Hi Cheryl—thank you for a very interesting read. Here in Winterset, where I serve on the board of directors for the nonprofit Iowa Theater, we made the decision (perhaps not wise from a financial standpoint) NOT to screen Twisters, because of the damage and loss of life in Madison County in 2021 and Greenfield, in adjacent Adair County.
Thanks, Marianne. I think your decision was responsible. The storm chasers depicted in the film derive entirely too much of an adrenaline rush to make it a comfortable experience for this movie-goer. They did help out victims (in a superficial way), but what people in Winterset and Greenfield and other communities have endured would make this film a hurtful reminder.
Grandma's Taylor County cellar always had spiders and at least one snake--made it memorable 70+ years later. A weather junkie, I stand by the door and watch, headed for the basement at the last minute. Only once have I heard the rural septic toilets bubbling.
Ha! Yes, I failed to mention the spiders in the cellar! How could I forget. I will check with my siblings on the snake sightings (although in the dark, we might not have noticed). I know there were snakes in Grandma's Ice House.
I enjoyed this column. I have seen funnel clouds on several occasions and remember my parents ordering my siblings and me to the basement in our house on the farm on a number of occasions, but we never suffered a direct hit on the house.
Thanks, John! Fortunately, the homes I've lived in have been spared. But the idea of having precious belongings/keepsakes/photo scattered across Iowa terrifies me!
Wow! Back in the day of the Jordan tornado (1977??) the alarm went off in Ogden . So instead of going into the basement I went to the Hiway 30 overpass with my camera. (I was just starting my business.) Anyway, as I was up on the overpass the funnel came down about 2/3 of a mile to the south.
A car was going south on 169 just as it touched down in front of him. He hit the brakes and made a U-turn and quickly sped away. I cannot imagine how scared the driver probably was.
Anyway, a photo got published in the Ogden Reporter, and I got some notoriety ... maybe for a great photo and being pretty stupid.
BTW .... when I was going to college at ISU the mobile home court where I was living got hit twice in 3 years. The closest was 5 mobile homes rolled on to their sides. Fortunately nobody was hurt, even though there were 4 babies in these homes. Just blind, dumb ass luck for all of us.
Thanks, George. Yes, I've heard many stories about the Jordan tornado. Sounds like you were lucky to escape. Mobile homes are vulnerable – it's a wonder they're allowed in tornado alley!
The mobile homes that got rolled were literally across the street .... maybe 30-40 feet away. And yes, they do sound like trains.
Twister is one of my all time favorite movies. “How was it, Jo?” “Windy.”
“Dusty, why don’t you tell Melissa why you are the way you are?” I also loved the music throughout that movie.
Thanks for taking us on this trip down memory lane and for sharing the interesting back stories. I will have to go see Twisters now!
Thanks, Jim. I'd be interested in hearing your review of it. I had a few other thoughts, but they would have added too much length to this column!
Hi Cheryl—thank you for a very interesting read. Here in Winterset, where I serve on the board of directors for the nonprofit Iowa Theater, we made the decision (perhaps not wise from a financial standpoint) NOT to screen Twisters, because of the damage and loss of life in Madison County in 2021 and Greenfield, in adjacent Adair County.
Thanks, Marianne. I think your decision was responsible. The storm chasers depicted in the film derive entirely too much of an adrenaline rush to make it a comfortable experience for this movie-goer. They did help out victims (in a superficial way), but what people in Winterset and Greenfield and other communities have endured would make this film a hurtful reminder.
Cheryl, remind me next time we’re together to tell you a story about Helen Hunt.
Ha! Ok!
Grandma's Taylor County cellar always had spiders and at least one snake--made it memorable 70+ years later. A weather junkie, I stand by the door and watch, headed for the basement at the last minute. Only once have I heard the rural septic toilets bubbling.
Ha! Yes, I failed to mention the spiders in the cellar! How could I forget. I will check with my siblings on the snake sightings (although in the dark, we might not have noticed). I know there were snakes in Grandma's Ice House.
I enjoyed this column. I have seen funnel clouds on several occasions and remember my parents ordering my siblings and me to the basement in our house on the farm on a number of occasions, but we never suffered a direct hit on the house.
Thanks, John! Fortunately, the homes I've lived in have been spared. But the idea of having precious belongings/keepsakes/photo scattered across Iowa terrifies me!
Wow! Back in the day of the Jordan tornado (1977??) the alarm went off in Ogden . So instead of going into the basement I went to the Hiway 30 overpass with my camera. (I was just starting my business.) Anyway, as I was up on the overpass the funnel came down about 2/3 of a mile to the south.
A car was going south on 169 just as it touched down in front of him. He hit the brakes and made a U-turn and quickly sped away. I cannot imagine how scared the driver probably was.
Anyway, a photo got published in the Ogden Reporter, and I got some notoriety ... maybe for a great photo and being pretty stupid.
BTW .... when I was going to college at ISU the mobile home court where I was living got hit twice in 3 years. The closest was 5 mobile homes rolled on to their sides. Fortunately nobody was hurt, even though there were 4 babies in these homes. Just blind, dumb ass luck for all of us.
Thanks, George. Yes, I've heard many stories about the Jordan tornado. Sounds like you were lucky to escape. Mobile homes are vulnerable – it's a wonder they're allowed in tornado alley!