Melissa is an exceptional partner in regional economic development. Her ability to coordinate seamlessly with Alliant Energy ensures that Winnebago and Worth counties are always positioned for growth. She is proactive, deeply knowledgeable, and highly collaborative- bringing her into a project early is a guarantee that things will move forward efficiently and successfully.
— Chad Hansen , Alliant Energy
Acclaimed film ‘Pieowa’ documents Iowans’ love of baking, eating pies
22 Sep 2025
News
A southeast Iowa woman has made the transition from writer to filmmaker and believes pie is more than just a savory meal or a delicious dessert, so much more that she made a documentary about it.
Beth Howard, who lives on a farm near Donnellson, directed the film called, “Pieowa: A Piece of America.” Earlier this month, Howard’s documentary won the Audience Award for Best Feature Documentary at the Silicon Beach Film Festival in Los Angeles.
“It was never really my strategy to enter film festivals, but then I just went ahead and entered a few just to see what it was like, and then I won,” Howard says. “I won Best Food Film at the San Antonio Film Festival in July, so I’m like, oh, well, maybe my film is better than I thought it was.”
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