Matchstick Marvels Museum Featured in May OWLS Program

Be the reason future generations know what mattered in Decorah. Fund Decorah News today. CLAYTON COUNTY, Iowa — The Clayton County Conservation will host its next Older, Wiser, Livelier, Souls (OWLS) program Thursday, May 21, featuring a trip to the Matchstick Marvels Museum in Gladbrook. Participants are asked to meet at the Osborne Nature Center at 9 a.m. to carpool. Reservations are required. The museum features detailed sculptures created by Patrick Acton using nearly 10 million wooden matchsticks. Many of his works have been commissioned by Ripley's Believe It or Not!. Acton, a native of Greene County, is a graduate of the University of Northern Iowa and has been building matchstick models for five decades. He retired in 2012 to focus on the craft full time. The OWLS program is held the third Thursday of each month from March through November, with a different destination featured each time. The Osborne Nature Center is located on Highway 13, about 10 miles north of Strawberry Point and five miles south of Elkader. The center is open daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and from noon to 4 p.m. on Sundays. For more information or to make a reservation, call 563-245-1516 or visit the conservation department's website. Stay connected and informed! Join the free newsletter for curated news, trending topics, and insider perspectives you won't find anywhere else.