Oskaloosa In The Spot Light In ‘The Barnyard’
Oskaloosa Night at the Barnstormers game on Saturday night put a spotlight on the town and the people in it
Des Moines, Iowa – It all started out with just a mention from a new intern to change Oskaloosa history.
All of Oskaloosa could be proud of it’s representatives from the education, businesses and government that were highlighted during the evenings game versus the Chicago Rush.
Before the game started, Levi Tarbell, representing William Penn University, and Oskaloosa Mayor Dave Krutzfeld took to the field to be recognized. The rest of the Oskaloosa supporters were honored at half-time as the vast list of individuals and businesses were read off, thanking them for their help during the teams spring training.
I asked Tarbell about his experience at the game. “We had a great time and great experience at the game. Having the opportunity to represent WPU during the coin toss was a tremendous honor. The Barnstormer staff made my entire family feel more than welcome. Something my kids won’t soon forget. After the coin toss they gave WPU an autographed picture that I will place in the PAC.”
“I feel as though the Barnstormers truly are part of WPU and the Oskaloosa community.”
I posed the same question to Oskaloosa Mayor Dave Krutzfeld about his experience at the game. “I sure appreciated the opportunity to attend the Barnstormers game on Saturday. The players’ involvement with the community while they were in Oskaloosa allowed many of our citizens a chance to get to know them personally, so it was fun to watch them in action. The discounted ticket price for Oskaloosa night was nice as well. My wife Jane and I ran into a couple from Oskaloosa in a bookstore that afternoon that were going to the game and had decided to couple it with other errands in Des Moines.”
“What I enjoyed the most was hearing the names of folks from Oskaloosa broadcast over the Wells Fargo sound system. It seems most often the people making a difference in civic affairs don’t get any recognition for it, so hearing the names boomed out for the fans gave me a smile.”
“I hope the Barnstormers come back next year. It was a good experience for Oskaloosa and they voiced that it was a good experience for them.”
In the end, the Barnstormers lost a heart-breaker to the Rush 62-61 in overtime, but that didn’t change the feelings of the new Oskaloosa fans in attendance.
