On the web this week...

I stumbled upon a neat on-line resource this week. It is a Google site called "OSUN." It searches the web for PDFs, PowerPoints and Word Documents about the subject of your choice. Check out this link for a PDF search on Grant Wood. Like any on-line research, you will still have to sieve through some unwanted content, but you will find a lot of useful information you couldn't have found otherwise.

The second site I want to share came from one of my volunteers. It is an older article that was written in 2005. Most amazing is the picture of the house! You can check it out HERE.

This may be my last post for the year, so I would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Safe New Year!

On the web this week...

The American Gothic House made the KTVO news!

The holiday season is coming alive across the Heartland. By Matt Buhrman Saturday, December 05, 2009 at 9:28 p.m. ELDON, IOWA -- A number of events are held in Eldon, Iowa during the first weekend in December. The town is famous for the American Gothic House, as depicted in Grant Wood's 1930 painting. READ MORE and SEE VIDEO CLIP

The PBS show "Saddle Up With Dennis Brouse" Episode 205 airs on IPTV this Saturday morning, December 12 at 8:00 am. READ MORE about the show on the IPTV website. If you don't get a chance to watch the show live, stop by the Visitor Center. We have a copy to play in our media room!

To round out this week with some more video clips, here are a couple of ads that were recently created--one using our "American Gothic" and the other made by the same group of the worlds first most parodied painting, the "Mona Lisa."

Christmas in Eldon this Weekend

Eldon— There may not be snow on the ground, but the first weekend in December brings Santa and other Christmas festivities to Eldon with the entire community working together for the celebration. Saturday, December 5 hosts a day full of activities, including the Christmas Tree Wanderland, Rock Island Depot, Christmas Dinner, Gingerbread Houses for the Kids, Santa, and a Soup Supper to complete the day.

The McHaffey Opera House hosts the annual Christmas Tree Wanderland with over 100 trees decorated by community organizations and individuals. The event will take place on Friday, December 4 from 9 am to 5 pm; Saturday, December 5 from 9 am to 7 pm; and Sunday, December 6 from 11 am to 3 pm. Complimentary snacks will be served and the gift and goody booth will be open for holiday shopping.

The Eldon Depot will open its doors for the weekend as well. Here you will find toy trains running and the Depot decorated for the Christmas Holidays. Enjoy coffee and cookies and a chance to win a door prize. It will open Friday, December 4 from 5-9 pm; and Saturday, December 5 from 9 am to 9 pm.

Join Gothic Area Tourism of Eldon (G.A.T.E.) for a traditional Christmas Dinner at the KD Center on Saturday, December 5 from 11 am – 1 pm. Turkey with all of the trimmings, ham, mashed potatoes, salads and desserts will be served. Free will donation supports G.A.T.E. as it in turn supports the community of Eldon.

Bring the kids for a stop by the American Gothic House Center on Saturday, December 5 between 1-4 pm to decorate their very own Graham Cracker “Gingerbread” House. They will get their hands tastefully dirty while they create their own masterpiece. You might even be able to get a picture of them with it before it disappears into their bellies!

Here comes Santa Claus at the “Rock” Island Park in downtown Eldon on Saturday, December 5 from 2-3 pm for children ages 12 and under.

The day will wrap up with the Boy Scout Soup Supper at the KD Center from 5-7 pm.

Don’t miss out on Christmas in Eldon!

When: Saturday, December 5, 2009

Where: Eldon, IA 52554

Contact: Jessica Strom, 641-652-3352, aghc@iowatelecom.net

On the web this week...

Anybody speak French (I think)? This weeks find is a link to the following article: "Histoire culturelle: Vous avez dit icône? (American Gothic: The extraordinary odyssey of America’s most loved—and reviled—painting)" If you scroll down you will find it in English. I thought it was very neat to find our house and painting discussed and promoted internationally.

The story of American Gothic begins with a trim white cottage in Eldon, Iowa, that Wood, an Iowa-born artist with European training, spotted from a car window in August 1930.* He decided to paint the house—built in the“carpenter Gothic” style, which applied the lofty architecture of European cathedrals to flimsy American frame houses—along with “the kind of people I fancied should live in that house.” READ MORE.