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Downtown Osceola offers a Unique Shopping Experience |
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 Osceola has a very unique shopping and entertainment area near or on the court house square.
The Lyric Theater is one of the most modern in Southern Iowa, featuring movies every evening. The bowling alley is just off the northeast corner of the square. There is also outstanding dining offered on the square. A new Fareway grocery store opened in 2007. A new Dollar General Store should be built in the downtown area next year. We have specialty shopping, an art gallery and frame shop, with their products shipped nationwide. Robinsons, one of the longest variety stores in southern Iowa is also located on the square.
Some refer to this area as our mall on the square, stop by, spend some time with us, you will be glad you did. |
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Clarke County Fairgrounds and Event Center |
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 In 2001, the Fair Board was contacted by the City of Osceola to consider relocating their facilities to allow for development of a new aquatic and recreation center. Due to the needs of the Osceola community, the board decided to relocate to an undeveloped property just west of Osceola on Highway 34.
The Clarke County Fair is a rich tradition that dates back to the early 1900’s. It has always been a place for families to connect and bond. Its Board places a special emphasis on providing quality education and enrichment opportunities for area youth.
The Clarke County Fairgrounds and Event Center has been an exciting, growing venture in South Central Iowa. The facility is poised to develop into a premier year-round entertainment venue for local, state and regional organizations, including livestock and machinery shows, judging contest, flea markets, craft shows, camper rallies, races, and jamborees.
Since 2004, the Clarke County Fair has been held at its new location just west of Osceola on Highway  34. Other events held at the new facility include: Iowa Rodeo Cowboy Association (IRCA) Finals, Circuit Stop-Iowa High School Rodeo Association, Mud Bog Events, Tractor Pull, Pickup Pull, Old Iron Show, WHO’s Great Iowa Tractor Ride Hub Headquarters, Osceola Chamber/Main Street Halloween Haunted House, Household Auctions, and Demolition Derby. Events such as these impact local entities such as hotels and motels, gas stations, restaurants and retail stores.
The fairgrounds continue to evolve into a complete facility consisting of:
- Event Center
- Outside Arena
- Grandstand area with 300’ track
- Horse Barn
- Cattle Barn
- Hog Barn
- Sheep Barn
- Playground equipment area
- Restroom Facilities
- 60 unit Campground
The Event Center is the newest addition to the fairgrounds. The building has 9500 square feet of space and is estimated to seat 400 in the main meeting room. It is ideal for wedding receptions, family reunions, meeting, craft shows, trade shows etc.
The Clarke County Fair Board thanks the entire community for their support in building the new facility that will be used for many years. The project could not have been possible without the support of the community.
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Serene Day Spa |
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The Serene Day Spa is located on the north side of the square in downtown Osceola. Owners Tracy Short and her husband Travis have added one of the newest and best reasons to visit Osceola. The warm interior, soft lighting and soothing music allow you to leave your worries at home and enjoy a relaxing and inviting environment.
Serene Day Spa is a full service day spa where you can balance your mind, body and soul through a healing touch. Stacy offers a unique blend of natural and high technology services and products where ware customized for each guest’s concerns and needs.
Massage therapy offers many choices. Some of the massages included are: therapeutic, maternity, reflexology, clinical sports and orthopedic, geriatric and couples massage. Skin care treatments are tailored for your skin type. All facials include a scalp massage, foot massage and hand and arm massage. Regular facial treatments can help identify and treat special conditions to ensure improvement to your skin tone, texture and overall appearance. Facial enhancements available are eye rescue treatment, lip treatment, makeup application and a paraffin hand dip. They even offer a gentleman’s facial.
Rejuvenating body treatments will bring new life to your skin. Serena Day Spa offers scrubs, body wraps and waxing. You will want to check out the Serena Days packages. Serene Signature Package is 4.5 hours of bliss. It starts with a facial, followed by a full body scrub or wrap of choice. Then you will enjoy the Swasana Body Spa with massaging jets. Together Again is designed for couples. The Spa also offers Its My Spa Day and Let the You Shine Through.
The Serene Day Spa is open Monday through Friday and Saturday by appointment. Call 641-342-1143 or online www.theserenedayspa.com |
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Osceola 4th of July Celebration |
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Join us for the best 4th of July celebration in Iowa. The fun starts July 2, 2010 and runs through July 5. Kenny’s Funland provides a good variety of carnival rides for all ages. Tickets for the rides are sold in advance as well as during the Celebration.
We have a talent show, outhouse races, bingo, local entertainments, bands that play a variety of music and fireworks. Opening ceremonies will be July 2. A street dance will be held on the evening of July 3 in front of the fire station. The fireworks start at dark on July 4 at Terrible’s Lakeside Casino. The parade this year will be July 5 and starts at 11:00 AM. Chuck DeVos and Bruce Harris emcee the parade in front of Robinson’s True Value seated in their recliners. We choose a different theme each year. It is always entertaining to see how local businesses, organizations and groups will dress and decorate to fit the theme. Both Clarke and Murray school bands march in the parade. The favorite part of the parade for the children seems to be the candy that is given out.
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Weekend in Osceola |
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My girlfriend and I were looking for a new place to visit for our monthly Girls Day Out. We got lucky when we chose Osceola. Our day started at the Serene Day Spa on the north side of the square. We both did the Serene Signature Massage and followed it up with the Serene Signature Facial and paraffin hand dip. Stacy Short has an excellent spa- we will be back! We walked to the west side of the square and discovered the OPI Nail Salon. We both had to have the manicure and pedicure. Our next stop on the journey around Osceola’s square was Shoes N Shirts. Linda Smith carries a very nice selection of women’s fashions including some I had not seen elsewhere. I left with a pair of shoes, a pair of boots, and a ruffled top that makes me look 5 pounds thinner. My girlfriend found two jackets and a necklace and earring set. Shopping does make you hungry so we went to the east side of the square and had lunch at Redman’s. My girlfriend is very big on quilting and Robinson’s, next to Redman’s, has the best quilting and material supplies that she has seen in a long time. I wandered over to the clothing side and found a teal outfit that I am still getting compliments on. We stopped by Robinson’s rental desk and were very impressed by all the items available. Next on the agenda was Jewelry By Design. The selection and designs were fantastic. I bought a topaz set and my girlfriend got an opal necklace. My birthday is coming up so I will be mentioning the store to my husband. We have more stores to visit but it is closing time so we decided to spend the night and finish up tomorrow.
A quick call to our respective spouses about our plans and we are off to find a motel. The AmericInn on highway 34 was our choice especially since it has an indoor pool. A flyer at the motel told us that there was karaoke that evening at the Eagles Club. Further inquiries told us that their kitchen is open Friday and Saturday nights. We chose the Eagle Burger and Mad Cow sandwiches and highly recommend them to everyone.
Our first stop the next morning is White’s Woodworking and Art Gallery. I love P. Buckley Moss and White’s has a great selection. Several items I saw in the store jumped out the door and into my car. That’s the story my husband is getting anyway. Earth Angels Gifts on the east side of the square is the next treasure we found in downtown Osceola. Sherry Halls, the owner, has an unusual and eclectic inventory of gifts . We found gifts for our Hawkeye and Cyclone fans, soft cuddly animals that are really pillows, Willow Tree, flat wallets and much more. My favorite was a wine glass that had W.I.N.O. on it. Two of them found their way into my car. Flowers N’ More, our next stop, definitely stands up to its name. The arrangements were gorgeous, there is a good selection of plants and a variety of gift items to choose from. My girlfriend and I found several items we couldn’t live without.
Archer’s Hideout is two doors down from Flowers N’ More. Curiosity took us in the door. I should mention that neither of use are hunters, something I know other hunters, specifically our respective husbands, are grateful for. Our spouses, both avid hunters, took up bow hunting in the last two years. Todd, the owner, was very nice and answered all of our questions without laughing. Believe me, for some of the ones I asked the man is a saint! I know my husband will love Archers Hideout. I will bring him here and then I can shop the square in downtown Osceola again. |
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Hopeville Harmony and Hills |
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The first Sunday after Labor Day will once again bring a delightful day of music with the Hopeville Rural Music Reunion held in Hopeville Square County Park. The morning church service begins the day, and the jam sessions lasting until dusk, brings outstanding entertainment for the entire family. Lunch is served and you can round it off with some of the best home-made pies you’ll ever taste.
The timber hills around Hopeville, as with most of southern Iowa, possess a scenic beauty year round. Mid October highlights the vast timber area blanketing it with fall colors. The Grand River Valley, the wilderness area where Clarke, Union, Decatur and Ringgold counties meet, the H45 route to Stephens State Forest, as well as other areas of Clarke County is well worth seeking for autumn’s drive.
Come visit our area. You’ll be glad you did. |
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Southern Hills Winery Offers Unique Experience |
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"They had remodeled an old barn and turned it into a quaint little tasting room. " "We drove through the vines and parked beside the winery." "The tanks were HUGE!" "The wine maker met us at the door." "The smell of the fermenting wine was fabulous."
Sound like dinner conversation after a trip to Napa or Sonoma? California did not inspire these remarks. Native Iowa wineries sparked these memories. Wine makers and their families are creating a whole new industry for the state of Iowa and they are doing it for you and me.
Iowans are finding they do not need to go through airport security checks before embarking on a winery tour. They can visit more than 60 wineries and never cross the boundaries of the state. With a winery as a destination, weekend drives can take a person to antique shops, craft boutiques, and down home-style restaurants. You know the places I am talking about: The places where the farmers and truck drivers eat; the places where you buy a Christmas tree ornament from the person that made it and eat a piece of pie served by the woman that baked it. Places lost in the WI-FI world. Our native Iowa wineries are a part of that down home venue. Yes, the wine maker quite often will be behind the tasting bar. The facility might be a remodeled farm building. The vines you see on an adjoining hill produced the fruit in the wine, which you drink. The size may vary from a small weekend only winery to a state of the art facility of huge proportion. Regardless, the hospitality is Iowan, for Iowans, by Iowans, just like the wine.
Native Iowa wineries offer wine trails, vineyard tours, music shows, dinner parties, gift shopping, bus tours, and wine made from fruit grown in Iowa. Iowa is just not corn, beans, cattle, and hogs any more. We are grapes, grapes are wine, and wine is fun. We are hearing visitors from other states say, "Wine from Iowa? Never heard of such a thing." They try, they buy, and they take wine home and enjoy the fruits from our "land between two rivers."
Southern Hills Winery opened in May of 2006 and offers wine with the uniqueness that only Clarke County can offer. The wine is award winning and becoming more and more popular as the word spreads. The banquet room offers seating for up to 140 people and is available for weddings, receptions,and reunions, as well as the casual get together. You can tour the winery and the gift shop and if schedules permit, meet our Iowa born winemaker, Lucas McIntire. Lucas comes to us with award winning experience and talents beyond his years.
Iowa's only winery co-operative is Southern Hills. The 130 plus members span all occupations and all walks of life. There are retirees, farmers, doctors, lawyers, factory workers, engineers, electricians just to name a few, but the list of talent in this pool of like-minded people goes on and on. All share the same passion for wine and its creation. The members and staff of SHW are proud of our winery and our wine.
We encourage every one, whether they like wine or not, to stop by and try our product. The winery is conveniently located off I-35 at exit #34 and is not far from shops, stores, local eateries, hotels, and Terribles' Casino.
The Iowa grape and wine industry is in its infancy. New wineries are opening every year. The current operating wineries are steadily growing and doing new things. One cannot visit a winery once and say, "I have been there." Coming back a year or two later things quite often will be different as the winery grows and expands, offering new experiences for the traveler. Just like a child, the industry is growing and changing, and what is there more exciting than watching a child grow? They are entertaining, challenging, and rewarding, just like the rebirth of the Iowa wine industry. |
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White’s Woodworking offers a unique experience |
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 On the east side of the square in the small town of Osceola is a very unique store called Whites’ Woodworking and Art Gallery. Dan and Kim White, lifetime Clarke County residents, opened their gallery on July 4th weekend in 1994.
Their business started by attending craft shows in southern Iowa and eventually became a custom framing enterprise. In 1985 it was suggested to them that the non-profit organization Ducks Unlimited needed picture frames for fund raising events. In 1991 the State of Iowa Ducks Unlimited organization gave the state framing contract to Whites’ Woodworking. They have been filling the framing needs for Iowa Ducks Unlimited ever since. In the late eighties another conservation group was introduced to the Whites. This was the Pheasants Forever organization. Currently Whites’ Woodworking frame for over 150 Pheasants Forever Chapters nation wide. They have shipped coast to coast and internationally.
One of Whites’ unique attributes is the milling of their own oak and walnut mouldings. These beautiful mouldings make perfect frames not only for wildlife projects but for many other types of framing needs. They have also created their own shadow box moulding that has been used for framing jerseys and other precious keepsakes. One of the most amazing shadow boxes they have created was a framed authenticated ISU football jersey, pants and helmet that measured 10 inches deep and stood almost 5 ft tall by 3 ft wide.
A recently acquired moulder has made it possible to create window and door casings for home and commercial construction and remodeling. Whites’ has a variety of stain colors available and will also custom stain to your specifications.
Whites’ has acquired an amazing computer program called Integrated Framer that can simplify the decision making process when it come to choosing matting and framing. With a click of a button, a camera above the work counter takes a picture of the artwork, matting and frame and the computer creates an image of what the finished project would look like. This new technology takes the guess work out of custom framing.
Since the inception of Whites’ Woodworking, the production has been done at the frame shop in the country at the home of Dan and Kim. In June of 2008 Whites’ had a complete makeover. All the matting, glassing and shipping moved from the country frame shop to the gallery. The move of the production side of the business into the gallery has created greater convenience for the customer and increased efficiency for the business. Glass and mats can be cut within minutes and you can walk out the door with the materials that day.
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