The Iowa Independent Film Festival is held in two cities, Clear Lake where my film was shown and Mason City which is known as the River City in the Music Man Musical. I had spent a solid day watching films in Clear Lake on day one. My favorite film on that day was Never Not Yours which was brilliantly written. It was about three grown siblings who visited their parents at a secluded cabin. When the parents announced that they were getting divorced all hell breaks loose. It won the award as the Best Feature film and that award was well earned.
The next morning there was a complimentary breakfast at 7 Stars Family Restaurant. I had ordered breakfast here before and ate it at the lakeside hotel overlooking the lake. It was my go to place for a solid western omelet breakfast. At the breakfast, I met Casey Schaffer who directed a short student film called Brothers: A Civil War Story. One of the organizers was beaming and said it was his favorite film. I decided I need to see it so on day two I watched films in Mason City where Brothers was being shown. It was indeed an amazing film especially since it was a student film that had to be produced on a tight budget. I hope one day this is expanded to a feature film.
After the first film block, I decided I needed some air, so I wandered the neighborhood looking for the Meredith Wilson House. The house is the childhood home of the author of the Music Man. It was a beautiful day so I stood leaning against a sign pose and sketched the home. Gnats were the one distraction swarming in front of my failing eyes. My fountain pen was also choosing to not always put down lines. Periodically people would pose for selfies in front of the Music Man sculpture next door.
I also found a rally nice foot bridge that went over the river that flows through town. All the homes on this street were gorgeous Victorian homes that were meticulously renovated. After the sketch was done I returned to the theater to spend the afternoon watching more films. The theater was pitch black when I tried to slip in to watch a documentary about local legend Hob Mason who was a famous jazz pianist. My eyes didn’t adjust to the dark , so I slipped into a front row seat to watch.