The Perry Hy-Vee opened in January 1977 and in order to celebrate our 40th anniversary in Perry, we are inviting all of our past employees and our great customers over these last 40 years to join us Saturday, Jan. 14 from 1-3 p.m. for cake, coffee and a chance to share some memories.
Hy-Vee will also salute seven current employees with more than 25 years of service with Hy-Vee: Paula Blaisdell, Phil Bricker, Sean Iben, Mary Kautzky, Karen Martin, Marcie Neuhalfen and Marie Pohl.
These seven dedicated people have a combined total of 226 years of service at your Perry Hy-Vee.
When the Perry Hy-Vee opened, it was the 108th store in the Hy-Vee chain, and Perry was itself 108 years old in 1977, having been founded in 1869. Today there are 240 Hy-Vee stores, with more on the way.
The Perry store was home to several firsts for Hy-Vee. Perry boasted the very first sit-down deli area in any Hy-Vee. Perry also featured the first van for deli deliveries and caterings.
In 1991 Andy Clausen won the Iowa’s Best Bagger title, competing on the national level in 1992.
Holcomb Pharmacy Inc. was acquired Dec. 2, 1995, and merged into the Perry store.
In 1994 the Perry Hy-Vee was the recipient of the Governor’s Award from the Iowa Department of Education for its volunteer work with schools.
In 1996 Store Director Denny Glick received the Community Involvement–Director Award and entered the Hy-Vee Hall of Fame.
In 1998 the store fed 2,000 people with its giant ice cream sundae, which featured more than 200 toppings. In the past, Perry’s Hy-Vee has produced a giant bag of popcorn (1992), a huge American flag cake (1993), a half-mile-long banana split and a 105-foot-long brownie sundae.
Employee Stephanie Connett was pictured on the sides of Hy-Vee trucks in 1999.
Also in 1999, employee Kelli Weber placed third in the “Act Like You Own the Place” employee essay contest.
Perry’s 29-pound apple pie was chosen as the winner from among 70 pies and cakes in the annual Fourth of July fundraising pie auction held April 17, 1999. The pie took 3.5 hours to bake and used a tub of frozen apple slices and 12 pounds of fresh sliced apples.
Hy-Vee introduced online shopping on October 22, 2001.
Store Director Brett Bremser was elected to the Hy-Vee Hall of Fame as Store Director of the Year–Northern Region in 2007.
The Perry Hy-Vee store has also supported our community in many ways over these four decades, from buying football score boards to hosting fundraisers too numerous to list.
We always have an entry in the annual Lighted Christmas Parade and Fourth of July Parade, and the end of the school year would not be the same without Hy-Vee’s ice cream treats for both Perry and St. Pat’s elementary students.
Last year Hy-Vee hosted, along with the Dallas County Hospital, a free health fair. Our Public Safety Day, co-sponsored with the city of Perry, has also turned into a great annual event, and Santa’s visit every Christmas with free photos with the kids is another favorite.
The last 40 years have seen many changes in Perry and in the Perry Hy-Vee, not the least of which was our move to our current location at 1215 141st St. We have added a pharmacy and now offer online shopping.
A lot happens in 40 years. Please join us at our anniversary party Saturday, Jan. 14 at 3 p.m. to share our accomplishments.
Other Perry businesses with milestone anniversaries coming up should contact Larry Vodenik, who will be happy to write up your history and gather photos for publication in ThePerryNews.com.
I never knew Hy-Vee took so long to build a store here. I first moved here in 1978 and had the impression they’d been here longer. I was born in Ottumwa and can’t recall a time in my life without the two Hy-Vee stores being there. My paternal grandparents never shopped for groceries anywhere except the original old store on Albia Road in Ottumwa. I’m thinking there’s a church in what had been the original North Court Hy-Vee. Heavens! those old stores weren’t that much larger than what the Dollar Store here is now. The A&P building is still being used on East Main Street. It was smaller yet.