Valleyview Wesleyan Church now occupies its new home at Heritage Farm Park in Clermont.  The church will remain functional and can be rented out for weddings or other events. (Jerry Blue photo)

Church takes a unique journey, preserving a piece of history

By Meagan Molseed
mmolseed@thefayettecountyunion.com

A longstanding piece of West Union history took a unique journey last week when the nearly-150 year-old Valleyview Wesleyan Church was moved from its original home on Franklin Street to its new spot at Heritage Farm Park in Clermont.

“This church is such a valuable piece of the past,” park volunteer Arnold Guyer said of the little white church.

“It means so much to so many people,” he continued.  “If we didn’t go through with moving it, the other option would have been demolition.  We didn’t want that to happen.”  

Bridgett Madden, an Upper Iowa University senior majoring in mortuary science and a member of the track team, pauses during a workout Thursday at the UIU Recreation Center. The surface of the indoor track at her fingertips is slated to be replaced with one competitive runners can use spikes on. Deb Kunkle photo

State turns down UIU Recreation Center project grant request

Chris Baldus
Contributing Writer

As arrangements are being made to begin some of the upgrades planned at the Upper Iowa University Recreation Center, a state board's denial of a $230,000 grant request could force changes in the project that also involves improvements at a 1920s-era pool.

The Enhance Iowa Board announced $1.026 million in Community Attraction and Tourism grant awards on Wednesday, Sept. 12, to three of the projects reviewed alongside the UIU application. The funding will go toward a library expansion in Carroll, a youth sports complex in Schleswig, and a YMCA in Washington.

Bonnie Bishop, volunteer for the Fayette County Tourism Council, will be the guide for the ‘Music on the Move’ bus tour to three historic sites, including Oelwein Coliseum, Clermont Opera House and Fayette Opera House (pictured) in Fayette County on Sunday, Sept. 23. Call Carrie Davis or stop in at the West Union Chamber of Commerce to sign up for the tour.

'Music on the Move' through opera houses

By Haley Brase
hbrase@fayettepublishing.com

A fun afternoon of listening to music, learning about local historic sites and eating delicious food will be offered by the Fayette County Tourism Council from noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 23. The council will offer a bus tour to the Oelwein Coliseum, Clermont Opera House and Fayette Opera House.

“Historically, they’ve done self-guided tours where you’d go to a site, and they’d give you a card to go to the next site, so you don’t know where you’re going or where you’ll end up until you get there,” said Carrie Davis, Tourism Council Director. “This is the first year the Tourism Council has done a bus tour.”

Tara (Armel) Stemsrud

NF grad Iowa MS PE Teacher of the Year

By Chris Deback
cdeback@thefayettecountyunion.com

Tara (Armel) Stemsrud doesn’t run a typical physical education (PE) class. 

The PE teacher at Meredith Middle School in Des Moines doesn’t teach units on football, basketball, soccer, volleyball, or kickball, among others, in her classroom. Instead, she instructs students in sports like cricket and Australian-rules rugby to expose them to new experiences, through the use of an inquiry- and concept-based educational philosophy. 

It’s her different approach to getting kids active that garnered her the 2018 Iowa Middle School Physical Education Teacher of the Year award from the Iowa Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. 

“It was a surprise,” said Stemsrud. “I knew I had been nominated for the award in July, but from there it was a waiting game.”

For Stemsrud, teaching PE was never a consideration when she graduated from North Fayette High School in 2001. 

2018 fair turns profit

By Chris Deback
cdeback@thefayettecountyunion.com

At its regular meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 11, the Fayette County Fair Board announced that the 2018 Fayette County Fair turned a profit of approximately $10,500. However, that number includes a down payment of $2,500 for Hairball, which will be the headline event of the 2019 Fayette County Fair. 

“Overall, it was a great fair,” said Justin Steinlage, Fayette County Fair Board treasurer. “It was a lot of fun, the carnival was great, the concert was great, and it was just a great atmosphere all week.”

Meyer appointed

The South Winneshiek school board announced the appointment of new board member Corey Meyer during last week’s Sept. 5 meeting. Meyer will complete the term of former District 2 boardmember Jenny Johnson, whose resignation was formally accepted on Wednesday night, Sept. 5, as well.

Meyer will remain on the school board through 2019, when the next board election is held.

South Winneshiek’s 2018 Homecoming court includes (front, l-r) King candidates Brekin Tigges, Levi Lukes, Tayton Bullerman, and Cole Klimesh; (back) Queen candidates Melissa Ward, Ellie Loesch, Sierra Breitsprecher, and Abby Manning. The King and Queen will be announced at 1:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 14, at the South Winneshiek football field. (Zakary Kriener photo)

Homecoming 2018 'Decades of Winning Tradition' at South Winn

Zakary Kriener

News Writer
zkriener@fayettepublishing.com

South Winneshiek’s 2018 Homecoming is this week!

This year’s theme is “Decades of Winning Tradition” and will be celebrated throughout the week of Sept. 10 - 14, with a hallway decorating competition set to kick things off Friday, Sept. 7.

Dress-up days for this year’s celebration are as follows:

• Monday – The Age-Old Question: Mathletes or Athletes;

• Tuesday – Not-So-Trendy (tacky clothes);

• Wednesday – Class Distinction (freshmen – ‘80s; sophomores – ‘70s; juniors – ‘90s; seniors – ‘60s);  

• Thursday – Wind of Change (tropical);

• Friday – Spirit Day!

Homecoming Day activities on Friday, Sept. 14, will include Ag Olympics and parade float decorating in the morning, followed by a pep rally at 12:35 p.m. and the King/Queen Coronation at 1:30 p.m. at the football field.

The Homecoming parade will be held at 2 p.m. through downtown Calmar.

Pleasant Valley Sports Club in Clermont is celebrating its 25^th anniversary from Monday, Sept. 17-Saturday, Sept. 22. The club is offering free green fees Monday-Friday, Sept. 17-21. On Saturday, Sept. 22, there will be a two-person, best shot tournament; the 27-hole event will feature eight-inch cups. Registration is $60 per team, plus skins and flag games. 

Pleasant Valley Sports Club celebration should be a ball!

By Haley Brase
hbrase@fayettepublishing.com

Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the Pleasant Valley Sports Club in Clermont is offering free green fees Monday-Friday, Sept. 17-21. On Saturday, Sept. 22, there is a two-person, best shot tournament; the 27-hole event will feature eight-inch cups. Registration is $60 per team, plus skins and flag games.

Through the entire week, beer meal deals will be available for $5, which include a sandwich, chips and a beer of your choice. Nonalcoholic meal deals are also offered for $3.50; those include a sandwich, chips and a nonalcoholic beverage. In addition to the meal deals, the Sports Club will be offering $2 beers, six-packs for $10, and discounted nonalcoholic drinks, candy and food.

The idea of a golf course began in 1991. The land was bought through Guyer Realty by Keith Hanson and Steve Baker under the Hanker Company. At the time, Arnold Guyer was selling real estate and thought the land would be “a heck of a good-looking golf course.” When the Hanker Company bought the land, Guyer volunteered to help get the course started.

As the course was being built, there were unexpected delays.

Jason Kuehl, Swales Precast and Crane employee, gets instruction from John Orr on the exact position the large boulder, which will be the Fayette County Freedom Rock, should sit on the concrete pad. It took Swales Precast and Crane approximately 30 minutes to move the boulder from a trailer to the concrete pad and then stand the rock up on its base. Croell Redi-Mix donated the material, and Jerry Paul donated the labor to create the concrete pad. The large boulder and transportation to the Open-Air Market was donated by C.J. Moyna of Elkader.  (Chris DeBack photos)

Freedom Rock rolls into Fayette

By Chris Deback
cdeback@thefayettecountyunion.com

The Fayette County Freedom Rock has arrived.

That is, the large boulder that will become the Freedom Rock, once artist Ray “Bubba” Sorensen II paints it, arrived at its memorial location in the Open-Air Market in Fayette on Tuesday, Sept. 4.

John and Sharon Orr of Fayette are spearheading the campaign that has brought the Freedom Rock to Fayette. 

Two posts mark very separate spots next to one of K&K Gardens’ hoop houses.  The one in the background marks where a recent land survey determined where the business’s property ended, while the one in front represents where the property line would be drawn if the Hawkeye City Council had voted to vacate the land and decided instead to sell or lease the land to the local business. (Megan Molseed photo)

Hawkeye council sets date for K&K eviction

By Meagan Molseed
mmolseed@thefayettecountyunion.com

The Hawkeye City Council met for its regular meeting Tuesday evening, Sept. 4.  

During the meeting, the council considered a second reading of Ordinance No. 281, which calls for the City to vacate South Street, an action which would ultimately allow for the sale of the land to the surrounding property owners currently sitting on the portions owned by the City.  

The ordinance was first drafted during an Aug. 14 special meeting, at which the council ultimately agreed to consider selling the land at $7,050 per acre, with the idea of giving each current occupant first dibs on the purchase.  

However, nothing was made official during the Aug. 14 special meeting, and the ordinance was scheduled to receive initial approval or denial at Tuesday’s regular council meeting.

During last week’s meeting, the council denied the proposal for the City to vacate the land and put parcels up for sale with a 3-2 vote against the proposal.

With the vacation of the land option off the table, the council then moved on to address further action and whether to propose a possible lease agreement to K&K Gardens of Hawkeye.  The lease agreement would allow one of the business’s longstanding hoop buildings to remain where it is.   The council could also vote on evicting K&K Gardens from the land parcel, requiring the business owners to remove their building from the spot altogether.