Ivette Drahos and her husband, Mark, own the Lazy Goose in Perry. Ivette grew up in Perry and graduated from Perry High. She and Mark are the proud parents of three kiddos—a 14-year-old boy and two girls, ages 8 and 3—along with a black lab who loves to play on the slide at the park.
Laura: Name a song you could listen to on “repeat” for forever.
Ivette: “Mami” by Karol G.
(Karol G (Carolina Giraldo Navarro) is a Colombian singer who in 2018 won the Latin Grammy Award for Best New Artist. Relatable lyrics in the chorus of “Mami” include, “Don’t call me again, I even threw out the phone.”)
Laura: App on your phone that you use the most.
Ivette: Facebook.
Laura: What’s your favorite thing to do in Perry?
Ivette: I love going to the elementary school playground with the kiddos.
Laura: If you won a free vehicle of your choice, what vehicle would you choose?
Ivette: Ford F-150 truck (her current vehicle).
Laura: If you had to take a tourist to one place in the Perry area, where would you take the person?
Ivette: The Lazy Goose! (The peach slushie is my personal favorite so far.)
Laura: What do you wish you really understood about Perry?
Ivette: More of the history on the statues on Willis. There isn’t a sign on who donated them or what they mean.
Laura: What one thing would you like to see happen in Perry that hasn’t happened yet?
Ivette: People use to be more supportive when it came to all the festivals. I’d like to see the community get closer again and support all the events.
Laura: Favorite Perry comfort food?
Ivette: Gorditas from Mex-to-U.
Laura: When people come to Perry for the first time, what do you think surprises them the most?
Ivette: That the town is growing.
Laura: What’s the one thing that you really wish all Perryites understood about you personally?
Ivette: To see the Lazy Goose as a place to just kind of hangout–not just to get a drink and leave, a getaway for your family, a hangout with your friends, a safe place for kids to meet and do something that is safe and not dangerous—keep them out of trouble.
Laura: Name one of your hidden talents or interests that might surprise people.
Ivette: I’m a crafter—t-shirts, mugs, decorations, all kinds of crafty stuff (For instance, she’s made matching t-shirts for family vacations and lots more).
Laura: What was your favorite thing to do on the playground when you were a kid?
Ivette: The swings.
Laura: Favorite Iowa day trip?
Ivette: Get away to Des Moines and go shopping—The Children’s Place to get clothes for the kiddos, Pandora’s to get charms (a few of her favorites).
Laura: What is the best TV show of all time?
Ivette: “Grey’s Anatomy.”
Laura: Motto/saying/rule to live by.
Ivette: It happened for a reason.
Laura: What is the strangest thing you have ever eaten?
Ivette: Fried crocodile (or maybe it was alligator) bites which tasted like chicken. (None of these distinguishing characteristics are helpful in the fried form.)
Laura: If you could pass one law that everyone would have to follow, what would it be?
Ivette: A four-day work week.
Laura: Person you’d most like to meet.
Ivette: Karol G (whose song Ivette could play on repeat forever).
I’m happy it happened for a reason that Ivette, Mark and their family are here in Perry, enjoying the local park, our community events, and providing Perryites with a new hangout.
The Lazy Goose Boba Tea and Ice Cream is open Tuesday and Saturday noon to 5 p.m. and Wednesday through Friday noon to 7 p.m.
I’m impressed that Ivette chose the vehicle she currently drives as her “vehicle of choice” even if she had her choice of any vehicle free. I don’t have as strong a character. My adorable Toyota Prius, with its gas efficiency and automated parking, would be tossed aside for a Lamborghini. Of course, I’d want to drive it on Germany’s autobahn in a section with no speed limit (or a racetrack or the desert). No one from the police department is reading this, right?
If you would like to see this feature continue, then please personally venture to spend approximately 30 minutes with Laura answering her Quick Questions, or nudge (either gently or with politely more forceful encouragement) others in the community who you’d like to see featured. Anyone with a connection to the Perry community is welcome. Send an email with your name and the best way to contact you to: theperrynews@gmail.com. Be “Perry Nice” and provide Laura a helping hand. She enjoys gathering answers to her questions and desires to strengthen and enhance personal connections through her articles, but the introvert in her hates entreating.
