Stories from Tuesday, June 28, 2011

It sounds like it's time for my favorite pair of pickers to go international. In the wake of Greece's ever-widening debt crisis, its creditors are leaning on the ancient nation to sell off assets to help dig its way out. That's where Mike Wolf and Frank Fritz, of my guilty pleasure television show, "American Pickers" come in...

Funeral services for Mr. Kenneth Spiess, 96, of Spencer, will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, June 28, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Spencer. Rev. C. Peter Maisenbach will officiate the service. Interment will take place at Riverside Cemetery in Spencer...

Funeral services for Mrs. Beverly "Bev" Kimball, 77, of Spencer, formerly of Everly, will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, June 28, 2011, at First English Lutheran Church in Spencer. Rev. Paul Kaldahl will officiate the service. In lieu of flowers, her wishes are for memorials to be given to Iowa Great Lakes Lutheran School, First English Preschool or Abben Cancer Center...

I recently had the opportunity to travel to South Korea and China on a trade promotion trip to reach out to key customers of Iowa products in two countries that are vital trading partners with Iowa. The trip was led by Iowa Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds and included a wide variety of other Iowa leaders from government, agriculture and business...

Tony Curiel, neon glass artist from Spencer, conceived, fabricated, and installed six colorful figures "Of Entertainment and Dance" on the mezzanine ceiling of the Sami Bedell Center for the Performing Arts over a period of time from 2007 and 2010. On Sunday, July 3, Friends of the Sami Center will recognize Curiel for the completion of this piece of glass art during the intermission of the 319th U.S. ...

During the summer months, the number of blood donations typically decreases, while the need for blood remains consistent. Blood donors are needed to make life-saving blood donations and help prevent a summer blood shortage. Everyone who registers to donate blood at the next Spencer community blood drive will be eligible to redeem a What Color Do You Bleed T-shirt in their favorite team colors for just 100 points at LifeServe Blood Center's online store. ...

Clay County Fair advance gate tickets are available for purchase. Fair booster tickets will be sold individually for $5 each -- a savings of $3 from the regular daytime gate admission price for adults. Phil Hurst, Clay County Fair manager, said he expected 2011 to be an excellent year for advance ticket sales because of the great lineup of entertainers and activities for this year's fair...

As the summer season becomes warmer and wetter, the mosquito population is poised to increase. The city of Spencer is hoping to limit that growth. "We've already sprayed once," said Public Works Director Mark White. "It's been challenging this summer to find the correct conditions."...

With representatives from Buena Vista, Clay, Dickinson and Emmet counties present, the Iowa Lakes Corridor Development shared results from the concluding fiscal year and looked to the future Monday evening at La Chiesa. Corridor representatives touted aspects such as job creation, new business starts and investments, entrepreneurial training and funding secured from state and federal sources...

A total of 141 tractors participated in the ninth annual Peterson's Annual Trip On Old Tractors (PATOOT) ride on scenic Clay and Buena Vista County byways around Peterson. This year's PATOOT ride featured the John Deere tractor. A hot pink 1962 John Deere 3010 (above) owned by Matt and Anne Hagedorn of Royal, and driven Saturday by Ben Bisaillon of Royal, brought awareness to breast cancer. (Photo by Dianne Reed) Following the ride, one participant was heard asking another, "Where have you been?" He received the reply of, "We got behind a 530 that went 8 mph." Tractors of every make and model parked along Peterson's Main Street (above), lunch and fellowship were enjoyed in the Legion hall and participants traveled home, some in buddy seats (above). (Photos by Kris Todd)