Bowling and soccer coming to NFV

By Mike Van Sickle
News Editor
mvansickle@thefayettecountyunion.com

A number of area youth and their parents thought the North Fayette school board tallied a perfect 300 and a “goooooaaaaaal” in adopting bowling and soccer as extracurricular activities at North Fayette Valley (NFV).

Upon the recommendation of high school Principal Todd Wolverton and Superintendent Duane Willhite, board members unanimously adopted both sports during Monday’s regular school board meeting.

North Fayette Valley High School students cast as members of the River City school board, (stripes, l-r) Jacob Guenther, Nate Treloar, Sam Thomas, and Devon Monnahan, will join the entire cast, including (center, l-r) Hanna Moser as the town librarian and Sam Poppen as Professor Hill, during the school’s production of “The Music Man” at the Performing Arts Center in West Union April 17-19. (Mike Van Sickle photo)

'Seventy-Six Trombones' to march into PAC

By Mike Van Sickle
News Editor
mvansickle@thefayettecountyunion.com

Reserved seating is still available for the upcoming North Fayette Valley production of “The Music Man.” The classic musical will be featured on the Performing Arts Center stage in West Union April 17-19.

Reserved tickets may be purchased at the high school office for each of the three shows. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. on Friday, April 17, and Saturday, April 18. Meanwhile, the Sunday, April 19, matinee is scheduled for 2 p.m.

Approximately 60 students will take the stage to recreate the famous Meredith Willson production. "The Music Man" is based on Willson's recollections of his own childhood in Mason City.

Winneshiek Co. dairy royalty

The 52^nd Annual Winneshiek County Dairy Banquet will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday , April 11, at DeSales School in Ossian.

Dairy Herd Information Association (DHIA) and county recognition will be awarded to outstanding individuals and groups, with the highlight of the evening being the crowning of the 2015 Winneshiek County Dairy Princess, Little Miss Squirt(s), and for the first time, Little Mr. Herdsman.

Leah Elsbernd, the 2014 Dairy Princess, will crown the new princess. Savannah Nesvik is the only 2015 candidate.

Current Little Miss Squirts Ashley Elsbernd, Holly Schmitt, and Jacqlyn Schmitt will crown the incoming royalty. The five girls vying for the title are Anna Dietzenbach, Megan Hageman, Morgan Kriener, Abigail Schmitt, and Addison Wemark.

New to the banquet in 2015 is the Little Mr. Herdsman title. This year’s only candidate is Brody Courtney.

District Court Judge Margaret Lingreen swears in Dan Marx after he was appointed Winneshiek County Sheriff by the Board of Supervisors. The law enforcement veteran of 18 years also announced that he will retain Chief Deputy Greg Torgrim in the same capacity. (Zakary Kriener photo)

There's a new sheriff in town

Zakary Kriener

News Writer
zkriener@fayettepublishing.com

With the announcement of Leon Bohr’s retirement in October 2014, the position of Winneshiek County sheriff was left vacant. On Wednesday, April 1, the Winneshiek County Board of Supervisors appointed Dan Marx to fill the unexpired term of the former sheriff. Deputy Tim Felton was also in consideration for the position.

“We feel we had two great candidates for the vacancy,” noted Supervisors chairman John Logsdon. “We did our due diligence by looking at public comment, reviewing the candidates’ resumes, and thoroughly examining references to determine a conclusion.”

Marx, a 37-year-old lifetime resident of Winneshiek County, lives near Bluffton with his wife, Mary, and sons James (12) and Will (10).

Elizabeth Roach

Miss Elgin to be crowned

Elgin Community Betterment Club will crown Elizabeth Roach as Miss Elgin during coronation ceremonies at approximately 9:30 a.m. at Elgin City Park Saturday.

Elizabeth, daughter of Greg and Jean Roach, is a North Fayette Valley senior. Currently, she is involved drama, golf, National Honor Society, chorus, SODA, Green Team, and individual and large-group speech.

In addition to serving as a past vice-president of Marion Happy Hustlers 4-H Club, Elizabeth serves as Family and Consumer Sciences Club vice-president and Student Council secretary.

The soon-to-be Miss Elgin also participates in Elgin’s Homecoming musical and volunteers at Elgin Public Library.

Following high school graduation, Elizabeth plans to attend the University of Iowa and major in child life.   

Vietnam exhibit seeking photos of the fallen

The Grout Museum District in Waterloo is opening a new temporary exhibit, “365 & Counting: Iowans in the Vietnam War” on Tuesday, July 14.

The exhibit will feature “Faces to Go with Names,” a project that has been in development since 2013. An interactive digital photo wall will be a unique way to memorialize Iowa’s 853 fallen heroes.

High-resolution photographs of these individuals are still needed to create the photo wall. The Grout Museum is asking the public to help with the location of these precious, important photographs.

  Photos must be scanned as a JPEG at 300dpi. For instructions on how to scan and send a photo, contact Troy Miler at (319) 234-6357, or send photos directly to ftgwn@gmdistrict.org.  

According to Grout officials, photos are still needed for the following Fayette County fallen Vietnam veterans:

Blessing-Prairieland files for bankruptcy

Janell Bradley
Contributing Writer

Fayette Mayor Andrew Wenthe reported Monday at the Fayette City Council meeting that the City learned one of its larger employers, Blessing-Prairieland LLC, has filed bankruptcy. The company was purchased by new owners on Oct. 31. At that time, there were 71 employees between two sites, including 38 at Fayette.

Mayor Wenthe said the new owners' financing fell through, resulted in the bankruptcy filing. He said both Oelwein Economic Development and Buchanan County Economic Development officials assured him that they are pursuing avenues to keep the business open. 

"They do have a couple of interested buyers," he said.

West Union Chamber of Commerce/Main Street West Union board members including (l-r) Jennifer Tobin, Carolyn Weber, Gail Hackman, and Amy Christensen are looking forward to hosting an evening of “Divas & Dining in Wild, Wild, West Union” on Thursday, April 9. Those in attendance will receive a specially wrapper candy bar, which will reveal whether or not they have won a grand prize. Nonwinning wrappers may be taken later to participating merchants for an in-store prize. (Mike Van Sickle photo)

Divas to celebrate in Wild, Wild West Union!

It will be an evening of “Divas & Dining in Wild, Wild, West Union” on Thursday, April 9.

Area ladies and their friends are invited to a night of Western-themed activities during the annual event. Doors open to the festivities, including shopping, appetizers, and refreshments, at 5 p.m. at Echo Valley Banquet and Reception Center. Dinner will follow at 7 p.m.

Approximately 150 tractor owners will utilize the Fayette County Fairgrounds in West Union as the host site for the 2015 North Iowa Tractor Ride July 16-18. The Tractor Ride will roll along the River Bluffs Scenic Byway through Fayette and Winneshiek counties throughout the three-day event. (File photo)

Tractor Ride planning shifts into high gear

By Mike Van Sickle
News Editor
mvansickle@thefayettecountyunion.com

Planning for the 2015 North Iowa Tractor Ride shifts into high gear last week in West Union as representatives from six area communities met with officials of the eighth annual event. Those in attendance reviewed the initial travel timelines, and turn-by-turn routes, as well as parking, meals, etc. related to the daily stops of the three-day event.

As previously reported, the Tractor Ride will roll along the River Bluffs Scenic Byway through Fayette and Winneshiek counties July 16-18. The Ride is a cooperative effort of three north Iowa radio stations.