Stories from Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Spirit Lake softball qualifies for fifth state tournament trip.

After 35 years of practicing medicine in the Iowa Great Lakes Region, Dr. Steve Carlson plans to retire on Wednesday, July 16. "I started with Dr. (Ken) Clayton on July 16, 1979, so I decided July 16 will be my last day, 35 years to the day," Carlson said...

Allen Wadsworth moved to the Iowa Great Lakes Region 12 years ago. An artist, he had created about 20 paintings in the last year alone. His talent does not stop with canvas and brush. He also makes his own frames. The painting and workworking areas are confined to the basement of the Wadsworth home in Francis Sites...

Feb. 4, 1920 -- July 7, 2014 A funeral service for Audrey Hartwig Lempiainen, age 94, of Spirit Lake, was held Saturday, July 12, 2014, at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Spirit Lake. Burial was at Lakeview Cemetery. Audrey Hartwig Lempiainen was born Feb. ...

Nov. 21, 1962 -- March 18, 2014 Christine Elizabeth Thompson Wheeler, age 51 of Spirit Lake, passed away Tuesday, March 18, due to lifelong health complications. She was born Nov. 21, 1962, in St. Cloud, Minnesota, to Frank Thompson and Mary Pischke, also mothered by Bev Thompson. She attended high school in Spirit Lake...

Dec. 21, 1994 -- July 8, 2014 Dakotah Micheal Collins was born Dec. 21, 1994, in Denison to Tami Russmann and Kevin Collins. He passed away Tuesday July 8, 2014 in Milford at the age of 19. He was baptized at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Dow City and received his first communion at St. ...

Nov. 2, 1940 -- July 9, 2014 A memorial service for 73-year-old Delmer Dau of Spirit Lake will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, July 16, 2014, at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Spirit Lake. A memorial visitation was held on Tuesday at the Schuchert-Lentz Funeral Home in Spirit Lake...

Sept. 2, 1960 -- July 5, 2014 Lynn M. Johnson died at the age of 53 Saturday, July 5, 2014, at the Sanford Medical Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota from a rapidly progressing auto-immune disorder. Johnson was raised in Spirit Lake where she graduated from Spirit Lake High School, after which she attended South Dakota Wesleyan College in Mitchell, South Dakota. She later lived in Sioux Falls for the remainder of her life...

Nov. 29, 1926 -- July 9, 2014 Shirley Stover, age 87, of Spirit Lake, died on Wednesday July 9, 2014, at the Lake Park Care Center. Funeral services were Monday, July 14, at the First Presbyterian Church in Spirit Lake. Visitation was Sunday at the Schuchert-Lentz Funeral Home in Spirit Lake. Burial was in Lakeview Gardens Cemetery...

Welcome RAGBRAI riders! I hope your journey from Rock Valley to Okoboji was a good one. By now, I know you've seen and experienced all the Iowa Great Lakes have to offer. This beautiful glacier-made, blue water lake is one of the few in the world. The Iowa Great Lakes residents are proud to host RAGBRAI for the very first time this year and showcase all they have to offer. For generations, this area has brought joy and fun to families of all ages...

Thank you to the following businesses for making SRP activities at the Milford Memorial Library possible: Burger King, Casey's General Store, McDonalds, Farmers Savings Bank, JoWaCo Depot, United Community Bank, Godfather's Pizza, Milford Commercial Club,...

CORRECTION: HWY 71 ACCIDENT SENDS 3 TO LRH Bradley Moritz, 36, Spirit Lake, driver of a 2008 Ford Fusion, was southbound on Highway 71 near the intersection of A-15. Moritz said his cruise control was set at 60 mph. His nine-year old niece was sitting in the rear passenger seat. ...

The Spirit Lake Chamber of Commerce would like to thank residents for their support of the Spirit Lake community. Join your neighbors for a free picnic from 11 a.m. t0 1 p.m. Wednesday, July 16, at Memorial Park. The Dickinson County Cattlemen's Association will be grilling up burgers, served with chips and a drink. The picnic is proudly sponsored by Bank Midwest, Central Bank, Liberty National Bank, Northwest Bank, The State Bank and United Community Bank...

July 31, 1934 -- July 4, 2014 A funeral service for Joanne Brevik, 79, of Spirit Lake was held Tuesday, July 8, 2014, at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Spirit Lake. Burial was at Lakeview Cemetery in Spirit Lake. Joanne Margaret Brevik was born July 31, 1934, the daughter of Harry and Margaret (Rutherford) Horne, near Park Rapids, Minnesota. She attended Thompson Community School in Thompson, North Dakota...

Anyone wanting a souvenir of the RAGBRAI visit to the Iowa Great Lakes should browse through the Roof Garden Vendor Expo. On Sunday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. many vendors will be displaying and selling their wares. For those who love to travel, biking tours to Tuscany and Napa Valley will be offered...

FREE CONCERT BAND PERFORMANCE PLANNED AT SAMI A community band concert, featuring the Northwest Iowa Concert band will be part of the entertainment line-up for RAGBRAI riders at the overnight stop in Okoboji. Featuring the Northwest Iowa Concert Band, directed by Rich Nicklay, the band will present a free concert at 6:30 p.m. ...

Headeast is set to appear on Preservation Plaza at Arnolds Park Amusement Park on Saturday, July 19. Hairball with Flash Mob will welcome the Okoboji RAGBRAI 2014 riders and the Iowa Great Lakes community. Headeast is a legendary classic rock band with full vocals, high energy and goodtime rock music. ...

A few costly errors proved to be the difference Tuesday night, as the Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire baseball team ended its season with a 7-4 loss to West Bend-Mallard in the first round of the Class 2A District 3 baseball tournament. The Titans took an early lead, but watched as the Wolverines slowly took control of the contest...

The Milford City Council on Monday set an Aug. 26 election date to fill a council vacancy and name someone to the office of mayor. Residents who want to appear on the special election ballot have until noon Friday, Aug. 1, to turn in the nomination papers needed appear on the ballot. Candidates must have at least 10 signatures from fellow Milford residents. The Dickinson County Auditor's Office encourages candidates to get additional signatures as a precaution...

As thousands of bikers will complete their ride from Rock Valley to Okoboji Sunday, they will be arriving hungry and thirsty. The local RAGBRAI committee has put together a wide variety of places and foods for them to enjoy. Bikers may choose to dine at one of three area churches. St. Joseph Catholic Church in Milford will serve a spaghetti dinner from 11a.m. to 6 p.m. They will also offer an omelet breakfast from 5:30 - 9:30 on Monday morning...

If there is one rule for the RAGBRAI overnight stop in Okoboji it's this -- don't drive. Twenty buses have been called on to get bikers and residents alike to and from the campgrounds and Arnolds Park Preservation Plaza in an effort to keep congestion down as much as possible along Highway 71...

RAGBRAI riders will leave the Iowa Great Lakes Region on Monday morning to trek to Emmetsburg. A small town along the way will provide a welcome break for fun, food and much more. Terril is expecting the cyclists to begin arriving as early at 6-7 a.m. With thousands expected to ride through the community, several businesses and organizations have planned a variety of options to make the 'rest and revive' stop a memorable one...

The extremely young Harris-Lake Park baseball squad ran into a buzzsaw Tuesday night, as Bishop Garrigan ended the Wolves' season with a 15-0 rout in just four innings in Algona. "We really didn't see that coming," H-LP coach Lane Gunderson said. "We did a good job of keeping it close and working out of some trouble. ...

A short postseason run came to an end for the Okoboji baseball squad on Tuesday night, as the Pioneers fell to Estherville Lincoln Central 8-5 in the second round of the Class 2A district tournament. The loss comes after a convincing 9-3 win over Sheldon in Monday's opening round match, a game in which the young Pioneers led from start to finish over the Orabs...

Come for the animals, but stay for the robotics and a wide range of activities during the Dickinson County Fair July 18-24. The fair is a chance for the youth of the county to show off a year's worth of hard work. "It allows the youth of FFA and 4-H of the county to showcase their project work they've done throughout the year," said Dickinson County Extension Director Karen Byers said. ...

Spirit Lake softball makes epic postseason run to fifth state tournament berth

H.G. Wells once said, "Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race." I usually never trust a man who goes by initials, but Herbert speaks the truth. I picked up cycling three years ago as a way to keep my belly in check between hunting seasons, but almost instantly it became much more than my second favorite means of exercise -- it was, surprise, an enjoyable means of recreation!...

I'm not one for long distances on a bike, but I have called on the services of a bicycle thousands of times over the years. I've used it to get to class, from place to place, leisure rides and to make money from a longtime paper route. My earliest memory starts with an accident though and obviously, it wasn't too bad of one because I am still here. ...