Do you have at least 2 years of piano experience?  Would you like to play a 15 minute concert as part of the Tower Tunes Live series on the 47 bell carillon?  The Bell Tower Community Foundation invites musicians who would like to share their talents to contact us at mahanaybelltower@gmail.com with your name and contact information.  We’ll send you a link to a calendar to sign up to play the Mahanay Memorial Carillon Tower.  Tower Tunes Live Concerts will begin Memorial Day weekend and go through Labor Day weekend from 12:15 – 12:30 p.m. each day.  Musicians select their own music.  People enjoy music from all genres and composers.  Sometimes the simpler the selection, the better it sounds!  All of the volunteer musicians gain the title of Mahanay Maestro!

The Mahanay Memorial Carillon Tower will open for the 2018 season on May 5 with hours from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.  The Tower will be open on the weekends in May and begin daily hours on Memorial Day.  The staff is looking forward to sharing the story of the Mahanay Tower with visitors enjoying the beautiful view and listening to the bells.  The Westminster Chimes ring the hour and each quarter hour.  Two songs are played shortly after the hour.  Cost is $3 for those over 18 and free to 18 & under.

In 2017, the Bell Tower Community Foundation received a grant from the Greene County Community Foundation for the purchase of a penny press machine.  This addition has been very popular with people and collectors from all over.

Here is a picture of the foundation receiving the check.  From left- Pat Richards, Peg Raney, Jean Feldmann, Craig Berry, Carole Custer, Pete Bardole, Tim Christensen

Did you know that the Paul Nally Observation Deck can be rented for $50 for a 2 hour period?  This would be a perfect place to enjoy the autumn weather for a special occasion.  The Bell Tower Community Foundation has 12 chairs and several tables that can be used to host a coffee, lunch, or evening for a group of friends or family.  A number of restaurants in Jefferson are available to cater or you can bring your own food and drinks.

Contact the Chamber of Commerce at 515-386-2155 for more information and to schedule a date.

Enjoy the beautiful view from the Paul Nally Observation Deck in the Mahanay Memorial Carillon Tower this fall.  Open from 10 am – 4 pm every Saturday and Sunday in September and October, the Tower staff will share the story of Floyd and Dora while you listen to the bells play each hour.  The harvest and fall foliage is spectacular along with the three rooftop art installations that can only be seen from the top of the tower.  Live Tower Tune Concerts are played by local musicians on Saturdays and Sundays from 12:15 – 12:30 pm.  The Westminster Chimes play each hour and quarter hour.  Two tunes are played after the hour throughout the day.  Between the view and the bells, a visit to Jefferson is certainly worth the drive.

Tour groups of all ages and sizes are welcome to make an appointment to tour the tower.  Considering the size of the group, Pat Richards, the staff coordinator would make sure there are more staff members to make the tour run smoothly.  Call the Chamber of Commerce at 515-386-2155 to get the ball rolling on a visit to Jefferson and include the Mahanay Tower among other great destinations in Jefferson and Greene County.

Upcoming groups coming in August are classes of children from the Early Learning Center, and a  Mystery Tour of about 30 people on a bank sponsored tour from Storm Lake.  In July, a bank in Des Moines had 48 people make a day of being in town.  There are often groups of ladies spending the day in Jefferson with the Tower as part of their itinerary.

Tours are available throughout the year even after the Mahanay Tower closes for the season. Labor Day will end the daily hours for the tower but it will be open the weekends in September and October from 10 am – 4 pm.

The Tower Tunes Live Concerts daily from 12:15 – 12:30 pm have been so successful.  Residents plan to be downtown around the square to listen to the tunes.  Visitors time their visits to include this special concert.  People have found their favorite places to experience this live music.  Quite a few sit in their cars with the windows rolled down.  Others bring lawn chairs to the courthouse lawn to sit in the shade and listen.  The benches around the courthouse are occupied by Tower Tunes concert goers.

Quite a few of the musicians have enjoyed playing a theme such as songs from movies, love songs, songs from TV shows, musicals, and composers.  Twenty-six people have played the Carillon so far with musicians from surrounding communities and states.  Most have felt more comfortable after playing it the first time.  Those interested in playing the Carillon should send an email to mahanaybelltower @gmail.com and you’ll receive a link to a Doodle calendar to sign up to play.  Musicians must have 15 minutes of music prepared to play for the Tower Tunes Concert.  We can make arrangements for a practice time prior to the Concert.

On June 9, 2017, Bell Tower Community Foundation President Carole Custer presented the new four octave carillon to the Board of Supervisors.  She also announced the observation deck will now be known as the Paul E. Nally Observation Deck in honor of friend and donor to the Foundation, Paul Nally.

Paul passed away ten years ago and left money through his estate to a number of great causes in the county.  He made a large impact with his time and talents during his life in Jefferson.  With these funds as a catalyst, the projects and fundraising leading to the completion of the Let the Bells Ring campaign came to fruition.  A plaque was read and installed in the observation deck of the tower at the 2017 Opening Cermonies of the Bell Tower Festival.

Friends and family members including Bob Owens were introduced to the large crowd.

Rick Morain played the first live concert of the Mahanay Memorial Carillon Tower on Friday, June 9, 2017 as part of the Opening Cermonies of the 2017 Bell Tower Festival.  Rick played a variety of tunes for the large crowd gathered around the tower from 6:15- 6:30 pm.  Selections included

America the Beautiful, Ode to Joy, Green Green Grass of Home, The Whiffenpoof Song, The Water is Wide, Devoted to You, Simple Gifts (Appalachian Spring), Danny Boy, Misty, and Great Gate of Kiev.

Rick played a follow-up concert on Saturday at 3:15 pm playing some of the same selections.

On Sunday, Rick played the first Tower Tunes Daily Concert at 12:15 pm.  His selections included:

Summertime, As Time Goes By, Galway Bay☘️, You’ve Got a Friend, Jamaica Farewell, The Entertainer, Sloop John B, Honky Tonk Woman, and finishing with his favorite, The Great Gate of Kiev.