TELEPHONE COMPANY & SERVICES:
Farmers Mutual Cooperative Telephone Company
serves a 580 square miles of Shelby, Pottawattamie, Crawford, and Audubon counties, including
Irwin. Farmers Mutual provides Internet access, paging, voice mail, calling cards, cellular serves
along with state of the are 100% digitally switched calling since 1988. FMTC offers free custom
calling features such as call forwarding, call waiting, speed dialing, and three-way calling. FMTC
customers enjoy equal access for all long distance calling.
SCHOOLS:
Irwin is part of the I.K.M. (Irwin-Kirkman-Manilla) School System. Manilla, 8 miles
to the north, houses the early childhood center and grades 9-12 while Irwin is the attendance
center for a preschool and grades 2-8. Enrollment is approximately 600 students. I.K.M. Schools
send kids to state competitions in band, speech, track, football, basketball, wrestling, and softball.
There are active booster organizations for both music and athletics.
TOURIST & RECREATION:
Cen+10 Museum, a 14 room museum, is sponsored by the Irwin,
IA Historical Society. The City Park features picnic facilities with shelter house, sand volleyball
court, ball field, playground, and concession stand. The field is used by Little League and I.K.M.
softball. Prairie Rose State Park, located 13 miles south of Irwin, offers fishing swimming, and
camping facilities. There is also an R.V. campground 12 miles southwest of town.. Two public
golf courses are within 12 miles.
Hunters from all over the country come to the area to hunt pheasants and deer. There is also a bow and arrow season on deer.
BUSINESS & INDUSTRY:
Farm Service Cooperative of Irwin. Provides fertilizer and
chemicals. Sells seed corn and other seeds, tires, fuel, agronomy services and sells and erects
grain bins.
Farmers Elevator--Buys and sells grain, grands and mixes and sells, fee, grain banking, grain drying and storing, hauling services and sells animal health products. Grain storage capacity is 1.5 million bushels.
Robinson Implement Inc.--sells new and used farm equipment, including tractors, combines, and planters. Provides welding, shortline equipment, overhauling, and farm repair. Robinson's services an area that includes Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, and Minnesota.
Other businesses include convenience store with grocery, deli, movie rental and gasoline; three auto body shops, three beauty shops, two mechanic shops, one bar and grill with seating for 80, a tv, radio electronics store, gunsmith, locker plant with deli, veterinary clinic, and corn sheller. There is a local branch of the Shelby County State Bank with assets of $164,000,000. The town is also home for an independent insurance agency, tank wagon, two plumbing and electric shops, and a bulldozing service. A local woodcarver has a studio on his farmstead. He attends shows and sells his carvings throughout the country.
FESTIVALS & CELEBRATIONS:
The Greenwood Steam Show is held each September for two
days. It includes working exhibits, old-time music, flea market, and food. Every five years the
Alumni Association sponsors a reunion weekend.
CHURCHES:
Three churches are active in Irwin. All of them were established in the 1880's.
They are St. Paul Lutheran Church, United Methodist Church, and the Church of Christ.
BRAGGING RIGHTS:
Irwin is a community minded town with an active volunteer fire
department, ambulance service with 15 certified EMT's, a 92 member Chamber of Commerce and
a variety of other service organizations including American Legion, Eastern Star, Masons, Library
Club, and the Irwin Youth Foundation. The local community building has hosted 116 events in
the past year.
Select by Tel. Co.
| Select by Community
| Rural Iowa Community Web
| INS |
netINS Dialup Services
."
(All text and original graphics copyright (c) 1994 / 1995 Iowa Network Services, Inc.)