August 31, 2022
Before we go on a trip with the Model A Steve always thoroughly goes over the mechanics of the car. As he was changing the oil he misplaced the drain plug. Obviously he had gotten distracted as he’d just had it, but now it was nowhere to be found. Finally, after a crazy amount of time looking for it he figured big deal because he had a spare drain plug. Well, yes he actually had 2 drain plugs, but they were the standard size and the one lost was not! We thought oh no, this isn’t going to be like our trip to Nashville, is it? Luckily, O’Reilly’s had one that worked so we were ready to leave this morning around 9am. We had only gone a mile from our home when Steve noticed a bulge on the left side of the hood of the car. After closer inspection, he found where he had left the drain plug, in the trough above the gas tank! Now we have another spare.
The weather today was perfect for driving. It was sunny and warm with a cloudless blue sky as we leisurely took are time winding through the back roads. Our first stop was in Waseca, MN at a fifties type drive-in called Barney’s. Steve had found this place on Google Maps and what a fun throwback in time. We parked our car under the awning and ordered from the menu which offered the typical hamburgers, hot dogs, fries etc. Instead of staying in the car to eat, there were 3 brightly colored booths or various tables to sit at. We chose a purple booth for our lunch of cheeseburgers, fries and root beer. We took a lot of pictures and of course, Steve had to have one next to the painted wood carved Barney. As we finished eating Steve noticed a duck boat, painted blue, advertising Barney’s drive-in. This year’s theme for the Model A photo contest is ice cream, so we ordered 2 cones and had our picture taken with the car in front of the duck boat. Steve’s hoping this picture might be a winner.
We left Waseca and headed towards Mason City, IA. We have driven through this town hundreds of times in our life and it was only when Steve once again using Google Maps saw that the Decker B&B that we’re staying at is right next door to Meredith Willson’s boyhood home and The Music Man Square Museum.
This museum showcases the life and work of Meredith Willson and when you enter the building you see a replica of the Warner Brothers movie set from the 1962 movie “The Music Man”. You feel like you are stepping back in time as you walk down the street of River City, IA. Three of the shops in the movie as well as the museum were actual businesses in Mason City in 1912. Another interesting fact was that some of the names used for the character’s in the movie were names of people Meredith new in his life. The Music Man is one of my favorite musicals and to find out it was based on a real town so close to home was surprising and fascinating. This was a wonderful stop that I’d recommend to anyone interested in the movie or Meredith Willson.
Mason City still had another surprise for us. I’d always thought of it as just another small town with empty store fronts and nothing to do. That’s where I was wrong. There are many things to do here besides what we did.
Central Park, in the middle of town, has a wonderful tribute to our country and the men that fought to keep us free. Another attraction is the River City Sculptures on Parade, which is a 1.7 mile walking tour designed to lead you on a looping route back to the core of Mason City. Finally for us, the historic downtown is being rejuvenated with new restaurants and shops. Tonight we ate at a Mexican restaurant named the Happy Donkey, and we were happy, too.
Tomorrow we drive to Mount Pleasant and the threshing show.
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