~courtesy of The Scranton Journal
Mile after mile two college sophomores from the University of Nebraska are traveling around the state of Iowa with plans to visit and document all 939 incorporated cities in the Hawkeye State. Following two trips last week, the duo is well on their way to reaching their goal.
Seth Varner and Austin Schneider are adding miles to their vehicles as they explore and document each town they encounter along the way.
On Wednesday, the pair crossed the Missouri River early in the morning with 21 stops on their agenda.
Their first visit was in Vail, followed by Westside, Arcadia, Breda, Lidderdale, Lanesboro, Churdan, Jefferson, Scranton, Ralston, Glidden, Carroll, Willey, Dedham, Coon Rapids, Bayard, Bagley, Jamaica, Yale and Panora with the final stop of the day as the sun was setting in Guthrie Center.
Visiting every town in the state is old hat to the pair. When the pandemic hit last year, they found their college life and experiences drastically changed. They decided that to fill their hours they would explore the towns and history of their home state of Nebraska.
Varner commented the trips around the state and visiting each city had been a goal of his since he was a child. He asked his life-long friend, Schneider, to join him.
They documented their journey in Nebraska on a website, visit531nebraska.com, as well as on Facebook. They also published a 431-page paperback book, Visit 531 Nebraska.
The positive response to their journey surprised them so they decided to do it again, this time across the border in Iowa.
“Iowa was kind of an after-thought,” explained Varner to the Creston News Advertiser. “After we finished Nebraska people said, ‘Hey that would make a great coffee table book.’ So many people said that so we just went for it.”
They have added the opportunity for sponsors, Iowa Love, using a GoFundMe account. They continue to be amazed by the goodwill extended to them along the way, both in person and online. They are frequently gifted with goodies and souvenirs.
Two points of interest the duo always check out are the courthouses and Freedom Rocks in each county.
Their Facebook posts include basic information about each town including population, county and brief history. They find a location in the community where the town name is printed and snap a photo of themselves.
They also have a stuffed traveling companion: the Energizer Bunny who is frequently photographed with them.
Their information can be found on Facebook at Visit939Iowa
They hope to publish an Iowa book in the fall.
In Jefferson, their stop included a trip to the top of Mahanay Tower.
“Thank you to all of the ladies who opened up the Mahanay Bell Tower in Jefferson for us and gave us some history lessons regarding the city of Jefferson!” wrote Varner on Facebook following the conclusion of the daylong travels. “I’m glad that we caught y’all and were able to get a scenic overlook of the city and several surrounding counties. We also appreciate you gifting us the snow globe, shirt, keychain, and souvenir pennies!”
KCCI also joined the entourage in Lanesboro, Churdan and Jefferson. Reporter Eric Hanson and photographer Glen Biermann filmed a story that was slated for the air May 10-14.
“The Dairy Mart in Glidden treated us to some of their lemon ice cream and their scrumptious food! To our surprise, the owner of the establishment informed us that Steve Kendall, a city worker, had stopped in earlier that morning to let the owners know we were coming, and he covered our meal in advance,” added Varner.
“We met Charles Nixon, his wife, and his golden retriever at Coon Rapids Enterprise! Thank you for including us in your local paper and for the Garst Farm history lesson,” continued Varner.
“Thank you to the people of Bayard, and in particular Cheryl Hebing Eischeid, for giving us a wonderful surprise as we rolled into town! There were signs all throughout town welcoming our arrival and pointing us towards the local library, where we were treated to some refreshments and some goody bags.” wrote Varner. “Thank you Cheryl for notifying everyone of our arrival and to everyone else for taking the time out of their day to talk to us!
“Mayor Ruth Riley, the majority of the city council, city maintenance, and a couple local business owners met us at the Badd Bones Gallery & Studio in Bagley,” shared Varner. “Thank you for supporting our trip with some donations and for showing us your incredible art studio, sculpture garden, and party bus!”
Another trip last weekend through southwest Iowa boosted their total to 170 towns so they are approaching the 20 percent mark of their journey.
“For the next two weeks, I have daily training at UNO for my position as a resident assistant next year. My brother’s high school graduation is also this weekend so our next trip won’t be until May 22,” wrote Varner on the blog. “After comparing our busy, busy summer schedules, it’s looking like almost every trip from here on out is going to be an overnight trip. After RA training I’m going to take this two-week ‘break’ to plan several multi-day trips throughout the summer. If you thought things were crazy already, just wait until these overnighters begin!”
