Do you stop for a while to take in the beauty of the architecture and imagine its past when hanging out on Main Street? Sharon Wirth and Judy Gilger revealed some secrets of the buildings in Downtown Ames on Tuesday night at the Ames Historical Society’s “Secrets” lecture. They introduced buildings with the age, presented major features of buildings, commemorated important figures and uncovered intriguing stories. Around 150 people attended the lecture.

One fascinating story was about Ben Young’s popcorn wagon. The wagon stopped around the corner of Main and Douglas from 1905 to 1939. During that time, people bought popcorn and went to the theater. The business ran smoothly for more than 20 years, but after cars became popular, the wagon’s “architecture” caused traffic jams and was considered a safety concern. The popcorn wagon then disappeared on Main Street, and the theater nearby began to sell popcorn.

While Ben Young’s popcorn wagon is no longer on Main Street, many other buildings have withstood the test of time. People can view banners and plaques in front of the buildings downtown to learn more about them.

“This activity is one of our annual lecture series and this is the twelfth year,” said Alex Fejfar, research and media specialist for the Ames Historical Society. “We want to bring new research we find, interesting topics that are pertinent to Ames history. They can enlighten residents about the things around them.”