It’s just around the corner, folks – the 2014 Julien Dubuque International Film Festival! Now in its third year, the festival has put Dubuque on the map as having one of the top notch film festivals around!  Runde Auto Group was able to speak with the Julien Film Festival’s Executive Director to see what’s new for the 2014 Festival and what we can expect from the rousing honorary chair, Abigail Breslin (from Little Miss Sunshine). Hello, so what’s new for the Dubuque International Film Festival this year? We have a couple of new venues which include the Dubuque Museum of Art, the Stone Cliff Winery and the Dubuque River Museum which will be a dedicated venue this year. We are also using the entire Five Flags facility (including the theater) [...]

Today was a great day at the 14th Annual Sales Expo, hosted by J&R Rental Supply Inc. held at the Silver Eagle Event Center in East Dubuque IL. The place was packed with hard working people from manufacturing and agricultural professions. We met lots of great people at this year’s J&R Supply Sales Expo.  We got a good opportunity to explain our commercial line of vehicles and we also saw some great products from other vendors. Kyle Larson and Mark Fleege, our commercial vehicle specialists, from our Runde Chevrolet in East Dubuque, IL were at the Runde table fielding questions and giving away cozies, mugs, mouse pads and more. Thanks to J&R Rental for holding such a wonderful event!

Wes Digman is relatively new to Runde’s and has been a great addition to the team as our new service writer. We decided to get the inside scoop on him and his interests through an interview for our blog! Are you originally from the Dubuque area? I am from Cuba City, Wisconsin. I was just looking for a different job opportunity. I got a better opportunity here than where I was working.  I think being a service writer is going to be an exciting job where I’ll get a chance to help out a lot of Runde customers. How long have you worked for Runde Auto Group and what do you do here over the course of a normal day? Over the course of a normal day, I schedule work and order parts for mechanics … pretty much the normal things that a service writer would do. I also schedule service appointments for [...]

The Peosta Fire Department is there to help when help is needed. Runde Chevrolet is there to help them when they need a new truck! Recently, the Peosta Fire Department picked up a 3500 Chassis cab and converted it into a useful brush fire truck. Check out how the Fire Station operates as well as how they go about converting the Truck by Ray Stevens who has been a part of the Peosta Department for over 30 years! How long has the Peosta Department been established and how long have you been a part of it? I think it started back in 1948. I’ve been here since about 1979 or 1980. Is this fire station volunteer based? There is about 30 fireman and some auxiliary people that are just medical, so we [...]

Does age have an effect on a person’s driving skills?  Well that’s a question that Ford Motor Company recently tested and tried to answer.  Get in your car, drive to the gas station, fill up, then come home. Easy, no problem… right? This is what an elderly person would hear: 1. Take a walk to your car on your increasingly painful arthritis stricken joints. 2. Open the door and try to balance as you worry about how your going to adjust yourself to sit. 3. Pivot your painful hips in such a way that they won’t cause to much pain as you elevate yourself down to the seat and twist into an upright position. 4. Buckle in [...]

Nate Bremmer is a police officer from Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin and he just rated Runde Auto Group a perfect five out of five stars. When he found the truck he was looking for online he couldn’t believe what a deal it was. He came down to our PreDriven store and bought his truck from Al Kloft in our sales department. He was thrilled with the deal and with the way he was treated to the extent that he wanted the world to know about it by doing this interview. What brought you into Runde’s today? I was actually looking online and found a great deal on a truck so I ended up inquiring about it through email and then got a response from Al shortly [...]

Mary and Don Jaeger are always excited to pick up a new vehicle from Runde’s. These kind folks from Asbury Iowa have come to know Runde’s as their dealer and wanted to share their experience. What led you to Runde’s today from Asbury Iowa? We picked up a used Chevy Silverado 1500. We were looking for a truck, mainly for personal use to haul around stuff here and there. What made you come to Runde’s? Well, we’ve bought vehicles [from Runde’s] before. Runde has a large selection of cars and trucks and if you were looking for something like that then I think this is where you would come because you are probably going to find what you were looking for. If you [...]

The Dubuque Food Pantry Sister Lynn Wagner – manager of the Dubuque Food Pantry The Dubuque Food Pantry was founded in 1987 and is located at 1598 Jackson Street. The pantry does several things for the community including giving deserving citizens in the Tri-States close to 500 Christmas Baskets a year. The Pantry offers; food, hygiene products, baby items, cleaning supplies and other necessities to those who are down on their luck in the area. Donations are always welcome at the pantry, be it one of the items aforementioned or cash, the pantry can put it to good use to help out people who truly need it.

I’m sure most people have heard of the Salvation Army, but are you aware of everything they do in and for the Dubuque community?  All families go through tough times, whether it be economic, emotional, physical… How these times effect individual family members varies, but when it comes to economic challenges, it can leave some children not being able to experience the holidays to the fullest.  Think of the surroundings you grew up in.  Were there so many toys every holiday that you couldn’t possibly play with them all within a day’s time? Or maybe your family could barely afford to get you one toy… Wouldn’t you want every child to experience the holidays the way they were meant to be celebrated -with a great meal, gifts, and a sense of happiness? That is the goal of the Salvation Army with their Toy Collection Campaign. Salvation Army officers Major Tom and Major Kay Mason spearhead the [...]

The season of giving… what better way to give than to make sure kids stay warm and full this Holiday than a giving tree? To help out those in need we are are collecting food and clothing at the Runde Chevy store that will be donated to three different charity’s. If you would like to make a donation, stop by our Runde Chevrolet Showroom in East Dubuque, IL. We are filling the Giving Tree in our showroom with Children’s hats, mittens, gloves, ear muffs or scarves, everything to stay warm this winter! We’re also collecting donations of non-perishable food items for Holiday food baskets. All donations will be delivered by December 18th with the tree donations going to St. Mark Community Center and the City of [...]

I’m sure you’ve heard of Ted Williams, but have you heard of Jenna Schneider?  No one has hit for a .400 batting average in the Major Leagues since Ted Williams last did it in 1941.  In the 69 years since that time, George Brett probably came the closest to hitting .400 over the course of a whole season when he averaged .390 back in 1980.  Heck, it seems like the only thing more out of reach in baseball than hitting .400 would be the Cubs getting to or winning the World Series.  (That is unless Ryne Sandberg comes back as a player/manager and then I’d have to say that the World Series would be a sure thing for the Cubbies). If  achieving a .400 batting average seems extremely improbable, then would would .500 be.  And what does all this have to do with Runde’s?  Well, one of our summer workers, Jenna Schneider, of East Dubuque came back to [...]

Jim and Denise Kruser, from Dubuque, IA came in the other day to purchase a new vehicle. Denise had purchased from Runde’s in the past and had such a great experience that she decided to come back. Jim and Denise were kind enough to sit down with me for a few minutes and tell me a little about themselves and about their experience at Runde’s. What led you to Runde’s today? Denise: I’ve bought from here before and we were looking for a reliable winter vehicle so we decided to buy it from here again. We wound up with the ’05 Jeep Liberty. What made you come to Runde’s in the first place Denise? Denise: I was told that it was a good place to come so [...]

Dan Cotter came in the other day to Runde Chevy to buy yet another truck from Tim Runde. While he was here he explained his 2,544 mile trip from Washington to Pennsylvania as well as his plans for his future epic adventures. That seems like quite the trip Dan. What was the purpose of the trip? “My daughter was working at a veterinarian hospital in Washington but was offered a job in Pennsylvania at an emergency hospital for animals. In bigger towns they have clinics like that where you can take in your animal 24/7.” “First we went to Colorado to see a buddy of mine race in the Pikes Peak Hill Climb. Then we went to Washington and made a few stops on our way to Pennsylvania. The trip took a couple of weeks in all.”

This is a brief interview with Karen Schilling who is the secretary at the Dubuque County Trailblazers horse and pony camp.  There will always be situations where you absolutely need a pickup truck. The sports fan in you is screaming “get the turbo coupe!”, the calm in you is telling you to “get the luxury vehicle!” Then there’s the practical side of you telling you to “get the truck, you’ll need it.” And if you are a farmer, construction worker or have a horse and kids that want to go to horse camp, you are absolutely correct in thinking you’ll need that pickup truck. No one knows that more than the parents of the kids attending the Tri-State’s annual horse camp.          Karen Schilling, secretary of the Dubuque County [...]

We recently had a chance to interview Perry Mason of Radio Dubuque to get an inside peek of what goes on behind the scenes of the 3rd of July Air Show. Since then Perry and his crew have picked up the 21 vehicles they needed from Runde’s and they are being put to good use by the troops. These are the vehicles that will serve their basic transportation needs as they travel around the Tri-State area over the next week or so.  After they arrived at the Dubuque Regional Airport the other day, we got a chance to take an up-close look at a few of the planes that will be in the show.  Enjoy a small glimpse of the planes that will be at the show!   And if you’re interested in checking the planes out in person or possibly taking a ride on one, we highly recommend it.      

**Update: Check out our footage of the Air Show planes HERE. Many families in the Tri-State area have made a tradition of gathering together to watch the 3rd of July air show and fireworks display. There is a lot of time, effort and hard work put into the event. Perry Mason, the General Sales Manager at Radio Dubuque, is one of the important people behind the scenes who helps organize the July 3rd event every year and is here to explain the show and what it takes to make the spectacular performance happen. Perry knows a thing or two about throwing a good show and has been involved with the air show through its entirety of 25 years. Perry explains, “This is the 25th anniversary of the air Show. We have one of the biggest shows in the nation. Going to the show not only provides a great bonding and get-together time with [...]

Laura Rannals from Area Residential Care dropped in the other day to drop off the Runde’s Community Support Truck. Area Residential Care is a non-profit agency that serves people with mental or other developmental disabilities. They have grown to serve about 300 differently-abled adults and about 300 staff members in Dubuque (the headquarters), Dyersville, and Manchester. They will soon be moving into the old Econofoods building off of JFK Rd. in DBQ. The Community Support Truck was used to help move items and goods to and from A.Y. McDonald Park in Dubuque where they held the 2010 Corporate & Community Games. Laura explains that the Corporate Community game event is the annual fundraiser for A.R.C. The event takes place on the second Wednesday of every [...]

To me, a “hero” is someone that inspires or delivers change for the better. Having the luxury of waking up to an alarm clock instead of sirens or gunshots is a privilege that most of us probably take for granted. We are lucky to live in such a state where our biggest worry of the day is when you think a cop might have caught you accidentally changing lanes without signaling. Many have sacrificed for us to get to where we are today and should be recognized and thanked properly. Memorial Day is one of those special days when we are able to recognize the heroes that have worked so hard to defend what we have today. One the people in the fight for a better tomorrow is Runde’s very own Jason Keane. Jason has been involved with the National Guard for 14 years and is preparing for his third deployment in the near future. [...]

Jordan Degree of the Dubuque Art Center, made a visit to Sue Hanger and Cub Scout Pack 775 to let the Scouts paint some mugs. Pack 775, based out of Cuba City, is led by Cub Scout Master Sue Hanger — who is also one of Runde’s superstar accountants. While Jordan was at Runde’s talking about the Art Center he mentioned that he offers a “paint your own pottery” session. After Sue got wind of this offer she jumped on the opportunity to treat the scouts to a great night of creativity and fun. And boy, was it a HIT. There are 23 Scouts in Pack 775 ranging from 1st to 5th graders.  The event took around an hour and Jordan supplied the kids with everything they needed – including the glazes and the mugs. After the kids were done glazing the mugs the way they wanted, Jordan took everything back to the Art Center where he [...]

Jordan Degree, of the Dubuque Art Center, was in this week at Runde Chevrolet to pick up a vehicle for the Art Center. Last year I had the opportunity to get to know Jordan and learn about what the Art Center offered the community.  This year we got an update from Jordan about what’s happening with the Art Center and what they have planned for the vehicle they purchased. Hey Jordan, last year you were here to borrow the Community Support Truck for the Art Center, right? How did it work out for you? Yes, we were moving to our new location at 137 Main Street in Dubuque – we are on the first floor. That was actually the second time we used the community vehicle, though. The first [...]

What are Baskets Of Care?  Well in order to understand that, you’ll first need some background information about Dubuque’s very own Maria House. It’s almost time to decorate those eggs and indulge in candy – Easter is approaching quickly (April 12th) and some people may not get the opportunity to celebrate the holiday.  That’s why organizations like Maria House here in Dubuque, Iowa are starting to gather materials to build baskets.  The baskets are intended for families who receive aid from Maria House so that everyone can celebrate Easter and have fun during the Easter holiday. Sherry McDonell who has been a member of Maria House since before it opened explained to us the way the organization works.  Sherry, who “absolutely loves working for Maria [...]

How often do you get a chance to help someone out in Dubuque, Iowa? Chances are that there are several opportunities for you to help someone, but how often do you actually help? Connie Jo and Chuck, owners of Chuck -n- Jo’s restaurant, (located on 890 Iowa St in Dubuque, IA) did not let an opportunity pass when they came up with “Easter Baskets of Love” Started three years ago, Easter Baskets of Love supplies children in need of an Easter basket that’s filled with toys, candy and other Easter goodies. Kids from organizations such as the Maria House and St. Mark’s are given the baskets. Everything is 100% donated and the work is all volunteer based – businesses (including Runde Auto Group) within the community donate items for [...]

This year marks the 15th anniversary of the Iowa-Illinois Regional Auto Show in Davenport, IA.  This automotive extravaganza will be held once again at the River Center February 6th through the 8th.   If you are in the that area this weekend, definitely check it out. Runde Auto Group unfortunately won’t be represented at this auto show as it would be a bit of a long-distance haul to take our new vehicles all the way to the Davenport area.  So why are we taking the time to mention this auto show that’s approximately 70 miles away?  It’s funny you should ask.   Each year the Iowa-Illinois Regional Auto Show hands out at least one scholarship to a student planning to attend college or an automotive technical trade school.  This award is intended for a student who is actively involved in academic and extra-curricular activities.  The individual also is required to demonstrate achievement in [...]

Timmerman’s Supper Club in East Dubuque just off of Hwy 20 has been a mainstay of the Tri-State community for many, many years.  When Supper Clubs were the rage or the cat’s pajamas back in the 1970’s, Timmerman’s was normally packed with locals who were looking for good times and great food.  There used to be nightly live music from jazz to big band and couples would sip cocktails and enjoy their meals before heading out to the dance floor to trip the light fantastic.  Well supper clubs may have changed a little, but they still continue to thrive in the Dubuque & East Dubuque area and Timmerman’s is arguably the most popular one.  It is also on the Runde short list of favorite for places to eat. I [...]

Anyone who is from the Dubuque or East Dubuque area is probably familliar with and fond of the The 19th Hole restaurant in East Dubuque, IL. It’s situated halfway between Runde Chevrolet and Runde PreDriven on Hwy 35N.  Runde employees have been enjoying food from this establishment for years.  Burgers, beef sandwiches, french fries, cheese curds, and of course a nice selection of beverages to wash the tasty vittles down. Mike Lawler (one of our detail specialists) adds, “It’s definitely good food at the 19th Hole– the best burgers in town.” I have no problem agreeing with Mike about the 19th Hole burgers. Runde’s places a to-go order from the 19’th Hole probably 50 of the 52 Saturdays throughout the course of any given year and the burgers [...]