Sadness...Newton Iowa

Tomorrow my mom is going back to her hometown of Newton, Iowa for her high school reunion. The picture above is Sir Rustalot, a dragon that sits on the grass in front of the Newton Public Library. My mom and her sisters commissioned it to be built in recognition of my grandparents 50th wedding anniversary. Anyway...The Maytag Company, which has been based in Newton for over 100 years, was recently bought by Whirlpool who will be moving the entire operation to Ohio. This means that the town of Newton will be changed forever because Maytag employs a ton of people and has pretty much single-handedly held down the town's economy for years. It's really sad. I spent a lot of time in Newton when I was growing up. It really sucks and I can't help but be pissed about it. I think this article in the Times today kind of sums up the situation. Thanks to A. Lee for the hookup.

Oh...and if you don't know about a maid-rite sandwich, you better ask somebody.