Congressman Loebsack Visits Oskaloosa Main Street

Congressman Dave Loebsack (right) makes a stop at The Antique Peddler during his recent visit to Oskaloosa.

Oskaloosa, Iowa – The rain may have been coming down, but Congressman Dave Loebsack took the time to walk the entire square on Tuesday afternoon as residents gathered at the polls.

According to Main Street Iowa’s website, “The mission of the Main Street Iowa Program is to improve the social and economic well-being of Iowa’s communities by assisting selected communities to capitalize on the unique identity, assets and character of their historic commercial district.”

“I think that Oskaloosa’s doing very well,” said Loebsack. “A lot of small towns in Iowa are not doing as well as Oskaloosa. It’s clear to me there’s a lot of economic energy here.”

“There’s a lot of community spirit,” Loebsack continued. “Clearly, folks in Oskaloosa have a sense of who they are, and they have a great desire to make sure they not only preserve who they are but do everything they can to make this community thrive.”

Loebsack was looking to learn and see more of how a ‘Main Street’ community worked and potentially how that could be used to help other communities.

“There are lessons to be learned,” said Loebsack. “I can put people in touch with the Main Street people here.” Loebsack said that kind of information sharing is already happening, “but I think there could be more, and that communities could be talking to one another on a fairly regular basis.”

“It’s clear there’s a good manufacturing base here in Oskaloosa,” Loebsack continued. “That’s a big part of why there’s been so much success.”