For Jan 3 Mapleton PRESS

If you don't recognize the Midwestern ICON that I ripped off this week, you must NOT be a redneck. If you do, then you might be interested in the story of one of the most widely reproduced posters of all time- then click here to find out all about it.

All I know is that I wanted something or someone that represented Iowa, the same way that Uncle Sam is supposed to represent the U.S. or the donkey and elephant represent each political party. I couldn't exactly use a Hawkeye or a cyclone and I wanted to honor my adopted state, not berate or belittle them... finally it came to me in one of those "Eureka!" moments. They might have actually been twins in California's central valley in 1978, but we in Iowa feel that they're really a John Deere boy and an International Harvester boy and they're both timeless- they could've been from1846 or today. And I hope that's they way they always will be.