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Monday 8am - 12pm Tuesday 8am - 12pm Wednesday 8am - 12pm Thursday 8am - 12pm Friday 8am - 12pm Saturday 8am - 12pm

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McHaffey Opera House

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Eldon, IA
McHaffey Opera House

Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from McHaffey Opera House, Performance & Event Venue, 414 Elm Street, Eldon, IA.

06/28/2025

Eldon Forum, July 1, 1965--VISITING TIME by Margaret Jean Hull. The fourth of July holiday is many things. It is firecrackers and sparklers. It is picnics in the country and swimming at the beach. It is band concerts at the city park. Once it was speeches at the Chautauqua stands. It is family reunions. It is parades and bands and homecomings. It is rodeos and town centennial celebrations. It is fried chicken and corn on the cob and sliced tomatoes. It is when our Iowa corn crop that should be "knee high" is nearer shoulder high. It is the flag, waving from our front porch. It is summertime. It is AMERICA, like the hot dog and baseball game. It is the freedom you have to enjoy it as you like. Just have fun and TAKE CARE!
Photo courtesy of Fortepan Iowa.

06/25/2025

Collections of all kinds can be started or added to at McHaffey Opera House thrift sale. Monday thru Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon.

06/21/2025

Yesterday was the official first day of summer. The following is some observations from the June 23, 1955, Eldon Forum. "Tuesday was the first day of summer and the day was cloudy and good breezes kept going, and the extreme heat of the two days before was practically wiped from our memories. Watching the weather is an interesting thing. Eldon has been more than lucky thus far, and the rains have been equally distributed so that the crops in the entire territory are far advanced to past years. Looks like Eldon will boast of nice farm crops and vegetable crops this year as never before. This is the season to enjoy your out-of-door eating, and if you do not have the habit, then you should form it soon. You would be surprised at the number of nice patios and fireplaces in Eldon. More and more are being built and used. Get into the swing of it and spend more time outside and get the sunshine and the evening breezes. Every member of the family will spend more time at home and a comradeship will develop if you but make the yard attractive and a place for family and friends to get together and have feast and gab sessions."
Photo courtesy of Fortepan Iowa and does not depict Eldon's nice backyards!

06/18/2025

Jewelry makers--have you tried making jewelry with old silverware? McHaffey Opera House thrift sale has many pieces with different pretty patterns. Or you can supplement your flatware with them. No sterling, but lots of silver plate.

06/14/2025

Eldon Forum, Sept. 23, 1954. "A Big Growing Industry Right Here In Eldon. Can we call it an industry? Why not. After you have heard this story, we are going to tell you, then you may agree, it is an industry or a mighty interesting affair. Last winter while you all lived in your good warm homes and enjoyed all the comforts therein, there was a business going on here, a thriving and successful one. That of horse training and even breeding, at the Eldon Wapello County fairgrounds. Regardless of weather, the work went on. Around forty horses were stalled or housed in the barns at the grounds and were trained each and every day as well as cared for. There were a number of families at the grounds in the houses and in trailers, and they were like a little colony all its own. There are hardships when you brave the storms each and every day to look after horses and keep them training. The fair association ran city water over the grounds for the benefit of the people living there and for watering the stock. This made life easier in a way. As yet there is no wash houses or bathrooms as many fairgrounds have. There should be, for horse trainers like to be as clean as the next person, and they are handicapped by lack of these conveniences. but there will come a day when arrangements will be made, for the industry of horse training and raising in Eldon will demand it. More than forty horses were at the grounds all last year. Many of them left early in the summer for the different racing circuits and are not back yet. Some of those horses made the best records and won the highest moneys during the season. The first back was Jack Appleby, with his horse, Algona. After he came back home, he bought a second racehorse and is working on its training and is keeping Algona also in trim......So it is easy to know that the racehorse business is fast turning into something fine for Eldon. It brings people here to live, and they are good citizens in the community. Do or don't we have an industry?"

06/11/2025

Attn. old bottle collectors, McHaffey Opera House thrift sale has some interesting old bottles for sale.
We will be closed Friday and Saturday as we take in the Wapello County Fair with our families.

06/07/2025

Ottumwa Courier, June 19, 1909--"ALUMNI RECEPTION AND BANQUET AT ELDON.
Tuesday night occurred one of the most enjoyable events of the season, the alumni reception and banquet. The reception was held in the K. of P. Hall, where all schoolmates joined in a common inquiry of health and fortune. There were about forty present, representing a goodly number of the classes that have graduated since 1884. The banquet was served at the Hotel Eldon dining room, made festive by dainty decorations of the '09 colors, crimson and hunter green. Ed J. Moore, state representative and a member of the class of '92, presided as toastmaster and responses were given to the following toasts:
Welcome address: "Why this Banquet? Madeline Stauffer, '06
"Why We're Here", Ruth Baldwin, '09
"The School You Call Your Own", Prof. A. S. Fulton
"E. H. S. Musings", Ida Houghland Wise, '88
"Eve & Her Daughters", George Knight, '05
"The Profit of Schooling", Ernest Stuart, '05
"Soldiers of Fortune", Lizzie Russell Sawyers, '87
"What We Need", Bess Enyart, '96
The out of town members of the alumni that were present were: Kate Donahue, Clarinda; Geo. Millard, California; Myrtle Cremer Robison, of Ottumwa; and Grace Knight Newland, of Drakesville.

06/04/2025

If you've ever wanted to see the auditorium and stage of the historic McHaffey Opera House, now is your opportunity! We will have the doors open on Saturday, June 7th, right after the Gothic Day parade that begins at 10 a.m. This is a self-guided tour with a board member present to answer any questions you may have. The ground floor thrift sale will be open with our normal hours. Remember that the thrift sale is the fund raiser that allows us to maintain the 133-year-old building and we appreciate your continued support.

05/31/2025

Ottumwa Courier, 15 May 1878--"STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. Eldon, May 8--The residence of Ed. Dibble, K & D.M. agent at Eldon, was struck by a heavy current of lightning on last evening, at about 6 o'clock. The bolt first tackled a large elm tree in the front yard, passed through one of the limbs, stripping the bark from the body of the tree, and part passing to the corner of the house near the tree, tearing the cornice and some shingles off, then following the waterspout around, entered the kitchen chimney, again divided, one current shattering the corner of the house from top to bottom, and the other passing through the ceiling to the stove, down through the kitchen floor and then out to a chain pump, tearing up the platform in its way. There were ten persons in the house, and on the porches at the time, among whom were the wife and three children of J.G. King, of the odd Fellows Banner. They were all "shook up like" but none were seriously hurt. Mrs. Dibble, who was standing at the kitchen stove, was paralyzed for a time, but this morning is convalescent. The house is protected by a rod, "put up on scientific principles," as Dibble, who is a lightning slinger, informs us."
(Photo courtesy of Fortepan Iowa) This was not the famous Dibble House, a.k.a. American Gothic House.

05/28/2025

Something for the dog lover at McHaffey Opera House thrift sale. Check it out. Monday thru Saturday 8 a.m. to noon.

05/24/2025

Eldon Forum, May 29, 1958: PARADE GOES TO OLD BRIDGE LAST TIME. The annual Memorial Day march to the wagon bridge, carried out for at least 40 years past, will be held for the last time this year. Next year the new Eldon bridge will be in use, and the wagon bridge will probably be only a memory. The Eldon observance will follow tradition all the way through. The marchers, the band, the color guard and the firing squad will meet at the Legion building at 1:45 p.m. Friday, May 30. All children old enough to keep up with the parade are cordially invited to join the march. The parade will start with music by the high school band, directed by Charles McClain. The parade will go to the wagon bridge. There, after prayer by the Rev. Clinton Spilman, a flower-covered anchor will be dropped into the DesMoines river in honor of the brave men who served their country by sea. The firing squad will fire their salute to dead comrades-in-arms and taps will be played by Bill Maynard, with an echo from the band. Then the marchers will be transported to the cemetery, where similar ceremonies will be held at the memorial cannon there.

05/21/2025

Jump ahead and get your flowers ready to decorate the graves of your late loved ones this Memorial Day. McHaffey Opera House thrift sale has some nice floral arrangements at an affordable price.

Address

414 Elm Street
Eldon, IA
52554

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 12pm
Tuesday	8am - 12pm
Wednesday	8am - 12pm
Thursday	8am - 12pm
Friday	8am - 12pm
Saturday	8am - 12pm

Website

facebook.com

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