Category: Iowa

The entire State of Iowa.

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Oneota Film Festival: Spring has Arrived in Decorah, IA

Introduction

Oneota Film Festival, locally known as OFF, is unofficially the first sign of spring in Decorah, Iowa.

It is never to early to start making plans to attend OFF. The dates for the 2024 festival are February 29 – March 3, 2024.

If you can’t wait for Spring to roll around, OFF offers events prior to the festival in surrounding towns. Check their website, www.oneotafilmfestival.org for dates, times, and locations. Pre-festival events are held in surrounding communities and unique venues, like the historic theater in Cresco and Waukon or the microbrewery in Calmar.

The 2024 festival introduces film enthusiasts to over 45 documentaries that will be shown in six of Decorah’s unique venues. All six venues are all located in the town’s rich historic downtown district, and each venue has a historic background.

What Is A Documentary?

Documentaries are thought-provoking films that force you to think outside the box about subject matters you may have never thought about before. Documentaries generate a range of emotions, sadness, laughter, surprise, excitement, relief, and panic among others. Documentaries force you to ask questions. Documentaries encourage you to learn more and want more.

Wikipedia defines a documentary film as “a non-fictional motion picture intended to “document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record”.

Free

Thanks to generous sponsors, OFF is a free event. As a free event, there is no excuse not to attend. Even though the festival is free, it costs to put four day event on. Please consider becoming a member to support the festival. A bonus of becoming a member is that you will be invited to VIP events throughout the year, and you get to vote for your favorite film in the People’s Choice category at the festival.

Leadership

The 2024 festival is the 14 year of the Oneota Film Festival. President Nancy Sojka leads a board of directors comprised of eleven amazing hard-working volunteers. The festival employs a part-time creative director, Elise Skelenger, the organization’s only paid employee.

Volunteers

OFF also recruit a number of volunteers to assist throughout the event, which is the another way to see the films. If you are interested in volunteering, go to https://www.oneotafilmfestival.org/volunteer. Volunteers position needed are, room managers, readers, room greeters, set-up and take-down, and greeters at the festival headquarters.

OFF volunteer introducing a film..

The Judges

The wide and in-depth section of films at OFF will not disappoint. There is something for everyone, which I have found to be true at the other festivals I have attended. The selection of films shown demonstrates that the judges knows their audience and they know what makes a good documentary. Imagine watching 100 or more films from September to December and having to select the films that will be shown. Judges are an important component of a successful film festival.

The descriptions of the films will help you decided which ones to see. The films are shown at least twice so attendees are able to watch all the films.

Venues

ArtHaus, one of six venues.
T-Bock’s, one of six venues showing films.
Convergence Cider Works, one of six venues.
Driftless Yoga Center, one of six venues.
All Vets Club, Post 1977, another OFF venue.
Hotel Winneshiek, film venue and headquarters..

In the past, the festival was held at Luther College, a beautiful venue with top IT technology and talented technicians, but due to scheduling conflicts, the OFF board moved the festival downtown in 2022. Now the dates of the festival are consistent, which helps visitors schedule their trip in advance. The festival is held the first full weekend in March. The films are shown at some of Decorah’s most popular historic venues that have all been given a new life.

The venues include Arthaus, Hotel Winneshiek, Convergence CiderWorks, T-Bock’s Bar and Grill, Driftless Yoga Center located on the third floor of Impact Coffee, and the VFW.

Every location is unique and offers a different flavor which adds to the enjoyment of the film festival. Attendees may have a favorite venue and only attend the films at that venue or they enjoy visiting each venue to watch their favorite documentaries. Take your pick!

It is recommended that you arrive early to get front-row seating, which may be in the back of the room, like churchgoers, or the front of the room, so you can see.

Headquarters

If you have any questions, make sure to stop at the festival’s headquarters, located in the lobby of Hotel Winneshiek, 104 E. Water Street. There will be volunteers eager and ready to answer your questions.

Friends and Family

New Friends
Old Friends
Old Friends
Old Friends

OFF is a time to hang out with old friends, meet new friends, and spend time with family; thus adding a special touch to the festival.

Snacks and Drinks

If popcorn is served at a film festival, that is a plus. Over the years, OFF has served flavored popcorn from Decorah’s own Pinter’s Gardens and Pumpkins. Some venues sell food and drinks for your enjoyment, thus, saving precious time while introducing you to delicious tasting food and drink. At Hotel Winneshiek, festival attendees are able to purchase adult beverages and take them upstairs to the Steyer Opera House. Tip: The margaritas are made just the way a margarita should be.

Orange juice is key to any good margarita.

Meet the Film Director(s)

Student film director, Noah Potvin. He was an 8th grade student in Decorah, Iowa when he created the short, Star Trek: Frontier in Diversity, that was shown at the 2024 festival.
Drake student and film director, Michael Veninga.
Directors at the 2024 OFF.

Make sure to hang around after the films to talk with the film director(s), whether they are onsite or attending the festival virtually. Many festivals also offer a reception where attendees can chat one-on-one with the directors, providing opportunities to ask questions, get the film’s backstory, and meet the film directors, producers, and sometimes even members of the cast.

Create Your Own Itinerary

It is important to plan your itinerary before the festival. In 2024 there are over 40 films being shown over four days at OFF. It is a sure bet that if you do not lay out a schedule you will be disappointed. Some of them are shown more than once and in different locations, so plan ahead and carry your itinerary with you.

Attendees can find OFF’s schedule on oneotafilmfestival.org prior to the festival.

OFF History

Headquarters

2024 Documentaries and Directors

Following is the list of films that will be shown this year.

Aris Demetrios: Sculpture from the Heart – Directed by Josh Aronson; Balika – Directed by Altor Sanchez Smith and Lander Ibarretxe; Between the Notes: The Helene Grimaud Documentary; Blue Sunshine – Directed by Samyuktha Vijayan; Burial – Directed by Jerzy Czachowski; Chasing Greatness: Wrestling Life – Directed by Danny Wilcox Frazier; Claire Facing North – Directed by Lynn Tjerrnan Lukkas; Culture Talk on the Radio – Directed by Errkaa; Dishonour – Directed by Terrence Turner; Down the Mekong: Voyage of Discovery – Directed by David Richard Ellingson; Dwight in Denmark – Directed by Beth Hoven and Jon Rotto; Essential Essence – Directed by Patrick Boberg; Everything Fun you Could Possibly Do in Aledo, Illinois – Directed by Bethany Berg; Friendly Faces – Directed by Keaton Fuller; Greener Pastures – Directed by Samuel-Ali Mirpoorian; Greybeard, The Man, The Myth, The Mississippi – Directed by Zak Rivers and Wilderness Mindset, Alex Maier and Amy Robin; Gun to the Head – Directed by Christian Michael Veninga and Mithi Sivaprakash; Hangman – Directed by Megan Brotherton; Happy Hour – Directed by Gene Halverson; Hello, Bookstore – Directed by A.B. Zax; Invisible Landscapes – Directed by Ivo Bystrican; Labor of Love – Directed by Sam Fathallah; Learning to Dance – Directed by Cat Ashworth; Once Love – Directed by Mike Stinnett; Panther Politician: Part 2 – Directed by S. Torriano Berry; Parsons – Directed by Dick DeAngelis; Places to be Wild – Directed by Kelly Rundle; Reagan/Quigley ’85 – Directed by Elijah Kimmel; Shift: The Ragbrai Documentary – Directed by Kelsey Kremer and Courtney Crowder; Standing Strong: Elizabeth Catlett – Directed by Kevin J. Kelley; Startime – Directed by Rich West; The Countryman – Directed by Andy Kastelic; The Dead Track – Directed by Antonio Maciocco; The Errand – Directed by Amanda Renee Knox: Tina – Directed by Laura Sweeney; To the Moon and Back – Directed by Charlie Posey; Wine, Women, and Dementia – Directed by Kitty Norton; You Are What You Act – Directed by Albert Nerenberg; Zakkiyyah Najeebah Duman O’Neal – A Glass Breakfast Interview – Directed by Ian Carstens.

A selection of NE Iowa Area High School speech student films will be shown. The films created by students in grades 6-8, addressed the National History Day contest theme for 2023. The following four were presented in the regional competition at the NE Iowa Community College last March: Star Trek: Frontier in Diversity directed by Noah Potvin, Julia Child: A Frontier in the Kitchen directed by Nina Sessions and Kaelyn Kuhn, Jackie Robinson: The Frontier of African-Americans in Professional Baseball directed by Bennett Coppola and Jalen Klees, and Pasteurization: Reshaping the Dairy Industry directed by Rex LaFrentz and Kalin Harman.

2024 Walter Ordway Best Of The Fest Award Winnerd

If you are still not sure which docs to watch, keep an eye out for the judges’ awards. Awards are generally announced a week or two before the festival.

The Walter Ordway Best of the Fest OFF award winners are: Documentary Feature Shift; Honorable Mention Documentary Feature – Greener Pastures; Narrative Feature – Blueshine; Honorable Mention Narrative Feature – Claire Facing North; Honorable Mention Narrative Feature Everything Fun You Could Possible Do in Aledo, Illinois; Student Narrative – To the Moon and Back; Experimental – Culture Talk on the Radio; Documentary Short – Dwight in Denmark; Honorable Mention Documentary Short – Aris Demetrios Sculpture from the Heart; Narrative Short – Dishonour; Narrative Short – Il Binario Morto; Honorable Mention Narrative Short – The Countryman; Honorable Mention Narrative Short – Hangman;

Up-To-Date Information

Facebook is the perfect resource for keeping up-to-date on all things related to the OFF film festival. Follow along on the OFF festival’s Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/oneotafilmfest.

There is also a lot of information on film festival websites that will assist you in planning your visit.

Future Dates of the Oneota Film Festival

I love it when events post the dates years in advance. Let’s make it easy for people to attend our events.

  • March 6-9, 2025
  • March 5-8, 2026
  • March 4-7, 2027
  • March 2-5, 2028
  • March 1-4, 2029
  • February 28 – March 3, 2023

Midwest Film Festivals

Now that you are hooked on film festivals, here are other film festivals that are recommended by my fellow travel bloggers and myself. Follow the suggestions listed above for any film festival you attend, and you are guaranteed to enjoy your experience.

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Explore Iowa with Travel Writer Sara Broers

Experience the real Iowa with lifelong Iowa resident and travel writer Sara Broers. Broers shares 100 authentic Iowa adventures with residents and visitors in her recently released book, 100 Things To Do In Iowa Before You Die.

Broers is also the CEO of TravelWithSara.com, self-described as a website for folks that enjoy travel. The book features well-known attractions, restaurants, mom-and-pop stores, wineries, breweries, and festivals, and some not as well-known that Broers has visited. After reading just one of Broers suggestions, readers will be eager to get out and explore the culturally and historically rich and scenic Iowa that Broers lives and breathes.

Broers makes road-tripping fun, and she shares plenty of insider information that is sure to get readers revved up and ready to start exploring. In the back of the book, Broers offers suggested itineraries to help plan day and multi-day trips. There are also travel tips scattered throughout the book.

There is no one-way readers can tackle the book. Readers can start at the front of the book, they can begin at the back, or can flip through the book after reviewing the table of content or the index. No matter what approach to reading the book is selected, it will take reading just one adventure to be hooked and ready to head out on their first trip.

Did you know that pearls were found in the Mississippi River or that billions of pearl buttons were manufactured in Muscatine, the Pearl Button Capital of the World? To find out more about this industry, plan a visit to the National Pearl Button Museum in Muscatine.

Des Moines is home is a world-class skate park. 88,000 square feet of concrete to enjoy on four wheels and a board. Broers mentions that roller skates are allowed in the park.

Relive the fifties at the legendary Surf Ballroom the first weekend in February. The town of Clear Lake recreates the last concert of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper at the annual Winter Dance Party.

Visit Fort Dodge’s Gaga & Hoo Korean restaurant serves world-class authentic Korean food. Broers adds, “If you’re lucky, your server will pick up a guitar and serenade you while you dine on this delicious Korean food.”

Travel to the northeast quadrant of the state and ‘Meet the Man Who Fed the World’ Nobel Peace Prize winner, Norman Borlaug. Borlaug is recognized for his work developing a strain of wheat that can be cultivated throughout various regions of the world. Visit his birthplace and childhood home outside Cresco.

100 Things to Do in Iowa Before You Die is part of the 100 Things to Do Before You Die series, written by travel experts and published by Reedy Press. The softcover is 5.5” x 8.5” is 192 pages, and costs $19.95. The ISBN is 9781681063508.

Broers can be reached at travelwithsara@gmail.com and her book can be purchased online at https://www.reedypress.com/shop/100-things-to-do-in-iowa-before-you-die/.

Broers enjoys talking with fellow travelers, so if she sees you carrying a yellow 100 Things To Do travel book, don’t be surprised if she stops to talk and asks to take a selfie with you.

Enjoy traveling I

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Squeaky Iowa Cheese Curds Hits the Spot

Deprived of a consistent intake of fresh cheese curds over the last 30 years, it became apparent that a Sunday drive through the Driftless Region of Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin was in store.

“A cheese curd is a small chunk of cheese often identified as the freshest form of cheddar,” explains Golden Age Cheese. 

Sunday Drives

Baby Boomers can attest to the fact that Sunday drives are a Midwest family tradition. Having something to devour, while driving through the rich agricultural landscape is a necessity. It was not uncommon in the Corson family to enjoy a bag or two of cheese curds on their Sunday drives.

Finally, I have a free Sunday for a drive. I headed out on the first of many drives in search of the perfect cheese curds. Heading north from Decorah, Iowa to Mabel, Minnesota, I  stopped at the local convenience store to purchase a bag of cheese curds. Half expecting to see an array of tempting flavors – (Dill, Ranch, Parmesan, or even Sour Cream and Onion), I was relieved to see a bag of traditional plain white cheddar cheese curds. The white curds are what I remember nibbling on as a little girl. Opening the bag, I grabbed the first peanut-shaped curd that my fingers touched. Closing my eyes, I slowly took that long-awaited bite, eagerly expecting to hear that familiar squeak between my teeth; I heard– nothing.

La Crosse, Wisconsin

Disappointed, I drove headed toward La Crosse, Wisconsin, snacking in silence toward Wisconsin touted as the United States’ cheese capital. According to Quora.com, Wisconsin is a cheese curd lovers’ paradise. Wisconsin is where I remember my parents going to buy cheese curds. Not able to find any curds that caused me to cringe from that signature squeak when I bit into them,

Not willing to give up, I decided to find a restaurant offering homemade fried cheese curds. They were as good as I remembered enjoying with my former mother-in-law. Still, there was only a squeak now and then. Maybe I was dreaming?  Did cheese curds not squeak as I remembered?

It was time to compare Minnesota and Wisconsin curds with those made in Iowa. I anxiously awaited my first bite of Iowa cheddar cheese curds.

Throughout my month-long journey, I became intrigued with finding out what made cheese curds squeak. After a quick internet search and chatting with cheesemakers, it became clear that an understanding of the process of making cheese curds is essential to understanding what makes curds squeak.

According to Livestrong.com, “As whey is drained from the vat during the creation of cheddar, cheese curds remain as an end product. Most cheese curds are best within a few days of production.”

WW Homestead Dairy

Just down the road from Decorah in Waukon is WW Homestead Dairy, self-proclaimed the cheese capital of Iowa. After a tour and lots of questions, I got my answer and much more. As it turns out, eating fresh warm curds is the key to the squeakiest cheese curds that you can imagine. Cheese curds that can cause one to cringe as if you’d just heard fingernails run down the face of a chalkboard.

Caring friends and colleagues suggest briefly warming up cheese curds in the microwave to force them to squeak as if fresh, but that didn’t work for me. No matter. My search is over. I have found the secret to tasty cheese curds.

Stop in at Homestead Dairy on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 10:30 a.m. The time when you can purchase curds straight out of the vat– large, warm, tasty, and squeaky.

Where to Find Fried Cheese Curds

In my quest to find the best cheese curds, step two was to find area restaurants that serve fried cheese curds made from Homestead Dairy cheese. I checked out T-Bocks, Good Times, and Luther College in Decorah. The fried cheese curds were all made from cheddar from the WW Homestead Dairy and were delicious at all three places.

Fried Cheese Curds Recipe

Having now experienced deliciously fried local cheese curds, I thought it would be fun to learn how to make them.

After only five minutes of research on the internet, I came across the following recipe on AllRecipes.com.

Ingredients

2 quarts of corn oil for frying

¼ cup milk

1 cup all-purpose flour

¾ cup beer

½ teaspoon salt

Two eggs

2 lbs. Cheese curds, broken apart

15-minute prep 15-minute cook | Ready in 30 minutes

Directions

1. Heat corn oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C)

2. Whisk together milk, flour, beer, salt, and eggs to form a  smooth, relatively thin batter.

3. Place cheese curds, about six to eight at a time, into the batter, stir to coat, and remove with wire strainer.

4. Shake curds to remove excess batter.

5. Deep fry until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes.

6. Drain on paper towels.

7. Serve hot with Ranch dressing.

Researching information for this article produced unexpected results. When I set out on this adventure initially, it was to find the best-tasting cheese curds in the Driftless region of Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. The journey turned out to be much more informative than imagined. CheeseUndergroundBlogspot.com offers the following advice and facts:

“Only buy cheese curds if they are fresh – anything over a day old isn’t the same.”

“High in fat but also high in taste.”

“Squeaky fresh and fun to eat.”

“Traditionally, cheese curds were the leftover bonus from a batch of cheddar, but cheesemakers brought it home for their children to eat.”

Calories

110 calories in 1 serving | 1 serving are equal to a half a cup or 1 ounce

Knowing the number of calories in a serving and how many servings a person can eat in one sitting,

I realized that physical exertion is a requirement after enjoying cheese curds. According to CalorieKing.com, it takes 31 minutes of walking or 30 minutes of jogging or 9 minutes of swimming, or 17 minutes of cycling to burn 110 calories.

Time to Eat

It is now time for a handful of curds.

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