Jim Hochstedler (Frank’s son) from Wisconsin was a guest of Frank’s this week. He seems as busy …

By Mark Swartzendruber

Jim Hochstedler (Frank’s son) from Wisconsin was a guest of Frank’s this week. He seems as busy as ever working on a night shift delivering medications.

This hot humid weather sure makes the corn grow. Knee high by the 4th of July was a goal of the farmer, but this year it has stretched much farther than that. The beans are coming along also.

The Omar Stutzmans of Colorado were house guests of Martha Stutzman.

Eldon Rhodes told me at coffee that Eldon Swartzentrubers visited and stayed with them. They came to attend the funeral of Emma Miller.

I see where Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Myers will celebrate their 60th anniversary. I remember the time when they came out and he bellowed like a horse. It really did sound real in the restaurant. Congratulations.

I enjoyed the I.M.S. class of 1949 50-year reunion. One reason was because of Russell Miller and Mertice Brenneman Miller who were former students of mine.

Kalona must be a good place to win cars and pickups. A few years ago Luella Yoder won a car and now Rosemary Prizler Jennings won a pickup.

Interesting facts in Ann Lander’s column are some things you don’t often think about. America has five million farms, 110,000 schools, 330,000 churches. These are numbers of which our community is a part.

Quote: “When I take my time, I’m thorough, when the other guy takes his time, he’s slow. When I don’t do something, I’m too busy - when the other guy doesn’t, he’s lazy. When I do something without being told, that’s initiative - when the other guy does it, that’s overstepping. When I stick to what I think, I’m being firm - when the other guy won’t give in, he’s bullheaded. When I manage to get ahead, it’s hard work - when he gets ahead, he’s getting the breaks. It’s a good thing I’m not the other guy - or am I?”

A man told his granddaughter, “Clean your plate and you’ll get bigger.” “No, I’ll get dessert,” she said.

Yotty Hardware

Did you realize that on the corner lot where Yotty’s Hardware is, there has been a hardware store since 1879? So says Bart Yotty, one of the corporation officers. It was owned by the Snider Brothers, this three-story building. It was also the place of a mortuary.

When Marion Snider went to West Liberty, Dr. B.F. Allen bought the store in 1902. It was B.F. Allen Hardware until 1908. It was Allen and Snair from 1908-1936. After that it was known as Snair Hardware with H.V. Beck and Weller Snyder operators.

Bart Yotty came on the scene and has worked and owned the store for 49 years. Another example of one person working at one place for so many years.

In 1956 Dick Beck came in and he and Bart worked together until 7-1-1979 when it became Yotty Hardware. It is a family incorporation with Bart, Dorothy and Steve as officers. Steve joined the company in 1976 and Dick left in 1979.

They have the Ace Hardware line and in past years have bought from other wholesalers.

Hardware has changed a lot from days gone by. They used to sell horse collars, cream separators and washing machines.

A newer deal now is the golf cart business. They rent, sell, lease and service many carts. They have 225 golf carts now after starting with only 10. Kalona was the first golf course they served and now they serve 14 golf courses. They go to Burlington, Cedar Rapids, Marion and Centerville.

Present employees include Bart, Dorothy, Steve, Katie Miller, who started in 1979, Jerry Zahradnek who started in 1991, Jake Zahradnek who started in 1995, and Dean Brenneman.

They all mentioned they enjoy people and Bart has served 16 years in the Iowa Retail Hardware and 5 years in the National Retail Hardware organizations. Steve also served 6 years on the Iowa Retail Board and is president at this time.

Now the store, in addition to filling all your hardware needs, sells gifts, furniture and about anything you need in that line.

Not only that, but if you get hungry for ice cream, just step next door. That’s the latest addition and boy, is it good. Both Bart and Steve have been or are now Fire Chief of Kalona.

The Yottys are very community minded and support our town with many hats. Now I wonder if Steve will out-do his dad by staying more than 49 years. Yet Bart has more years to go.

The Word for the Week is acrimony. This was the answer to one of the Jumbles this week in The Register. It means bitterness or harshness of temper in a manner of speech. Now often this may come up in every day situations and how often can we remember that so we are not caught in acrimony.