Chris and Jaimie Wadle own a 1963 Corvair and a 1966 Chevelle. 

 

Annual pontoon tour fundraiser will be replaced by cinnamon rolls freewill donations during RAGBRAI.

By Susan Thompson | Lake Panorama Times

The 40-member Panora Garden Club held its first meeting of 2026 on April 13 at the Panorama West golf course clubhouse. Before the meeting, about 15 club members met that morning to clean around the outside of the clubhouse. 

They cleared leaves and dead foliage from the rain garden along the southeast corner of the clubhouse parking lot. Leaves and other winter debris was removed from around the clubhouse and the outdoor kiosk. Evergreen trees, shrubs and roses were trimmed. 

Dead roses in a landscaped bed near the flagpole were dug out and peonies were planted there. Some perennials donated by Ron Eike were planted in other locations.  

Tom Schmidt, husband of club member Linda Schmidt, provided a vehicle and trailer for the cleanup effort. He made several trips to the LPA brush and compost facilities with the winter debris club members gathered.

After the cleanup work was done, club members held their 2026 kickoff meeting and lunch in the clubhouse community room. 

 

CELEBRATING RAGBRAI

During the April 13 business meeting, the group decided not to hold its annual pontoon tour of Lake Panorama this year. Instead, funds will be raised by handing out cinnamon rolls in exchange for freewill donations on Tuesday, July 21, as RAGBRAI bike riders roll through Panora. 

Guthrie Center is the overnight town July 20. The next morning, riders will head east on Highway 44 to Panora. The garden club will have a stand near their petunia trees in front of the gazebo. As riders stop for cinnamon rolls, club members will offer to take photos of them with the colorful petunia trees. 

The popular Lake Panorama pontoon rides will return in 2027 as the group’s major fundraiser. 

The Panora Garden Club has an annual budget of $3,000 with all but $500 of that spent this year on petunias. Remaining funds are used to cover the cost of operating the water cart and other smaller projects. Club members use the cart to water the pots in the petunia trees, plus the 41 street pots. The task of watering the petunias takes about an hour. 

The Panora Garden Club is a 501 (c)3 nonprofit charity, so donations are tax deductible, and welcomed. 

 

PETUNIAS, PETUNIAS

On April 14, club members gathered at Panorama Gardens to plant petunias in the 42 pots that are used to create petunia trees near the gazebo on Panora’s town square. On April 28, the pots were loaded into the metal tree stands. 

“We did something new this year to make the planting easier and more consistent,” JoAnn Johnson, who co-chairs the garden club with Paulette Chambers, said. “We had circular boards the same size as the pots made, with holes cut out for each of the three varieties of petunias we are using this year. These were pressed into the soil already in the pot, and club members planted into the cutout areas.”

The three varieties of petunias used this year are Vista Bubblegum Pink, Sumo Plum and Mini Vista White. In early May, 41 large blue street pots were planted with the same mix of petunias.

 

TOWN SQUARE CLEANUP, SEED LIBRARY

On April 21, a dozen Panora Garden Club members gathered in downtown Panora to clean winter debris from around the Panora Public Library and the Panora Community Center. 

“The library made a donation to help the club buy our water cart,” Johnson said. “We cleanup around the library and community center each spring to thank the library for their donation, plus as a community service to beautify the area.” 

Near the northeast corner of the Panora Library is the club’s seed library, which was built by volunteer Steve Brannan and installed last spring. The seed library is based on the Little Free Library concept, which involves installing a wooden box in a public area so people can take a book or leave a book. 

The library was stocked in mid-April with 450 packets of seed, split evenly between flowers and vegetables. Users are asked to take only what they will plant, and no more than four packets of flower seeds and four packets of vegetable seeds. 

There is a notebook in the library where patrons are asked to write their name and what seeds they took. This helps club members as they restock and also shows what types of seeds are most popular. The notebook also can be used for general comments or suggestions of seeds users would like added to the library. 

“We also encourage people to donate seeds, whether homegrown or purchased,” Johnson said. “We ask donors to label their seeds with variety and any other pertinent information.”

While the seed library is established on the honor system, there is a camera aimed at the box for security purposes.

NEW MEMBERS WELCOME

The Panora Garden Club is an all-volunteer organization that welcomes new members. The club typically meets monthly from spring through fall, works to beautify the City of Panora with street pots and petunia trees, and cares for the area around the library, community building and Heritage Park. Those interested in joining can leave their contact information at the Panora library, talk to a current club member or get more information from the club’s Facebook page.

 

Jonathan Montpas has more than 100 train cars.

By Susan Thompson | Lake Panorama Times

Toy trains have been a popular Christmas gift for decades. When Jonathan Montpas was 3 years old, he received a toy train for Christmas. While that may be his first memory of trains, that wasn’t the only thing that led him to a lifelong interest in trains. 

“I grew up around trains,” Montpas says. “My father and uncles worked for the railroads, as did three generations of men in my family before them. My great-great-great-grandfather started working for the railroad in the 1870s, and each generation after him were railroaders.” 

His father worked for the Chicago and North Western most of his career before retiring with Union Pacific. 

“I was always around trains,” Montpas says. “Often there were times when my dad would pick me up at one station, and I could ride with him on the train. Later, my mom would pick me up at another station.” 

There also was a train in his backyard. 

“The train was originally an amusement ride at Riverview Park in Marshalltown,” Montpas says. “Dad purchased it from the city in the mid-1970s when they no longer wanted it. It was a train I could ride in. Someone, usually my dad, sat in the engine and drove the train. It was on a loop track around our yard in Marshalltown.” 

Throughout Montpas’ childhood, he received more model trains and tracks. 

“I had a pretty good setup in our basement,” he says. “But once I was a teenager, I sort of lost interest. Eventually, my parents packed it all up in apple boxes. “ 

As with most parent-child relationships, eventually Montpas’ parents asked him to take his trains collection. 

“I picked up the boxes, and moved them each time I moved,” Jonathan says. 

 

Caught the lake bug

Jonathan and Beth Montpas have owned property on Lake Panorama’s west side for 10 years.

Jonathan grew up in Marshalltown and graduated from Iowa State University. He spent his career in digital marketing, and is now retired. Beth grew up in Osage and graduated from the University of Iowa. She had a long career in sales and now works as a life coach. They married in 2012. 

Between them, they have six adult children, two grandchildren and one grandchild on the way. 

They had an off-shore home for four years until the waterfront home across the street came up for sale. They have been there for six years and were part-timers until this March when they sold their Des Moines condo and moved to the lake fulltime. 

Beth says they settled on a home at Lake Panorama, after catching the “lake bug. We considered Clear Lake and Lake Viking, but then we found Lake Panorama,” she says. “We decided being close to our part-time home would allow us to spend more time at our lake home. We’re also bikers, and we found we could ride our bikes from our home in Des Moines to our home here. That’s not something we could have done with other locations.” 

The couple says they wanted a lake home for themselves but also as a magnet to get their adult children and grandchildren to visit. 

“That’s working well,” Beth says, with a smile. “We also have lots of friends in the Des Moines area who love to ride their bikes to visit us. Some will ride all the way to our house on the west side. Sometimes we pick them up at the marina with our pontoon.”     

 

Rekindling the love of trains

In 2020, the isolation of COVID gave Montpas the time and motivation to rekindle his love for all things train-related.

“We were stuck inside our Des Moines condo. I decided it was time to set-up my trains in the basement,” he says. “I started with a sheet of plywood and the 20 to 30 train cars I had as a child. Then, through the magic of eBay, I just kept going.” 

Montpas’ model train setup uses O gauge track, which is typically 1:48 scale. Working in his condo basement, he developed an elaborate layout of trains, tracks, buildings, landscapes, venues and more. 

Three years ago, the couple had a detached garage built near their waterfront home. Last year, as they made plans to sell their condo and move to Lake Panorama fulltime, an addition was added to the garage. 

“We built this specifically to house my train setup,” Jonathan says. 

“At Christmas time, we hosted neighbors for an unveiling,” says Beth. “There are lots of lights incorporated into the layout, so it’s great to turn off the lights in the room at night. We served Polar Expresso martinis and had a lot of fun showing off the trains.” 

 

A personal connection

Montpas says he now has more than 100 train cars. There are three separate trains that operate on the tracks. Not all can run at the same time because some portions of track are shared between trains. One train is pulled by a steam engine, which produces smoke as it chugs along.

“I’ve incorporated things in the layout that are specific to my life,” Jonathan says. “I lived in Chicago for a while, so one section of track is elevated, like the L train tracks there.” 

There is a small sign near a section of track that says Otis. 

“It wasn’t a town; it was an area outside of Cedar Rapids where several railroad tracks crossed,” Jonathan says. “My grandparents lived there when my dad was growing up. The house was owned by the railroad where my grandfather worked. They rented the house for $5 a month.”  

Foam is used to create a base for most sections of track. Montpas uses a knife to cut the foam to the needed size and shape and glue to connect pieces. Green paint is applied to make the foam look like grass. Trees and grass are found throughout the layout, some created, some purchased.

In addition to the massive model train layout, a connected shelf with track is mounted on all four walls near the ceiling. A fourth train runs on that track. 

“This truly is a creative outlet for Jonathan,” Beth says. “You can think of the trains as just toys. But to him, there is a deeper meaning, with the family legacy of many generations working the railroads. The train layout showcases his attention to detail. And other items throughout the room are here because they are reminders of his family.” 

For instance, that first train engine Jonathan received as a child is tucked inside a special display box. Nearby is a pocket watch his great grandfather used when he worked on the railroad. 

 

Trains and traveling

Jonathan’s interest in trains goes beyond his model railroad layout and family memorabilia. He also simply enjoys trains. 

The couple spends two months each winter in Arizona, where they always find time to visit the McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park in Scottsdale. The park includes a train people can ride, a railroad museum and a 10,000-square-foot model railroad building.  

They recently drove to Cheyenne, Wyoming, to see the world’s largest steam locomotive. There were just 25 Big Boy locomotives built in the early 1940s. Eight remain in existence today, with the one based in Cheyenne being the only one still operational. Union Pacific, which owns the steam engine, has announced a coast-to-coast tour of the United States this year to celebrate the country’s 250th anniversary. 

“Besides going to see Big Boy, we haven’t taken any trips specifically to see trains or ride train rides. But I see that in our future,” Jonathan says. 

For now, Jonathan isn’t planning to expand his train layout. 

“Although I don’t think I will ever be completely done with minor updates,” he says. “There will always be little things I want to do or add.” 

 

A playful rivalry … and what’s next

A recent addition to the layout was a surprise. While Jonathan and Beth Montpas were in Arizona January and February this spring, a neighbor decided the train layout was missing something. Alan and Lisa Swett live next door and have been at Lake Panorama since 2009. 

“They are huge Hawkeye fans,” Jonathan says. “Since I’m an Iowa State grad, we have a little rivalry going sometimes. When we got back home, I discovered Alan had added Kinnick Stadium along one wall and stationed two Herky the Hawk mascot figures in the train layout.” 

Earlier, Swett handcrafted the Montpas Station sign that hangs on the wall over the model train layout.  

Jonathan does have one train project planned for this summer. With the new addition to the garage complete, an area near the door needs sprucing up. He plans to do some landscaping work and add a larger G scale train and track to loop around and through nearby trees. G scale trains are the largest model trains available and best suited for outdoor garden railroads. 

Jonathan’s father, John, retired to Hawaii 20 years ago after 40 years working the railroads. There he created an O gauge model train layout about half the size of Jonathan’s. 

“He was a metal fabricator. When I was building my layout, we talked often about what I was doing,” Jonathan says. “He cut and welded support pieces for some of my tracks. Sometimes he sends me items he thinks I’d like, and I do the same with him. It’s a fun way for us to stay connected, and it brings back good family memories.”

The group meets each Tuesday and Wednesday, beginning at 9 a.m., in the basement of the First Christian Church.

By Susan Thompson | Lake Panorama Times

For at least 40 years, a group that got its start at the First Christian Church in Panora has been getting together weekly to sew for those in need. No one seems to know the date of the first meeting of what is now the Stitch and Chatter group, but Mary Morgan of Guthrie Center was there. 

“It was sometime in the late 1970s,” Morgan says. “It started with members of the Christian church who wanted to make quilts. There were both women and men in the group. We would sew and have lunch. Usually, the guys would play cards while the women sewed. But, sometimes they would help tie quilts. There were no quilting machines back then; all quilts were tied.” 

Morgan says it wasn’t long after the group began that members chose the name Stitch and Chatter. That name has served the group well, even as it has grown and evolved.

The group meets each Tuesday and Wednesday, beginning at 9 a.m., in the basement of the First Christian Church at 102 East Church St. While early group members all attended that church, now more than half of the 20 members do not. Group members range in age from 45 to 85.

“We’re lucky to be able to meet in the church and be able to leave our machines set up most of the time,” Ellen Campbell says. “We also have storage space for materials, supplies and tools. Being able to walk in and start sewing really helps.” 

Campbell, of Panora, is the group’s unofficial organizer. She joined after she retired in 2015 from Panorama schools, where she worked in technology helping both students and teachers. She is a member of the Christian Church and stepped up to help guide the group at a time when some older members left or went south for the winter. 

“Our group has increased in size, but we have room for more. We sew, have coffee, chatter, sew, have lunch, chatter some more, sew, and then when we’re tired, we put things away until the next week,” Campbell says. “If you can sew a straight line, you can sew a quilt. We will help you get started. It is fun to get together for fellowship with one another. We all love what we do.”  

Group members come and go between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Some bring their own sewing machines, while others use one of the seven machines available. A grant two years ago from the Guthrie County Community Foundation (GCCF) provided the needed funds for the sewing machines and tables. In 2025, the group received a GCCF grant for quilt batting and fabric. 

Mary Morgan does hand quilting along with Deb Louk. She uses a threaded needle to create patterns on a quilt top stretched on a wooden frame. The frame was hand-built by the husband of a group member sometime in the 1980s. 

Nancy Smith of Guthrie Center describes herself as a “want-to-be quilter.” She and Morgan often work side-by-side hand stitching. Smith has an aunt in State Center who recently donated a much larger wooden quilt frame to the group. 

Two women own long arm quilting machines, which they keep in their homes. Group members say they couldn’t do what they do without Kristi Holz of Jefferson and Karen Onken of Jamaica. 

Onken bought her quilting machine in 2018. She started interacting with Stitch and Chatter by bringing fabric to donate. 

“I put off joining, but eventually I ran out of excuses and decided,” Onken says. “Once I got started, I asked myself why I didn’t join sooner. Now, I want to do this as long as possible.”

Kristi Holz has had her quilting machine for a year. She says, like Onken, she came up with excuses at first not to join the group. 

“Ellen sent me an invitation, and I decided to join,” Holz says. “It was a time in my life when I needed to find something to do. This felt like I was serving God, that this was a way I could help take care of people in need.” 

When group members complete a quilt top and backing, they place it on a hanger outside the sewing room. As they have time, Holz and Onken take the quilt tops home and use their quilting machines to finish the quilt by sewing in batting with the back piece of material sent along with the quilt. 

Lana Laabs of Panora joined the group last year. 

“My husband passed away, and I wanted to get involved in something,” she says. “Having two days and several hours each day available makes it flexible. It’s fun to share ideas with each other and to learn tricks and tips from some of the more experienced quilters. I’m so happy to be a part of this group; it’s fun.” 

Deb Louk’s mother passed away two years ago in April. That prompted her to attend a retreat in Oklahoma. She came home with a quilting project — and a desire to do more.

“I learned to quilt by hand many years ago,” say Louk, who lives in Yale. “Joining this group gave me the chance to learn how to use a sewing machine to create quilt blocks. Now, I enjoy creating quilts to give to others.”  

Joanne Huggins of Panora has been a group member for six years. Her mother was a seamstress at a Singer Sewing Center, so Joanne learned from her. 

“I knew how to sew but I wanted to learn to quilt,” Huggins says. “It’s a whole new experience learning how to put a quilt together. I enjoy working on smaller pieces of material and the finer details of quilting.” 

Last year, a granddaughter of Huggins designed a logo featuring Stitch and Chatter in the center of a circle. Around the circle are images of a sewing machine, needle, scissors and other items using by group members. T&K Designs in Panora printed long-sleeved shirts members could purchase.

While sewing quilts has always been the main focus of the group, several other handmade items are created and donated each year. 

Jean Feller of Redfield is a group member who sews mostly pillowcases using the burrito style method, which creates finished seams inside and out with a roll-and-turn method. She also adds the binding to quilts returned by Onken and Holz, which completes the quilts. 

“Sometimes, Jean joins us for the ‘chatter’ part of our time together, but she sews at home,” Campbell says. “Last year, she made 100 pillowcases, which were donated to New Opportunities in Guthrie Center. By mid-February this year, she had already sewn another 45 pillowcases.” 

Jayanna Corbin of Jamaica creates ornamental needlework known as appliques that she attaches to quilt squares, then puts the squares together to make a quilt top. 

There are two women whose contributions are popular with the rest of the group. Candi Thompson and Cindy Shook, both of Panora, take turns providing treats for members to enjoy with their coffee and chatter breaks. 

In addition, Thompson ties quilts. And Shook makes quilts and puts the binding on other quilts using her sewing machine. Campbell says Shook is credited with helping keep the group going as some of the older members stopped quilting.  

Each fall, the group hosts an event in the First Christian Church sanctuary where the items they have created over the last 12 months are displayed. Details on items distributed are shared, and presentations of quilts and other items are made. The program is followed by a social time with refreshments in the church basement. 

In November 2025, 3C’s in Panora was gifted 32 baby quilts, 104 quilts for older youth and 14 doll blankets. Several members worked together to rejuvenate 20 dolls and dress these in handmade clothes, which also went to 3C’s for distribution. 

In answer to a request for quilts for dialysis patients at Fresenius Kidney Care Clinic in Des Moines, the group donated 21 quilts. A $250 grant from the Lutheran Thrivent Group made it possible for the group to buy fleece to put on the back of these quilts. 

Hope Ministries in Des Moines, which supports women and children, received 30 quilts. Country View Estates in Guthrie Center, which provides support to disabled adults, received 20 quilts. Kristi Holz made 40 stocking hats that were given to New Opportunities in Guthrie Center. 

HOPES (Healthy Opportunities for Parents to Experience Success) in Guthrie County received 10 quilts, and two baby quilts were gifted to Guthrie County General Relief. Guthrie County Babies Nest also received 54 baby quilts and 75 burp cloths. Nine quilts went to the Guthrie County Sheriff’s department to use as needed. 

Twenty quilts went to an Adoption Day program in Des Moines, and 11 quilts and bags were delivered to a men’s homeless shelter in Des Moines. 

Donations of material, preferably cotton, always are welcome. Financial donations from groups, businesses and individuals are used to purchase batting, thread and material. Two Panora women’s service organizations — WSO and WFPF — generally make annual financial contributions. 

While the group now has enough sewing machines and tables, Campbell says donations of office chairs with wheels, in good condition, are needed to place at some of the sewing stations. 

“We want to create quilts that the people who receive them will appreciate and enjoy,” Campbell says. “That means we’re always looking for donations of material and batting, or cash so we can purchase what’s needed. Without help, there is no way we could purchase the amount of batting it takes to create the quilts we give away each year to so many families in need.”

Anyone interested in learning more about Stitch and Chatter is encouraged to drop in any Tuesday or Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Those who would like to discuss making a donation can contact Campbell at 641-431-0280 or call the Christian Church office at 641-755-2225.

 

Men from Saint Cecilia summarize their Minnesota ice fishing trip as successful — yielding lots of fellowship and great fishing. 

By Rich Wicks | Lake Panorama Times

A group of men from Saint Cecilia Catholic Church in Panora recently went on an ice-fishing trip to northern Minnesota. The five who participated were Jim Meyer, Lynn Weisz, Bob Kidney, Rick Langel and Paul Nagel. Nagel organized the trip and shared the story. 

“This was the first time we ever tried it. I organized a little trip out of our Knights of Columbus Saint Cecilia chapter,” Nagel said. “It was a chance to get some fellow Knights together and go on a little fishing trip. It was about a nine- to 10-hour drive. We went to Arnesen’s Rocky Point Resort near Roosevelt, Minnesota. It’s on Lake of the Woods. Lake of the Woods straddles the border, but we stayed on the Minnesota side.”

Each day, the outfitter would drop off the five fishermen at their heated ice shack and would check-in periodically. Then, each evening, they would be brought back onto land to sleep at the resort.

Nagel explained that the group of five did not have top-end ice fishing electronics but used some modern devices.

“We fished for three days. We did not have live scope, but we had Vexilars. It basically tells you how deep the water is, and you can see your jig and kind of tell when there are some fish swimming around there,” he said. “We were mostly fishing in 20 to 30 feet of water.”

Those familiar with ice fishing know how easy it is to accidentally lose items to the bottom of the lake.

“Inevitably, anything you drop will fall down the hole,” Nagel said. “We were not immune to that. I won’t go any further because I don’t want to embarrass anybody.”

Nagel recalled the frenzy of activity that occurred whenever someone hooked into a large fish.

“When somebody’s got a good fish on, you either get your other lines out of there, or you’ve got a tangled-up mess,” Nagel said. “And then somebody gets down on the floor to be ready to grab the fish.”

During one of those frenzies, an entire fishing pole was lost.

“In the commotion of reeling in a big one, another pole got pulled through a different hole in the ice,” Nagel said.

Despite the occasional comical mishap, Nagel says the fishing was good. He compared one member of the group (Rick Langel) to a celebrity fisherman who had his own TV show years ago. 

“Rick was the Babe Winkelman of the trip in that he caught virtually every type of fish that was up there. He caught eelpout, walleye, northerns, perch, sauger,” Nagel said. “He was like the Kellogg’s variety pack.”

However, Langel was not the only person catching fish. Nagel recalled that the group had to carefully manage how many fish they kept to stay within state fishing regulations.

“A 16-to-19-inch walleye is just perfect because you can eat it,” Nagel said. “If they’re bigger than that, they’re fun to catch but you’ve got to let them go. We were at our limit at the end of the second day, so we had to eat fish that night in the restaurant. You can bring your fish to the restaurant if you want, and they will cook them for you. So, we had to eat fish just to make more room in our limit for the next day.”

Nagel summarized the trip as successful, yielding lots of fellowship, great fishing and no major problems. 

“We fished for three days and nobody was bleeding. All in all, a fun trip, and the guys said, Lord willing, they’ll do it again,” Nagel said. “Maybe we’ll even add to the crew.”

 

Emily Spradling thanks her mother for exposure to the hobby she now loves.