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. 14. The Thrivent Financial for Lutherans will be providing matching funds for a portion of the donations. A dinner of roasted pork sandwiches, cheesy potatos, baked beans, pasta salaed, ice cream and bars will be served from 5-8 p.m. Carry outs will be available. A free-will offering bake sale of delicious goodies will be held during the dinner. At 7 p.m. a live-auction for a variety of donated items and services will begin, with Ron Sterk as the auctioneer. It's not too late to donate items or services for the auction.

* Please contact Rhonda Pippy at (712) 928-2816. Donations of baked goods for the bake sale table may be brought to the Community Center before 4:30 p.m. on the day of the event.

Master Gardener program offered

It has been said, that gardening is about enjoying the smell of things growing in the soil, getting dirty without feeling guilty and generally taking the time to soak up a little peace and serenity. Gardeners, no matter how varied in the plants they cultivate, share a common bond in their desire to create masterpieces and make living plants grow.

Aug. 15 is the registration deadline for fall classes. Master Gardener classes are being offered in Clay, Dickinson, and Emmet Counties beginning Tuesday, Sept. 16 and continuing Tuesday evenings through Oct. 28 from 6:30 -- 9:30 p.m. There will also be an all-day Saturday session on the ISU campus - on either Oct. 25 or Nov. 1. The cost to participate in the program is $125, and includes a workbook, resource guide, and all class materials.

Iowa Great Lakes Money Show

The 29th Annual Iowa Great Lakes Coin, Postcard, Stamp, and Paper Money Show will be on Saturday, Aug. 16 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, Aug.17 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Located in the Community Building, one block north of the Hwy 9 Hy-Vee in Spirit Lake.

PSY Family Bike Event

Positively Spencer Youth is sponsoring a Family Bike Ride on Sunday, Aug. 17, in connection with the Extreme Am V at East Leach Park. It will be a come and go event scheduled from 1-4 p.m., starting in the parking lot east of the playground equipment. Different distances will be mapped out, so don't miss this safe, healthy event for the entire family. Free water bottles and helmets will be given away, while supplies last. Please join us for Chaos On Wheels Stunt Bike Show on Sunday, as well. Show times are 2:30 and 4:30 pm. And don't forget about the free walking tacos under the purple tent at 4 p.m.

Soybean producers invited to Everly event

Interested farmers from Crop District 1 in northwest Iowa are invited to hear from two Iowa State University (ISU) experts at a special event sponsored by the Iowa Soybean Association (ISA) and the Iowa Pork Producers Association on Aug.19.

The event, which is part of ISA's All in a Day's Work program, will feature ISU Climatologist Elwynn Taylor talking about crop weather in 2008 and beyond and Professor of Economics Dermot Hayes on balancing food and fuel and the prospects for pork exports. The meeting will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Hap Ketelsen Community Center, 203 N. Main Street in Everly. Lunch will be provided, with pork chops grilled by the Pork Producers. Everyone who makes a reservation by Aug. 15 will receive a gate ticket to the Clay County Fair.

Boji Fest Scouts

Experience nature, water activities, rock walls and conservation with your family at Boji-Fest, Aug. 22-24 in the Great Lakes region of northwest Iowa. Fun-filled and age-appropriate activities are planned for the whole family. On Friday, youth can participate in mini-golf, Frisbee golf, volleyball, mine-digging, gold sifting and more, courtesy of Ranch Okoboji Amusement Park. Children under 5 come for free, youth fees for those 6-20 years-old are $20 before July 1 and $25 after. For adults, the fee is $10 by July 1 and $20 after. Many activities, including water sports, and the triathalon and gun sports require specific pre-registration. Boji-Fest is an activity organized by the Boy Scouts and Mid-America Council. Youth do not need to be registered in Scouts to attend.

* For more information or to register, contact Deb Gochenour at rdscout@yahoo.com

Clay County Fair advance gate tickets

The 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 their tickets from a fair booster ticket location or a fair booster representative prior to 5 p.m. or earlier as a lot of the area locations will have the tickets picked up before 5 p.m. so they may be back to Spencer by then - Friday, Sept. 5. The Clay County Fair ticket office will sell booster tickers until 9 p.m. on Sept. 5.

American Legion Bingo cancelled

American Legion Bingo in Sioux Rapids will be closed for the rest of the summer, but will resume Sept. 17.