Stories from Thursday, May 2, 2013

The First Congregational Church of Spencer hosted its annual May Day celebration April 30. It's a good thing too because weather might have prevented the strong attendance the event received had they actually waited until May 1. Parking was at a premium outside the church and chairs were in shorter supply indoors as the tables filled up with attendees anxious to enjoy the baked goods, coffee and juices. A large selection of May Day baskets and baked goods were also on sale in the church. (Photo by Randy M. Cauthron)

Area health professionals will have the opportunity to gain new perspectives on topics such as cyber bullying, cultural diversity, breast cancer and coping with the after effects of natural disasters at the 9th Annual Lakes Health Conference, June 6-7, at Arrowwood Resort & Conference Center at Lake Okoboji...

The constant snow forced the Iowa Great Lakes Fishing Club to move its kids fishing clinic to the Clay County Fairgrounds. Even though snow kept kids from doing some fishing of their own, they were still able to learn about DNR safety, fly fishing, rods and reels, and how to properly clean and fillet a fish. Despite the weather, about 25 kids were at the clinic with their parents. (Photo by Brandon Barb).

As part of a three-day swing through western Iowa, the Western Iowa Tourism Board met with regional members at the American Legion Hall in Peterson Tuesday for a workshop and business meeting. The workshop featured a pair of representatives from the Ontario Culinary Tourism Alliance who spoke to the group about the concept of culinary tourism -- also known as food tourism. ...

Due to weather conditions, the Lakes Conference track meet in Cherokee scheduled for today (Thursday, May 2) has been moved to Monday, May 6. Because of the rescheduling, the Spencer Boys Relays set to run on Monday, May 6, has been cancelled. Districts (State Qualifying) will be Thursday, May 9 in Spirit Lake...

Both Spencer track teams competed at the Tornado Relays in Storm Lake on Monday night. The girls finished second to MOC-Floyd Valley, while the boys took third behind Le Mars and Spirit Lake. Monday's meet is the last scheduled meet before next week's Lakes Conference meet (Monday, May 6) and State Qualifying Meet (Thursday, May 9)...

Spencer's boys tennis team stayed undefeated on the season with a 7-2 win at Le Mars on Tuesday night. Spencer is now 7-0 this year in duals and won the Lakes Conference tournament last Saturday. The boys got singles wins at No. 1 through No. 4, with Michael Gabhart, Jordon Plueger, Alex Kaldahl and Brady Plueger all winning in straight sets. The Tigers won all three doubles matches for the 7-2 victory...

The Lady Tigers wrapped up a stretch of five games in four days with their second shutout of the season, and in a row, Tuesday night against Storm Lake at the Spencer Soccerplex, blanking the Tornadoes, 4-0. Kaity Mason continued her standout freshman campaign by getting Spencer on the board early, cleaning up her own shot that had caromed off the goal post for a 1-0 lead in the 8th minute of play. Mason has scored four goals with six assists so far this season...

The Spencer boys golf team got its second meet at home of the week in on Tuesday afternoon, splitting a Lakes Conference double dual with Storm Lake and Western Christian. The Tigers were bested by three strokes by Storm Lake, 165-168, and beat Western by two shots...

Chris Sandy considered himself to be a normal, popular, 22-year-old man 13 years ago. He had a girlfriend, he went to parties with his friends and he had fun. But on the night of April 11, 2000, Sandy's life-of-the-party mentality took a devastating turn...

During the Committee of the Whole meeting Monday night, the issue of adding a voltage drop ordinance for the city was discussed and eventually agreed to be put on the agenda for the May 6 City Council meeting. Voltage drop is when an electric current drops off as the current moves through the pathways of a circuit...

Funeral services for Mr. Lloyd Kingery, 85 of Royal, were conducted at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 30, 2013 at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Royal. Rev. Deb Mechler officiated the service. Burial occurred at Willow Creek Cemetery in Royal. Mr. Kingery passed away Saturday, April 27, 2013 at Spencer Hospital...

For the second time in two years, a group of 50 co-workers from a Spencer hydraulics plant has won a $10,000 lottery prize. Dale Schomaker, 59, of Milford, claimed the $10,000 Mega Millions prize on behalf of "Eaton Team Lotto" on Friday at the Iowa Lottery's regional office in Storm Lake along with two other members of the group: Tim Duis and Dale McGuire, both from Spencer. They won their $10,000 prize in the April 23 Mega Millions drawing...

Things are changing when it comes to gay marriage and equality for gay couples. Politicians who were against the idea of gay marriage are coming out in support now, and it seems that something big might be on the horizon for this civil rights issue...

On March 9, the Spencer For Kix Dance Teams competed in the United We Dance Competition in Waverly, at Wartburg College and on April 14, they competed at the Rochester UWD held at the University Center in Rochester, Minn. The Waverly competition featured 85 competing teams which included over 820 performers, while the Rochester competition featured 306 teams which included over 3,000 performers. ...

The extra-large grand prize is back this year - and anglers are hoping to land some extra-large walleye to mark an upcoming event. The 31st annual Walleye Weekend, May 4-5, is expected to bring in more than 1,500 participants. Last year's tournament saw record numbers thanks to the $30,000 prize. The cash reward went unclaimed, and has been bumped up to $31,000 in 2013...

As I began thinking about what to say in today's column, the words from this familiar childhood song kept playing over and over in my head. The more I allowed this to happen, the more questions and thoughts surfaced. "Why" is one of the first words uttered by most toddlers, ranking right up there with "no." To the point, Why should I volunteer? What's in it for me? Glad you asked. ...

Do you speak dog? Do you know what your dog would like to tell you, if he could? He would probably tell you why it's up to you, his owner - and the most important person in his world - to keep him safe. Dogs are like children. Everything excites and interests them. To them the world is an interesting place to explore. And that's why it is important to keep guidelines for your dog, just as you would for a two-year-old child...

Jess and Carol Kary of Powell, WY, and Joel and Susan Hartmann of Everly are pleased to announce the engagement and approaching marriage of their children, Jill Nicole Kary and Frederick Joel Hartmann. Jill graduated from Powell Community High School and Black Hills State University in Spearfish, S.D. ...

While Jack Link's Beef Jerky is known for its award-winning "Messin' With Sasquatch" advertising campaign, the company is doing anything but messing around when it comes to giving back to the community. Local representatives from the Jack Link's Laurens plant will present a $10,000 check to the Laurens-Marathon Community School District at 4 p.m. Monday. The presentation will take place during Laurens-Marathon's Junior High Track Meet...