Iowa conf. fed us info and food

I love to travel, but it?s always great to get back home again. The most recent trip was to Des Moines, Iowa. The majority of our staff attended the Midwest Free Com?munity Papers? spring conference.

There?s always a great deal to learn and this time was no exception. Great sessions were presented on the technical aspects of publishing, both for print and the digital world, motivational guidance from an expert on customer service, and all of the latest in the digital and social media world.

And I don?t want to forget the great food. Every time I leave town I come back 10 pounds heavier it seems.

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When Nancy and I got home the previous week from Atlanta, I had a stack of work in front of me. So I just turned around and it was all behind me.

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I wouldn?t recommend doing this on purpose, but if your jump/thumb/flash drive ends up going through the wash, it will probably work after it dries out.

At least all of mine have and I know that others have had the same result.

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I learned there are big differences in shipping costs between city and rural. I shipped a heavy box of books to the trade show in Atlanta from True Value here in Hillsboro, and it cost about $25. At the UPS store in the hotel, I dropped off the same box, which was lighter than the one I originally sent because I gave out a few samples. It cost $9 more to send it back.

Additional fees were tacked on to the slightly higher base fee, plus fuel surcharge, rural destination and paperwork fees.

Next time I?m going to give everything away and not bring anything back, if possible.

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Son Dan will soon be home for a few days. We have some big plans to make improvements to our Free Press building. I?m not sure exactly what he has in mind, but I know it all will be good.

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Many people from this area knew Harold ?Buck? Balzer, who passed away Saturday. Buck was an icon in Buhler and its school system for many years. He was originally from Lehigh and his dad was the basketball coach at Hillsboro in the early days.

Although I was aware who Buck was for some time, I got to know him as a friend when he asked me to help him produce a book on the history of Buhler basketball.

He was a prince of a man and a true gentleman. He would often send me a note about something he saw that he thought our paper might be interested in following up, or something about the history of Hillsboro.

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I keep hearing that some folks still don?t know for sure who is eligible to be included in the veterans book we are publishing for release in November this year.

Anyone who is from Marion County, who lived in Marion County or now lives in Marion County can be included.

We still have events scheduled in Lincolnville, Tampa and Florence where we will be scanning photos. See our ad on the next page for details.

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And we will be publishing our Veterans Honor Roll in the May 23 edition of the Free Press. If you have a name or two to add, or corrections to make, please advise by May 18.

If you wish to share your comments or ideas, my e-mail address is joel@hillsborofreepress.com.

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