Lifestyle

Briefs 9-05-08 (09/05/08)
Fair booster tickets will be sold individually for $5 each, a savings of $2 from the regular daytime gate admission price for adults. Individuals and businesses may take advantage of the savings by purchasing tickets from a fair booster ticket location or a fair booster representative prior to 5 p.m. ...

4-H non-livestock projects displayed at the State Fair (09/03/08)
The following Clay County 4-H members had non-livestock projects selected to represent the county at the Iowa State Fair. The exhibits were judged in Des Moines and exhibited throughout the run of the event. They will also be on display at the 4-H Exhibit Building at the Clay County Fairgrounds during the Clay County Fair...

Briefs 9-03-08 (09/03/08)
The Spencer Area Farmers Market will be held every Wednesday and Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to noon in the Southpark Mall parking lot. Come see the homegrown, fresh produce for sale. --- Losing a loved one is indescribable to someone who has not felt the loss of death. ...

Briefs 9-29-08 (09/02/08)
The Spencer Area Visually Impaired/Blind Self-Help Group will hold its monthly meeting at 1:30 p.m. today in the Round Room of the Spencer Public Library. Individuals of all ages with vision loss are invited to attend. Families and friends are welcome also...

Briefs 8-29-08 (08/29/08)
A retirement coffee for Elmer Williams, city of Spencer street superintendent, will take place from 2-4 p.m. today in council chambers at City Hall. --- The Photography Department will be accepting entries from 12-7 p.m. today and from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 30. The photography department is now located just east of the Pork Producers Chop Shop and directly south of the outdoor horse arena. Pre-registration is encouraged...

Cookies for camp (08/29/08)
Members of the T.T.T. Society, Chapter BP -- including, from left, Fae Lykke, Lorraine Lamport, Audrey Thiessen, Bonnie Foust, Gayle Simons, Carol Hansen and Marla Woelber -- gathered in the kitchen of Sacred Heart Church recently to bake 22 dozen monster cookies. ...

Ambassadors cut ribbon at Anytime Fitness (08/28/08)
The Spencer Ambassadors met with local site manager, Greg Spies, at the new location of Anytime Fitness, at 218 11th St. SW in Spencer. The 24-hour fitness gym offers memberships beginning at $39.99. There are 1,200 Anytime Fitness facilities nationwide, including Spencer as a trio of sites owned by Jason Whitey and Bria Yang. ...

Briefs 8-27-08 (08/27/08)
Music will return to the gallery at Arts on Grand this Thursday after a brief hiatus due to Mainstreet Market. This week's music will be provided by popular local entertainers Jerry Roberts and Dennis Wienke. They will perform a variety of traditional music, country music, and rock-and-roll oldies beginning at 7 p.m. A $5 donation is requested, with all proceeds going to the musicians...

National Anthem tryouts for Corbin Bleu concert (08/27/08)
Friday, Sept. 12, National Anthem tryouts for area high school students will be held in the 4-H Auditorium during the Clay County Fair. The winner of the competition will perform the National Anthem before the Corbin Bleu and Drew Seeley concert on Saturday, Sept. 13 at 7:30 p.m...

City leaders break ground on golf course upgrade (08/26/08)
The current clubhouse at the Spencer Municipal Golf Course gets a little damp and a little crowded at times. Monday morning's golden shovels were the first step in doing something about that. City and golf course officials came out for the groundbreaking to launch a $290,800 clubhouse construction in south Spencer. It's the first major expansion at the site since the course was expanded from nine holes to 18 holes for the 2001 season...

Extra enforcement planned for Labor Day (08/22/08)
Area law enforcement agencies are once again stepping up patrols in advance of the Labor Day holiday weekend. Chief Deputy Duane Bates of the Clay County Sheriff's Office is coordinating the year's fifth and final wave of sTEP, the special traffic enforcement program. The enforcement effort is being held in conjunction with "Over the Limit. Under Arrest," a national drunk driving awareness campaign...

'Safe Routes to School' study underway (08/22/08)
Public reaction to recommendations to occur Sept. 17-18

Hessman honored by the Iowa 4-H Hall of Fame (08/21/08)
Dave Hessman, former Clay County Extension Education Director, was inducted into the 2008 Iowa 4-H Hall of Fame during a ceremony at the 4-H Exhibits Building at the Iowa State Fair on Aug. 17. Eighty-two Iowa counties have participated this year and selected inductees for their outstanding service and dedication to 4-H...

Briefs 8-20-08 (08/20/08)
The Iowa Great Lakes Region Antique Automobile Club will be on display through Sunday, Aug. 24 at the Southpark Mall in south Spencer. Car enthusiasts and history buffs will enjoy this display. On Aug. 24 The Hands of Harmony Swinging Seniors will be entertaining us at 2:30 p.m. Come enjoy the display and entertainment...

Area's Pettits are 'Hall of Fame' singers (08/20/08)
The children of Claude and Marie Pettit of Emmetsburg have been referred to as "The Pettit Family," "The Kids Next Door," "The Singing Pettits," and "The Petites" over the past 50 years. While all seven sang at one time or another, the five primary singing siblings will be recognized for their state and national successes next weekend in Arnolds Park as they're inducted into the 2008 class of the Iowa Rock 'n' Roll Music Association's Hall of Fame...

Briefs 8-19-08 (08/19/08)
The Iowa Great Lakes Region Antique Automobile Club will be on display through Sunday, Aug. 24 at the Southpark Mall in south Spencer. Car enthusiasts and history buffs will enjoy this display. On Aug. 24 The Hands of Harmony Swinging Seniors will be entertaining us at 2:30 p.m. Come enjoy the display and entertainment...

Going to the extreme (08/19/08)
During Saturday's preliminary adult street run competition at Extreme Am V in Spencer East Leach Skate Park, Nick Curry demonstrated not only his skateboarding talent, but his juggling talent as well. Performing a manual across the flatland at the skate park, balancing on a pair of boards, Curry began juggling three pieces of curb candy. ...

Council approves breed-less animal ordinance (08/19/08)
After lengthy discussions at two previous city council sessions, followed by a meeting with Dr. Tom Beall of Homestead Small Animal Practice, Monday night the Spencer City Council passed the final filing of an amended amendment dealing with unrestrained vicious animals in public...

BAS raises almost $1,000 (08/15/08)
Dave Woodcock, with The Farmers Bank; Michelle Frideres, with Cardio Plus; and Tim Bruzek, with Hy-Vee Food Stores combined with other area sponsors to help raise just under $1,000 with the BAS (Bike Around Spencer) ride recently. Several bike riders joined in on the event, helping to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation...

Briefs 8-15-08 (08/15/08)
The YMCA Summer Dance Party for students entering seventh and eighth grade will be held on the Spencer YMCA Tennis Courts with a live DJ from 8-10 p.m., tonight . Refreshments will be for sale. Admissions is $3 for members and $5 for non-members. A dress code will be enforced. YMCA membership cards are required to receive discount. If there is severe weather, the dance will be held inside the YMCA...

Briefs 8-14-08 (08/14/08)
St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Hartley, is sponsoring a community-wide benefit for the family of Jan Hall to help defray medical bills incurred during Jan's battle with illness. The free-will dinner and auction will be held at the Hartley Community Center today. ...

Living History Farms sells plot to developer (08/14/08)
DES MOINES (AP) -- Living History Farms has sold 40 acres of its land to create an endowment that would help finance the museum's operations. Polk County Recorder records show the sale was finalized at the end of July to S&S Heritage Park LLC, which paid nearly $7.2 million for the property...

City of Spencer safe routes to school program (08/14/08)
The City Council of Spencer is committed to enabling and encouraging children, including those with disabilities, to walk and bicycle to school. They aspire to make walking and bicycling to school safe and more appealing, and to facilitate the planning and development and implementation of projects that will improve safety, and reduce traffic, fuel consumption and air pollution in the vicinity of schools...

Hansel to lead YMCA dance program (08/14/08)
Jennifer (Gabhart) Hansel has signed on as the new dance instructor at the Spencer Family YMCA. Jennifer grew up in Spencer, graduated from SHS in 2002 and took dance at the YMCA since the inception of the program. Jennifer attended Hope College and majored in Psychology, where she also took dance classes in modern, tap and jazz. ...

Briefs 8-13-08 (08/13/08)
St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Hartley, is sponsoring a community-wide benefit for the family of Jan Hall to help defray medical bills incurred during Jan's battle with illness. The free-will dinner and auction will be held at the Hartley Community Center on Thursday, Aug. ...

Monsanto Mobile Technology Unit stops in Spencer (08/13/08)
Monsanto's unique Mobile Technology Unit made a stop in Spencer and will remain in town through today as part of its tour through the United States, showcasing innovations in plant breeding and biotechnology to support farmer success. The new 53-foot-long traveling unit, (top right) with 1,000 square feet of exhibit space, will remain in place just west of the Clay County Regional Events Center in the parking lot through today, extending tour offers to groups throughout Clay County. ...

Briefs 8-12-08 (08/12/08)
Losing a loved one is indescribable to someone who has not felt the loss of death. Hospice of Northwest Iowa's professional team understands the tragedy of losing a loved one and they identify with the difficult decisions and emotions that the person left behind faces. To help people cope with the death of a loved one, Hospice of Northwest Iowa is offering an 8-week Understanding Grief Support Group. The group will meet each Wednesday evening through Sept. 24 from 6:30-8 p.m...

Car enthusiasts showcase beauties (08/12/08)
The Old Iron Company's 30th Annual Micro-Mini Nationals celebration brought hundreds of drivers and passengers of classic, custom, street rods and muscle cars to Spencer and Arnolds Park this past weekend. Over 200 registrants from Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, Kansas and Arizona arrived in Spencer Friday night for a kickoff party and car show, where this gray 1937 Chevrolet owned by John Vetter of Ames and this red 1957 Chevrolet owned by Jim and Paulette Tuton of Spencer were displayed. ...

Chicago theater unites four Spencer grads (08/12/08)
In what seem to have been several "fated" coincidences, four Spencer High School graduates, all of whom were bitten locally by the theater bug, have connected in Chicago. Known for its intimate "storefront" theaters that seat between 30 and 100 people, Josh Odor, Ben Fuchsen, Aaron DeYoung and Eric Van Tassell can all testify to the inner workings of the "The Windy City's" theaters...

National writer wonders: Does 'Dewey' mark end of publishing's 'dog' days? (08/09/08)
Self-professed dog person Craig Wilson probably didn't believe the assignment when he heard it the first time, either. "One of the editors came over to my desk yesterday or the day before," Wilson said. "He'd gone to the meeting -- they have a monthly meeting that tells everybody all the cover stories for the month ahead -- so he said: 'So, you're going to Iowa to do a story on a cat that's dead.' I said 'yes, I kind of wish the cat was still alive.'"...

Extreme Am V (08/08/08)
The Extreme Am will celebrate five years when regional skateboarders converge on Spencer's East Leach Park Skate Park to test their skills in four different competitions for trophies and prizes on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 16-17. For five years, elementary through adult age skateboarders have been competing in the street run, big air, vert and best tricks events in northwest Iowa's premier skate park...

'Footloose' opens tonight at Spencer Community Theatre (08/07/08)
Spencer Community Theatre presents the northwest Iowa premiere of "Footloose," opening tonight and running through August 10. One of the most energetic musicals to hit the silver screen will rock the live stage when the Spencer Community Children's Theatre presents their Summer Teen production of "Footloose." Featuring a talented group of teens and adults in and around the Spencer area, "Footloose" tells the story of a young man who, after his father leaves him, moves to a small town with a ban on dancing.. ...

Harkin in Spencer Thursday (08/06/08)
U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa has included Spencer in a series of stops in northwest Iowa during the August recess. The Cumm-ing Democrat will host a "Moving Iowa Forward-Cafe Stop" at 8:15 a.m., Thursday at Family Table restaurant in Spencer. The public is invited to attend...

Briefs 8-06-08 (08/06/08)
Losing a loved one is indescribable to someone who has not felt the loss of death. Hospice of Northwest Iowa's professional team understands the tragedy of losing a loved one and they identify with the difficult decisions and emotions that the person left behind faces. To help people cope with the death of a loved one, Hospice of Northwest Iowa is offering an 8-week Understanding Grief Support Group. The group will meet each Wednesday evening through Sept. 24 from 6:30-8 p.m...

Committee to review vicious dog ordinance (08/05/08)
It's back to the drawing board�.sort of. Spencer's City Council approved the second filing of a controversial dog ordinance which targets specific breeds of dogs with the intention of revisiting the matter in committee and returning with a further revised ordinance that would remove the breed specific language and incorporate strong accountability for irresponsible pet owners...

Briefs 8-05-08 (08/05/08)
The Spencer Area Farmers Market will be held every Wednesday and Saturday, from 7:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., in the Southpark Mall parking lot. Come see the homegrown, fresh produce for sale. --- Sacred Heart School Registration Registration for all Sacred Heart Elementary School pre-kindergarten through sixth grade students will be held from 12-6 p.m. today, in the school library...

Briefs 8-02-08 (08/04/08)
The American Legion Hall in north Spencer will be hosting an omelet breakfast from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 3. Enjoy omelets, homemade cinnamon rolls, coffee, juice and milk. Open to the public. Free will offering. --- The Spencer Area Farmers Market will be held every Wednesday and Saturday, from 7:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., in the Southpark Mall parking lot. Come see the homegrown, fresh produce for sale...

Briefs 7-31-08 (07/31/08)
Registrations for the Spencer 3-6 grade teams, part of the Midwest Youth Football League, will only be accepted until tonight. A final registration will take place at Scharnbrg Park's shelter house from 6-8 p.m. tonight. At that time, late registrations who haven't had their sizes taken yet will be fitted. ...

Anglers Bay dedication celebrates conservation success (07/31/08)
The Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources invite the public to join in the dedication of the state's new Anglers Bay Wildlife Management Area on Saturday morning, Aug. 2. The dedication will be held at the project site on the northeast side of Big Spirit Lake, nestled between Hales Slough to the south and Sandbar Slough to the north...

Extreme Am celebrates five years (07/31/08)
The Extreme Am will celebrate five years this year when regional skateboarders converge on Spencer's East Leach Park Skate Park to test their skills in four different competitions for trophies and prizes on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 16-17. For five years, elementary through adult age skateboarders have been competing in the street run, big air, vert and best tricks events in northwest Iowa's premier skate park...

Briefs 7-30-08 (07/30/08)
The Spencer Area Farmers Market will be held every Wednesday and Saturday, from 7:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., in the Southpark Mall parking lot. Come see the homegrown, fresh produce for sale. --- It's a "Salad Luncheon Prayer Connection" at 12:30 p.m. today at the Arnold's Park City Hall in Arnold's Park. ...

Briefs 7-29-08 (07/29/08)
The American Red Cross Blood Drive will be held at Hope Reformed Church, 919 N. Grand Ave. on Tuesday, July 29 from 11-5 p.m. Ice cream sundaes will be served and all who come to donate can register to win one of two $25 gas cards to be given away each day...

SCT fund drive underway (07/29/08)
SCT board member, John Rahn, calls them "the Godfathers of SCT." And he means that in the best way possible. Everyone else calls them Jack Easter, Stan Schoelerman and Toby Shine. They are three of the original five SCT Trustees who raised the funds to purchase the vacant Spencer Grocer warehouse in 1981 and to transform it into Spencer Community Theatre. ...

Ride with American pride (07/28/08)
Support all of America's military, past and present, by joining in today's road trip. From a 10: 30 a.m. start at the American Legion in Le Mars, the ride will trek to the VFW in Cherokee and the American Legion in Storm Lake before finishing around 5 p.m. ...

PALS take part in Heritage Workshop (07/26/08)
Clay County PALS recently participated in a Heritage Workshop at Parker Museum designed to be an opportunity for hands-on learning of the art of baking bread and pies and to experience wash day with a wringer washer. Museum volunteers, Marilyn Meyer and Barb Chenhall shared their knowledge of bread baking with the attendees who mixed up bowls of bread dough and shaped it into a variety of rolls and loaves. While those baked it was time to move on to wash day with a wringer washer...

Rare Boeing 40C crashed in Oregon in 1928 (07/26/08)
By Jim Camden Spokesman-Review staff writer When the big Boeing biplane lifts off from Felts Field this afternoon, its open cockpit and wood-paneled passenger cabin will carry the history of American aviation back into the skies. It will fly again after nearly 70 years on a mountainside, a few years in a horse trailer, and nine years in a hangar at Felts, where some 61 volunteers spent about 18,000 hours meticulously restoring it to life...

Briefs 7-25-08 (07/25/08)
The Spencer Family YMCA will be hosting its annual carnival today at the YMCA. It is open to all Spencer kids in kindergarten through sixth grades only. All playground parks will be closed that day and will meet at the YMCA. Also, any child in Kids Kamp or childcare at the YMCA will be able to attend. Kids can purchase tickets at the YMCA or through any park counselor...

Pioneer Days begin tonight (07/25/08)
Friday, July 25 Activities begin Friday morning at 7 a.m. with at least 30 garage sales in Milford. The All-Town Garage Sale is a returning favorite to Pioneer Days scheduled for July 25 and 26 in Milford. A city map, highlighting the locations of the garage sales, will be available at all Milford convenience stores, Buy Rite Food Center, and Thee Garage Sale, in downtown Milford...

Annual wooden boat show launches July 26 (07/23/08)
Classic boats will line the shoreline of West Lake Okoboji later this moth as the 27th Annual Antique and Classic Wooden Boat show launches Saturday, July 26. "We run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with the wooden boat show in front of the wooden roller coaster," said Paul Hedberg, president of the Jerry Dyhrkopp chapter of the Iowa Great Lakes Antique and Classic Wooden Boating Society. ...

Ride with American Pride (07/23/08)
Local motorcycle riders are encouraged to support all of America's military, past and present, Saturday, July 26, by jumping on board their bikes and joining in on the "Ride With American Pride" road trip. Bikers will begin the day at the American Legion in LeMars at 10:30 a.m. ...