You may have seen a vehicle with Nebraska license plates slow-driving around Clarion a few week’s ago. This car likely belonged to two young University of Nebraska-Omaha students engaged in an interesting project. Seth Varner and Austin Schneider have been on a quest the last five and a half months to visit all 939 of Iowa’s incorporated communities.
Varner and Schneider’s adventures started last summer when they stopped in all 531 of Nebraska’s incorporated cities, and they decided to take on an even bigger task this year, considering that Iowa includes almost twice as many towns. They’ve become something of viral stars in the process, and a Facebook page, called “Visit 939Iowa,” dedicated to their travels now boasts over 31,000 followers.
The pair use a computer program that maps out the routes for them. A couple weeks ago, the program sent them through Clarion and several other surrounding towns. For each town they visit, they share various factoids, history, and points of interest along with several photos from the specific town.
For their recent Clarion stop, their social media post of course mentioned the town’s important place in 4-H history, along with how Clarion got its name. They added a bit about a few important Clarionites in their write-up as well, including Alvina Sellers, the hat lady, and Olympic gold medalist Glen Brand. They gave the Heartland Museum a nice shoutout as well.
Varner and Schneider also shared over 40 photos from around Clarion. They always take a photo with a town sign if they can, so they included the Highway 3 sign. They also shared drive-by photos of many churches and businesses.
One of the most rewarding aspects of the journey for both Varner and Schneider has been the chance to discover so-called “hidden gems” and hear from tourists who want to visit towns they’ve promoted on their Facebook page. After completing the Nebraska journey last summer, they wrote a travel guide/history book on the communities of the state, and they plan to do the same for Iowa once they’ve hit all 939 towns. You can go to “Visit939Iowa” on Facebook for information on the upcoming book and more about the pair’s adventures.
Varner is studying marketing, sales and entrepreneurship at UNO, and Schneider is studying sales. They don’t know exactly what they’ll be doing after college yet, but it’s a safe bet they’ve got a bright future ahead of them.
After months of traveling and several trips, Varner and Schneider are planning to hit their final Iowa town, Carter Lake, this week. In a recent Facebook post, the pair called their Iowa adventure “a wild success.”
The two also issued a challenge for both Iowans and tourists. “We’ve hopefully planted the seeds of wanderlust into your brains through our stories and our photos. Now act on those thoughts and go out and explore! Visit a new restaurant. See the freedom rocks. Go relax at a state park. Take that random turn and stumble across a town of 50 residents that you’ve never been to before. If you look hard enough, you will discover that every town, no matter how big or small, has something to offer for everyone!”
