Oddball Iowa: A Guide to Some Really Strange Places (Oddball series) [Paperback]

Jerome Pohlen (Author)

Book Description

Series: Oddball series | Publication Date: April 1, 2005

This zany travel guide presents a more peculiar state than the Iowa Tourism Office might like out-of-towners to imagine. Leaving out the traditional scenic trips to the Mississippi River bluffs and the Amana Colonies, this guide will take the adventurous traveler to the future birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk, the home of the "Lonely Goat Herder" marionettes from The Sound of Music, and the world's largest Cheeto. To enhance the experience of this unusual side of Iowa, the guide includes facts about numerous events in Iowa's history, such as Ozzy Osbourne's infamous bat-biting incident and Jesse James's first moving-train robbery. Iowa is depicted as the birthplace of the Roto-Rooter, the Delicious apple, the electronic computer, the reinforced concrete bridge, and the Eskimo pie. The accompanying photographs and maps will direct travelers to other fun vacation spots and attractions, including the butter sculptures at the Iowa State Fair, the annual National Skillet Throw, the Hobo Convention and Museum, the Ice Cream Capital of the World, and the National Balloon Museum.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Pohlen...wrote them up with humorous glee and gentle jabs not common in travel guidebooks." —Des Moines Register

"Who knew...there were so many odd and unusual places in the Hawkeye State?"  —Chicago Tribune

"In addition to off-beat locales worth a visit, the guidebook offers some fun, sometime-obscure facts."  —The Hawk Eye

"The state is more than corn, pigs and Amana Colonies...he unearths places worth exploring."  —Chicago Sun-Times

"Jerome Pohlen uncovers some really strange stuff from around the state, even right under our mid-Iowa noses."  —Ames Tribune

"Full of fun-to-visit sites and fun-to-know things."  —The Daily Nonpareil
 

 

 

About the Author

Jerome Pohlen is the author of the Oddball series and a regular travel commentator for 848 on WBEZ, the Chicago affiliate of National Public Radio. He is a recent recipient of the Illinois Associated Press Broadcasters Award for Best Essay.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Chicago Review Press (April 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1556525648
• ISBN-13: 978-1556525643
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #259,674 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #46 in Books > Travel > United States > Regions > Central

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I came, I saw, I cantered cornfields, August 15, 2005

By 

TundraVision (o/~ from the Land of Sky Blue Waters o/~) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Oddball Iowa: A Guide to Some Really Strange Places (Oddball series) (Paperback)

I bought this book for my recent foray down to Des Moines for a conference. On the way home, I took a cornfield tour guided by Jerome Pohlen's fun book. Try it, you & your kids &/or whoever you're travelling with will love it!

After Des Moines, (Hey! Pohlen doesn't include this in the tour - but if you are ever in DM the evening before the start of the Iowa State Fair - (think Pat Boone & the movie) you just HAVE to watch the State Fair Kick-Off Parade. 3 Hours of Americana - not a rose-decked float to be found - but there are plenty of High School marching bands and gubernatorial candidates, and lots and lots of John Deere tractors. Makes ya hanker for a corn dog!) I went on to the Amana Colonies, the movie set for "The Field of Dreams" - Kevin Costner & Company Built it - and the people are still coming!, and cantered the cornfield - actually it's planted in soybeans this year, the corn is on the other side of the barb wire - where Richie Valens, the Big Bopper, and Buddy Holly's plane went down, as Don McLean later called it, "the (Night) the Music Died" - to see the Memorial. (You'll need this book to find that - it is literally off the beaten path.)
Awesome - all of it!
/TundraVision, Amazon Reviewer

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unexpectedly Enjoyable, May 21, 2010

By 

John "johnellenbe" (Groton, MA, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Oddball Iowa: A Guide to Some Really Strange Places (Oddball series) (Paperback)

As a former resident I bought this book on a whim thinking it had a 50% chance of being a dud. I really enjoyed reading through this and actually found myself missing some of these quirky little things about Iowa. ...not enough to actually visit but that really is one of the attractions of the book--you can appreciate the sights without having to experience the hot humid weather, lack of any cuisine expect red meat and bud, etc. I recommend this book for any fellow middle aged ex-Iowans. I think you'll find it worth the price of admission.

0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Oddball Iowa, March 2, 2009

By 

Francine Fosselman - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Oddball Iowa: A Guide to Some Really Strange Places (Oddball series) (Paperback)

The book arrived on time, in EXCELLENT condition. I gave it to my brother, who has everything, for his birthday. He absolutely loved it, and will use it on vacations this year.