After (seemingly endless) months of campaigning, boasting and (yes, sometimes) lying, the candidates vying for the White House will get their first dose of “meaningful feedback” tomorrow as the Iowa Caucuses finally take place. Why a small number of people in a handful of small towns in a couple of small states should have such outsized influence on this (national) election is beyond me. Personally, I’d like to see a national primary election day—where all Americans cast their ballots (at the same time) as equals in the selection process. But enough of the soapbox; back to the merchandise!
In honor of Iowa—and their privileged status allowing them “first pick of the litter”—we share the only item in-store either made-in or related-to Iowa. It’s an early Twentieth Century paperweight made by the Marshalltown Central Foundry. It was probably cast as a “giveaway” which the foundry’s sales reps could leave on a prospective purchasing agent’s desk. Of course, I love it for the lion.
A quick internet search of images from the central Iowa town (population 27,844) shows a clean-scrubbed, lovely town with a number of nice, turn-of-the-century municipal buildings. I also came across a YouTube video in which the local high school’s football team captains promote a “Not in Our Town” anti-bullying message. Bravo! You’ll find a link to their video below. Maybe Iowa is not so bad after all!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ekwkCfclSg&list=PLW9qJN0lXHKxJqCMLSZ7ltmr0b_nYqrC9&index=1