Claire Becker of Ossian waits for her breakfast from cook Bev Meyer. An estimated 40 children take advantage of the free breakfast served Monday through Friday, while an average of 140 children attend the lunch meal. The lunches are paid for with state funding and provide children 18 years of age and younger with healthful, well-balanced meals. (Zakary Kriener photo)

DeSales food program yields healthful results

Zakary Kriener

News Writer
zkriener@fayettepublishing.com

When students across the area began their summer break in May, they were presented with a new opportunity. Children are able to receive a free, nutritious breakfast and lunch at DeSales School in Ossian five days a week via the Summer Food Service Program.

“This program has been wonderful,” stated former DeSales principal Mae Becker, who was influential in establishing the program. “This ensures that every child has the opportunity to receive a nutritional, well-balanced meal during the day while their parents are away at work.”

Elgin to host tractors July 17

Brian Smith
Contributing Writer
bsmith@fayettepublishing.com

            Elgin will be the third stop on day one of the North Iowa Tractor Ride Friday, July 17. Over 200 tractors will converge on the City Park beginning at approximately 1:35 that afternoon.

           The two-day ride originates from West Union and will cover a total of 107 miles, taking participants to Fayette, Arlington, and Elgin on day one (62 miles) and Ft. Atkinson and Ossian on the second day (45 miles). The stop in Elgin will be the afternoon break for the drivers and riders, who will be arriving in four separate groups. Each group will be staged about 10 minutes apart and will spend approximately 30 minutes in town. It is estimated that 300 to 400 people will visit Elgin in connection with the ride on Friday.

           “The Elgin Betterment Club and Elgin residents are providing snacks, including cookies, bars, fruit, lemonade, and water, for a freewill donation. We encourage everyone to come out to view the tractors, which will be parked up and down Center Street in front of the City Park,” explained Sara Strong, member of the Elgin Betterment Club.

Shortstop Anna Barry makes a throw to first. (File photo)

West Central falls in regional bout

By Chris Deback
cdeback@thefayettecountyunion.com

This wasn’t the way West Central’s Softball season was supposed to end. Starmont, a team who had won two games all season and were swept a week prior, wasn’t supposed to beat the Blue Devils.

But, that’s the funny thing about sports. What is expected doesn’t always happen.

Starmont defeated the Blue Devils in front of a packed crowd at Maynard Park, 9-6.

For the third year in a row West Central will walk away from their season without a playoff win. The last regional victory came in the form of an 11-1 win over Kee High School in 2012, two years later, those Kee Hawks were State Runner-ups in Class 1A.

Despite a disappointing loss and a disappointing way for two seniors to end their softball careers, both those seniors can look back on their final season with pride. They can look back five years from now and know they helped turn around a floundering West Central program, or at least that’s what West Central head coach Nick Robinson hopes his seniors will remember this season by.

Meryl Hokel Austin

Meryl Hokel Austin was born on September 20, 1946 to Meryl and Reta Hokel in West Union, Ia. 

He attended school in West Union, IA graduating in 1966; shortly thereafter he left West Union to serve his country in Vietnam.  Meryl served in the Army in the 7th Infantry, 199th Light Infantry Brigade also know as the "Cotton Balers" he was in country 1967-1968. 

Upon returning to the stateside he made his home in Cedar Rapids, IA where he worked as a security guard at Wilson Foods. 

Meryl met and married Mary Boomhauer and to this union one son Martin Alan Hokel was born and cherished.

Meryl lived several places in his lifetime including Iowa, Colorado, Oregon and California. 

Since retiring Meryl spent his time traveling the crossroads of America visiting family and making friends wherever he went. Meryl was a charming, witty, intellectual, sincere, respectful, fun-loving gentle man.