An Iowa barber has been very concerned about the literacy rates of kids these days – but unlike many folks who feel the same way, he’s decided to do something about it! Courtney Holmes, a long-time barber in Dubuque, Iowa cooked up a special promotion that’s designed to encourage kids to read more. Once a month, every boy and girl who comes into his Spark Salon in Dubuque that is willing to read Holmes a story while they get their hair cut, will get that haircut for free. 100 percent gratis. Iowa is a US state in the Midwestern United States, bordered by the Mississippi River on the east and the Missouri River and the Big Sioux River on the west. Surrounding states include Wisconsin and Illinois to the east, Missouri to the south, Nebraska and South Dakota to the west, and Minnesota to the north. In colonial times, Iowa was a part of French Louisiana and Spanish Louisiana; its state flag is patterned after the flag of France. After the Louisiana Purchase, people laid the foundation for an agriculture-based economy in the heart of the Corn Belt. In the latter half of the 20th century, Iowa’s agricultural economy made the transition to a diversified economy of advanced manufacturing, processing, financial services, information technology, biotechnology, and green energy production. Iowa is the 26th most extensive in land area and the 30th most populous of the 50 United States.