Union County, Iowa
Come Enjoy Hot Air Balloon Days in Creston
Creston and Southwest Iowa’s rolling hills and blue skies are a perfect setting for nearly 60 hot air balloons participating in the Hot Air Balloon Days the third weekend in September – September 18, 19 & 20, 2009. Now in it’s 32nd year, the event is the second largest of its kind in the state of Iowa.
In addition to the balloon
races during the weekend there is also the annual
Balloon Days Parade with high
school marching bands from across the area, along with balloonists and many
others on Saturday morning. The Creston City Center is the site of various
activities for spectators of all ages as well. A Flea Market and Craft Fair in
and around the Depot is a must see as well as a stroll through town to visit
the local merchants open for your shopping pleasure during the day.
On Saturday afternoon you can continue to enjoy your day at the airport and participate in or enjoy the pedal pull and Pet Show. The very popular NightGlow begins at dusk. The event wraps up on Sunday morning with the last balloon race, weather permitting.
Mark your calendar and make your plans now to attend. For more information please call the Creston Chamber of Commerce at 641-782-7022 or visit their website at www.crestoniowachamber.com.
Up, Up and Away
Afton – Gateway to Three Mile Lake
Afton, located at the intersection of Highways 169 and 34, is the southern Gateway to Three Mile Lake, recently named one of the Top Ten fishing lakes in Iowa.
It is a community that meets you and greets you on the square. Every Tuesday evening from June through August, the community still gathers in the City Park, located in downtown Afton, to enjoy Lawn Chair nights and a Farmers Market complete with music and food. The Lion’s Club holds a Pre-Fourth of July celebration in the park the Sunday before the Fourth. A Community Church Service, food, entertainment and games are some of the activities on the day’s agenda.
Afton has been host to the Union County Fair in July for as long as anyone can remember. A parade, rodeo and demolition derby headline the fair. While at the fair, visit the industry booths, tour the animal barns, 4-H booths and enjoy the great cooking and homemade ice cream. In December enjoy the holiday Extravaganza.
Be sure to add Afton to your travel agenda. It is a great place to visit. Please call 641-347-5224 for further details or visit their website at www.aftoniowa.com
.
Union County Historical Complex and Museum Is a Must See
The Union County Historical Complex and Museum is located in Creston just off West Highway 34 in beautiful McKinley Park. Here you can find buildings reminiscent of a prospering village in early Iowa around the 1890’s. You can see the fully furnished last operating rural school in Union County. Other original buildings brought to the complex include an 1855 log cabin, a barn originally built in 1896, a house built before 1900 and the Spaulding Methodist Church, built in 1878 where weddings still take place today. A depot, originally from Lucas and later used at Brooks, along with a signal tower from the Creston rail yards and a caboose, emphasize the importance of the railroad heritage to the area.
Replicas in the village include a general store, harness shop, barbershop, blacksmith shop, fire station, machine shed and gristmill. A museum adjoins the village and contains hundreds of artifacts and Union County memorabilia.
The Complex hosts the annual Pioneer Days event on the 4th of July. Demonstrations and music representing Union County’s heritage are presented.
The Complex is open daily from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. during June, July and August and is free to the public. Tours can also be scheduled during the year. For more information please call Don at 641-782-4352.
Welcome to Creston
Welcome to Creston, a community located in the beautiful rolling hillsides of southwest Iowa. The citizens are proud of their community and look forward to sharing it with you. As the regional hub of Southwest Iowa for shopping, education, medical services, industry and fun, Creston caters to residents and visitors wanting personal service, in a gorgeous setting.
Creston offers a wide variety of services and businesses. It has several motels and bed and breakfast with more than 200 rooms and excellent meeting facilities. National and regional chains along with locally owned shops provide a real shopping treat.
We invite you to visit Creston during one of our annual events or anytime during the year. Come and discover the opportunities that await you in Creston. For more information or a free guide please call the Creston Chamber of Commerce at (641) 782-7021 or visit our website at www.crestoniowachamber.com.
Creston, a great place to visit, work and call home.
Experience Creston’s Historic Depot
Creston began as a railroad town in 1869. It was located at the high point on the Burlington Line between the two great rivers, the Missouri and Mississippi. The railroad continued to prosper until the depression, when a tremendous decline in railroad traffic brought a round of divisional consolidations.
In 1960 Creston was cut from the division title and with passenger traffic
falling, the historic1899 Rail Depot was closed and sold to the city of Creston
for $1.00. Shortly thereafter, the building was condemned and scheduled for
demolition, but citizens of Creston saved the historic landmark. It was listed
on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 and in 1978 the first City
offices moved in.
Today, besides Creston City offices you can find the Union County Congregate Meal Site located in the building. Also, the restored Depot now houses a Presidential Doll Collection, given to the city by a long-time resident, which depict all first ladies in their inaugural gowns through Mrs. Clinton. In the Memorial Room on the first floor, designed as a waiting area from long ago, the Creston Model Railroaders have built a working replica of Creston during its railroad hey-day.
Many train lovers visit the Depot to enjoy the atmosphere and the over forty plus trains that still pass or stop in Creston on a daily basis. For more information please call 641-782-7022 or visit our website at www.crestoniowachamber.com
Your Outdoor Adventure Awaits in Union County
Whether its deer or turkey, waterfowl or pheasants, walleye, muskie or the lowly catfish, opportunities for hunting and fishing are plentiful in and around Union County. Union County’s High Lakes offer an array of outdoor recreational opportunities unmatched in southern Iowa. Five lakes including award winning 3-Mile Lake and Green Valley Lake State Park along with 2,500 acres of publicly owned woodland and prairie….all conveniently located with a 20-mile radius of each other can be found here.
Three great golf courses can also be found in Union County along with an expanding hiking and biking trail which now runs from McKinley Park in Creston north to Green Valley State Park.
For more information on hunting, fishing or other activities in the area please call Union County Conservation at 641-782-1755. Call Creston/Union County Tourism for a free travel guide at 641-782-7022 or visit our website at www.unioncountyiowatourism.com
Visit the Historic Mormon Trail and Mount Pisgah Mormon National Monument
Mt. Pisgah located four miles south and one mile west of Lorimor, just off Highway 169, was the first white settlement in Union County. This site founded by Mormon Scout, Parley Pratt, served as a way station on the original Mormon Trail from 1846 until 1852.
Between 1846 and 1852 more than 2,000 people made their homes here while thousands of others simply passed through on their way west. Even those headed west to the gold fields in California stopped at Mt. Pisgah for supplies and rest.
Today you can tour a cabin that was built as a reproduction of the type built as shelter by those early travelers. You can pause at the monument erected on this site in memory of the residents who did not survive their journey. Three hundred Mormons were buried here in just the first few months. You can trace wagon tracks across the prairie grass trail that eventually became a main thoroughfare to the west. You may picnic in the park near the site.
Tours are available. For more information or to schedule a tour please call Bob Brown at 641-763-2504, or email at bbrown1704@yahoo.com.
No Place like Creston for the Holidays Celebration
“No Place Like Creston for the Holidays,” will begin its fourth year in 2009 and is quickly becoming one of the most popular events in Creston and southwest Iowa.
The Lighted Christmas Parade, which has long been a tradition, will be held on Thursday, December 3rd, beginning at 7 p.m.
This is a fun and spectacular event with many lighted floats, Santa, and much, much more.
The popular Living Windows (live mannequin’s) in various retail locations in Uptown Creston from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. prior to the Lighted Christmas Parade is also held on the 3rd. Of course, no Holiday Celebration is complete without a visit from Santa. Santa’s first visit to Creston will take place on the 3rd at the restored Depot. Numerous soup suppers can also be found around Creston on this kick-off Thursday.
It will begin the Seventh Annual Comfort and Joy Quilt Show, sponsored by the Patches and Pieces Quilt Guild, American Home Design Center and Quilts and Other Notions. The exhibit will be on display at American Home Design Center, 101 North Walnut and is free and open to the public to enjoy through December 5th. A block walk will also take place at several of the businesses during this time in Uptown Creston. A quilt raffle to benefit the Iowa Rural Crisis Center will be held.
Running from December 3rd through the 6th during the event in Uptown Creston is the Festival of Trees sponsored by Southern Iowa Resources for Families. On Saturday December 5th a Breakfast with Santa sponsored by a local 4-H Club is held and the weekend wraps up on the 6th with a Holiday Home Tour held at several homes in the Creston area.
Come for a day or enjoy the entire weekend of holiday magic. For more information please call 641-782-7021 or www.crestoniowachamber.com.