Something is happening, somewhere, in Creston or Union County

One day has 24 of them. A week has 168; a 30-day month has 720 of them. A 365-day-year has 8,760.

The common item to those statements is hours.

And we found something that happens, or can happen, at each hour of the day in Creston or Union County.

Read this story and put the emphasis about the hour of day. Don’t read this story and be tempted to think about a certain day of the week. We came up with a list of possible places or things at expected times of day, like school buses and closing times for popular stores. We told the sources the same thing when we asked; think more about what happens at an hour of day.

We were grateful for their participation.

What helped immensely is when a source would go in to much further detail about what happens at a certain hour or what happens at that hour on a specific day. Sure, the event might be greater or less on a certain day of the week, but our sources knew what we were looking for; what happens at your place at X time?

The more we talked to these places in the story, the more we thought of other places. And the people we talked to, a few gave us ideas of who to ask about a certain time. Here’s who answered.

So let’s begin:

11 a.m.: This is the normal deadline for when Creston News Advertiser pages are to be on the press. Sure, there have been times when something “big” happens, like a fire that morning or late the previous night, that might make the press crew wait a little longer for all the pages, but 11 a.m is when the press rolls.

Creston Fire Chief Todd Jackson said this is the busiest hour of day for his department to receive calls.

“Medical calls are the most common,” he said about the category of calls. “Eighty-percent plus of our calls are medical. We seldom have a daytime fire, although grass fires are usually during day. Structure fires are overnight; they can grow without being noticed.”

Noon: Creston WaterWorks General Manager Steve Guthrie said the noon hour is usually the highest demand for water. “Which particular day depends on factory production, weather and what Southern Iowa Rural Water Association is using. There are other factors, but those are the main ones,” he said. Because of the mechanics of the town’s water system, an exact amount per hour can’t be determined. Guthirie said 900 to 1,000 gallons a minute is a good estimate. There have been times when 3,800 gallons per minute was noticed.

1 p.m.

Trolley public transportation director Lessa Lester said more than likely a rider will not be alone this hour, especially if it’s a Friday. “We have 50-cent Fridays, for seniors and that is anybody 60 and older,” she said. “They love Friday because they can ride for 50 cents.” Creston’s public transportation program works like Uber. Make a call, and a bus will show up. Rides usually are available from 7 a.m to 4 p.m. during the day. Those time hours show that school students are also riders. Lester said Iowa is the only state in the country that offers this kind of public transportation. Other regions of the state have a similar service.

2 p.m.

Creston Pizza Ranch is finishing the lunch buffet, a popular choice for customers. The buffet opens at 11 a.m. “Sometimes we get people asking at 10:50 if we have started serving,” said assistant manager Leah Groeneweg. The day of the week usually tells how busy it will be. “Thursday through Sunday, all lunch buffets are busy. Monday through Wednesday are slower,” she said. It’s common for Pizza Ranch to serve 20 to 30 pizzas a day for lunch and another 20 to 30 for dinner during the week. The weekend count for pizzas can almost double. “Chicken on a Friday lunch has about 150 pieces.” Friday night buffet and the chicken amount doubles for the day.

3 p.m.

This time of day does not have the same urgency as it once did, according to First National Bank Senior Vice President Steve Crittenden. The lobby closes at 3 p.m. and for a reason. “We have to have a cut off time so we can add up the day and let the feds know,” he said. Transactions started at 9 a.m. and 8 a.m. from drive thru at their Creston locations. The Afton bank is open until 5 p.m. Crittenden said the growth of online banking, which First National offers, has eased the rush before 3 p.m. strikes.

4 p.m.

School is out for the day, but things are active at Southern Prairie Family Fitness Center. Director Denise Kuhns said it’s common for school kids to be at center. Sometimes the kids’ parents are using the exercise equipment at the same time. “Southwestern and Creston Middle School students use the open gym. There are swimming lessons going on and you can see the parents who bring them.” Kuhns said those who are at fitness classes and open swim in the pool are also coming and going this time of day.

5 p.m.

Creston school buses are done for the day by now, if the Panthers are not at a road game. The bus drivers start the day about about 6:20 a.m. Buses are back in town, after doing the pick ups of students in the country, by 7:30 and are picking up kids in town and getting to the elementary school by 7:45 a.m. High school students are dropped off first as buses enter from Townline. The elementary and middle school complex is nicknamed the hub by drivers. All buses finish unloading and two buses take students to the Early Childhood Center, Mayflower Heritage Christian and St. Malachy.

6 p.m.

Can’t decide what to eat and think Domino’s pizza is the answer? You are not alone during this hour. Manager TJ Bisgrove said this is usually the busiest hour of the day. The rush can start as early as 5 p.m. and end at 7 p.m. It’s possible to have one pizza ordered every two minutes during the 6 p.m. hour, delivery or carry-out. “We have the most number of drivers and cooks this hour,” Bisgrove said. Domino’s opens for the day at 10 a.m. “We have had calls at 10 a.m.,” he said. “Or when we open, someone is waiting.” Bisgrove said a popular pizza is the MeatZZa which has pepperoni, ham, Italian sausage and beef. Located within Walmart, Domino’s closes when Walmart closes.

7 p.m.

Maybe it’s a bill payment. Maybe it’s a birthday card to your friend. Whatever it is, outgoing mail leaves Creston at 7 p.m. Creston Post Office stops collecting outgoing mail at 6 p.m., although post office staff have taken

mail from people who show up seconds after the mailboxes outside the building on South Elm were emptied. Creston is also a collection point for outgoing mail in towns that have a Zip code that begins with 508. There are 27 of those towns. Post office staff say Mondays are usually the heaviest day for outgoing mail. The day after a Monday holiday, when the post office was closed, can be even more. And Christmas is “pure pandemonium.”

8 p.m.

Your cellphone battery died and you don’t know the time? Just stick your head out the window and you might hear the bells at Holy Spirit Catholic Church at Howard and North Maple streets. At the top of the hour, the bells ring the hour of the day; 8 bells for 8 o’clock and so on. Eight p.m. is the last hour of the bells for the day. Church member Steve Heffern said the bells are played through a timed computer system. The first bell is at 7 a.m. “It’s an older system, so it may lose a little bit of time,” he said, for those who compare the time to their cellphone. It’s not just the hourly chime either. “It plays different songs at different hours. During Christmas the program knows the dates and plays Christmas songs. Same for advent. The system has its own calendar.” Heffern claims with the right weather conditions and location, the bells can be heard miles outside of Creston.

9 p.m.

Uh-oh. It’s Saturday night and you said you would make after-church Sunday dinner. But you don’t have the needed ingredient for the family favorite. Better hurry, Fareway closes at 9 p.m. and closed on Sundays. “We are tiding things up and mopping the floor,” said manager Tim Sullivan about what happens in the last hour of business. “There are some people who still come in at the last minute.” Historically closed on major holidays, the past year Fareway has been open for limited hours during some of those holidays. “It is working out,” Tim said.

10 p.m.

If you missed Fareway at 9 p.m., you’re not out of luck. Just get to Hy-Vee before 10 when it closes. Store manager Brian Davis said the last hour of business depends on the day of the week. “Friday night and Saturday night we usually have more people getting things for their weekend,” he said. Davis said alcoholic drinks and snacks are probably the two most popular items sold before the store closes. They can have a few more employees working those busier evenings. Hy-Vee opens at 6 a.m. daily.

11 p.m.

CJ Waltersdorf of C&J Wrecker said he took his tow truck down a muddy road at 11 p.m. once to pull out a stuck car. “It was after it rained,” he said. “It’s typical.” Waltersdorf said rains bring more business. “Every time it rains, somebody calls,” he laughed. And rain happens at any time of day. “I pay attention to the weather,” he said about the timing of potential of calls. “The week varies. Some times we can have two or three a day, sometimes we don’t get a call in two days.” He said there was one day when he was at Pole Road and U.S Highway 34; it was one of five calls in all about the same time. He said if it’s got wheels, he will tow it. “We do it all.”

Midnight

When do the Spartans play next? What is the next public program? You can learn all of that by seeing Southwestern Community College’s lighted message sign visible from Townline Street. It shuts off at midnight. It turns back on at 5 a.m.

1 a.m.

Looking for a late, real late, night snack? Una Mas on Pine Street is still open serving its Mexican food. But you might have to wait. “Saturday is crazy busy,” Alberto Aguirre said about customer response at that time of night. Una Mas is open 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Alberto said there is a little bit of everybody overnight, plus the regular customers. Una Mas is only open three nights a week. Thursdays its from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. That’s intentional for a couple of reasons. He said that makes the day’s ingredients even more fresh (what you ordered on Saturday hasn’t been there since Tuesday) plus he has family commitments. “We have been asked to be open more.”

2 a.m.

Closing time for bars in Iowa is 2 a.m. Ashley at The Lobby said there are usually people still in seats for last call. “Some nights are busy and some nights are slower,” she said. “But a good bartender and good service makes it busy.” Wednesday night is probably the most popular night. Ashley said there really isn’t a certain type of person hanging around after 1 a.m. “We have all different kinds of people including ones who got off the trains,” she said.

3 a.m.

While a number of people in town and at Crest Haven Care Center are probably fast asleep, there are people with a purpose at Crest Haven. Night-shift nurses are doing rounds to make sure residents are in their rooms and are safe. Nurses also prepare the next day’s medications for residents and fill out charts.

4 a.m.

A farmer is out checking on his cattle during calving season. Some construction crew wants an early start on the job. If they are looking for coffee and the day’s fresh doughnuts, the Casey’s in Afton is the place to be as it opens at 4 a.m. “We are pretty slow until about 5 a.m.,” Lindsey said. “But we do have people who are here for gas and breakfast. It’s usually farmers or construction.”

5 a.m.

If it snowed overnight enough to get the county plows out, they have already made headway for people to get to work and school buses to get kids. “We usually start at 4 a.m., but it varies when the storm hits,” said Al Hysell, superintendent of county roads. When every truck is needed to clear the entire county, eight trucks are used. There are more than 100 miles to be cleared, too. Hysell said the toughest road to maintain is Cherry Street, the portion of the road popular for people to either leave north or those coming to Creston. “It just doesn’t hold the product well,” he said about applications to melt the ice and snow.

6 a.m.

Some people start their day with a workout routine. If it’s 6 a.m., chances are those people are at Hanson Fitness. “We have had up to 25 people here at that time,” Tyler Hanson said. The other popular time for customer is 5 and 6 p.m. Hanson Fitness on Taylor Street is open 24 hours through a security system used by members. Hanson said his operation shows they have had someone using something during each of hour of a day. During the 6 a.m. hour, it’s common for all categories of exercise equipment to be in use.

7 a.m.

Just 4 minutes before Amtrak’s eastbound train arrives in Creston, provided it’s not late which does happen. Creston is one of six Iowa towns with an Amtrak stop. Creston is along the California Zephyr service which connects Creston to Osceola, Ottumwa, Mount Pleasant and Burlington. The Zephyr line stretches from Chicago to the greater San Francisco area. According to Amtrak fiscal year 2019 statistics, which ended Sept. 30 that year, Creston had 3,281 passengers combined get on or off at Creston. The fiscal year runs from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30. Amtrak celebrated its 50 years of service in 2021.

8 a.m.

It’s Saturday night. You bite on a piece of ice in your drink and afterward feel more than just the ice cube. You chipped a tooth at the same time. You are uncomfortable, but vow to get through the weekend with hopes to get into Buck Family Dentistry first thing Monday morning. You are not alone. “Appointments are requested at 8 a.m.,” said Mykenna Perry. “That’s just one of them,” she said about the most common time of day people ask if they can be seen.

9 a.m.

If your residential or commercial trash was picked up by WM today, longtime Creston resident Toni Poli is part of the WM team that ensures customers receive timely collection service. Poli is a senior operation specialist for WM’s Creston District. Toni’s supports drivers as she tracks routes, manages account data, and resolve identified service issues. Once the drivers return upon finishing their routes, Toni assists drivers with processing the end of route data.

10 a.m.

For those who are loyal readers to the Creston News Advertiser, our church schedule page runs every Thursday. Among the Creston churches on the list, 10 a.m. is the most popular hour for Sunday services to begin. It barely beat out 9 a.m. There are a couple of 10:30s and a 9:30. Traditionally, churches also set aside time on Wednesday evenings.