It was at the Junction Day Parade in late June of 2008 when Linda and I saw a black Z3 BMW convertible coming around the square driven by Pastor Fred. Jerry Deitz, owner of KCSI radio, announced Fred Pilecki as the new pastor at the United Methodist Church and we wondered what he would he be like and if he would be able to pull our church out of the tailspin it was in. The first service held to welcome our new Pastor was a rather formal service and we found out later that Pastor Fred wondered what he had gotten himself into. When it came time for Pastor Fred to speak he read the story of the prodigal son out of the bible. He went on to say that he was the prodigal son and told the story of his past problems with alcohol and said that he is a recovering alcoholic. From the story Pastor Fred told about his past you would never think that he would have ended up in the ministry. Fred began drinking socially while studing accounting at college. He was extremely shy and he found alcohol seemed to help loosen him up. Fred dropped out of college and started working full time in the accounting department at a hospital. His drinking escalated and he soon began suffering the painful depression that alcohol can cause. At age 21 Fred became so depressed that he got his father’s rifle and shot himself in the chest and almost died. But I believe the Lord was not ready to let Fred go as He had other plans for his life. Fred went on to marry Claudia but this marriage did not work out and they were divorced after three years of marriage. In 1980 Fred moved to Sioux City, IA where he met Pam Timmerman who was to become his second wife. It was Pam who convinced Fred to seek treatment. To Fred’s surprise he became sober in 1980 and he and Pam were married in 1982. Fred got a degree from Briar Cliff College while working at Goodwill Industries and worked his way up to became vice president. Fred and Pam started going to chuch at the Chapel of all Nations and Fred started to remember the God he knew back as a child growing up in Michigan. He went on to start a chapter of “I Came to Believe” and became a lay speaker with the United Methodist Church. In 2003 Fred was ordained as a Methodist pastor and served at Malvern, IA and Mapleton, IA before coming to Red Oak, IA to serve as our pastor. While living in Mapleton, Pastor Fred’s wife Pam died from pneumonia as her immune system was weakened from four bouts with cancer. Pastor Fred and his first wife Claudia met again at a birthday party hosted by their daughter and were married again 29 years after their divorce. Pastor Fred started telling us about our church’s financial problems and what we needed to do to correct them. He removed the negative signs that were posted around our church. A coffee service and tables were set up in the church lounge where members can meet and visit before the service. Pastor Fred’s sermons are very uplifting and positive. The atmosphere in our church has changed from formal to friendly and there is fun and excitment in our church that had been missing. We recently had Consecration Sunday and the congregation responded with a sizeable increase in pledges. The Holy Spirit through Pastor Fred Pilecki has turned our church around and we can see a bright future. We look foward to attending church every Sunday. If you need a new pair of shoes for church, work, or play check out our internet store www.lionfootweardirect.com and get Free Shipping for Dansko shoes, Rockport shoes, Bikenstock chef shoes, Sandro Moscoloni, Ryka walking and running shoes, Nautilus safety shoes, Skid Busters, Birko balance, Birko motion, Blue heeled arch supports,

As a boy growing up in northeast Iowa I began having problems with hayfever and asthma at about 5 years of age. These problems started in the month of August and were caused by my allergy to ragweed. At that time I never dreamed we would offer Free Shipping for Dansko shoes, Nautilus safety shoes, Skid Buster shoes, Birkenstock chef shoes, Sandro Moscoloni, Super Birki, Rockport World Tour Classic, and Ryka walking and running shoes. Somehow my parents found out that Duluth, Minn. is the allergy relief haven of America. Off and on over the years when I was growing up I would become so ill from my allergy problems that my folks would load my brother and me up in the car and head for Duluth. I still remember the big hill that leads down to the city of Duluth. Duluth is a very interesting and historic city to visit. Most of the homes in Duluth are built on the side of a hill. I don’t know how people get around in the winter time. Duluth is located on the western tip of Lake Superior and is near the Mesabi iron ore range which was the largest iron ore field on earth in 1900. The first people to settle in the area that was to become Duluth, Minn. were the Sioux and Ojibway Indian tribes. The French came to the area in 1600 to trap for fur and to trade with the Indians. Duluth was named for Daniel Greysolon, Sier deLhut a fur trader who came to secure trading and trapping rights with the Indians. Because Duluth had access to both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans it supplied the nation with wheat, lumber, and iron ore and when the railroad arrived in Duluth it brought people and goods which led to more growth. By 1869 Duluth was the fastest growing city in the US, but, the stock market crash of 1873 almost put an end to Duluth’s future. Duluth refused to die and by the turn of the century Duluth had a population of almost 100,00 people and was home to more millionaires than any other city in the US if not the world! During World War ll, more than 300 ships were built in factories located in Duluth. The population of Duluth today is 86,918 people according to the census taken in 2000. One of the more interesting things we did when we visited Duluth was to take a tour of the harbor aboard the Vista Star. We also saw ships from all over the world that were docked in Duluth’s harbor and heard about the ecology of Lake Superior which is North America’s largest fresh water lake. Today Duluth, Minnesota is still the “Zenith of the Un-salted Sea”. While staying in Duluth, on one our trips, we traveled up the highway 30 miles north to Two Harbor, Minn. , a town of 3,600 people located on Agate Bay, on Lake Superior. At Two Harbor we went down to the Duluth and Iron Range Railway Ore Dock No. 6 built in 1907-1909 the first dock built on the Great Lakes to watch railroad hopper cars on 4 tracks, loading taconite pallets into 148 pockets with a ship loading spout on each side of the ship and I can remember how impressed I was seeing ships being loaded from all over the world. My folks and I stopped at the Merchant Marine office to get information on getting a job working on the ore boats when I was old enough. If you are looking for Birko Balance, Birko Motion, or Blue heeled arch supports check out our online shoe store www.lionfootweardirect.com.

In 1991 my wife and I flew to Atlanta, Ga., rented a car and drove the 100 miles north to Chattanooga, Tenn. We did not yet have an online store offering Dansko shoes, Rockport World Tour, Birkenstock chef shoes, Nautilus safety shoes, Skid Busters, Sandro Moscoloni, and Alegria shoes, and both Ryka,and Avia walking and running shoes. We stayed at the Best Western Hotel aptly called the Chattanooga Choo Choo. This hotel opened for business in 1973 using 48 train cars they divided into rooms. The gardens at the hotel are lit at night with 40 gas torches. Glen Miller and his band recorded the song Chattanooga Choo Choo that became a top selling hit in 1941. Chattanooga is also famous for their trolley car system that began service in 1888 running between the Stanton House and the Tennessee River. Our first stop at Chattanooga was the Chickamaugua Battle Field located a few miles east of the city. We took a tour of the battlefield hosted by a guide from the National Park Service who did an amazing job explaining how the battle was fought in Nov. of 1863. You could almost see the union army, which was led by Gen. William S. Rosecrans and the confederate army led by Braxton Bragg, fighting on this swampy wooded battlefield that was Chickamaugua. The battle was won by the south and the yankees fled back to Chattanooga with the confederates in hot pursuit. The union set up barracades and the seige of Chattanooga began. Abraham Lincoln sent Gen. Ulysses S. Grant to Chattanooga and Grant replaced Rosecrans with Gen. George H. Thomas. Grant set up a supply line that became known as the “Cracker Line” and Grant used Gen. Smith to set it up. Grant ordered Gen. Joe Hooker to attack the confederates on top of Lookout Mountain and Hooker found a path up the mountain that the confederates had left unguarded so his troops were able to push the confederates off the mountain. This battle became known as “The Battle Above the Clouds.” I have a print of this battle by Mort Kunstler hanging on the wall in my office. We spent some time on top of Lookout Mountain at a museum that had a lot of civil war artifacts and memoribilia on display. Another battle was fought at Missionary Ridge east of Chattanooga and again the Union ran the south off this ridge. The south gave up on trying to take Chattanooga and moved on south toward Dalton, Ga. We took a train ride powered by an old steam driven locomotive traveling through a tunnel at Missionary Ridge. We saw a billboard advertising Ruby Falls so we decided to pay this attraction a visit . We waited over an hour before we were led down into a dark cave, where we walked back to see Ruby Falls. When we arrived at Ruby Falls all there was to see was a stream of water shooting out of a wall with a red light shining on it. What a let down! We did enjoyed driving around Chattanooga and looking at the huge old homes built north of the downtown. On Sunday we looked for a place to eat but the only place we could find open was the restaurant at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Chattanooga. We tried to go on a cruise on a old steamboat that traveled on the Tennessee River but it was sold out. I found out that west of Chattanooga there was a Grand Prix track where you could drive a race car that was made like a large go cart. It was fun racing around the track but it gave me a headache because of the torque it put on my neck. All in all we enjoyed our trip to Chattanooga. We are offering Free Shipping for Skid Buster shoes, Super Birki, Nautilus safety shoes, Birko Balance, Birko Motion, and Blue heeled arch supports from our internet store www.lionfootweardirect.com.

In early July of 1996 my wife and I flew to Music City U.S.A. to see the sights and sounds of Nashville, Tenn. We did not have an online shoe business at that time offering Free Shipping for Nautilus safety shoes, Dansko shoes, Rockport World Tour shoes, Birkenstock chef shoes, Sandro Moscoloni, Avia, K-Swiss, Alegria shoes, Ryka walking and running shoes. We stayed at the Hermitage Hotel, a 123 room AAA 5 diamond rated hotel in downtown Nashville located at 231 6th Ave. North across the street from the state capitol building. The Hermitage Hotel was opened for business in 1910. Six presidents of the US, Al Capone, Bette Davis, Greta Garbo, and Bon Jovi have all stayed at this Beaux-Arts styled hotel. The beds at the Hotel were custom made by Omaha Bedding Company and the men’s bathroom in the basement of the hotel was voted the best bathroom in the U.S. This men’s room features an onyx green art deco design including the onyx green men’s urinals. The singing cowboy, Gene Autry, housed his horse, Champion on the forth floor of the Hermitage Hotel. We attended a Hank Williams tribute show at the Ryman Auditorium and enjoyed hearing Hank Williams music. The Country Music Hall of Fame was a worthwhile stop that featured clothing and musical instruments and other memoribilia that belonged to many famous country music stars. We took in the show at The Wild Horse Saloon in Nashville and enjoyed the music and the dancing show that was broadcast on TV from the Wild Horse. Our next stop was Opryland, an amusement park north of Nashville that has since been turned into a shopping center. Opryland put on very entertaining country music shows at venues around the park. Our next stop was The Hermitage, a home built by the 7th president of the US, Andrew Jackson , for his wife Rachel. Jackson and his wife Rachel are buried at The Hermitage. The home had huge rooms and looked like it belonged to someone who was well off but not wealthy. Saturday night we went to the Grand Old Opry at Opryland and saw Porter Wagoner, Bill Anderson and other country music stars. On Sunday we went to a theater to see the opening of the movie Independence Day. That evening we took a cruise on a riverboat on the Cumberland River which runs right through downtown Nasville where we saw the city lights of Nashville at night and we were entertained with a live stage show performing country music and dance. I saw an ad in a flyer for a guided Ciivil War tour so I called and made tour reservations. We found the office where the tour was to leave from and we headed south of Nashville with three other people and the guide. The guide had a lot of knowledge of the history of the Civil War that took place around Nashville in 1864. We came to a small park about two miles south of Franklin, Tenn. where we could see the town of Franklin almost like the troops of the Confederacy led by Gen. John Bell Hood saw Franklin. The battle of Franklin was one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. The union soldiers had barricaded the road into Franklin and the confederates had no chance when they launched their attack. They suffered over 7,000 casualties while the union suffered 2,500 casualties. The guide said that Patrick Clebourne, a famous general of the south, was killed in what is now the Pizza Hut parking lot in Franklin. We visited the Carter House which was the Union headquarters on the south side of Franklin. The Carter House is a museum housing many artifacts of the battle and you can see where bullets had riddled the south side of the house. The Carter family hid in the basement during the battle. The battle of Franklin was the end for the confederate Army of Tennessee. If you are looking for a good deal on Birko Balance, Birko Motion, Birko Sport, and Blue heeled arch supports check out our internet store www.lionfootweardirect.com

In July of 1996 Linda and I flew from Omaha, Neb. to Little Rock Arkansas on our way to visit Memphis, Tenn. and then on to Vicksburg, Ms. Brand name footwear like Nautilus safety shoes, Dansko shoes, Rockport shoes, Sandro Moscoloni, Ryka walking and running shoes, and Birkenstock chef shoes were not something I ever thought we would offer with Free Shipping from our internet store www.lionfootweardirect.com. It cost a lot less to fly to Little Rock than it did to fly to Memphis. We rented a car for the hundred mile interstate drive from Little Rock to Memphis. We stayed at the historic 4 star rated Peabody Hotel in Memphis which is renowned for the Duck Walk that takes place at 11am and at 5pm. At 11am a group of mallard ducks march from their Royal Duck Palace on the roof of the Peabody down the elevator to the travetine marble fountain in the hotel’s lobby where they spend the day swimming. At 5 pm they march back up to their palace on the roof. We tried to watch the 5pm march of the ducks but had a hard time getting close enough to see it because of the huge crowd. Our room was on the 9th. floor of the Peabody, right across the street from the Ramada Hotel. At about 3 in the morning we were awakened by loud sirens. I got up and looked out the window to see what was going on. I saw several fire engines pull up in front of the Ramada Hotel. I could see people at the Ramada looking out their window to see what was going on. At first I was worried that the Peabody was on fire but I soon saw the firemen were entering the Ramada. It turned out to be a false alarm so I went back to bed. At about 6 am the fire trucks returned but again it turned out to be a false alarm. Memphis is the home of Graceland which is the former home of the king of rock n’ roll, Elvis Presley. We took the tour of Graceland and marveled at the mansion and memoribilia that belonged to Elvis. You could almost feel his presence in the home. We also enjoyed seeing a very interesting exhibit of a Chinese dynasty on display at the Pyramid in Memphis. The exhibit displayed many artifacts and beautiful clothing worn by the Chinese nobel women and included warriors made of stone that were found in the the tomb of the emperor. Memphis is continuing an urban renewal program for the downtown and in 2005 the Peabody Hotel completed a multi-million dollar renovation of all 464 rooms, suites, and meeting rooms. Memphis lives on as a Jewel of the South. After spending a few days in Memphis we traveled down the delta to our next destination at Vicksburg, MS where we toured the city and it’s military park and cemetary. After our visit to Vicksburg we crossed the river and drove back up the delta to Little Rock, AK for our flight back to Omaha, NE. Many years later we opened our online shoe store offering Birko Balance, Birko Sport, Birko Motion and Blue heeled arch supports, Super Birki, Alegria shoes, K-Swiss, and Nautilus safety shoes.

Grenville Dodge never dreamed when he was a boy growing up in poverty in Danvers, Mass. that he would become a famous civil war general and the richest man in Iowa. We are working hard helping people find comfortable shoes by offering Dansko shoes, Nautilus safety shoes, Sandro Moscoloni, Birkenstock chef shoes, Rockport shoes, Ryka walking and running shoes from our internet store www.lionfootweardirect.com I moved to Council Bluffs in 1962. I’ll never forget driving from Glenwood on Hwy 275, a narrow, curvy road and not seeing any billboard ads for businesses in Council Bluffs. All of a sudden I was coming around a curve and I had arrived in Council Bluffs, Ia. At the time I moved to The Bluffs the town was in decline. Everything new and exciting seemed to open across the Missouri river in Omaha. Within two weeks of driving over the railroad tracks that you could not avoid, my car developed a lot of irritating rattles. It is much better now since they built overpasses over the railroad track. When I lived in Council Bluffs I never visited the Gen. Dodge House. Since I have moved to Red Oak, Ia. I have visited the Dodge House twice. The Dodge House is a 14 room, three story lavish victorian mansion that a restoration consultant wrote “You will be aware of a way of life that is all but vanished”. The mansion is a historic landmark featuring parquet floors and original woodwork made of cherry, walnut, and butternut flooring. Gen. Dodge’s office and library has many of his personal belongings including his sword, pictures and a painting of Dodge, pictures both signed by Gen. Grant and Gen. Sherman. I liked this room most of all. Grenville Mellon Dodge was born in 1831 in Mass. Dodge graduated from a military school as a civil engineer in 1850. He married Ruth Ann Brown who he had met when working for the Illinois Central Railroad as a surveyor and they moved into their new mansion at 605 3rd. St. in Council Bluufs in 1869. Dodge was 39 years old when they moved in. The mansion was built at a cost of $35,000 which was fortune at that time. Gen. Dodge was considered to be “The greatest railroad builder of all time” Gen. Dodge served as a commander and engineer repairing bridges that were destroyed during the civil war. After the end of the civil war and moving to Council Bluffs, Ia, Dodge became partners with John Baldwin and they founded the Council Bluffs Saving Bank. Dodge and Baldwin were very successful and it was said Dodge was a financial genius. Abraham Lincoln arrived in Council Bluffs in 1859 to campaign for the president and check on a land deal. He and Dodge spent two hours talking about the future of the railroad in the U.S. Dodge spent 4 years as the Union Pacific’s chief engineer and he felt building U.P. railroad was the greatest accomplishment of his career. Before becoming the chief engineer for the Union Pacific, Dodge ran for the congress from the Iowa 5th district and was elected but did not run for re-election as he did not like politics. Dodge spent the rest of his life working in business and finance. Dodge’s brother-in-law, Nathan Brown, helped manage Dodge’s real estate and financial empire. Gen. Grenville Mellon Dodge died on January 3, 1916 and was placed in a mausoleum in Walnut Hills cemetary in Council Bluffs, Ia. Ruth Ann Dodge died on September 16, 1916 about 9 months after Gen. Dodge’s death. Ruth Ann was placed in the Walnut Hill cemetary next to her husband. Dodge’s daughters Anne and Eleanor commissioned Daniel Chester French to sculpt a statue of the black angel in solid bronze at a cost of $40,000. This angel was made in the likeness of an angel who appeared in Ruth Ann’s dreams 3 days in a row before she died. The black angel is standing outside the gates of Fairview cemetary. The 5th generation of the Brown family is working to help Council Bluffs grow and prosper. The Dodge House is worthwhile visiting and it is an amazing place to visit during the Christmas season as the decorations at the home are spectacular. If you are looking for brand name footwear check out our interent store www.lionfootweardirect.com where you can find Nautilus safety shoes, Super Birki, Birkenstock chef shoes, Rockport shoes, K-swiss, alegria shoes, Birko motion, Birko balance, Birko sport, and Blue footbed arch supports.

It was around the 4th of July in 1996 when my wife and I took a trip south to Vicksburg, Mississippi to vist this historic town on the high east banks of the Mississippi. Our internet business offers Dansko shoes, Rockport shoes, Sandro Moscoloni, Nautilus, SuperBirki, Birko Motion, BirkoSport, and BirkoBalance arch supports. We stayed in the Grant Room at the Cedar Grove, a Greek revival mansion located in the Garden District in Vicksburg. Cedar Grove was built by John Alexander Klein, a banker and lumber and cotton baron. Klein began construction on Cedar Grove in 1840. He married Elizabeth Bartley Day in 1840. He was 30 and she was 16. On their honeymoon to Europe Klein purchased furnishings, Italian marble fireplaces, paintings, Bohemian glass for doorways, and clocks for Cedar Grove. He commissioned Prudent Mallard to make furniture for Cedar Grove. Some pieces remain in the Grant Room where we stayed. In 1852 Cedar Grove Mansion was ready for the Kleins to move in. Many of the furnishings at Cedar Grove are original to the mansion. During the Civil War a cannon ball shot from a gun boat on the river was lodged in the parlor wall. Cedar Grove was used as a union hospital during the seige of Vicksburg. Elizabeth Klein was rejected by the Vicksburg locals because she was related to Gen. William T. Sherman. Staying at Cedar Grove was like going back to the time of the Civil War. When we stopped at the visitor’s center, a couple of men were shooting a cannon and there were many interesting civil war artifacts and a lot of information about the seige of Vicksburg. Vicksburg County court house, built in 1858, is located on one of the highest hills in Vicksburg. The court house has been converted to a Civil War museum housing many artifacts, weapons, uniforms, flags and items from the seige of Vicksburg. We also visited a hobby store across the street from the court house. This store was full of miniature toy soldiers from most of the wars in Europe and the U.S. I have never seen such a large collection of toy soldiers. We toured the 16 mile Military Park and national cemetary listening to a tape recording of the story of the seige and surrender of Vicksburg to the Union on July 4, 1863 by Gen. Pemberton. The union riverboat displayed is worth seeing. The only regret I have about our trip was not going down to Natchez, Mississippi. This trip was a long time before we offered Birkenstock blue heeled arch supports, BirkoMotion arch supports, Birko Balance and BirkoSport arch supports, Birkenstock chef shoes, Alegria shoes, Nautilus safety shoes, Ryka walking and running shoes.

In 1995 my wife and I took a trip to Hannibal, Mo on the banks of the Mississippi to see the place where Mark Twain originated from. At that time we were not in the footwear business offering brand names like Rockport shoes, Nautilus safety shoes, Dansko shoes, Birkenstock chef shoes, Super Birki, Ryka walking and running shoes from our website www.lionfootweardirect.com. The Mark Twain museum was interesting but the best tour we took was of the Rockcliffe Mansion, a 13,500 sq. ft. home built high on top of a bluff overlooking Hannibal, Mo and the Mississippi river. The tour was conducted by a woman dressed in period attire of the late 1800’s. We were allowed to walk into the rooms so we got a real feel of how it was to live in a mansion. J. Cruikshank, a lumber baron and banker, built his dream home Rockcliffe Mansion with the best materials money could buy. He supplied the finest quality oak, walnut, and mahogany available. Barrett, Haynes, and Barnett of St. Louis, Mo. designed the mansion using double brick wall construction making it more solid than homes built today even after 109 years. The grand stairway is a stunning feature of the mansion and Mark Twain gave a speech from the top of the stairway. Cruikshank, his wife and four daughters moved into the mansion in 1900. The family lived in the mansion until 1924 when they vacated the home after John Cruikshank’s death. The house stood empty and was boarded up for 43 years. Two weeks before it was to be razed three families purchased the property. Inside the mansion they found palladium windows and 10 marble and tile fireplaces. The families have restored Rockcliffe Mansion including 80% of the families personal items including paintings, furniture, and clothing all found in the mansion’s 4 floors and 30 rooms. Wallpaper used in the living room had gold dust imbedded in it. Cruikshank had a room created like a sitting room in the Walldorff Astoria where he stayed when he was in New York City on business. Cruikshank’s bedroom on the third floor was arranged so the first thing he saw when got up in the morning was his logs floating down the Mississippi on their way to St. Louis, Mo. The families that own the Rockcliffe Mansion have added a bed and breakfast and this American Castle would be a great place to stay if you ever visit Hannibal, Mo. If you are looking for comfortable shoes check out our Nuatilus saftey shoes, Alegria nursing shoes, Rockport shoes, Sandro Moscoloni, Dansko shoes, Birkenstock chef shoes, Sanita clogs, K-Swiss, Ryka, Birko balance and Birko sport arch supports.

The first place I lived after I was born in Ft. Madison, Iowa was Dallas City, Ill, a few miles up the river from Ft. Madison. I never would have dreamed that one day I would offer Free Shipping for Nautilus safety shoes, Rockport shoes, Dansko shoes, Birkenstock chef shoes, Super Birki, Sandro Moscoloni, and Ryka walking and running shoes. Dallas City was the home of the Sac and Fox Indian tribes who lived in the bushes and trees that were to become Dallas City, Ill. Israel Atherton was the first man to settle there. Atherton sold the land in 1836 to John Finch who laid out in 1848 what was to become Dallas City, Ill. Dallas City is named after James Polk’s vice president George M. Dallas. During the early days the only way in or out of Dallas City was by the Mississippi River. To reach Ft. Madison, Ia you had to travel over a low rapids between Ft. Madison and Commerce which later became Nauvoo, the future settlement for the Mormons before going west to Salt Lake. In the summer most larger boats could not get past them. A dam was built down river at Keokuk in 1912 that put an end to the problem of low water. In 1857 Henry Farnwald Black brought a load of logs down river intending to sell them in Ft. Madison or Keokuk, but after he spent time in the Dallas City area he decided to open up a lumber and planing mill. A Mr. Rollison opened a flour mill and distillery along the Mississippi river. There began a lot of commerce along the riverfront by boats going and coming to the landing. Horses and wagons lined up to buy and sell their goods and have their wheat ground at the flour mill. Dallas City was like the old west when river boat crews landed in town to have a good time at the local watering hole. The locals closed their blinds and locked the doors when river crews hit front street in Dallas City. In 1858 Lincoln campaigned in the area when he was running for president. The C.B.&Q railroad came to town in the late 1860’s and the Santa Fe Railroad came through Dallas City in the 1880’s. In 1890 the local business men gave my great grandfather Louis Burg $5,000 and land on the east side of town to build his new buggy factory. The L. Burg Buggy Co. went on to hire 100 men in the factory to manufacture buggies and the Burg automobile later on. Burg built what he called “Castle on the Rhine” that today is called the stonehouse. A button factory was built in the late 1800’s that added more jobs to the area. Dallas City is now a quiet pretty small town on the banks of the mighty Mississippi. I returned to Dallas City over the years that I grew up in Waverly and Oelwein, Iowa to vist my dad’s parents. I have fond memories of Dallas City, Ill and the Mississippi river. I spent time with my family fishing, boating, and mushroom hunting on the islands. I know I will be back in Dallas City, Ill in the future. Looking for brand name footwear? Check out our website www.lionfootweardirect.com for Birko balance and Birko sport arch supports, Nautilus safety shoes, Alegria shoes, K-Swiss, Avia running and walking shoes. We offer Free Shipping for most brands.

The Moulder’s Friend was started around World War 11 by my second cousin, Homer Burg. Homer would be amazed that I am offering Nautilus, Dansko shoes, Rockport shoes, Birko balance and Birko sport arch supports from our internet store www.lionfootweardirect.com. Homer Burg was born in 1885, the youngest son of my great grandfather, Louis Burg, who was the owner of L. Burg Carriage Co. in Dallas City, Ill. Homer was the upholsterer, salesman, superintendent, plant manager, and secretary of the L. Burg Company. After the L. Burg factory closed, Homer Burg went into the strip mining business under the name of Purity Moulding Sand Co. The moulding sand he mined was for factory use and Homer reported shipping 25,000 tons of moulding sand in one year. Homer continued the business until 1941 when he sold the business to my father Don Clark and his partner Volney Canfield who operated the business until after the war years when the sand pit ran out of sand. This event lead to our family leaving Dallas City, Ill. and moving to Waverly, Iowa in 1947 when I was 4 years old. Homer Burg developed the Moulder’s Friend sand conditioner. The Moulder’s Friend could moisten, screen, and condition more than one ton of moulding sand a minute. The company sold this equipment to foundries in the US, Canada, South America, and England. Homer Burg was ambitious, enterprising, and hard working. I remember visiting Homer and his wife Bess in their home in Dallas City, Ill. with my folks. Homer and Bess had one son, Jim Burg, who continued the business after Homer passed away in 1962. Jim traveled around the world on cruise ships, playing bridge and calling on foundries. The business continues in Dallas City and is managed by Jim Woodrow and Lee and Gary Bergmeier. If you need a new pair of shoes, Lion Footwear offers Free Shipping for Sandro Moscoloni, Ryka walking and running shoes, Allegria shoes, Birkenstock chef shoes, Avia, and Nautilus safety toe shoes.