When Melbourne’s volunteer fire department relocated to a new, modern facility, the City Hall took over the former location, constructed in 1954. The red brick building houses the city offices around with city-owned maintenance vehicles in the garages the fire trucks once sat. Home to nearly 800 residents, the tight-knit community of Melbourne sits along State Highway 330 in southeastern Marshall County, Iowa.
The first weekend of August marks Melbourne’s annual “Mousehole Days” celebration, which originated in the as a car show nearly three decades ago. It snowballed into a full-fledged family event, where residents and visitors alike enjoy a activities held across town, including a parade, softball tournament, and a full slate of games for all ages. The event kicks off each year with the popular fire department fish fry. For more information about Melbourne, check out the official city website.
Corydon is one of several small county seats along the states’s southern border with Hy-Vee grocery store serving the community. Hy-Vee, which can trace its roots to a short-lived Beaconsfield supply store just two counties away, has had a presence in the Wayne County community of Corydon since 1939, when a the “Corydon Supply Store” opened on the west side of the town square in 1939. The Hy-Vee name was applied to the store in the 1950s as part of a company-wide rebranding effort.
The location operated consecutively for nearly 17 years before a downtown fire temporarily closed the store and burned three nearby buildings in August 1956. The store was subsequently moved to a new downtown location on State Highway 2, on the south side of the square, reopening just 70 days after the previous store burned. The Corydon Hy-Vee was relocated to its present (pictured) location in 1969, in a new building just east of downtown on Highway 2. The 9,000-square-feet building is open daily from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
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