Posted 7/6/2022
By Susan Thompson 
Lake Panorama Times

The Panorama West women’s golf league hosted a 2-gal best-shot tournament Tuesday, June 14. A total of 35 teams participated, with players from Panora, Guthrie Center, Jefferson, Audubon and surrounding communities. The tournament theme was “When Golf Gives You Lemons.”
Lemon-themed decorations were used in the clubhouse and on the golf course. Eighteen centerpieces, given away as raffle prizes, were potted kalanchoe plants with blossoms of yellow and white.
Annie Johnston won one of the special events, which involved hitting a shot closest to the cardboard lemon near the green on the second hole. Elma Schrader won longest putt on the seventh hole, and Amy Snowden won longest drive on the ninth hole.
Cash prizes were awarded to the top three teams in five flights. Winners of the championship flight were Mare Langel and Gretchen Wilhelmi with a score of one-over-par 28. The teams of Sharon Wedemeyer and Kathy DeLucca, and Carol VanKirk and Teresa Newman, both scored 29. Wedemeyer and DeLucca won second place on a scorecard playoff with VanKirk and Newman taking third.
The tournament was followed by a buffet luncheon at the Panorama West Clubhouse, catered by Lake Panorama National.
Tournament committee members were Emily Spradling, Mary Kay O’Grady, Coop Rickert, Julie Wykoff, Nini Von Bon and Linda Wendl. 

Posted 7/6/2022
The Guthrie County Times Vedette has been sold. The newspaper, which has roots in the county dating back more than a century, has a new owner effective July 1, 2022. Steve Delaney, who has owned the paper since July 1, 2019, has sold it to Big Green Umbrella Media, Inc. of Johnston.
Shane Goodman is the founder and owner of Big Green Umbrella Media, which publishes CITYVIEW magazine, 13 Iowa Living magazines in the Des Moines suburbs and the Lake Panorama Times, as well as a number of other publications, websites, events and digital offerings.
“I am pleased to bring this newspaper into our family of locally owned publications,” said Goodman. “I have great confidence in the people of this county, and I look forward to getting to know even more people here.”
Goodman purchased the Lake Panorama Times in 2020, about the time when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
“It wasn’t the best timing, but we made it work,” he said. “The Lake Panorama Times fit with what we do, and we believe the Times Vedette will as well.”
Delaney will remain with the newspaper through July and says he will assist as needed to ensure a smooth transition.
“It’s important to Times Vedette readers to work to ensure a seamless transition. Ownership of a newspaper can change, but its mission is the same, and we’ll work together for the next few weeks to make that happen,” Delaney said. “As for my future, I’m planning to move to the eastern side of Iowa, closer to Dubuque, where I have family.”
Goodman and his wife, Jolene, have been Guthrie County homeowners at Lake Panorama since 2020 and have spent much of their time in the county since.
“We love it here,” said Jolene Goodman. “And we want reasons to be here more.”
Jolene serves as Big Green Umbrella Media’s advertising director and oversees the sales operations, which include nine salespeople. She says Stormy Miller will continue with the Times Vedette, as well as the Lake Panorama Times. Miller had been working for both papers in advertising sales through a unique sharing agreement.
“We appreciate the relationship we had with Steve and the Times Vedette in the past, which allowed Stormy to work for both of us,” said Jolene Goodman. “She is an important part of our staff, and we look forward to working more closely with her in months ahead.”
Miller and her husband, Sam, are expecting their first child in July, but Jolene Goodman says they will work to cover the bases in her absence and look forward to her returning to work.
Shane Goodman says he will be reaching out to those who have served as freelancers or contributors to the paper as well. He is also looking to hire additional writers and photographers. Those interested should reach out to him at 515-953-4822, ext. 305 or shane@dmcityview.com.
“Change is inevitable,” said Goodman. “But don’t expect any big changes to the newspaper right away. It will be business as usual while Steve teaches us the ropes and we work through the learning curves.”   

Posted 7/6/2022
By Susan Thompson 
Lake Panorama Times 

A new fundraising project for the Panora Garden Club received an enthusiastic response, with more than 240 people touring Lake Panorama on pontoons June 29. It was a sunny, breezy day as 11 pontoons were used for the 75-minute lake tours. Two to three pontoons left from the Boulder Beach docks every half-hour from 9 a.m. until 2:30 p.m.
A total of 22 trips around the lake were made with each loaded pontoon heading north from Boulder Beach, then cruising through Helen’s Cove and Burchfield Cove. When the pontoons reached the Narrows, they turned back south, making loops through Jones Cove and Horseshoe Cove before heading to the main basin. The groups then visited Hughes Cove before looping back to Boulder Beach.
Tickets were $20. Brochures were distributed that included some history of both Lake Panorama and the Panora Garden Club, a map of the lake and details of current garden club projects.
Besides the pontoon rides, participants received some garden “swag” that included gloves, a packet of flower seeds, sunblock, water bottles and more. Several vendors were set up under shade trees and one of the beach shelter houses. Two food vendors offered doughnuts, sandwiches, drinks, ice cream and more.
Members of the Panora Garden Club planned the event and worked throughout the day in various capacities. Husbands of club members captained pontoons and helped load and unload passengers. They also helped catch and launch the pontoons at the docks, which was a challenge in the strong south wind.
JoAnn Johnson, who co-chairs the Panora Garden Club this year with Paulette Chambers, says the money raised will help the club with ongoing projects. Those include the bright blue pots filled with flowers throughout the Panora business area, the new pink petunia trees flanking the gazebo steps, the planters at Michael Mills Memorial Park and the Raccoon River Valley Trail, and the revitalization of Heritage Park on the north edge of Panora.
“This was a great opportunity for the Panora Garden Club to help showcase Lake Panorama and the Panora community,” Johnson says. “We had a lot of out-of-town participants who really enjoyed their chance to see Lake Panorama from the water. We hope they also took time to visit our wonderful Panora businesses.” 

Posted 7/6/2022
By Susan Thompson 
Lake Panorama Times 

Lake Panorama Times readers may remember one or more of the stories I’ve written about Jenni, a rescue dog owned by Wayne and Deb Russell, who have lived in a home on Burchfield Cove for more than 20 years. Now it’s time to report Jenni has retired from agility competitions, after reaching Hall of Fame status.
I first introduced you to Jenni in February 2015 with an update in November 2016 and another in June 2019. The Russells discovered Jenni abandoned at the Perry dog park and adopted her. Jenni has the face of a Black Lab but is smaller and leaner. A veterinarian said she probably is part whippet, which are extremely fast dogs.
While attending obedience classes with Jenni, Deb watched a nearby dog agility training session and decided she’d like to try it. Deb and Jenni took a foundation agility training class, which launched them into national competition.
Agility training takes place on an obstacle course where the owner directs the dog off-leash. There are a variety of obstacles including weave poles, A-frames, tunnels and jumps. The goal is to complete the obstacles in the shortest time without making a mistake.
Jenni and Deb have been competing at trials sanctioned by the North American Dog Agility Council (NADAC). NADAC offers three levels of competition — novice, open and elite. Jenni worked her way through the first two levels of competition in two years and has been running in the elite category since.
In the elite category, the points a dog receives for each run counts towards earning the NADAC Agility Trial Championship Award (NATCH). Once a dog reaches a set point level in each of three categories, a NATCH is earned.
Jenni won her first two NATCH awards in May 2019 in a competition in Louisville, Kentucky. A dog must win five NATCH awards to qualify for the NADAC Hall of Fame. Jenni picked up her next three NATCH awards in Kansas City, Kansas, at an agility dog club trial called Dogs on Q.
The third award was won in March 2020, right before COVID shut down so many things, including dog agility competitions. It took until July 2021 for Jenni to win her fourth NATCH award, with her fifth one coming May 28 of this year. 
Deb says now that Jenni has reached Hall of Fame status, she is retired.
“Wayne has taken down all of her agility equipment from the yard; no more mowing around it for him,” Deb says. “Yet we will probably pop into some agility trials sometimes, to let her do a couple fun runs, and I can see my friends.”
Wayne and Deb enjoy traveling, so taking Jenni to competitions became a big part of their retirement. Jenni and Deb now have competed in 17 different states.
“We have met some incredible people over the last eight years, and Jenni still loves it. She ran 6.08 yards per second in one of her runs in late May. Not too bad for a 10-year-old rescue dog,” says Deb. “It has been a blast!”  

Posted 6/7/2022
By Susan Thompson 
Lake Panorama Times

Cindy McCarty grew up in Guthrie Center and has lived at Lake Panorama for 30 years. She has more than 45 years of experience as a speech and language pathologist and has worked with children, adults and senior citizens — in schools, homes, hospitals and long-term care facilities.
She is also a horse lover.
More than 20 years ago, while enjoying horseback rides on 220 acres of timber and pasture she owns east of Guthrie Center, she thought about how her patients also would enjoy the setting. What about developing a facility where people could receive all sorts of therapy, help and support?
McCarty’s longtime friend, Sue Behrens, who is a physical therapist, said if McCarty wanted to use her horses to establish a therapy program, she would help. Together they began researching hippotherapy. “Hippo” is the Greek word for “horse.” In hippotherapy, specially trained physical, occupational and speech/language therapists use the movement of a horse as a treatment tool. Hippotherapy was introduced in Europe after World War II following two polio epidemics.
Last year was the 20th anniversary of the opening of the Timber Creek Therapies indoor arena. McCarty stresses this isn’t about teaching a person how to ride.
“Treatment takes place in a controlled environment following a specific plan,” she says. “Riding skills are not taught. We’re using the horse as part of an integrated treatment program.”
A horse’s gait is almost identical to that of a human.
“Scientists haven’t been able to duplicate the human gait with a machine,” she says. “But horses walk in a three-dimensional pattern, much like humans. By placing a human on a horse’s back, just in front of its pelvis, we can almost duplicate the human walk.”
Being on the back of a horse helps patients with cerebral palsy, brain injuries, strokes, autism, learning disabilities, attention deficit disorder, multiple sclerosis, spina bifida and other illnesses and disabilities. The indoor riding arena allows patients to be seen year-round.
A new program began in late May and is a partnership with the St. Gregory Recovery Center in Bayard. St. Gregory is an inpatient facility for treating those with drug and alcohol addictions, anxiety and depression disorders, and military veterans with PTSD issues.
In this case, the horses aren’t ridden. Instead, they provide emotional support.
“Horses are so profoundly healing in so many ways,” McCarty says. “These clients make good connections with the horses and also with others in their group, as they work together to problem solve. We teach them about horse behavior, how to lead them, and how to care for them.”
There usually are six to eight people in these group sessions, held for an hour each Thursday.
“When they first arrive, everyone is pretty quiet,” McCarty says. “They are told they can choose any of the horses available that day. Before long, there is lots of conversation and interaction. It’s rewarding to watch.”
McCarty says people come to St. Gregory from all over the country.
“Our hope is that when they return home, they will seek out something like this that helps them find joy and a sense of purpose as they continue in their own healing,” McCarty says. “Maybe they will find a similar therapy center or other place where they can volunteer. This is something very close to my heart, and I’m happy we can provide this opportunity.”
Timber Creek also offers therapeutic riding for individuals with a variety of physical and mental disabilities. Evening sessions are held for groups that travel from New Hope Village in Carroll and Opportunity Living in Lake City. A steady stream of volunteers makes many of the Timber Creek programs possible. Most assist with the therapeutic riding programs, as one person leads the horse and two people walk on either side to provide safety and support to the rider.
“We couldn’t do as much with the horses if it weren’t for our volunteers,” McCarty says. “We have high school and college students, young adults and senior citizens who help. Some have horse experience, which draws them to us. Others just want to help.”
Because of the COVID pandemic, Timber Creek Therapies was closed in 2020 from March through August. Once the therapy center was able to open again, only one patient was allowed at a time, with a gap of 15 minutes left open before the next patient could enter. Today, therapy sessions are back to full capacity while staff and volunteers continue to follow healthcare protocols and safety guidelines.
McCarty provides speech, language and cognitive therapy sessions three days a week. Allison Stanley is an occupational therapist who sees patients two days a week. Lesley Stucker is a physical therapist who sees patients one day a week.
Others who work at Timber Creek include Meg Schmidt, who started as a volunteer at the age of 12. She now works one day a week getting the horses ready for therapy and therapeutic riding sessions and assisting with the sessions. She also is in charge of the horse training and farrier work and manages the Timber Creek Ranch farm ground and hay production.
Darwin McCurdy and Anna Owen each work one day a week getting the horses ready for therapy, assisting with the sessions and doing chores. Schmidt, McCurdy and Owen also help with the new St. Gregory program. Diane Owen works three days a week in the office and manages scheduling, billing and financials. And there’s the 10 horses, eight of which McCarty owns. The other two are owned by Timber Creek Charities, a non-profit 501(c)3 charity.
While most patients who receive treatment have some of their expenses covered by insurance, Timber Creek Charities helps people who can’t afford it.
“I knew we’d get patients who wouldn’t have insurance or the money to pay their own way,” McCarty says. “We didn’t want to turn anyone away.”
Timber Creek Charities receives funding from foundation and private donations and proceeds from an annual golf tournament and auction. Donations can be made online at timbercreekcharities.com.
“There is never a shortage of people who need help,” McCarty says. “We’re always busy, our schedules are full, and we often have waiting lists. We continue to get new referrals who have new injuries and illnesses that require therapy. Our patients range from babies to geriatrics and everyone in between.”
The 20-year anniversary of the building adjacent to the riding arena is this year. It includes offices and a therapy room. There also is a warm-water pool with an electrical current system that can move the 5,500 gallons of water up to 6.5 mph. The water depth can vary from 2 to 5 feet, and there is a motorized chairlift.
For now, the pool remains closed because of COVID concerns, but McCarty hopes it can be reopened.
“The moving water provides a wonderful and highly effective treatment tool for patients with mobility, gait, trunk control and extremity strength and pain issues,” she says.
Even with her many years of experience, McCarty says she sometimes is surprised at the progress patients make at Timber Creek.
“We have had many people referred to us who have been in traditional physical therapy for years, and often in a few sessions, we have seen functional improvements using the horse and the pool.”
Timber Creek is located south of Highway 44, midway between Panora and Guthrie Center. Take Poplar Avenue south, and Timber Creek is on the left in 1.5 miles. For more information, call 641-747-3225.

TIMBER CREEK CHARITIES GOLF TOURNAMENT JULY 16

The 20th annual Timber Creek Charities golf tournament will be held Saturday, July 16 at Lake Panorama National Golf Resort and Conference Center. The golf tournament is the largest annual fundraiser for the charity.
Timber Creek Charities is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that provides financial assistance to some people who receive services at Timber Creek Therapies. In 2021, Timber Creek Charities covered the cost of 933 therapy sessions for 44 children and adults who would not have had the insurance coverage or resources to receive services on their own.
In conjunction with the 2022 golf tournament, Timber Creek has a sponsorship program for companies and individuals. There are six levels of sponsorship available, ranging from $5,000 to $500. Each level includes a special recognition sign at the golf tournament on the first tee. The top two levels also cover some tournament entry fees. In addition, tee box sponsorships are available for $100.
Entry fees for the four-person, best-shot golf tournament are $100 per person or $400 per team. Singles are welcome and will be assigned to a team. The fee includes 18 holes of golf, cart, range balls, lunch and dinner. Registration begins at 10:30 a.m., with lunch at 11 a.m., a shotgun start at noon and evening dinner at 5 p.m.
A live auction will follow dinner. Donated auction items can be brought to the LPN Conference Center by 3 p.m. the day of the event. Tickets for just the dinner and auction are $25.
More sponsorship details and golf registration forms are available by calling Timber Creek at 641-747-3225. Make checks payable to Timber Creek Charities and send to 2400 Poplar Ave., Guthrie Center, Iowa, 50115. 

Posted 6/7/2022
By Susan Thompson 
Lake Panorama Times

The musical duo “Hillbilly Air Show” will perform at Helen’s Cove on Saturday, July 2, prior to the annual fireworks released from Shady Beach. Boaters are invited to anchor just inside the mouth of Helen’s Cove with live music beginning at 6 p.m. and continuing to 8:30 p.m.
Hillbilly Air Show includes Brick “One Man Band” Imerman on lead guitar, bass and keyboards, joined by Jesse “The Medicine Man” Gutierres on vocals and acoustic guitar. Imerman and his wife, Lori, own a home on the north side of Helen’s Cove. The performance will be on their dock or one of their neighbors’ docks.
Imerman has been performing for nearly 20 years.
“When I retired from the military in 2003 and moved home to Guthrie Center, local postmaster Bob Paterson and I started playing a few songs at private parties following high school wrestling tournaments,” he says. “Soon we were joined by a group of guitar-playing wrestlers, and Brick’n Bob and the Young Guns was formed.”
In 2005, the Young Guns were hired at The Port for their first paying gig, and soon, more local kids started asking to join the band.
“Every time one would graduate and head off to college, another kid would take their place,” says Imerman. “Through the years, 12 different high school kids played with the band, including three female singers. The final addition to the group was Jake Kemble when he was 15 years old. Today, Jake is an active professional musician in the Des Moines area with his own band.”
Imerman and Paterson have continued playing together throughout central Iowa for 17 years under the names of Code Blue and the Brick’n Bob Duo. They will perform their last gig together this summer at Adel’s Sweet Corn Festival on Aug. 13.
As one door closes, another opens.  Three years ago, Imerman was playing solo at a winery when Jesse Gutierres walked through the door.
“I have always played classic rock until I heard Jesse sing,” Imerman says. “I realized that vocally, he was, without a doubt, the best country singer I had heard in Iowa. With his voice and my guitar, it was only natural that we start playing together.”
Gutierres was born and raised in Oklahoma. After high school, he joined the U.S. Air Force. When Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, his unit was sent to Saudi Arabia. Serving as an F-15 Eagle crew chief, he prepped fighter jets for combat over Iraq during Operation Desert Storm.
“We were out in the desert in a Muslim country. It was dry in more ways than one,” Gutierres says. “That left very little for us to do when we got off work. Singing and playing guitar was how I let off steam. That’s where I earned my first money playing music, and where I began writing songs.”
After the war, a college degree, and a stint in North Carolina, civilian work for Uncle Sam brought Gutierres to Iowa. Once here, he continued playing music with different bands, then found he could make more money playing solo. For the past several years, he has built a successful solo act, sometimes joined by other rotating musicians under the name “Jesse and the Medicine Men.”
A personal tragedy struck Gutierres in August 2020. A drunk driver speeding down the wrong lane of U.S. Highway 20 near Iowa Falls struck and killed a mother and her 10-year-old son and severely injured her 6-year-old daughter. Those were Gutierres’ children, Alexander and Isabella.
Beyond the immediate tragedy of burying his son and dealing with months and months of rehabilitation for his daughter, expenses were crushing, and Gutierres found himself owing almost $800,000. He has spent the past two years working days at the Veterans Administration in Des Moines and nights and weekends playing music across Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota.
Gutierres hopes, in the near future, one of his original songs will reach the attention of the right person, and his debts will become a thing of the past. He has released two CDs — “Pretty They Is” and his newest recording, “Little Tortilla,” which was completed in April at a studio in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Tracks from both CDs are performed at every Hillbilly Air Show event.
Both Gutierres and Imerman are proud combat veterans. Imerman served 21 years in the Navy as a highly decorated, FA-18 fighter pilot. His combat missions over both Iraq and Afghanistan earned him the Bronze Star and three Air Medals, along with a painting of his FA-18 on the side of the Guthrie County Freedom Rock in Guthrie Center.
With their combined service in aerial combat operations and Gutierres’ roots in country music, it was appropriate they named themselves Hillbilly Air Show.
“We are 100% country and 100% veteran,” Gutierres says. “No one is more patriotic.”
Imerman says, during the Helen’s Cove party, “We’ll have kids on paddle boards collecting tips and giving out Hillbilly gear, so come out and spend the evening celebrating freedom with us.”
The duo also is scheduled to perform at The Port July 22, Aug. 19 and Sept. 2, plus other private parties this summer.

Posted 6/7/2022
The Fourth of July holiday brings two types of fireworks to Lake Panorama.
The annual “Fire in the Sky” fireworks display sanctioned by the Lake Panorama Association, and put on by the Scheiring family, will be at dusk on Saturday, July 2. The fireworks will be set off from the traditional spot at Shady Beach. For safety reasons, the LPA Lake Patrol and the Iowa DNR require boats anchored during the display to have running lights on during the show.
The other type of fireworks is consumer fireworks, which can be legally sold in Iowa because of a bill passed in the 2017 Iowa legislative session. In May 2017, the LPA Board of Directors passed a motion that states the LPA does not consent to the use of fireworks on LPA-owned property, such as beaches, campgrounds, parking lots, roads, the marina, golf courses and community areas.
Guests of Lake Panorama National Resort are being notified of this action. Both LPA members and guests can be found in violation of LPA rules if they use fireworks on LPA property and could be subject to a monetary fine.
LPA members also are reminded they are responsible to avoid any activity that could be declared a nuisance to their neighbors, and they are liable for any damage or injury they or their guests cause to neighbors and their property.  

Posted 6/7/2022
By Susan Thompson 
Lake Panorama Times

In the mid-1980s, a 21-room guesthouse motel was built on Karen Drive just south of the Lake Panorama National Resort conference center. It has hosted many people, usually wedding parties or groups taking advantage of one of LPN’s special golf packages.
Sometimes, a person with a truly interesting story books a room for a night. Gregory Maassen, who stayed in the guesthouse the night of May 14, is one of those people.
Maassen, a native of the Netherlands, is riding an e-bike across the United States from Washington, D.C. to San Francisco. There is some irony to his mode of transportation.
“In the Netherlands, we use bikes, but we don’t love them,” he said, in an interview at a picnic table on the guesthouse deck. “I grew up cycling, until I got my driver’s license, which I thought put an end to my cycling forever.”
He is making the trip to raise awareness and support for the treatment of peripheral neuropathy.
“Peripheral neuropathy is a little-known or understood debilitating disease that attacks the nervous system and affects 30 million Americans,” he said. “The money I raise goes directly to the Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy, a nonprofit that provides research and education.”
Maassen, who is 54 years of age, has personal experience with the disease. He spent many years working with the World Bank and as a partner of the United States Agency for International Development. His jobs sent him to Iraq, Afghanistan, Russia, Macedonia, Jordan, Armenia, Mongolia and southern Africa.
“I like to get out into the bush and see the wildlife,” he said. “I was hiking in southern Africa when I stepped into a nest of ticks. There were about 80 tiny larvae, small as grains of sand, and it was impossible to quickly find and remove them all.”
Later, his entire body started to burn, like a severe sunburn, and doctors couldn’t find a cause. His symptoms worsened until he couldn’t walk or talk, and he slipped into depression and had anxiety attacks.
In 2019, he came to the United States on an emergency medical green card and went to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. The doctor said he believed he had peripheral neuropathy, and a skin biopsy test confirmed the diagnosis. There are many types of this disease; Maassen has post infectious small fiber neuropathy, caused by the tick encounter.
His journey to recovery is a powerful story. Through medication and therapy, Maassen went from being bedridden to walking again. His doctor said to continue his progress, he should find a form of exercise he enjoyed, and he decided to e-bike. An e-bike has a small electric motor between the pedals powered by battery packs stored in the support bars of the bike frame.
Maassen originally needed help when he started to e-bike but now pedals under his own power most of the time. He is now off all medications, including antidepressants, because biking has made him physically stronger and more mindful of things around him.
Maassen, who lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife, Janet, founded E-Bike Lovers, a social group of 550 e-bikers in Washington, D.C., Virginia and Maryland.
“This is a very active community organization,” he said. “We promote e-biking, and the group website includes lots of good information to help others learn about the technology.”
As he travels, he hands out small flyers with his website address, which has a wealth of information about both his cross-country e-bike tour and peripheral neuropathy. The flyer encourages donors to give one cent per mile for each mile he rides and includes this tag line: “You can add your two cents, too.” Learn more at www.ebiketour.org.
“As I talk about this cause, about 90% of the people I meet either have it or know someone who does,” Maassen said. “I still have symptoms sometimes, when I get a burning sensation and get discouraged. But I’m one of the lucky ones who has been able to generally control the symptoms with exercise and focusing on the good things in life.”
Maassen began his trip April 2. He is following the historic Lincoln Highway and a new transcontinental cycling route designed for this trip. It follows the route of a military convoy in 1919 that included a young President Eisenhower.
“Eisenhower oversaw the liberation of the Netherlands during WWII, something the Dutch will never forget,” Maassen said. “This ride is a tribute to the long-lasting Dutch-American friendship. The United States’ longest unbroken, peaceful relationship with any foreign country is with the Netherlands.”
For many years, only three transcontinental cycling routes existed in the United States — the Northern Tier, the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail and the Southern Tier. The routes were developed by the Adventure Cycling Association in the 1970s before e-bikes were common.
The new transcontinental route Maassen is using was designed with e-biking in mind, with plenty of accommodations and stops to charge batteries. It took a year of planning to design the route, using virtual reality tools and state-of-the-art routing software. The route connects local communities and follows country roads and cycling routes whenever possible. A final version of the route will be published after Maassen has e-biked the entire route.
Maassen arrived in Panora by taking the Raccoon River Valley Trail. He had never been to Iowa but said he is impressed by the “magnificent network of trails here. A big shoutout to all the planners who have put together this amazing infrastructure that provides the opportunity for low-stress cycling. Riding the Iowa trails has been an outstanding experience.”
Maassen can average 11 mph and usually covers at least 55 miles each day. He knows when he gets further west, to Utah and Nevada, there will be stretches where he will need to ride up to 100 miles in a day to reach a place where he can charge his bike’s batteries.
He, the bike and a trailer he pulls, altogether weigh 416 pounds. He is carrying film and camera equipment to document his journey, a drone for overhead filming, spare batteries, food, tools, camping equipment and a GPS device.
Originally planned as a 3,400-mile journey, Maassen said he probably will be closer to 4,000 miles because of some backtracking, detours and extra miles needed for various reasons.
Maassen encourages people who have peripheral neuropathy to educate themselves about treatment options.
“There are medications that can help some people,” he said. “And exercise is critical. Whether you e-bike or swim or walk, do something. Try to put your mind somewhere else than with your condition. You can flex the brain a little, and you can make it feel happy.”
There’s one more chapter to this story about Gregory Maassen. Months before he began his cross-county journey, he applied for U.S. citizenship. When he was near Chicago, his wife called to say he had been notified of the date to take the naturalization test in Washington, D.C. He flew home, took and passed the test, then flew back to continue his journey. When he reached Omaha, he flew home again, this time to take the citizenship oath. So, he started his trip as a Dutch cyclist and will finish it as an American citizen. 

Posted 6/7/2022
By Susan Thompson 
Lake Panorama Times

New bathrooms at both Shady and Sunset beaches are ready for the 2022 summer season. The old bathrooms, which had been in place for decades, were demolished last fall by LPA maintenance staff. The mild fall allowed contractor Kane Powell to get much of the work done in November and December with completion this May.
The buildings feature poured concrete walls, concrete floors with one floor drain, and a 6-feet by 11-feet concrete slab in front of each door to better accommodate wheelchairs. The new bathrooms are one room, approximately 8-feet by 10-feet, unisex, and comply with federal regulations that require bathrooms to be accessible. Each has one stool and sink plus granite countertops for the sinks. Each also includes a foldup diaper changing station and a storage cabinet for supplies.
The concrete walls are painted inside and out, and the floors have an epoxy coating. Roofs are made of wooden trusses with corrugated steel covering. Each bathroom has an outside light on a photo cell that illuminates automatically after dark. The interiors have two ceiling lights that are motion-activated.
To finish off the outside area, Powell donated and installed landscaping blocks, rock and plants surrounding three sides of each building. He also donated, installed and watered sod to give it a good start before rains in late May took over that job.
These new bathrooms will be easier to maintain and offer users more space, updated features and better lighting. They are more attractive than the previous buildings. This LPA capital improvement project cost approximately $75,000 for the two bathrooms. 

Posted 6/7/2022
By Jolene Goodman

I look forward to the hot, steamy days of summer. I enjoy the sun beating down on my skin, the warmth of Mother Nature and time out in the fresh air boating, doing yard work, golfing, biking or going for a walk. As a kid, I remember eating watermelon slices down on the beach in the middle of the afternoon, with a casual competition of who could spit the seed the farthest. Dad was not too pleased with the tiny plants that produced about a week later. Our family also enjoyed plenty of the purchased fudgesicles, ice cream bars and bomp pops. Recently I came across this recipe for Pina Colada Sweet Potato Ice Pops, a tropical-inspired dessert made with coconut cream, sweet potatoes, fresh pineapple, lime juice and honey. Sure to please kids and adults alike, they’re a better-for-you option when a cold snack calls your name. As a “diabetes superfood,” according to the American Diabetes Association, sweet potatoes provide a main ingredient that’s rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber along with a “sweet” flavor without the added sugar.
Recipe courtesy of Family Features. Visit ncsweetpotatoes.com to find more delicious summer recipe ideas.

Jolene Goodman is the advertising director for Lake Panorama Times and vice president of Big Green Umbrella Media.

Pina Colada Sweet Potato Ice Pops

Prep time: 5 minutes
Freeze time: 3-4 hours
Yield: 8 small ice pops

1/2 cup coconut cream
3/4 cup mashed and cooked sweet potato
3/4 cup diced pineapple
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon lime juice
coconut flakes (optional)

Directions
In a food processor or high-speed blender, mix coconut cream, sweet potato, pineapple, honey and lime juice. Transfer batter to freezer molds.
Place in freezer 3-4 hours. Top with coconut flakes, if desired.

Posted 6/7/2022
By Susan Thompson 
Lake Panorama Times 

The fifth Friends of Lake Panorama’s Beach Ball fundraiser will be Friday, July 22 at Lake Panorama National. Plans include 30 round tables with seating for eight, either in the LPN banquet room or outside under tents. About 20 of those tables have been spoken for, with 10 remaining.
For the second year, attendees can become members of the Friends Beach Club at one of three levels. Friends Beach Club members make an additional contribution to Friends, while getting some extras. The levels are:
• Friends Beach Club - Premier: $700 — includes 1 Table Sponsorship; 8 Fund Raiser Dinner Tickets; 20 tickets in the 50/50 raffle; Name in the 2022 Beach Ball program
• Friends Beach Club - Sponsor: $150 — includes 1 Table Sponsorship; Name in the 2022 Beach Ball program
• Friends Beach Club - Couple: $250 — includes 2 Fund Raiser Dinner Tickets; 5 tickets in the 50/50 raffle; Name in the 2022 Beach Ball program
Dinner tickets are available at a cost of $50 each. Those interested in becoming a Friends Beach Club member, or purchasing just dinner tickets, can contact Susan Thompson, thomcomm@netins.net, or 515-240-6536. Those with auction items to donate also are asked to contact Thompson.
The 2022 Beach Ball will feature live music from Little Joe McCarthy. This is the third Beach Ball where McCarthy has provided live music in the outdoors setting. The singer, songwriter and musician is from the Omaha area and plays a mix of oldies, rock and country. Extra chairs will be available outside for those who have tables inside yet want to enjoy McCarthy’s music during social time.
There also will be a 50/50 raffle and both live and silent auctions. There will be three live auction items of particular interest to Iowa State University fans.
Jamie Pollard, ISU athletic director, who owns a Lake Panorama home with his wife Ellen, has offered a Cyclone Football package. It includes four tickets in the athletic director’s suite in the Jacobsen Building in the north end zone for the Sept. 24 ISU versus Baylor football game. This package also includes a parking pass, plus food and soft drinks during the game.
Two other items for ISU fans are a football signed by Coach Matt Campbell and a basketball signed by T.J. Otzelberger, both in display cases. These two items have been donated by Jay and Sue Merryman.
Another live auction item sure to generate some spirited bidding is the six-course gourmet dinner for six, offered by LPA members Bill and Karen Fitzgerald. Six wines will be paired with the six courses. The dinner would be served in the winning bidder’s home, prepared and served by the Fitzgeralds. At the 2021 Beach Ball, this dinner sold at live auction for $2,000.
For the silent auction, a wide selection of gift baskets, artwork, home décor items and gift cards will be available for bidding throughout the evening. The drawing for the 50/50 raffle winner will take place right before the live auction begins. The silent auction will end at the same time.
Registration will begin in the LPN dining room at 4:30 p.m. and run for one hour. Cash bars will be available both inside and outside beginning at 4:30 p.m. and running through the evening. The buffet dinner will be served in the Links bar beginning at 6 p.m.
Details on the 2022 Beach Ball, plus all past and current projects, are available on the Friends website. Friends of Lake Panorama also has a Facebook page.
Tax-deductible donations can be made at any time by check payable to Friends of Lake Panorama, and mailed to Friends of Lake Panorama, P.O. Box 488, Panora, Iowa, 50216. Donations also can be made through Venmo @Panorama-Friends, or by credit card on the Friends website at friendsoflakepanorama.org.

BEACH BALL PROCEEDS TO BENEFIT LAKE PANORAMA 

The 2021 Beach Ball raised $25,000. Those funds were used to complete the Lake Panorama dog park, purchase three swings for the Sunset Beach playground, and enhance an existing trail near Panorama West. The Sunset Beach swings were ordered last fall and should arrive sometime this summer. Work is in underway to finalize improvements to the Panorama West trail, and the dog park opens June 10.
Earlier Beach Balls provided funds for new playground equipment at all three of Lake Panorama’s beaches, and the sports courts at Boulder Beach.
The Friends of Lake Panorama board of directors will meet in August to determine how proceeds from the 2022 Beach Ball will be used. One likely recipient is a multi-use recreational project on Lake Panorama’s south shore that received approval from the LPA board of directors at its May 24 meeting.
Items in the recreational concept developed by Friends and approved by the LPA board include a disc golf course, walking trails, a fishing dock, bird and bat houses, and a small picnic shelter near the entrance to the golf course and trails. Friends will work with Fin and Feather and LPA staff to explore options for the fishing dock and bird and bat houses.
Another project approved by the LPA board in June 2021 that may receive some 2022 Beach Ball funding is a basketball half-court at Sunset Beach. Information on this project and the south shore multi-use recreational area will be available at the 2022 Beach Ball, and attendees will have the opportunity to make direct donations to these projects. 

Posted 6/7/2022
By Susan Thompson 
Lake Panorama Times 

The Lake Panorama dog park will open Friday, June 10. It will be open daylight hours only, seven days a week. The main entrance gate is locked and requires an access code. Park users must call LPA Security to request the code. The security officer will ask some basic questions, such as name, vehicle information, and breed and number of dogs. The LPA Security phone number is 641-757-9035.
Once inside the main gate, there are two separate gates that are not locked but should remain closed except when entering and exiting. The large dog area is for dogs at least 15 inches at shoulder height. Small dogs can be in the large dog area, but owners are reminded it is possible for a small dog to be injured by a large dog. The small dog area is limited to dogs less than 15 inches at shoulder height; larger dogs are prohibited. Signs including this information are on each of the three gates.
There are two signs near the main entrance gate. One is a list of rules for dog park users to follow; the other recognizes donors who gave $500 or more to make the dog park possible.
Bryce Arganbright of Arganbright Construction was hired to install a 6-foot-high chain link fence 400 feet long and 150 feet wide with a dividing fence to create the two sections. He also poured a concrete floor and built a shelter for the entrance gates. Crushed rock along the inside perimeter of the fence provides a walking path, a weed barrier and will keep dogs from digging near the fence.
Brandon Brehmer donated his time to seed and fertilize the fenced-in area last fall and again this spring. In late May, he applied a broadleaf weed control. He plans to overseed and aerate in the fall. The park will be mowed weekly as needed, but because of weather and variability of the LPA maintenance staff schedule, no specific day or time is set. If users arrive at the park when it is being mowed, they are asked to wait until mowing is complete.
In each section, there is a picnic table, two dog waste bag dispensers, one water bowl, and one receptacle for pet waste bags. The water bowls fill by pushing a button on the side; the water drains out over 90 seconds to avoid standing water.
Two sugar maple trees were planted last fall, donated by Larry and Heather Isom, who own Isom Tree Farm. If additional trees are desired, the Isoms have offered to donate one tree for each tree purchased with planting done in the fall.
The dog park is located at the corner of Sage Trail and East RV Road, near the east campground. There is a rocked parking area on the east end for users, rather than parking along the road or on the grass. The dog park was financed by $50,000 in donations through the Friends of Lake Panorama. 

Posted 6/7/2022
The Ten Squared Plus Men of Guthrie County recently presented a ceremonial check for $17,400 to the Guthrie Center Fire Department. The group was selected as the most recent winner. Accepting the check were, from the left: Gary McCool, Pierre Kellogg, Randy Sheeder, Chief Tom Langgaard, Dennis Flanery (who made the presentation to the group) and Chuck Cleveland.
The Fire Department plans to purchase a large generator for use in the fire hall. During a power outage, they will be able to utilize their facility as a warming center and to operate the doors and charging devices in a normal manner. 

Posted 6/7/2022
By Susan Thompson 
Lake Panorama Times

The 53rd annual meeting of the Lake Panorama Association was May 14 at the LPN conference center. About 90 people attended, representing 44 voting members. It was announced the LPA currently has a total membership of 1,728, with 10 of those inactive, because 2022 dues have not been paid.
A total of 504 ballots were counted regarding whether to approve the adoption of LPA’s Amended and Substituted Covenants and Restrictions. The ballot measure passed easily with 484 yes votes, and 20 no votes, for a 96% approval.
The covenants serve as the foundation of the LPA’s governing documents and are an essential piece of LPA’s organizational structure. The covenants were last adopted April 26, 2003, and must be renewed within 21 years. The updated covenants now will be filed in the office of the Guthrie County Recorder, and be in place until May 14, 2043.
A total of 495 ballots were cast in the election for three people to serve on the LPA board of directors. There were three people running for the three seats. New board members are Dennis Flanery, Mark Jorgensen and Dirk Westercamp.
Gary Evans, LPA board treasurer, provided the 2021 financial and audit report for the LPA and its subsidiary, LPN, LLC. The CPA firm of Meriwether, Wilson and Company conducted the LPA annual audit, reviewing financial statements and balance sheets from 2021 and 2020 of Lake Panorama Association and LPN, LLC.
Evans said the auditor’s report stated the financial statements, consolidated reports and consolidated cash flows for both entities were in order and that the methods used by staff to create the documents were in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards.
LPN, LLC reported an operating loss of $339,309 for 2021. Evans said LPN received a second federal Paycheck Protection Program loan in 2021, which was fully forgiven in the amount of $223,616. Once facility rent of $70,000 to LPA was booked, LPN showed a final net loss of $185,692.
LPA reported net income of $846,264 for 2021. Of that, $353,484 was for the yearly auditors’ adjustment for land sales expense. Evans said this is an accounting adjustment for tax purposes and does not represent new money coming into the organization. Copies of the auditor’s report are available at the LPA office.
Rich Schumacher, LPA board president, chaired the meeting. To open his president’s report, Schumacher thanked the many people who volunteer on four standing LPA committees, including water safety, building codes, land sales and appeals. He also recognized the four volunteers who counted ballots for the 2022 annual meeting.
“These volunteers don’t do this for their personal gain but rather because they know they are helping LPA members have a better experience here at Lake Panorama,” he said.
Schumacher reviewed two recent LPN, LLC projects. At the LPN, a new retaining wall was installed in the pond near the fifth hole. The second project was the removal of a total of 350 ash trees from the LPN and Panorama West golf courses. He reported the LPA has received the stump grinder that was ordered last fall, and work will begin soon to clear stumps on the two courses.
Turning to the LPA, Schumacher said the board takes a very serious look at the annual budget. “While each area of the staff looks at their numbers, projecting out needs for up to five years, the board considers the needs, and questions if it can wait or what is a priority,” he said.
For many years, the LPA board has been restricted by a past membership vote to raising annual dues no more than 5%.
“I’ve had members ask me to not increase the dues, and newer members say our dues are not high enough for what they receive,” Schumacher said. “When we looked at this year’s budget, we knew the 5% increase was necessary because of our increasing costs. That 5% increase will generate an additional $97,905.”
John Rutledge, LPA general manager and LPN, LLC director of operations, began his report with a look at the LPN.
“We have had some turnover in the food and beverage management team, which I know has been disappointing for our supporters,” he said. “I can assure you this has been disappointing for us, too. We are working with the LPA and LPN boards to review our approach to the food and beverage department.”
“Golf continues to perform well for us, with LPN memberships increasing by nine and Panorama West memberships increasing by four this year,” Rutledge said. “Overall, LPN, LLC is not a profitable subsidiary for LPA, but it’s also not a black hole. The LPA board continues to believe even though LPN is not a profit-producing investment, it continues to be an important benefit for LPA members.”
Currently, Rutledge is overseeing the LPN food and beverage department, and Royce Shaffer continues to manage everything else. Rutledge said the two of them welcome feedback on dining, golf or lodging experiences and have established a special email account for comments: feedback@lakepanorama.org
Shifting gears to the LPA, Rutledge said the annual seal-coating of LPA roads is “suffering from inflation. The 2022 cost will be $26,800 per mile, so we will treat about eight miles instead of the usual nine-and-a-half miles. Hopefully, material costs will come back down in 2023, closer to the $20,000 per mile range, and we’ll be able to increase the number of miles treated.”
Rutledge said the LPA Security department continues to play an important role for the association, covering water safety, land patrol, hunting management and other responsibilities.
“One item to highlight is the critical importance of invasive species rule enforcement,” he said. “Members who travel with their boats must comply to ensure the health of Lake Panorama into the future. This also applies to any used docks or lifts that are purchased from other bodies of water. We occasionally receive some pushback on this topic, but we stand firm. The lake is the lifeblood of this community, and we must do our part to avoid the negative impact of invasive species.”
Rutledge said the new water plant is functioning as designed, and almost all feedback from members has been “extremely positive.” He encouraged anyone who feels the water quality coming into their home isn’t what it should be to contact LPA.
A water main crossing at Sunset Beach is scheduled to be replaced this year at a cost of around $600,000. A similar main in Burchfield Cove failed in the winter of 2020 and had to be replaced on short notice. Rutledge said replacing the Sunset Beach main is “part of the natural process of replacing assets that are 50 years old.”
The lake dam undergoes an extensive review every five years, in addition to annual inspections, with the five-year review done recently. This was the first time a company was hired to send a diver underwater for a thorough inspection of the dam and components.
“The initial assessment is very good, considering our dam is 50 years old,” Rutledge said. “As with everything, there is a heightened sense of awareness as dams increase in age. We expect some routine repairs will be needed in the concrete portions of the dam. The cylinders and the bascule gate all are in good condition.”
Rutledge said the dog park, funded by donors through Friends of Lake Panorama, would open in June. He said past projects led by Friends, including playground equipment at all three beaches and the sports courts at Boulder Beach, are much appreciated and used regularly. He thanked the Friends board and all donors who have helped support the Lake Panorama community with these recreational amenities.
Next Rutledge turned his attention to the Lake Panorama Rural Improvement Zone (RIZ). Expansion of the 180th Trail Basin is underway, and will be used for sediment storage once the current basin is full. A new wetland to help protect water quality flowing into Burchfield Cove is planned with construction hopefully underway this fall. A second wetland, also designed to help protect Burchfield Cove, is held up because of a conflict with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. An onsite meeting was planned with Corps officials for the following week in an attempt to iron out differences.
Rutledge said dredging being done this spring in the Narrows would end before Memorial Day weekend. The dredge crew then will turn its attention to assessing coves and spot dredging.
Plans to rip rap the south shore are being made with the RIZ board requiring a signed contract that LPA will retain it as green space for at least 15 years. Rutledge said the project cost could exceed $750,000.
“We’re hopeful this work can be done this fall, but material supplies and fuel costs both are creating concerns about this tight timeline,” Rutledge said.
RIZ is projected to receive $3 million in revenues in the 2022-23 fiscal year.
“LPA dues generate about $2 million annually,” Rutledge said. “If we had to come up with $3 million annually to do the dredging and water quality projects now funded by RIZ, it would be very difficult. Even though that $3 million comes from LPA member-paid property taxes, without RIZ, we know that money wouldn’t all be coming back to us, it would be shifted elsewhere.”
Shortly after the LPA annual meeting adjourned, the LPA board of directors convened a special meeting to elect officers for the coming year. A slate of officers was nominated, and elected unanimously to take office upon adjournment of the special meeting. LPA board officers now are Rich Schumacher, president; Emily Donovan, vice president; David Finneseth, secretary; and Dennis Flanery, treasurer. n

Posted 5/10/2022
By Susan Thompson 
Lake Panorama Times

An opportunity to see featured landscaping and gardens along Lake Panorama’s shoreline is planned for Wednesday, June 29. The Panora Garden Club is hosting this fundraiser to continue the many projects club members conduct to beautify the community.
Guests will remain onboard for a lake tour that will begin at the Boulder Beach docks and last 60 to 75 minutes. Boats will leave each hour from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with room for about 20 participants during each time slot. Refreshments will be available, and some vendors present at Boulder Beach for participants to visit before and after their boat tour.
Signs along the tour route will highlight the gardens and landscaping of Panora Garden Club members. Maps marking the coves will be distributed.
Tickets cost $20 each and will go on sale May 22. Call and leave a message or text 641-431-1440 with requests for number of tickets and desired time slot. Tickets must be paid for in advance of the tour date. Arrangements for payment and ticket pick-up or delivery will be made once your message has been received.
A rain date of Thursday, June 30 has been set. If the tour needs to be moved to that day, tour times will remain as originally set. If weather prevents this event, money paid for tickets will be considered a donation to the Panora Garden Club.

Posted 5/10/2022
By Jolene Goodman

As the summer draws close, I am starting to prepare for the weekends when we will have guests at the lake. Experimenting as a cook has not been a focus for me for years.  However, pleasing my guests with interesting meals has me researching new recipes. I tried this one out on our staff a few weeks ago. It was a bigger hit than my standard cheese and sausage egg dish! I made it again this past weekend and invited our neighbors, Becky and Brian Peppmeier and Ron Masek,  for brunch.  The dish received praises again. Give it a try!  It will be sure to please your crowd, too.

Jolene Goodman is the advertising director for Lake Panorama Times and vice president of Big Green Umbrella Media.

Roasted vegetable egg dish

2-3 cups broccoli, chopped
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 yellow onion, diced
8 oz. mushrooms
1 red pepper, diced
12 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 garlic clove minced
3 tbsp olive oil
1 cup (or more) mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly coat 2 large baking sheets and 9x13 with nonstick spray. Set 9x13 aside.
Place vegetables in a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss.
Spread veggies on 2 baking sheets evenly. Roast for 20 minutes, tossing vegetables and turning pans occasionally for even cooking. Place one pan of veggies into 9x13. Reduce oven to 350.
Beat together eggs, milk, garlic and iItalian seasoning. Pour this over veggies in 9x13, slowly.
Add remaining pan of veggies over this, arranging evenly in pan. Sprinkle cheese over top.
Bake 35-40 minutes or until casserole no longer jiggles when you shake it and is golden brown.  Enjoy!

Posted 5/10/2022
By Susan Thompson 
Lake Panorama Times

This issue of the Lake Panorama Times includes Michael C. Woody’s sixth column offering his opinions on recent movies. Woody has been reviewing movies on radio and television stations since 1986, but this column is the first time his reviews have appeared in print.
“I’ve always loved the movies. While working at a Des Moines cable company in the mid-1980s, I finagled a short movie review segment that ran locally on CNN Headline News,” Woody says. “That started my 35-year hobby of reviewing movies in central Iowa on several radio stations and an occasional TV outlet. I’ve worked with radio personalities from Marty Tirrell at KXTK to Steve Deace at WHO Radio.”
Currently, Woody can be heard talking movies with Keith Murphy and Andy Fales on KXnO 106.3 on Wednesday afternoons at 2:30 p.m.
He and his wife, Sue, live in Des Moines full-time and also have a home at Lake Panorama. This will be their seventh summer at the lake.
“We found our lake home thanks to Dr. Al Swett and his wife, Lisa, who live two doors away from us on Big Rock Cove,” Woody says. “Al and I were fraternity brothers at Iowa. We had been out to visit them many times when one of their neighbors listed their home for sale.”
Sue Woody is director of the Des Moines Library. Mike Woody has been in the advertising business since 1982. He owns what he calls a “boutique” advertising agency, named Capital Ideas. He has 15 to 20 local accounts, including the Iowa Cubs, Iowa State Bank, Goode Greenhouses, Iowa Radiology, K Renee, Wilson Toyota and more. He writes, produces and places all advertising campaigns for his clients.
Woody grew up in Peoria, Illinois, but his family moved to Sioux City when he was a sophomore in high school, so he claims Sioux City as his hometown.
“I attended the University of Iowa, wandering from pre-med to journalism, before settling on English with an emphasis on creative writing,” he says. “It’s ironic. I took a film criticism class and remember being told by the instructor that I had no future as a film reviewer.” 
Sue Woody was born and raised in Des Moines. She attended Lincoln High School and was a business major at the University of Iowa. The couple met in Des Moines at a wedding shower at her aunt’s house, where Mike and her cousin Dave had crashed while searching for their first jobs.
While Woody’s column includes reviews of movies that can be seen both on streaming services and in theaters, he’s not a big fan of watching streamed movies.
“In my opinion, all movies should be shown on the largest screen possible with a great sound system,” he says. “In Des Moines, that is the IMAX screen at the Palms Theatre in Waukee, just 15 minutes from my home and only 30 minutes from Lake Panorama.”
Asked to list his all-time favorite movie, Woody says that’s a moving target.
“My top three would always include ‘Casablanca’ and ‘The Godfather Part 2,’ ” he says. “The third film could be ‘Blade Runner,’ ‘Chinatown,’ ‘The Exorcist’ or ‘Pulp Fiction,’ depending on the day.”
Mike and Sue have two grown sons, Tom and Jack, a feisty Fox Terrier named Buster, and two cats they adopted two years ago from a Lake Panorama resident.
While it’s too early to say if and when the couple someday will live full-time at Lake Panorama, Woody sees it as a good possibility. But it’s not necessarily the lake that will pull them in.
“I admit I’m not really fond of boating, but I have found lake life growing on me more and more each year,” Woody says. “I’m the weird guy who enjoys the winter months almost more than summer. I enjoy the peace and quiet in the dead of winter. If my work gets overwhelming, I throw it all in my car and spend a few days at the lake.”
One thing is sure. Woody will continue watching movies and share his insights and recommendations with others. 

Posted 5/10/2022
By Susan Thompson 
Lake Panorama Times 

Docks on Lake Panorama are governed by a State of Iowa law passed in 2008. Management of the program falls under the jurisdiction of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
Jeremy King is the Iowa DNR conservation officer for Guthrie and Audubon counties. King grew up in Guthrie County and has been an Iowa DNR conservation officer since 2004. In this month’s Q&A, King reviews the rules and regulations for docks, as these impact Lake Panorama owners.

Q. Explain the reasons for the state law regarding dock permits and how this applies to Lake Panorama.
A. The intent of this law is to have a numbering system on the water like there is on land. This law also provides guidance on distance from property lines, how big docks can be, how many slips are allowed, and other things. Lake Panorama is a unique lake that provides private access to public water. Since the water is public, docks need to be registered. This is to help locate houses, or to provide an E911 address in case of an emergency, should it happen on land or on the water, so emergency crews can respond to the location faster.

Q. What are the various classes of docks, and which are most common on Lake Panorama?
A. There are four classes of docks. Generally, the only ones that affect residents of Lake Panorama are Class I and Class III. Class I docks are standard private docks that can have one dock with up to two hoists. There are additional restrictions on the size and configurations that can be used. There is no cost for a Class I permit, but it must be renewed every five years.
Class III docks typically are docks that don’t fall under Class I. The Class III permit application fee is $125 for one or more individual private docks. Each dock permit is issued for a term of five years unless a shorter term is needed due to specified circumstances. Here is an online link to the exact language regarding docks and how it may apply to your situation: www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/iac/chapter/03-18-2015.571.16.pdf

Q. If someone is new to Lake Panorama and putting in a new dock/lift, what do they need to do to get their first permit? 
A. The best way is to go to www.iowadnr.gov/boatdocks. You will have to create a user name and password. Once you have done that and are logged in, it will walk you through the process of renewing, updating or initially registering a dock.
If someone purchases a home or lot and the dock/lift comes with the purchase, the dock permit is automatically transferable to the new owner of the shoreline property upon request of the new owner.

Q. What about Lake Panorama property owners who may have had a dock for quite a while but never gotten the necessary permit? 
A. They need to go to the DNR online link provided in the last answer and get the dock registered. Failure to comply could result in being cited to court and a fine. I have been patrolling Lake Panorama for more than 14 years, and since the inception of the dock laws, unregistered docks have been a growing problem. With over 800 docks on the lake, and new construction going up daily, it is hard for me to keep up with all unregistered docks.
There are enough docks now that are not in compliance that action is needed. For property owners who have docks that are not in compliance, they have until July 1, 2022, to get everything that way. After that date, citations may be issued.

Q. Do dock owners receive notification when their dock permit is about to expire?
A. Dock permits are to be renewed every five years, which is based on the date it was originally permitted, so the dates differ for each dock owner. If an email is on file for the dock owner, an email reminder is sent out. If there is no email, then a letter is mailed. Dock owners can begin renewing their permits on Dec. 15 of their renewal year.

Q When it is time to renew, what should the dock owner do?
A. To renew permits, dock owners need to log on to www.iowadnr.gov/boatdocks to access their account and renew their permit. They will need their A&A Account ID (or user name) and password to access their account. If they don’t remember their information, they will have to follow the prompts on the screen to recover it, or call the help desk at (515) 281-5703 for assistance. 
Once in the system, users can renew their permit from the account home page. Users can always call the DNR district office located at Cold Springs State Park near Lewis and ask for Holly at 712-769-2400 and she can assist in renewing their permit, once they are in the system. Holly cannot help them with IT or login issues. Holly can help most people over the phone if they are having trouble accessing or renewing their permit.

Q. Any final thoughts?
 A. Swim platforms also need to be registered and can be done in the same manner as docks. Here is what Chapter 16 says about permit criteria for rafts, platforms, or other structures: “A raft, platform, or other structure maintained on a public water body requires authorization in a permit. The raft, platform, or other structure may not be placed more than 250 feet from the shoreline, shall be equipped with reflectors that are visible from approaching boats, and shall be subject to the winter removal requirement unless specifically exempted by the permit.”
These need their own registration and signage, along with reflectors on all sides. This would include inflatable rafts people leave in the water. Some of the common ones we see at lakes are giant flamingos and swans — those technically would have to be permitted if they are left in the water overnight. We have had people leave these in the middle of lakes, and boats run into them when it is dark. That is why there are distance and reflector requirements.
Dock and swim platform signs with the address must face out toward the middle of the body of water. There are a number of them that are facing down the bank and are hard to find or see.
It’s important to make sure you are getting the correct dock permit based on the number of slips, size of your dock, and other things. There are some docks that have a Class I permit but should be a Class III because they have too many slips. Those will need to be brought into the correct class.
I recommend reviewing the DNR website link provided earlier to get caught up on all the dock rules and regulations. Anyone with questions can contact me either by phone at 712-250-0061 or email at jeremy.king@dnr.iowa.gov.