Webber

“Our town, our people” is a weekly Q&A with a local resident who is active in the community. Have a suggestion for someone we should talk to? Email T-R news editor Emily Barske at ebarske@timesrepublican.com. 

Lanesa Webber is the owner and operator of the art studio Create A Keepsake, which offers pottery painting and glass design. She has lived in Marshalltown for approximately 60 years.

Q: What are you passionate about?

A: “I think the thing I’m most passionate about are my store, my business because of the people I have come in and the people I have met since I’ve had it. I would definitely say, outside of my kids and grandkids and such, it would be my store.”

Q: What community activities do you participate in?

A: “I have groups come in from the Triumph Center (Mid-Iowa Triumph Center). I have a lot of people come in from CIRSI (Central Iowa Residential Services) and LSI (Lutheran Services of Iowa).”

Q: What do you enjoy about this community?

A: “I think Marshalltown is small enough that a lot of people know each other, and I think if anything, the tornado showed that the town is able to pull together when the going gets rough. And again, with the more recent crisis we had with the young man that was missing. And I don’t think you get that much help from your community and your neighbors if you’re in a larger city.”

Q: What changes do you feel need to be made in the community?

A: “The main changes that I think about are just the changes that need to be made uptown here because this is, like I say, probably the extent of my social life and everything. So, you know, things like parking. I’m quite happy with the way the town is, so, I can’t really think off the top of my head of anything that I would change if I was able to.”

Q: What advice would you pass on to a young people?

A: “I know it sounds like a cliché, but probably stay in school. I think that kids don’t understand the importance of education until sometimes it’s too late when they don’t get the education they need.”

Q: What social activity or event would you like to see come Marshalltown and why?

A: “I think there needs to be more activities that kids can do. When my kids were growing up, and even when I was growing up, we had things like Skatetown, the roller rink, and that was such a popular place. It was a good place for kids to hang out. It was a positive place, and I think that we have some places that are more geared toward maybe more young people. But I think that there needs to be more places for the teenagers to go that would be a real positive influence on them.”