John McGivern’s Main Streets

- I'm in Iowa, in the Iowa River Valley, in a unique area in the Eastern part of the state that's on the list of national landmarks.

- "John McGivern's Main Streets" thanks the following underwriters: [pleasant music] - Greendale is proud to be the inspiration for "John McGivern's Main Streets."

This historic village is a real place where all are welcome to gather, to shop, to enjoy.

Charming, vibrant, joyful, welcoming.

You've just gotta see Greendale.

[exciting music] - I'm on my way Oh, it's time to hit the road I'm on my way This is the freedom I live for - Remember when the American dream was being able to say, "I made that.

I built that."

Wouldn't it be great if your kids and grandkids chose a career that provides that kind of pride, with good pay, but without a ton of student loan debt?

A four-year degree isn't the only path to success.

We need talented people to make and build on main streets everywhere.

Skilled work isn't a thing of the past; it's a bright future.

- Additional funding is provided by the Friends of Plum Media and the Friends of PBS Wisconsin.

Thanks, friends!

- 'Cause these are our main streets Something 'bout a hometown speaks to me There's nowhere else I'd rather be The heart and soul of community's right here On these main streets - I'm in Iowa's Amana Colonies.

You ever heard of it?

If not, it's really a place you need to put on the top of your list for a future road trip.

The history of its founders dates back to early 1700s Germany.

It really serves as a roadmap to what the colonies are about today: a future-focused community and a tourist stop where you can learn and have fun all at the same time.

The Amana Colonies are made up of seven villages which form a rectangular shape and are split by the Iowa River.

They're about 20 miles southwest of Cedar Rapids and home to over 1,600 people, and each of the villages is just a couple miles apart.

And one of the most interesting things about this area is that it is one of the longest-lived communal societies in America.

But of course, I'm not the researcher.

Emmy, go ahead.

– Emmy Fink: John, I so wish I was there because the history in the Amana Colonies is so interesting.

All the way back to Germany, 1714, it began with a religious group who called themselves the Community of True Inspiration.

Now, seeking religious freedom, they moved to the US in the early 1840s and settled near Buffalo, New York.

They put all their resources together and lived as a co-op, sharing their property, working the land, and building industries like woolen mills, furniture shops, meat shops, and much more.

With that growth came the need for more farmland.

They settled in Iowa in 1855 and called it "Amana," which means, "remain true."

Now, here's a tip.

They're not Amish.

Don't call 'em Amish.

They even joke about it on their shirts.

- Do people always presume it's something different than what it is?

– Lanny Haldy: Sometimes.

- Amish?

- Yeah, that's what you're getting at, I could tell.

– Jeff Popenhagen: Yeah, it's so funny 'cause we are-- we constantly say, "We're not Amish."

- I know.

- And we get that quite a bit.

- And when you say, "communal society," what did that take the form of?

- There was no individual property.

The community owned all the land, all the buildings, all the means of production, as it were.

- They didn't get any money for their jobs.

- But you were given everything you needed, too.

- Yeah, it was no frills.

I mean, they were pretty-- everything was pretty standard, and, you know, everybody tried to keep it as fair and equal as possible.

- Yeah.

Where, exactly, are we, Lanny?

- We're in the Homestead Church.

And it was really, you know, the center of social life, as well as religious life.

- And where are we standing today?

- Actually, we don't have a picture of the Homestead Church.

- Because we're standing in it.

- 'Cause we're in it.

Yeah, we don't need a picture.

[laughter] - And why seven separate villages?

- They felt smaller settlements were more conducive to a sense of community.

And they also had to farm 26,000 acres.

- It became seven communities because of farmland?

- Yeah, it became, really, one community because of the church in the olden days.

- Because of the church?

- Yeah, the church kind of ran it all up until-- 1932 is when the Great Change happened.

- And what brought on the Great Change?

- I think for the most part, it was just that people were starting to separate their religious faith from that social economic structure.

- The church stopped running the communal society, and we-- that's when the Amana Society Corporation was formed.

- You know, we call it the Great Change, but it wasn't that great of a change.

[laughter] It was a big change in terms of getting rid of that communal system, but on the other hand, the church continued.

- Yeah.

- All their informal social networks continued and everything.

- So, Jeff, does the Amana Society own everything in the seven villages?

- No, no, we don't.

We're proud to own and continue to operate since 1932 the general store, the woolen mill, the furniture shop, the Amana Meat Shop, and Hotel Millwright.

Tourism and American manufacturing is what keeps this community strong.

- Yeah.

- We want to make sure that we honor the heritage of the Amana people.

It was more for the idea that people could come here and enjoy and see what it was really about.

It's really an Iowa treasure.

- Thanks for taking the time.

Because we really needed an understand-- I needed an understanding.

- [laughs] I don't know if I gave you an understanding.

- No, you completely did!

[folksy music] Hey, this is great.

"Iowa Valley Scenic Byway."

If you come to the Amana Colonies, there's ten of these.

We're at number seven.

Dial the number... [tone sounds] And they'll tell you all about it.

Take a listen.

- Welcome to the Communal Kitchen Museum.

- Come on.

- During Amana's communal era, no one had kitchens in their homes.

- We are in what was a communal kitchen.

– Elise Heitmann: Yes, and this is the last remaining communal kitchen.

The rest have been renovated.

So this is the only one that's original and true to the times.

- We're so glad that you kept it.

So all of these original homes were built without kitchens, right?

- Correct, yep.

- And three meals a day, they came here to eat.

- Five meals a day.

- Five meals?

- So there were three-- - Huh?

- [laughs] Three regular meals that we think of, and then two what we would probably call coffee breaks.

- They ate well.

- Yes, they ate well.

- And we read something about the fact that it wasn't a real social time.

- No, it started with a prayer and then, as soon as that prayer was over, you were meant to eat.

And then, when you were done, you were done.

You were expected to leave.

- So who did the cooking?

Who was assigned?

- One kitchen boss, one kitchen assistant, and then there were three teenage girls who had just gotten out of school that were helping with the dishes and the prep work, and then serving the tables as well.

But they did specifically pick people who did well in cooking.

So cooking was one of the things that was taught in school to both men and women-- cooking, and knitting, and some of those other just basic survival things.

- So nobody really ate in the kitchen, right?

- No, and honestly, if you didn't work here, you wouldn't come in the kitchen either.

- Oh, you wouldn't?

Would the kitchen boss live-- - Yes, so the kitchen boss always lived in the house that was connected to the kitchen.

They'd be assigned to live there.

There were four apartments in most Amana home buildings.

So there would be an apartment here, an apartment across the hallway, and then the same thing downstairs.

And it would be four families living together.

So each family would have a living room and a bedroom, and this is where you would get ready in the morning.

So you'd be getting ready with all of your housemates.

Everyone who lived here would have their own wardrobe as well, their own trunk.

- Communal.

- Yes, very communal.

Yep, completely and totally.

- You're the best.

- Well, thank you!

- You know your stuff!

- [laughs] I try!

- If you want to take a step back in time, check out the High Amana General Store.

Back in the day, there was a general store in each village that would serve as the community's main office.

Elders and business leaders would be in charge of the store, and families would get credits to buy things they needed.

Come on in and take a trip back through time.

- Can we talk about the history of this place?

How long has it been open?

– Tim Blattner: Depending on which door you come in, either 1855 or 1858.

- Really?

- Yep.

- And are the recipes that you deal with today, any from back then?

- We try to keep 'em as close as we can, yep.

- What comes out of here meat-wise?

- We make all the bratwurst, beef jerky, beef sticks, schwartenmagen.

- Say it one more time for me?

- Schwartenmagen.

- And spell it for me too.

No, you don't have to.

- It's right up there.

- Oh, it's-- oh, there it is!

- Landjaeger.

- Landjaeger?

- It's an all-beef snacking stick.

- Why have I not heard of this?

This is delicious!

Is this the brat stop right here?

- It is, yes.

- What are we smoking?

- Right now, we got a rack of beef jerky in here.

So that starts out as a 100-pound rack.

We lose about 50% in the cooking and drying process.

- How long does this have to smoke?

- Four hours total.

This is our stuffing room, or production room number one.

- What are we making?

- Smoked bratwurst.

- And how many will come out of here today?

- Total is gonna be about 900 pounds.

- So is the trick just one?

- Yep.

- One-- - A natural.

- Oops.

- Spoke too soon.

- Like that?

- Yup.

- So it's two at a time.

There we go.

- Get a little water in there so it slides on a little better.

Pull it a little bit.

- Yeah?

- Get it away from the edge.

- Uh-huh.

- And then you just hit that.

- [shouting] Why am I nervous?

[laughter] Here we go.

Oh, my Lord!

Look at me!

John's making the sausage!

Keep up, ladies!

- [laughs] - You wanna package?

- I'd love to.

- Five brats to a package.

That's how you buy 'em in the retail store or anywhere else you're gonna buy our brats.

Bring 'em over here, four at a time, and then you're just gonna shut it.

Suspenseful here.

- There we have it.

- And it opens.

- Look at that.

- And then, we just put them straight in the box here.

There you have it, start to finish.

You've done it all.

You did!

- You're the nicest boss I've ever worked with.

Seven villages make up the Amana Colonies: Amana, High Amana, Middle Amana, East Amana, West Amana, South Amana, and Homestead!

Okay, why does one of these villages' name not include "Amana"?

[quirky music] - When German settlers came to Iowa, Homestead was already a little village, so why rename it?

The Amana folks bought it because the railroad ran right through it.

They needed the trains to ship their goods in and out of the area.

Today, it's home to about 150 people.

[mellow music] - You are the what generation that's been in this business?

– Norman Schanz: Fifth generation.

- He's the sixth?

- Mm-hmm.

I 'member him sitting in a little chair right about over here when he was working.

- Yeah?

- And he was just a little tyke.

- And he's your boss now, yes?

- Mm-hmm, exactly.

- This is spalted maple from our local timber.

We call it Amana marblewood.

It's just a phrase.

You know, we always have to put "Amana" on everything.

- Don't 'ya?

- It's like your middle name.

- [laughs] - But Christmas trees have been very popular.

Now, here's the deal.

I put a little glue on here now like this.

- Yep.

- And I always tell people, I says, now, you know, when I retire someday, I'm gonna go down to McDonald's, and get a job, and put ketchup on buns.

- [laughs] - And a lot of people say, what kind of glue do you use?

And I say, good glue.

- Good glue.

- See what's happening?

Wouldn't have good glue, it'd fall off already.

- You've got your own show here!

- Yeah.

[laughter] - Can you talk about this business?

– Mike Schanz: Originally, a lot of our family were cabinet makers in the community before 1932.

And then, in 1965, my dad here started repairing and refinishing furniture in his basement.

And then, finally, we moved to this facility in 1980, and we continue to do almost the same things.

[marbles clinking] - Can I tell you what my mom would've said?

- What?

- Put it away now!

- [laughs] Exactly.

- What's in your house?

Is it furniture you make?

- Some of it, yeah.

- Yeah?

- But it's like-- it's like the plumber that has a leaky faucet, you know?

I think it took maybe-- maybe 15 years before even my wife had a dining room table.

- Is that right?

- Yeah.

- And repair-wise, when we walked in, your wife, Michelle... - Yep.

- Was caning.

Was that caning?

- That was actually fiber rush.

- Have you always known how to do this?

– Michelle Schanz: No, no.

- [laughs] So you married into this business?

- I did.

– Mike: And then, we also do caning of seats and chairs.

- Do you know, you guys are like doctors to me.

I am useless, I am telling you.

[laughs] Thanks for talking to us.

Congratulations.

It was great to see your history.

– Norman: Yeah, we're history all right.

[laughter] - If you visit the Amana Colonies, you're gonna notice that the original houses have these trellises and these grapevines.

Do you know why?

Two purposes.

The grape vines, they insulate the house so that it keeps the house cooler in the summer.

And out of those grapevines, guess what comes?

Grapes.

Guess what they do with the grapes?

You guessed it, right?

Wine.

- Another reason why I love the Amana Colonies, wine is a very important part of their culture.

They actually distributed more wine than beer back in those communal days.

Get this: there was a winemaker that lived above the church and made wine in the basement.

Well, today, there are several wineries that you can visit and sip your little heart away.

And I can't wait to do the same in a couple of weeks.

[acoustic music] - What a great hotel you have.

– Chris Adams: Thank you, thank you.

I'm in love with it.

- Are you?

You should be.

Good job.

- I am.

- Can we talk about the history of this property?

- Absolutely.

We sit on the complex of the Wool and Textile Mill, and it's the last working mill in Iowa.

So the building, in and of itself, had great potential.

So the community thought it'd be a great idea to turn this into a luxury boutique hotel with 65 guestrooms - Yeah.

- I think part of our purpose is to serve our guests with an exceptional experience, but also to continue telling the story of the Wool and Textile Mill.

- Somebody had a really good thought into what it could be.

- Yeah, a great vision.

And I think the story is still told throughout the design.

- Oh, it sure is.

- Every corner you walk into of this building, there are still original pieces that were found in this building and left in this building.

We're like a museum for the Amanas and for the Wool and Textile Mill.

- Can you talk about the dining experience?

- We have the Indigo Room, and then we also have a really unique space called the Electric Thread Social Club.

And it's a whiskey bar.

- This is amazing.

You're never gonna find this anywhere.

So this is all a lot of what used to be here?

- Yes, absolutely.

- Yeah, all the tools?

- Yes.

- And what do people enjoy in this tavern?

- Cocktails, of course.

[laughs] If you look at our display of fine bourbons and whiskeys, I think that's something that people appreciate.

But definitely, it's a unique and intimate environment.

I know memories, and many memories, have been made here, right here in this building.

So I'm really happy to be a part of this.

[upbeat music] - Paulette Dietrich: You're not gonna find a blanket much bigger than this.

- Nice, yeah.

- We do that on purpose.

This is the only working woolen mill in the state of Iowa.

There are very few textile mills left in the United States.

- And when was the first time that the doors opened to this woolen mill?

- 1857.

- And has it been operating since?

- Yes.

- That's amazing, isn't it?

- Yeah, mm-hmm.

- Yeah.

And what they made back then, is it much different now?

- You know, not really.

The process is very much the same.

We still have to warp and weave.

- And "warp" means what?

- Warp is the lengthwise threads on the blanket.

The width is the weave.

- Oh, it is?

- Warped and woven.

- Thank you; I love that.

So nice.

- Right.

This is a popular wedding gift.

- Is it a blanket?

- It's a throw blanket.

- I don't really understand how wool blankets today can be so soft.

- And that scratchy wool underwear they made you wear?

Yeah!

- [laughs] Okay.

- So this is mixed with Merino wool, long fiber.

- Soft fiber?

- Soft.

And right now, Sean is tying in a new warp.

- This is what the punch chains are that run the machine... Like the old player piano.

- But what this tune is is really a blanket.

- Okay, let's go over and see the warp.

We'll go meet Suzy.

- So you're the warp gal?

- Uh-huh.

- Is that what you-- [laughter] [gasps] Oh, jeez, it kind of goes fast!

What do you-- - Oh, this is not the fastest.

- This isn't the fastest?

- This is slow.

- What are you looking for now?

- Really nothing.

[laughter] - I don't think I could work here!

- This is Amy.

So she sews in our finishing touch.

The thing that we're so proud of is our label.

- Yes, people buy it for the blanket, but they buy it for that label as well, don't they?

- You bet.

When you buy a blanket with an Amana label on it, you know that you've got a product that was made in the USA, and we're pretty proud of that.

- You should be.

It's finished, isn't it?

- That's it.

- That's it, it's done.

- Good job.

I'm in a place that looks so different than the rest of these Amana Colonies.

These each weigh 15,000 pounds.

Do you have any idea what these are gonna turn into?

[upbeat music] - Doug Mechaelsen: We make the premium refrigeration product for Whirlpool Corporation production.

- So here, it's all refrigeration.

- All refrigeration.

- Here in Middle Amana.

- A lot of innovation has come out of this site.

The Amana Radarange came from this factory, designed and built in this factory.

- Right here.

So did Amana become Whirlpool?

- It was Amana Society, then it went to Amana Company, then it was the Maytag Company, and then, in 2006, came under Whirlpool Corporation ownership.

- Employee-wise, how many work here?

- Yeah, our present workforce is around 2,500 employees.

- Yeah.

- Plant size of 2.1 million square feet.

- We're talking about diversity in this plant.

- Absolutely.

You know, the Amana Colonies as themselves, they were German immigrants.

- Yeah.

- This Amana factory here is built off that immigration.

And today, we have 42 countries, 34 languages under a roof here.

- Yeah.

- And we get it done.

We build the best French door bottom-out premium refrigeration products in the marketplace right here in Middle Amana, Iowa.

- How long you been working here?

- 33 years.

- Really?

- Really.

- Are you looking at going part time, Barb?

- I'm ready to retire.

- Not any time soon, though.

- So what does it take from beginning to end, and how many hands are gonna touch this?

Do we know?

– Sarah Tommelein: Yeah, so on this line, it's about 140 people, three to four hours, to build a refrigerator.

- Do these go all over the world?

- Yeah.

- Yeah.

It's amazing, isn't it?

- Yeah, it's amazing.

- And how many people are you watching?

- Over my couple lines, about 250.

- Is that right?

- Yeah.

- And careers; like, these are careers.

- Careers.

- Which says it all.

- So anyone that would like a future should come to Whirlpool Corporation.

I mean, we have a job for everyone.

- Whirlpool's innovations aren't just found on the assembly line or in your kitchen.

They're down the road from the plant in Middle Amana.

Whirlpool built this special facility to treat their wastewater and the wastewater of the entire community.

It's run by its own staff of specialists, too.

Talk about doing your part!

- When the Amana people came to Eastern Iowa in 1855, they came looking for farmland, and they found a lot.

You're gonna be surprised what we found a lot of on this farm.

[upbeat music] You are standing in front of how many head of cattle here?

– Collin Strickland: 1,200 head currently.

- 1,200 head?

- Yes.

- And what are we waiting for these cattle to do?

- We're waiting on them to do their natural process and to poop.

- And to poop?

- Yes.

- We want these cattle to poop?

- Yes.

- Because when they poop, what's gonna happen?

- The manure goes in a digester, and in that process, produces electricity.

This digester can produce enough electricity to power all of Amana Colonies except for the Whirlpool Corporation.

- It's amazing.

- It is; it's pretty awesome.

- Yeah, you don't have to shovel this.

This happens, there's grates that this goes down?

- Yes.

Yeah, underneath the cattle you can't see, and there's scrapers that push manure down to the middle.

It goes into a center cross-cutter, it gets put in a pit, and then, from the pit, it gets pumped into the digester.

- So and this is the pit?

- It smells good, too!

- Ooh!

[gags] I'm telling 'ya!

- So this digester is almost 300 feet long.

And underneath us is approximately 1.6 million gallons of liquid material.

- And you're waiting for it to be broken down?

- Yes, so 24/7, all day long, microbacteria are breaking down the organic matter in the digester.

And then, eventually, they produce gas as one of the byproducts to be burned to fuel our engines, which connect to a generator, and then that produces electricity.

- And when you talk about the entire concept of sustainability, that's what you guys are doing.

- Yes, yeah.

- Yeah.

Are there better poopers in here than-- like how do if these are good-- good crappin' cows?

- [laughs] Well, if they're eatin', that means they're probably gonna be poopin' pretty good.

It's truly green energy.

- Yeah.

- That's wonderful.

[cow moos] - You may look around and think this is like any other cemetery you've ever experienced, but it's not.

What makes the cemeteries in Amana Colonies different?

[quirky music] - Emmy Fink: So you're buried in the order you die, not near your relatives.

Everyone is equal.

You come into this world equal, and you leave it the same way.

Tombstones are equal, too.

Same size, same material.

- So are you wondering what time it is?

Apparently, I'm in the best place to tell you.

This is the Amana Furniture and Clock Shop.

It's one of the few places in America that still is building, making these old-fashioned clocks.

And much of the wood comes right from the Amana Colonies.

For me... it's time to buy a clock.

[upbeat music] Bill Leichsenring?

- Yes, Mr. McGivern.

- Nice to see you.

- Very nice of you to-- very nice of you to pronounce that correctly.

It took me a long time.

- This is your place?

- Yes!

It was founded by my mother and father in 1940.

82 years this year, five generations.

- Congratulations.

- Thank you.

In 1963, my father and three of his friends hand-dug this out.

It used to be a crawlspace.

- Wow!

This place is cool!

- Isn't it beautiful?

- It's really special.

- My father is on the left and my mother is on the right.

- It's their story, right there, carved.

- It's their story; that's right.

- This food that you prepare, family style.

People know your fried chicken here, too, don't they?

- Yeah, absolutely.

40,000 pounds a year.

- Is that right?

- Yeah, yeah.

- So right here we got-- - I love that it's the two-piece chicken, right?

- Yes.

Yes, we got our breast and our wing here.

- Growing up, the cooks in those days would give me a chicken leg.

They'd wrap a napkin around the bottom, and I'd eat it like an ice cream cone.

- Yeah, so we got our Ox Yoke chips here.

- Oh, you gotta shut up with these.

- Yeah, yeah.

- Make another one because-- - Yeah.

[laughter] - Is it a lot of return business, and people know what they're gonna eat?

- Yeah, we're very blessed with a lot of repeat customers from all over.

Being around 82 years, you know, we have a reputation, and our brand is well known.

- What does it take to run a place like this?

Because this is a huge restaurant.

- You know, it's staff.

It's great people that have a passion for good food.

- Megan, are you glad we're here so far?

- Yes.

[laughter] - If you're not happy here, tell us, and we're gonna make it right before you leave.

Yeah, so this is the hearty family-style special that we're known for.

And this is-- in the communal days, this is exactly what was served.

- I guess the family was bigger than the two of us.

- Well, yeah, yeah, right.

- Just take a look!

- Yeah.

- Look at this.

That's the way it should be, right here.

- Yeah, a lot of these recipes were my mother's or her mother's.

- It's homestyle cooking right here, and it tastes the best.

And I'll finish it.

[upbeat rock music] Using the past to build the future, that's really the theme in the Amana colonies on all of these main streets, all seven of them.

- There's nowhere else I'd rather be The heart and soul of community's right here - Hold it one second.

[clocks playing tune] [laughs] - Sometimes I need a break.

I can't look at him all the time.

- Shut up, man!

[laughter] - I could just curl up and take a little catnap.

- Let's do that again.

- [laughs] We gotta have a bloopers roll or something.

- Oh, trust me.

- All righty, that one's done.

- Okay.

All right, cut.

- "John McGivern's Main Streets" thanks the following underwriters.

[pleasant music] - Greendale is proud to be the inspiration for "John McGivern's Main Streets."

This historic village is a real place where all are welcome to gather, to shop, to enjoy.

Charming, vibrant, joyful, welcoming.

You've just gotta see Greendale.

[exciting music] - I'm on my way Oh, it's time to hit the road I'm on my way This is the freedom I live for - Remember when the American dream was being able to say, "I made that.

I built that."

Wouldn't it be great if your kids and grandkids chose a career that provides that kind of pride, with good pay, but without a ton of student loan debt?

A four-year degree isn't the only path to success.

We need talented people to make and build on main streets everywhere.

Skilled work isn't a thing of the past; it's a bright future.

- Additional funding is provided by the Friends of Plum Media and the Friends of PBS Wisconsin.

Thanks, friends!

- I would have missed the kneelers.

I would have.

[chuckles]