The Sioux City Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center (“the Center”) announces the schedule of events to be held on its campus the week of July 31.
This week’s feature event is a presentation on “The Heritage of the Loess Hills” by Rich Pope on August 1. As part of its Tuesdays for You series, the Center will stay open until 7:00 that evening, and Pope’s program is scheduled from 5:30 to 6:30. Admission is free.
As a volunteer at the Center, Pope is a familiar presence to the staff there, and they are continually astonished by the range of his interests and the depth of his knowledge on an array of topics. Serendipitously, these topics often have a strong connection to the types of programming in which the Center specializes: historical, cultural and educational. He has a longstanding fascination with the Lewis and Clark Expedition that goes back to his youth, when his 4-H Club meetings were held at an historic Lewis and Clark campsite on the banks of Badger Lake in Monona County.
Pope, now retired, spent most of his career as an extension agronomist in Integrated Pest Management at Iowa State University in Ames. During his last four years of work, he transferred to Logan, Ia., to become a County Extension Coordinator there. He stays busy now judging 4-H exhibits at county fairs and acting as a superintendent for the Iowa State Fair. He also:
- is the zoning administrator for Sloan and a sexton at the Sloan cemetery,
- for 28 years has kept stats for Iowa State basketball and football teams, and
- serves on the Western Iowa Research Farm Association Board.
All of this in addition to being the current Chair of the Loess Hills Alliance, the position that led him to collaborate with the Center to bring its guests his wealth of knowledge on this unique Iowa feature. Within two minutes of the start of a conversation on the topic, Center staff learned:
- Loess is correctly pronounced “Luss.”
- Loess is a specific geological structure formed by blowing dust, in Iowa’s case, that of the Missouri River Valley.
- To be considered a “loess hill,” the loess formation must be at least 60 feet high.
- The Iowa legislature established the Loess Hills Alliance in 1999 to preserve the unique land formations, promote tourism and protect the rights of Loess Hills landowners.
This is just a taste of the treat that Pope’s full presentation at the Center promises to be. Admission is free and all are encouraged to attend.
This week, the Center takes a short break between its summer and fall children’s programming. From Sept. 2 through Dec. 16 it will resume its kids’ classes and activities with a fun and educational series called “Adventure Saturdays.”
The week ends on Sunday, August 6, with a 2:00 performance by Crabgrass in the Betty Strong Encounter Center auditorium. The classic country trio combines Western music styles and covers hits by artists including Patsy Cline, Willie Nelson, Bob Wills, Loretta Lynn, and the Carter family. Admission is free and a reception follows the program.
