History Happenings: Kapa Ann memories

Last month, we shared some stories about riverboats that had plied the Cedar River for purposes of commerce, entertainment, or both. In our research, we learned about the Kapa Ann, a boat that provided entertainment for young people for nearly three decades in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.

We were delighted to hear from a number of readers who had memories of the Kapa Ann, and we are pleased to share those stories here.

First, Karen Gaddis took us to task for starting our history of the Kapa Ann with the 1967 purchase of the boat by the Cedar Rapids Youth Council.

“I was in high school in Cedar Rapids in the 1950s and the Kapa Ann, owned privately by a local (whom I believed named the boat) who catered dances to the high schoolers on the weekends,” Gaddis wrote. “I seem to remember it could also be booked for private parties. Your article indicates it all began in the late ’60s. Wrong.”

Tom Curtis, who graduated from Marion High School in 1960, also remembers spending time on the boat in the 1950s.

“For me, it was a fun place for a date and dancing in the 1950s, a much simpler time in life,” Curtis recalled.

In a lovely bit of stream-of-consciousness nostalgia, he continued, “Summer evening, get on the boat, leave the shore, records playing rock-and-roll music, dancing cheek-to-cheek, lights reflecting off the Cedar River, short jaunts up and down the river, as the boat made its turn, the record playing would slow down slightly, amusing distortion. I wouldn’t trade those times for anything. Also, great dancing at Armar Ballroom in Marion and Danceland in Cedar Rapids.”

Dot Hinman, whose husband, Gene, was a geology professor, also has lovely memories of the Kapa Ann — and a suggestion for where more information about the riverboat might be found.

“Loved the story in The Gazette, and especially the photo of the Kapa Ann,” Hinman wrote. “As a faculty wife at Cornell College, I remembered that several social groups had dances there, one my husband chaperoned. Can't remember if we cruised, but the students (and the two of us) loved the idea of dancing on the river. I suspect you may be able to find more in the Cornell archives. Thanks for the memories!”

‘Best date for a teen’

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It was Ron Moore, a former Cedar Rapids school board member and longtime city resident, who provided the most extensive history of the Kapa Ann.

“When Ralph Plagman (teacher and later Washington High School principal) and I were advisers to the Cedar Rapids Youth Council, they bought the boat from Ann Miller, docked at Ellis Park, after she stopped operation in 1967,” he wrote. “Until they sold it in 1977 to a private owner for use on the Mississippi, it was used for citywide weekend gatherings for high school youth.

“Plagman and several of the youth members spent many weekends working on the engine and renovating the equipment,” he continued. “This ‘Youth Center’ was successful, but the maintenance and expense became a burden, and the City Council support ended and the council sold (the boat).”

Moore also offered information on the history of the Cedar Rapids Youth Council:

“The Youth Council was started by Safety Commissioner Robert M.L. Johnson, who made it vibrant with elected representatives from all the public and parochial high schools in Cedar Rapids,” Moore wrote.

“When he was replaced by Ralph Mikesell, Mikesell made it independent from the city, and it continued to prosper for many years, serving as a citywide advocate for high school youth. It offered them an alcohol-free youth center at several locations until it bought the Kapa Ann.

“There the meeting place became special, and the Saturday night cruises were the best date a teenager could have.”

We should note here that Robert M.L. Johnson — who Moore identifies as the founder of the Cedar Rapids Youth Council — served as the mayor of Cedar Rapids from 1962 to 1968, as city manager of Marion from 1971 to 1973 and as a member of the Iowa House of Representatives from 1979 to 1981.

Moore concluded with some thoughts about how times have changed since the days of the Cedar Rapids Youth Council and its popular riverboat hangout.

“Since the Cedar Rapids Youth Council disbanded in 1978, there have apparently been no similar non-religious organizations which duplicated this offering,” he wrote. “Just like the Kapa Ann, the demand for such a meeting place has come and gone.”

Our thanks to each reader who took a moment to share their memories of the Kapa Ann with us.

Jessica Cline is a Leadership & Character Scholar at Wake Forest University. Her dad, Rob Cline, is not a scholar of any kind. They write this monthly column for The History Center. Comments: HistoricalClines@gmail.com

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