be possible if farmers didn't participate in our surveys that gather this information. The data not only offers historical perspective, but helps them as they plan for the next season and the future," said Thessen.

Iowa Farm Bureau publishes the book for Iowa Agricultural Statistics. No public funds are used to publish the book.

The book costs $12 and can be ordered from the Marketing and Communications Division, Iowa Farm Bureau, 5400 University Avenue, West Des Moines, Iowa 50266. In addition, a CD-version of the document is available for purchase for $10. Checks should be made payable to the Iowa Farm Bureau.

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