Tick…tock…tick…tock…tick…tock…It was 4:59 a.m. on June 17, 2011 and Adel alum Van Harden came ‘home’ to broadcast his early morning program on WHO radio with co-host Bonnie Lucas. AND June 17th just happened to be Van’s 59th birthday! AND…thought Tim Canney, class of 1986 and current ADM school board President, there couldn’t be a more fitting day to spotlight Adel’s ‘small town’ charms that Van speaks of so often on his program. So Adel threw a birthday party for Van Harden.

The program’s original location was to be on the beautifully landscaped south lawn of the recently remodeled Dallas County Courthouse, framed by the newly laid brick streets and ‘Welcome’ banners on the vintage light posts. But as we Iowans have learned over the years, we can always depend on the weather to be undependable. So the birthday party broadcast took place in the commons area of the ADM High School. Thank you, Mr. Dufoe and staff.

Van often shares his memories of growing up and attending school in Adel with his listeners, so the ‘subjects’ of some of those most frequently shared stories were invited to the party. The first of Van’s birthday visitors after 4:59 a.m. included the infamous ‘Curve Wreckers’. These gals had such high test scores, that they ‘wrecked’ the grading curve for Van! Mary Ann (Jensen) Behrens, Julie (Smith) Larsen, and Carol Ann (Walston) McDermott all 1970 classmates of Van’s had a list of trivia questions, pictures, articles, and memories of high school to share throughout the morning.

Becky (Button) Beaman (’70), shared a picture of her and Van as mere babes in diapers K-I-S-S-I-N-G!!!

The ‘old’ neighborhood wiffleball gang of Gloria Duffey, Tana (Oberwetter) Belgarde and Jackie (Griffiths) Orton, all class of ’70, brought a bat and ball to see if Van could still hit and run. Harden hit the pitch from Belgarde high and well over Duffey’s head! But there was no running! Just lots of yelling and laughing when the ball hit the ceiling and ricocheted like a bullet! Another classmate, Tim Daugherty, called in later as a concerned taxpayer, worried that Harden might have damaged the ceiling. Rest assured, Tim, no damage!

And what would the party be without an appearance by Adel’s Honorable Mayor Jim Peters (class of 1971 and ADM Alumni treasurer). Jim presented Van with a key to the city and a plaque proclaiming June 17, 2011 as ‘Van Harden Day’. Jim and Van were neighbors when the Peters family first moved to town, but Van had to go to Jim’s house to play because Jim wasn’t allowed to cross the street!

The local vocal group, ‘GottaZing’ was on hand to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to Van. Alums Denise (Wicks) Oneal (’71) and Alan Oneal (’67) are members of the group as well as Coach Mike Whisner’s (’76) wife Gloria. Other members of the group are Don Forsman, Grant Krohn, Sandra Light and Marilyn and Steve Kofmehl, all having children that have been or are currently in the ADM system. Van also received a musical ‘Happy Birthday’ greeting from Iowan, Simon Estes, recorded earlier, since Estes’ schedule didn’t allow him to be there in person.

Without a doubt the biggest surprise of the morning was a long distance call-in from classmate Jon Messerschmidt (’70), now from Arizona, with a wild story of climbing out Mr. Meis’ 2nd story classroom window, shimmying down a pipe, coming back inside the building and walking back into the classroom all on a dare from Van. Jon also had another story of an ‘unauthorized’ trip down the 2nd floor fire escape slide during after school detention. Who said school is boring?

Probably the most anticipated and heartfelt reunion of the morning was that of Coach Connie Githens and several members of the golf team while Van was in high school. Kevin Custer (’71) Jack Loynachan (’69), Steve O’Brien (’71), Chuck Schwarzkopf (’71), Ron Stump (’69), and Randy Tarlton (’72), were all on hand. Coach Githens recalled several specific golf meets, scores, and stories from over 40 years ago! GREAT to see you, Coach! Many thanks to wife Laura, daughter Lynn (Githens) Sargent (’73), and son Lee Githens (‘78) for your assistance with the surprise.

And to round out the broadcast, Van visited with the committee throwing the party! Chad Bird, Adel City Administrator; Linda Boettcher, Director of the Adel Partners Chamber of Commerce; and Dean Westergaard, Chamber board member, talked about Adel’s improvements, festivals and the Nile Kinnick expansion at the Adel Museum. Adel is certainly a home town to be proud of.

You can’t have a party without good food and Lisa (Mague) Mickael class of ’82, and co-owner of Patrick’s restaurant provided the cinnamon rolls and coffee for $.59 in honor of Van’s 59th. Van also got a special breakfast of the ‘Everything’ omelet, a side of bacon, hash browns with cheddar cheese, and wheat toast from Patrick’s as did WHO engineer, John Sellers. And later that morning, Lisa returned with a raisin cream birthday pie with large candle numbers ‘59’ lit and ready to be blown out.

Also making a food delivery to Van that morning was Bunker’s Dunkers from Jefferson, Iowa with a HUGE donut the size of a large pizza!

Fifteen 1970 classmates stopped by that morning, several staying the whole four hours. Two more classmates called in, and several more sent birthday wishes to Van to make the morning a mini-reunion as well.

Thanks go to Marie (Eldridge) Hansen (’81), owner of Adel Flowers & Gifts, for providing the plants and flowers on loan for the stage area. Thanks also to Dan Juffer, Horizon Printing, for information about the Wine Festival, as well as printing and pictures.

A big ‘thank you’ goes to the Adel Lions, Kiwanis and Rotary for getting up early to serve the cinnamon rolls and coffee.

And, again, extra special thanks to Tim Canney for inventing this idea!

This birthday party was truly a community effort! Small town Iowa…the BEST place to grow up. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, VAN!!

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Thank you to Jackie (Griffiths) Orton 1970 for article and pictures!!!