Stories from Monday, September 12, 2016

7:30 p.m. In 1994, MercyMe played anywhere they could, from church camps to little hole in the wall places. Band members Bart Millard, keyboardist James Bryson, percussionist Robby Shaffer, bassist Nathan Cochran, and guitarists Michael Scheuchzer and Barry Graul met during a mission trip in Switzerland...

Six years ago, Respite Angels began as a volunteer group in Estherville. The group aids those who are caring for a loved one with a long-term illness or disability in the home. Volunteers visit the homes for a few hours each week, allowing the caretaker, who is often related to the person they are caring for, to leave the home and do other tasks, such as grocery shopping or just have coffee with friends. The group has since expanded and now serves Palo Alto, Dickinson, Clay and Emmet counties...

Bird and poultry competitions are returning to the Clay County Fair this year. Fair manager Jeremy Parsons explained that the Iowa Department of Agriculture put a ban on the events at all county fairs last year to prevent the spread of bird flu. The ban, which affected many 4-H groups, was lifted this year...

Like nearly everyone else around, (With a two-day gate admission of almost 120,000, everyone must have been there!) I enjoyed the opening weekend of the Clay County Fair. Even the weather did its part to ensure visitors had a great time. I'm always amazed at how the fair seems to be the dividing line between summer and fall in our little corner of the world...

A few weeks ago, Daily Reporter Publisher Paula Buenger penned a precious piece on a topic of vital import. She described the skill of "active" (as opposed to "passive") listening, and how it proved to be helpful when speaking on the phone with callers having some gripe or complaint regarding stories in the newspaper. Instead of being defensive or dismissive, she listened to the callers, and tried to understand how they were feeling. Hence, the subject of this week's column...

A celebration at the Clay County Fair will recognize current owners of land with ties to the beginning of Iowa's land grant college. On Friday, Sept. 16, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach will honor landowners during the Iowa Land Grant Legacy Celebration from 2-4 p.m. at the Events Center ballroom at the Clay County Fair...

Shirely Scanlon (center), of Kiron, won the $1,000 prize during Saturday's cinnamon roll competition at the Clay County Fair. Scanlon estimated that she had participated in the contest for at least three or four years. "The first time I did it, I made the top 10. Then, the next couple of times, nothing." She went on to attribute her win this year to increased prayer rather than a change in her method. The contest drew 29 entries from 19 contestants. Each contestant was allowed to submit both a caramel and a frosted cinnamon roll for the judges' consideration. (Photo by Seth Boyes)

Gladys (Clare) Wilcox was born March 4, 1921. She vividly remembers milking cows as a child before and after her days at St. Mary's School in Emmetsburg. When her father died, Gladys, her mother and six siblings relocated. Gladys is proud to have attended night school and received her diploma...

The Clay County Fair is finally here! Today, I have a guest writer, Kaley Hunter, from the Lincoln Lions 4-H club talking about the sheep project area. Come on out to the fairgrounds this week and see all the hard work youth have spent on their livestock and projects...

As we age, changes in our vision, flexibility, strength, range of motion, and even size and height may make us less comfortable and reduce our control behind the wheel. The Iowa Department of Transportation provides CarFit for older adults to get the tools to understand and apply the safety features of their vehicles. ...

Spencer's volleyball crew welcomed 3A No. 9-ranked Humboldt, Carroll, Cherokee, Maple Valley/Anthon-Oto and Algona to the Fieldhouse Saturday for a little bit of Tiger tournament action. Some uneven play led to the purple and gold being 1-4 on the day, but on the bright side, that one win came as a 2-0 sweep against Lakes Conference rival Cherokee...

SIOUX CITY -- Saturday marked the beginning of scored competition for Spencer's girls swim team as they took part in the Sioux City Metro Relay Invitational against Lewis Central, Sioux City Metro and Council Bluffs. Lewis Central took the meet with a score of 160. Spencer finished just six points back for second while Sioux City Metro posted a 150 for third. Council Bluffs' score of 58 left them in fourth place...

STORM LAKE -- After trailing behind 33-0 at halftime, the Buena Vista football team outscored St. John's 17-7 over the final 30 minutes during Saturday's home opener on Hall of Fame Day for a final score of 40-17. The Johnnies took a quick 7-0 lead just over a minute into play on a 15-yard touchdown pass. They pushed the lead to 13-0 after the opening quarter following a six-yard rush with 56 seconds left...

COON RAPIDS, Minn. -- The Iowa Lakes women's volleyball team traveled to Anoka-Ramsey Community College for a tournament Saturday. The Lakers won three matches against DCTC 2-0 (25-19, 25-23), Itasca 2-1 (22-25, 25-19, 15-5) and Mesabi Range 2-0 (25-23, 26-24) and lost against Bethel 0-2 (21-25, 25-27)...

The combined effort of 4-H clubs in Clay County through a quilt block creativity challenge yielded a quilt to be sold in the silent auction at the fair. Individual clubs worked together to create a unique quilt block and presented them at the Clay County 4-H Achievement Fair. The completed quilt is now for sale in the silent auction, all proceeds going toward Clay County 4-H programming...