Weird Iowa: Jethro Bodine Calls, Casino Push Continues, $51K Pink Diamond Can Be Yours

Hollywood came calling last week. Literally. It's only weird because Iowans are so humble.

The actor who played Jethro in "The Beverly Hillbillies" TV series recently contacted the owner of the barbecue joints located in West Des Moines/Waukee, Ankeny, Altoona and Des Moines. Max Baer Jr. called Jethro's owner Bruce Gerleman to chat about how the two might do business. Stay tuned.

Is it weird that despite rejections from residents in three communities, a West Des Moines-based company, . We'll leave that to the reader to decide.

While 60 percent of Warren County voters on Tuesday rejected plans for a Wild Rose casino near Norwalk, developer Gary Kirke says his company is still pursuing plans for a luxury casino in central Iowa. Residents in Ankeny and Urbandale shot down similar proposals before they even went to zoning boards or community votes last fall.

Are we weird, or just cheap, to be amazed that a rare pink diamond at Philip's Diamond Shop in Marion is priced at a mere $51,000. Ben High, designer at the shop, explains in a video why it's so unique.

Have you heard of slacklining? The newest craze among students at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls is similar to tightrope walking, only the line is not taut. It has slack - thus the name - and moves up and down as the walkers cross it. This video explains the unusual effort.

And, every week we have weird tidbits from police reports.

A Coralville man has been charged with felony theft and burglary for allegedly breaking into a display case and , reports our Iowa City Patch. David Alexander Rose, 35, allegedly stole over 60 pairs of sunglasses

Well, we know the sun has to come out at some point, right?

The good news: Some Iowa State University students were awakened early one day last week by the university's emergency alert system. The bad news: the alert was about a man seen walking into Pammel Woods carrying a big stick.

Ames, who is a resident of the Curt Forbes Residential Facility. Daniels was reported missing Tuesday.

Thieves were not about to let metal cables keep them from making off with two big metal chickens – one was a 7-footer and the other was slightly smaller at only 5 ½ feet tall. Despite the security precautions, the yard art was reported stolen on succesive nights from the garden center at .

A Des Moines man already in trouble with Waukee police for allegedly assaulting his wife compounded his legal troubles. Mike Sites of 2420 S.E. Sixth St., Des Moines, was charged or arrested three times on May 1 for a series of domestic abuse calls and a car crash with relatives that Waukee police said Sites intentionally caused. Officers said S.

In the downright creepy department, Johnston police officers were called to the Little League field, 5120 N.W. Beaver Drive, on a report that at the fields. The vehicle was gone when officers arrived. The girls said the man did not speak to them or gesture to them.

Read more weirdness from Iowa:

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