If you are looking for things to do in Grinnell and are complaining that you can't find anything to do you aren't looking hard enough. Thanks to The Grinnell Chamber of Commerce's web site here's an audio listing of events going on through May 25th. From run-walks to farmers markets to pottery making there's plenty going on in "Grin City." Check it out in this edition of Out And About With Jamie Grout.

I always enjoy having a conversation with Newton Mayor Randy Ervin. He never fails to make some news. In this podcast he tells us what's going on with the vacant Perkin's Restaurant. Erv also talks about how the city plans to deal with The Iowa Legislatures plan on property taxes. He discusses the road trip he and other members of The city and The Newton City Council made to Ames to check out The All Inclusive play ground that Newton is considering adding. He also talks about the cities funding of the Neuter Is Cuter trap and release program and a wide variety of other topics. Don't forget to check out the video where he talks about being an Assistant Coach for the Newton High School Football Team again this year.

Newton has a bad overpopulation problem with dogs and cats. In peticulal with cats. We know first hand because Little Red and I adopted an adorable cat that strayed into our back yard a couple of years ago. Recently Terri McKenny went before The Newton City Council asking for help in funding The Lucy's Pet Pantry "Neuter Is Cuter" program. This is a program that seeks to trap stray release stray cats, then spay or neuter them and then release them back to where they came from. The problem seems to be especially bad in northwest Newton where we live. In this podcast Terri talks about the program and how successful it has been and how they hope that it will become even more successful with the city's help.

Little Red and I LOVE donkeys! A couple years ago my sweetie started showing me videos from a guy who has an animal sanctuary in Spain that takes care of unwanted donkeys and horses. We really fell in love with the donkeys. Then a long time listener and friend Jamie Brennan of Montezuma started posting videos of her donkeys on Facebook. She had one we really fell in love with that is the baby of the donkey family and his name is Duncan. Most recently she posted a video of she and her donkeys on National Donkey Day and a previous video of her donkey's where go got some mud on her face. On this podcast the talks about how she's always been an animal lover and how she and her husband Chris came to having the donkeys. Make sure that you check out the video on the link below or at my website outandaboutwithjamiegrout.com to see just exactly how adorable these donkeys are and check out Jamie's Facebook page to see the video's she posts with the donkey's from time to time.

This podcast is a "best of" podcast with radio's Van Harden. I am lucky enough to get together with a group of radio folks once a month for lunch and normally Van is a part of that group. Van is a great story teller and a heck of a nice guy. When I started doing this podcast I knew I wanted to get Van on the air to talk about some of the promotions he and his partners on the radio had been through and he talks of some of them in this podcast.

In this podcast I speak with Monica St Angelo who is with The Grinnell Area Arts Council. Once again, with the help of great sponsors, she has put together a great list of groups and bands for summer concerts at Central Park in Grinnell. Monica talks about the great line up they have coming up for young and old alike in a wide variety of different musical formats from Latin music to a bag bagpipe band there's something for everyone this summer at Central Park. So bring your blankets and lawn chairs and enjoy the great music presented by The Grinnell Area Arts Council and Summer Music In The Park 2025.

In this podcast I speak with Ina from The Newton Arboretum & Botanical Gardens about the upcoming events coming up this weekend. She also talks about the beautiful flowers that are starting to bloom at The Arboretum. I will be the celebrity bingo caller this Friday night, May 8th for Arboretum Bingo. Sorry, you can't get a table as the event is, thankfully, sold out. But if you still want some beautiful plants you can get in on The Arboretums Plant Sale coming up this Saturday from 9 am until 1 pm also at The Arboretum. If you have an event coming up for the summer and fall months consider The Arboretum. If you would like to book an event or would like to know more about The Arboretum give them a call during regular office hours, Monday through Thursday 8 am until 12 pm or Fridays from 12 pm until 4 pm at 641-791-3021

This podcast really hits home with me. This week I almost fell victim to a scam and just about lost $1,000. But thanks to the folks at Advantage Credit Union, I did not. In this podcast I speak with Jeff Holschuh from ACU about how I was almost scammed, some of the more common scams and how you can do your best to keep from getting scammed. You really have to watch out because the scammers are getting more and more clever these days.

On this podcast I speak with Katie Cantu who is a Naturalist with Jasper County Conservation. Jasper County Conservation has a new home out by where the Jasper County Care Facility used to be next to where the Law Enforcement Center is located. Make sure you check out the shortcast video for a tour of the new Nature Center who will be having their ribbon cutting soon. In this podcast Katie talks about the Summer Camp programs they will have going on, the various parks that Jasper County Conservation manages, the cabins that are available for rent, the specific date for the ribbon cutting that coming up soon for the new Nature Center.

In this podcast I speak with Ella White, Newton's new Chamber Of Commerce Director. In this podcast I talk with Ella about her work history, her goals and ideas for the Chamber, the benefits of belong to the Chamber and what she feels are the benefits of living and having a business in Newton, Iowa. If you don't have time to listen to the entire podcast make sure you watch the shortcast video on both outandaboutwithjamiegrout.com or on my YouTube channel.