Ames hopes to entertain troops

A shopping mall in Ames is gathering holiday donations of entertainment for soldiers from Iowa who are spending the holiday season in the Persian Gulf region. Marketing Manager Nikki Peterson says anybody who’s ever bought a C-D can be part of it. “Operation C-D Drop” is community-wide in Ames, and is collecting C-Ds, D-V-Ds and batteries to send to troops in the Mideast who she says are longing for entertainment. Organizers have been told the soldiers have C-D players and other equipment, but lack music and movies to play on them…and donors are already bringing in a wide variety. Some of the C-Ds are unusual, and they range from Spanish flamenco music by Carlos Montoya to rock by Cheryl Crow, the Beatles, country music, and gospel singer Amy Grant. People have brought in D-V-D movies from Operation Petticoat, Father Goose, The Man With the Iron Mask, Spiderman, and the Mummy == and many more. North Grand Mall in Ames is getting help from the Air Force Reserve in sending the music, movies and battery donations to the troops.