BARNUM — The old saying “you can’t go home again” never rang true for Anne Condon.

Instead, Condon always knew she would eventually wind up back on familiar soil after being born and raised on a family farm just outside of Barnum that has been recognized as a Heritage Farm.

“It’s been in our family for over 150 years,” Condon said.

She attended school at Northwest Webster in Barnum before graduating from Iowa Central Community College and eventually the University of Northern Iowa. Wanting to see a more “city-like” environment, Condon ventured to uncharted territory.

“After my time at UNI was over, I headed to Des Moines looking forward to the action, night life and endless activities,” she said. “It didn’t take me long to figure out that the city was not for me. The traffic drove me crazy, and everywhere I went it just seemed crowded.

“I was still trying to convince myself I belonged down here when I started dating my future husband. He was born and raised in Clare, and I knew that his job as a farmer wasn’t coming to Des Moines, so as things got more serious, I happily started looking for jobs back closer to home.”

Over two decades, five children and two grandchildren later, Condon could not be happier with her path.

She serves as the Community Link for MidAmerican Energy between the company and cities of Barnum, Manson and Clare while also being the captain of the CARES group at work.

“I learned early on that being involved in your community is a way of taking pride in where you come from and is the only thing that will keep small communities alive and growing,” Condon said. “When I joined the fire department, my dad had already been a member for decades and both of my brothers were already volunteers as well.

“For quite a few years, we didn’t really have many new volunteers join, but we had quite a few that retired. That puts a lot of responsibility on a small number of people who also have full-time jobs and families at home. Recently, the department had quite a few new members join and it’s been great.

“They are all fresh and eager and want to make the department the best that it can be. As cliche as it sounds, that generational cycle of volunteers and people wanting to be involved is vital to small communities. People move to big cities, but people plant roots in small communities.”

Condon is also a member of the St. Thomas Catholic Church in Manson where she serves on the Women’s Guild, is a licensed EMT and has been a member of the Barnum Fire Department since 2005. She also takes sports photos for Manson Northwest Webster schools, which started out as just a hobby and way to preserve memories of her kids.

“It has expanded over the years to working with parents, the school and the local newspaper in Manson to provide not only action shots of multiple sports, but keepsake photos as well,” Condon said. “I’ve very much enjoyed getting to know a lot of MNW students through taking pictures, and I love going to grad parties or scrolling through Instagram and seeing pictures that I’ve taken.

“Over the years, I’ve volunteered with many different organizations and committees through the school. If the school needed help with something, they always knew they could call and I would do what I could to help out. From chaperoning field trips, my favorite being a trip to Washington, D.C. with my youngest son and some of his classmates, to helping organize multiple benefits for members of the community. Most recently, I chaired a very successful MNW After Prom committee.”

Condon is also a past member of the Manson Northwest Webster school board and the Barnum city council. She was on a four-person committee that helped fundraise and plan the recent Barnum Sesquicentennial celebration that was held in 2024.

“What I think makes this community special might be exactly what other people don’t like about small town living,” she said. “My favorite thing is that everybody pretty much knows everybody. Sometimes it’s on a personal level and you not only know the person themselves, but you remember their parents and maybe even their grandparents. I have kids that work in this area who have had people they’ve never met approach them and say, ‘You must be a Condon,’ or ‘Is your mom Anne Condon?’ I think that is really neat and says a lot about how roots run deep in small towns.

“Even if it isn’t on a personal level, in small towns and communities you at least know who people are. People that live in small communities like ours know that there is always someone you can call that will have your back or be there for you in a time of need. After my mom passed away, pretty much the entire community of Barnum helped keep an eye on my dad. He wasn’t a cook so he would go to Junkyard for lunch almost every day. If he didn’t show up, it was pretty typical that I would get a call from the restaurant checking that he was OK.

“I just don’t think people take care of each other like that in a bigger community.”