Recreational Cycling

Clay County collector, retrofitter farms with 'working antiques' (10/03/08)
When Lindell "Pete" Petersen began combining Monday night, he was excited to also initiate the process of familiarizing himself with a new implement. The Clay County farmer, who had traded his combine in two months ago, was recently told his former piece of equipment is now harvesting crops in Mexico...

New law will assist disabled hunters this fall (09/25/08)
Rep. Mike May (R-Spirit Lake) discussed a new Iowa law that will promote many more nonresidents, age 21 years and younger and who are disabled or terminally ill, to hunt deer and turkey in the state. According to May, a growing number of national and community organizations have begun catering to disabled young hunters in recent years. ...

'Safe Routes' plan to pave the way for students (09/20/08)
By Kris Todd Daily Reporter Staff Children today are much less active than their counterparts of 39 years ago. While 50 percent of America's children walked to school in 1969, that number has dropped to 15 percent in 2008. As a result of the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program that's taken shape recently, a Spencer delegation is focused on changing this trend...

Briefs 9-19-08 (09/19/08)
The Starlings duo will be live on stage at Shaky Tree Coffee at 8 p.m. tonight. It's rootsy music with a simple beauty. --- The Grand Slam Sportscard Show will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 20 at the Southpark Mall. Collectors and sports fans will enjoy the variety of sportscards and collectibles on display to buy, sell and trade...

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...

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

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...

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. ...

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...

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...

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.. ...

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...

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. ...

Briefs 7-22-08 (07/22/08)
Young people and their families are invited to "Bee" at the library tonight at 6:30 p.m. for the "Pockets Full of Fun" program. Join Lisa Laird of Orange City, and her friends from "Pockets Full of Fun" as they learn about some interesting creatures in the insect world. ...

Three Dog Night coming to Wild Rose (05/15/08)
Wild Rose Casino and Resort announced recently that Three Dog Night will perform at Wild Rose Casino and Resort in Emmetsburg, on June 20. This is an outdoor event, the gates will open at 6 p.m. and the concert will start at 8 p.m. The Palo Alto County Cattleman will be grilling steak sandwiches and beef burgers through the event...