Stories from Wednesday, June 19, 2013

April 26, 1920 -- June 15, 2013 Irene Katherine (Purviance) Cordes, age 93, of Centerville passed away Saturday, June 15, 2013, at the Continental at St. Joseph's in Centerville. She was born April 26, 1920, in Springdale, the daughter of James Thornton Purviance and Jennie Catherine (Foresman) Purviance. Irene was the third of seven children, growing up on a farm near Tipton. She graduated from Tipton High School in 1937...

June 23, 1934 -- June 12, 2013 A funeral service for Margaret Fairbanks was held on Monday, June 17, 2013, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Milford. Interment was at Calvary Cemetery in Milford. Mrs. Margaret Fairbanks, 78, of Crescent passed away Wednesday, June 12, 2013, at her home in Crescent.
Mass of Christian Buria was Monday, June 17 at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Milford. Interment is at Calvary Cemetery in Milford...

High quality barbecue coupled with live music and beer tasting will greet residents and vacationers at the second annual Smoke on the Water BBQ Competition and Musicfest. The event, held Friday and Saturday, June 21-22 at the Preservation Plaza, isn't just about the prize money. The competition sponsored by the Okoboji Tourism Committee has expanded into a weekend festival, thanks to the success in 2012...

I was travelling on 175th St. and noticed two new stop signs. I have travelled this road many times and rarely have I noticed any cars waiting on Sumner to get onto 175th St. The most I have ever seen is three. This must have been a supervisors decision as certainly no traffic study would warrant these stop signs...

A couple weeks ago, rock music lost a major performer, Ray Manzarek, keyboardist for the iconic rock band, The Doors. While Jim Morrison (also deceased) was the face of The Doors, Ray was the songwriter and architect of the band's sound. His keyboard renditions for the group's music are legendary. Remember "Light My Fire?"...

Angela Shaw had a big heart. She also had a playful personality and a strong will to live. A rare genetic disease called Cornelia de Lange Syndrome (CdLS) robbed Angela of a full lifetime here on earth. She would've been 40 years old in 2013. Her parents, Bob and Kate have spent the last 35 years spreading awareness about the disease...

The Masons in Dickinson county have an unbelievably rich history -- but for the last six years, the group has been making a difference in area communities without a place to call home. Members of the organization are about to change that. The group has raised enough to purchase a lot at 3740 Aurora Avenue at the corner of 38th Street. A lot dedication ceremony for the Spirit Lake Masonic Center will be held at 10 a.m., Saturday, June 22...

Community members in Lake Park have stepped up in support of a displaced family. The Rick and Melanie Brons family is currently without a home as a result of a recent house fire. The Lake Park Fire Department was called around 2 p.m. on Thursday, June 13 to 109 E. 4th Street for reports of a small blaze on the main floor of the home. Five family members were living in the home but only one was inside at the time. The house was evacuated by the time rescue crews arrived on the scene...

The walleye keep biting and the Iowa Great Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce keeps writing checks. The organization announced another winner in its extended Walleye Weekend contest on Monday, when Joe Larson of Spencer reeled in a tagged fish from the Iowa Great Lakes...

Okoboji certainly left an opportunity on the table after struggling to take advantage of several scoring chances in a disheartening 4-1 road setback to Sioux Center Wednesday, June 12 in Siouxland Conference baseball action. "We left 13 guys on base and scored only one run, so that pretty much tells you the story," said Okoboji coach Rory Marra. ...

Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire moved back above the five hundred mark with a 3-2 victory over Alta-Aurelia Thursday, June 13 in a non-conference baseball match-up. The Titans are now 5-4 on the season after junior Ethan Petersen gave up no earned runs off 12 hits in a winning mound effort. Petersen went all seven innings and fanned six batters along the way...

Senior right-hander Paul Brown allowed just two runs Wednesday, June 12 in Hull, but the Spirit Lake bats went quiet in a 2-0 setback to Western Christian in a Lakes Conference showdown. The Indians (8-2, 4-2 in the Lakes) got just a pair of hits from Brandon Stoll and Cole Thate with Andrew Ites also reaching safely on a walk...

Spirit Lake continued its hot offensive tear with an impressive come-from-behind 9-7 victory over Western Christian Wednesday, June 12 in Lakes Conference softball action. "I was extremely proud of the girls for their resilience in that game," said Spirit Lake coach Rachel Gerking. ...

The Harris-Lake Park baseball team nearly pulled off an improbable upset over West Lyon but left the bases loaded twice in a 6-2 setback to Siouxland Conference frontrunner West Lyon Friday, June 14 in Larchwood. The Wildcats took game two of the twinbill 21-3 in four frames to improve to 12-2 on the season...

Spirit Lake continued to swing hot bats and got excellent pitching and solid defensive effort en route to a 12-0, four-inning victory over Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire Thursday, June 13 in a non-conference softball affair. Riding a four-game winning streak, the Indians improved to 10-9 overall this season. The Titans are now 4-12...

The Okoboji softball team capitalized on an eight-run second inning and had its bats step up in a big way on the way to a 13-9 victory over Manson Northwest Webster Thursday, June 13 in non-conference play. The Pioneers combined to score 12 runs in the second and third innings after collecting 14 hits from nine different batters...

Harris-Lake Park senior Kade Heikens (Lake Park, Iowa) has signed a letter of intent to continue his soccer career at Northwestern College in Orange City beginning this fall. "We are happy to announce the signing of Kade," said Northwestern head coach Dan Swier. "He has competed at a high level in a very good high school program for the last four years. Kade is a dangerous player in the final third of the field and we hope he brings his attacking mentality along to Northwestern this fall."...

Both teams gave the crowd plenty to cheer about, as the offenses were on full display with Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire splitting a Cornbelt Conference softball twinbill with Clay Central-Everly Monday, June 17 in Terril. The Titans took advantage of a couple of big innings on the way to a 10-6 victory in game one, although they couldn't hold down the Maverick bats in a 14-8 loss in the second game of the doubleheader...

An impressive effort by Brandon Stoll led Spirit Lake to a 2-1 come-from-behind win over Emmetsburg Monday, June 17 in Lakes Conference baseball play. A pitchers' duel between Stoll and Taylor Wegner quickly ensued with both team scoring just one run through six innings...

The fourth annual LeVar Woods Football Academy scheduled for June 23-25 at the Bedell Family YMCA is about more than just football according to the academy director LeVar Woods, who had a seven-year NFL career, was an All-Big Ten linebacker at the University of Iowa from 1996-2000 and is a current member of the Hawkeye coaching staff...

The long-awaited start of the 2013 racing season at Jackson Speedway finally arrived Friday night as 34 410 cubic-inch winged sprint cars rolled onto the half-mile of Jackson Speedway for the Eyecon Trail Camera -- Big Game Shootout visit of the World of Outlaws. Serving as support classes for the World of Outlaws on Friday were the 305 sprint cars and the inaugural appearance of the Minniakota Micro Sprints on the new Micro sprint track at the speedway...

Harris-Lake Park broke out for 36 runs in two games, allowing them to sweep a doubleheader from Corwith-Wesley-LuVerne Monday, June 17 in Cornbelt Conference baseball action. The Wolves (5-8, 2-2 in the Cornbelt) capitalized on three eight-run innings en route to a commanding 25-4 four-inning victory in game one and then used a six-run fifth to put away the Panthers by an 11-1 margin in the nightcap...

Eighth grader Houston Hawkins played well beyond his years, leading Okoboji to an upset 4-1 victory over Siouxland Conference frontrunner West Lyon Monday, June 17 in Milford. "It was a huge win for our young team," said Okoboji coach Rory Marra. "They're excited about how we played and we really played the right way in all facets of the game."...

Taking advantage of home runs from Carly Ites and Paige Krause, Spirit Lake stretched its win streak to five with a resounding 19-4 victory over rival Emmetsburg in five innings Monday, June 17 in Lakes Conference softball action. "The girls just seemed really confident up at the plate and it seemed like when runners were on they wanted to keep the rally going and drive in their teammate," said Spirit Lake coach Rachel Gerking. ...

Okoboji's Savannah Heithus has had a number of near misses the last couple of weeks in the pitcher's circle, but she finally has something to show for her hard work with a two-hit effort in an 8-0 win over West Lyon Monday, June 17 in a Siouxland Conference showdown in Milford...

Spirit Lake put the pressure on Sibley-Ocheyedan from the get-go by making contact and forcing them to make plays defensively, leading to a 12-1 victory in five innings Tuesday night in non-conference baseball action. The Indians strung together 10 hits and took advantage of six General errors...

Solid defense up the middle and clutch hitting with runners in scoring position lifted Harris-Lake Park to a 5-0 victory over Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn Tuesday night in a meeting of future War Eagle Conference rivals. The Wolves (6-8 overall) will join the conference at the beginning of the 2014 school year...

The Arnold Motor Supply Hobby Stock Race to Riches will take to the track at the Clay County Fair Speedway Thursday, June 20 with hot laps beginning at 6:30 p.m. and racing to follow. Featured classes include IMCA Modifieds, Stock Cars, Sportmods, Hobby Stocks and Hornets. The cost for tickets is $12 for individuals 13 and over, $6 for individuals age 6-12, and those 5 and under are free. The Clay County Fair Grandstand box office will open at 5:00 p.m. with gates opening at 5:30 p.m...

Arnolds Park/ Okoboji Fire Chris Yungbluth said the Gregory Stoebe family should be able to move back into their home at 284 Kruse Beach Road. But, he adds, it's going to take a lot of work. The Arnolds Park/ Okoboji Fire and Rescue arrived at 2:33 p.m. Friday to find heavy smoke coming from the Arnolds Park house. No one was home at the time. A neighbor called in a report of smoke coming from the building...

WEST DES MOINES (AP) -- William Krause, the co-founder of Iowa-based convenience store chain Kum & Go, has died. The company says Krause died Wednesday morning at his West Des Moines home after being treated for cancer. He was 78. Krause also had a home overlooking Heyward's Bay on West Lake Okoboji...