Community Notes: Fall fun and remembering Bob Thomson

By Mark Wicks, Charles City Community Development Director

Fall is here, my favorite time of the year, and there is a lot to see and do in and around Charles City in addition to just getting out and enjoying the explosion of color in the trees and various dall decorations.

Here are some quick hits on a few things coming up:

• Harvest Moon Festival retail promotion, put on by Shop Charles City, Thursday, Sept. 28, from 4 to 8 p.m. in Charles City. Participating businesses include Prologue Books & Wine, Aromas Coffee, Charles City Electronics, The Rustic Corner, Darbe & Co. Boutique, Floyd County Museum, Tellurian Brewing, Otto’s Oasis, Dean Jewelers, Charles City Art Center, The McCoy Smoothies & More, JJ’s Toys and Cardigan.

• Candidate Forums for the local city and school board elections will be held Wednesday and Thursday, October 11-12, at the Charles City Senior Center at 7 p.m. each night. Watch for more details which night will focus on the City election and which on the School election. Both forums are open to the public and being hosted by the American Association of University Women (AAUW) and the Charles City Area Chamber of Commerce.

• Chamber Bingo Night returns Saturday, Oct, 14, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the Columbus Club at 502 Clark St. in Charles City. There will be cash prizes, a 50/50 raffle, door prizes, a cash bar and fun for all ages. Those 18 and under must be accompanied by an adult. Chamber Bingo Nights are scheduled for the second Saturday of the month through May.

• 28th annual Spookwalk is set for Monday, Oct. 23, from 5 to 7 p.m. along the riverfront trail starting behind the Charles City Pubic Library. Children up through grade six are invited to come in costume with their families and walk along the decorated trail to treat stations hosted by various businesses and organizations. This year’s theme is “Circus CarnEvil.” In case of inclement weather, the rain date will be Monday, Oct. 30. Watch Facebook at Charles City Chamber & Tourism for updates.

Once again we will be offering a special pre-entry period from 4:30 to 5 p.m. for kiddos who have special/sensory needs or may struggle with large crowds. You must call the Main Street Charles City office or email events@charlescitychamber.com to pre-register for this; no early entry will be allowed that night without pre-registration, which will become available starting on Monday, Oct. 2.

• Trick-Or-Treat night has been set by the city for Halloween Night, Oct. 31, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. in Charles City. Be sure to be seen and to be safe!

• Chamber Photo Contest entries are now being accepted through Nov. 30. Chamber Cash prizes will be awarded to winners in the following categories: everyday life, people, events, landscape, and new this year, aerial/drone. We will also offer a prize in a youth category for any or all of the above photo categories at the judges’ discretion.

• Santa’s Shining Lights Display, organized by the Rotary Satellite Club, will return for its third year in Central Park in Charles City Nov. 25 through December 31. The kickoff lighting and celebration will be from 4:30-7 p.m. on November 25th. Businesses or organizations interested in participating can register online at: https://bit.ly/3Lz357M (https://www.simpletix.com/e/santas-shining-light-show-2023-tickets-132642#:~:text=Description,family’s%20support%20of%20the%20community).

Finally, the Charles City Area Chamber of Commerce was saddened to hear of the passing of former Chamber Director Robert L. “Bob” Thomson on Friday, Sept. 15. Bob headed up the Chamber operation in Charles City from 1953 to 1958, and started the Chamber Ambassador program in town. He later purchased and ran the local Ben Franklin Store, as well as opened Allen Travel Agency and the “Thread Shed” retail clothing store.

In 1990, Thomson opened one of the first Subway sandwich shops in Iowa right here in Charles City. Visit www.charlescitypress.com/obituaries to view his full obituary and read about his amazing story.