Running Lights March 2008 Motoring Iowa's Main Streets ­ June Tour Our summer 500 mile tour will include several communities that have been designated an Iowa Main Street, due to their focus on historic preservation combined with economic development.      The route is set and communities are now beginning work on their ShineTime and Pit Stop plans. Our Gathering Event at Marshalltown will now be a "Hot Time on the Courthouse Square" with live bands and tasty examples of what makes Marshalltown, Iowa's BBQ Capitol. Throughout the evening Peoples Choice awards will be presented to select vehicles. Armed guards will stand by to prevent stuffing of the ballot boxes.      The second overnight in Waverly will be "The Court Yard Bash" at Kohlman Park in the downtown area, while our Waterloo Shine Time will be full of oldies but goodies fun. Located just blocks from our hotel, in the area surrounding Lincoln Park, Waterloo's summertime "TGIF" event, Friday-loo will take place from 5:30 to 9:30.      Buick owners in the crowd will rejoice that the Headline entertainers for the evening are the Rivieras, a three-piece rock-n-roll group playing classics from the '50s and '60s. (visit their website at www.rivieras.us ). There will be beverages and food vendors on site, or you can meander down the block to enjoy several new nightlife establishments and eateries. The 2008 MotorIoway 500      Click to view MI500 route The Presidential Tour Work also continues on our fall MotorIoway 1000 drive through history; both past and future. Yes, we said "future" because we're staring in Riverside, Iowa where James T. Kirk, captain of the starship Enterprise, will be born in Riverside on March 22, 2228. But quickly we'll revert to the kind of "looking back" history most of us are more comfortable with.      Registration will take place at the Antique Auto Museum of Iowa in Coralville. Dean Oakes of Iowa City has about 75 vehicles on display, many his and several loaned, that cover the full range of automotive history, including a 1903 Model A ("Yes, Henry used the designation twice") Ford. From the museum we'll retreat a few miles south to the Riverside Casino & Golf Resort for the evening.      Over the next five days we'll learn much about four U.S. Presidents with strong ties to this part of the country. Two, Herbert Hoover and Ronald Reagan were born in small towns along our route. The other two, Ulysses Grant and Abraham Lincoln had homes here prior to their presidencies; and Lincoln intended to return until fate intervened. Just in case you haven't been close to a history book lately, check out the trivia facts on the back cover about two of them. We'll tell you some things about the other two in the next issue. Click to view MI1000 route	Presidential Trivia Ulysses Simpson Grant Grant was one of three presidents to graduate from a military academy: West Point. His original name was Hiram Ulysses Grant. He was named Hiram after his grandfather, and Ulysses after the hero in Greek mythology. He changed it because he didn't want to enter West Point with the initials H.U.G. Ulysses S. Grant had the boyhood nickname 'Useless'. Grant once said that he knew only two songs, "One was Yankee Doodle, and the other wasn't." Grant ate a cucumber soaked in vinegar for breakfast each day. Witness to some of the bloodiest battles in history, Grant could not stomach the sight of animal blood - rare steak nauseated him. Grant was the second man in American history to be a Lieutenant General. He finished his memoirs only a few weeks before his death from cancer. The book brought in $500,000 after his death. Abraham Lincoln Abe Lincoln's mother died when the family dairy cow ate poisonous mushrooms and she drank the milk. He was the first president to be photo graphed at his inauguration. John Wilkes Booth (his assassin) can be seen standing close to Lincoln. Lincoln's brother, half-brothers, and brothers-in-law fought in the Confederate Army. During the Civil War, telegraph wires were strung to follow the action on the battlefield. Since there was no telegraph office at the White House, Lincoln went across the street to get the news. Abraham Lincoln grew his beard out of the suggestion of an 11 year old girl. Lincoln loved the works of Edgar Allan Poe. Lincoln once had a dream before the fall of Richmond that he would die. He heard crying, and asked who had died. told "The President" he was told. He looked in the coffin and saw his own face. A week later Lincoln died.Preparing for the Fall Presidential To Registration use the application form to register for the MotorIoway 1000. Our Registration fees and policies remain unchanged from last year, except that 1983. vehicles now become eligible to participate. The routes for both tours have been tentatively set, and we're already working with the communities.

Tours & Happenings | Newsletters & Photos | To Register | Contact Us