Dan Clark talks on "Historic Markers and Rest Area Tourism" after he attended the June 19-20 "Underground Railroad in Iowa 2009 Symposium" http://muscatine-tours.com/cedar-county/UGRR-Iowa2009Symposium.pdf. It was a moving feast, from the Hoover museum at West Branch to an old Cedar County cemetery to the Wilton Rest Area on I-80. Just before the conference, several took part in erecting a John Brown Freedom Trail marker here in Muscatine County at the historic West Liberty depot. See some of Dan's photos at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=87201&id=802136391&l=cda347e39b along with John C. Yoder's comment on holding court last week in the room where Brown was sentenced for treason in 1859.

Dan Clark's guest is Frank Kelly, retired from the Community Foundation of Greater Muscatine http://www.muscatinecommunityfoundation.org/. Now he is serving on the Muscatine County Extension Council http://www.extension.iastate.edu/muscatine/ and helping start a consulting company called Diamond Towns of America http://www.diamondtownsofamerica.com. Frank says we have diamonds beneath our feet, right here in the Pearl City. As the former resident restorer of the historic Henry Jayne House, he is campaigning to save it from demolition http://www.facebook.com/frankanddiane. His previous TTT show is at http://muscatinetours.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=395120.

Dan Clark's guests are Al Brotherton, Chris Clark, and Duffy De France. Chris and Duffy talk about the free summer concerts sponsored by the Muscatine County Arts Council http://www.muscatineartscouncil.org. Every "Second Sunday Summer Concert" will start at 6:00 p.m. on the Pearl Plaza patio outside Elly's Tea and Coffee: June 14 - Cruisin' (60s rock-n-roll); July 12 - Fry Daddies (country, rock, blues, folk); August 9 - River City Big Band; September 13 - Sarah Snydacker, classical vocalist. Al tells about the River City Big Band and its history since 1986. Producer Ron Edwin plays selections from a RCBB CD.

Dan Clark describes his past week of visits in Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico, and chats with Muscatine native Rob/Bob Fiedler calling from Grand Junction, CO. Dan praises Grand Junction's downtown "Art on the Corner" and invites listeners to see his photos at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=82133&id=802136391&l=818929779e. He also tells about visiting Iowa places where John Brown stopped with fellow abolitionists and escaping slaves in 1859 (photos at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=82607&id=802136391) and announces the June 19-20 "Underground Railroad in Iowa 2009 Symposium" http://muscatine-tours.com/cedar-county/UGRR-Iowa2009Symposium.pdf.

Guest host Tom Savage (co-proprietor of Muscatine Books and More http://muscatinebooks.com) chats with storyteller-author Dan "Danny" Titus and radio journalist Kristin McHugh. Dan's latest book is "Muscatine Businesses of the 1940s and 1950s: Long Gone But Well Remembered." Kristin is writing a book with the working title "Muscatine" based on the archives of the Muscatine Art Center.

Dan Clark's guest is downtown redevelopment advocate Tom Bankhead, a Muscatine native who has enjoyed a view of Second Street from his architecture firm for the past 37 years. They discuss new uses for old buildings in Historic Downtown. Tom says he preaches "feet on the street" and wants to bring in a bakery soon and maybe a food co-op type of grocery. Callers Michael Maharry and Shirley Calvert praise historic preservation efforts.

Dan Clark's guest is Melanie Alexander, director of the Muscatine History and Industry Center http://www.muscatinehistory.org/. She tells about the museum's newest exhibits (Monsanto and Muscatine Power & Water), and they discuss upcoming events in Historic Downtown Muscatine. Caller Max Churchill tells about a group of Midwest Riverboat Buffs visiting here later this week.

May is Historic Preservation Month. "Scoffing at History?" asks Dan Clark, then tells about Muscatine's historic buildings and districts. (And repeatedly says "Chestnut" when telling about a new plaque on Pine Street—oops!) He urges everyone to come out for the first Mothers Day historic-homes tour "House Calls: Muscatine Doctors Then and Now." (See poster at http://muscatinepreservation.org/housecalls-poster.jpg and Quad-City Times feature at http://www.qctimes.com/lifestyles/home-and-garden/article_1ba9dbe2-3689-11de-bc44-001cc4c03286.html and http://www.qctimes.com/article_e0c1c536-3687-11de-852f-001cc4c03286.html ). Dan reads from the Muscatine Historic Preservation ordinance at http://muscatinepreservation.org/mhpc-ordinance.pdf and district survey files at http://www.musserpubliclibrary.org/Reference-Desk/Local-History.aspx. Caller John Elshoff talks about local Civil War history.

Dan Clark's guest is Michael Maharry, MD, president of Friends of Muscatine Historic Preservation (http://muscatinepreservation.org and http://apps.facebook.com/causes/179427/35994298). They discuss local events and activities observing Historic Preservation Month, especially a first Mothers Day historic homes tour called "House Calls: Muscatine Doctors Then and Now." See http://muscatinepreservation.org/housecalls-poster.jpg.

Dan Clark's guest is Kent Sissel, restorer and resident of the 1878 Alexander G. Clark House. Kent tells about a recent flurry of recognition for Muscatine's black statesman, and reports on efforts to nominate the house as a National Historic Landmark plus his own proposal for creating a local historic district centered at West Third and Chestnut Streets. An 1868 Iowa Supreme Court decision, Clark v. Board of Education, established equal rights for all Iowa children—86 years before the US Supreme Court established educational equality as the law of the land. Learn more about Alexander Clark at http://alexanderclark.org . Hear other conversations with Kent at http://muscatinetours.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=434366 (Feb. 17, 2009) and http://muscatinetours.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=429539 (Feb. 3, 2009).