Stories from Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Billy Jo Travis, 2nd Class Petty Officer in the U.S. Navy, his mother, Collette Travis, and his father, Robert Travis, of Spirit Lake, are holding a brunch to honor Vietnam veterans in conjunction with the Daughters of the American Revolution. The brunch is at 9:30 a.m Wednesday, June 1, at Wesley Place, 1812 Gary Avenue, Spirit Lake. ...

Energy experts with Alliant Energy will be in the area over the next few weeks conducting free energy assessments (worth up to $500) for small business customers. Energy assessments performed by skilled energy assessors evaluate the building's construction, lighting, heating and cooling systems, insulation and appliances...

Iowa Lakeside Laboratory is pleased to announce the Friends Seminar Series is underway at Mahan Hall. Listen, learn and engage with scientists as they share their research. 7:30 pm each Tuesday evenings, May 17 to July 18 in Mahan Hall. May 31 -- Effects of an Oil Spill on Movements of Aquatic Turtles in Michigan Neil Bernstein, Mt. Mercy College; Josh Otten, University of Northern Iowa...

The public is invited to attend the first in a series of Lakeside Artist-in- Residence- Open Studios at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 26, at Pammel Lab on the Lakeside campus. Mark Koven, Corey Smith, and Scott Dickson will be on hand to discuss and share their work. Together their mediums of work include drawing, printmaking, painting, collage, music composition and more...

Tessa Ihnen and Cale Hellinga have been awarded the American Youth Foundation's National Leadership Award and the I Dare You Scholarship, in recognition of personal integrity, balanced living and potential for leadership. The award was presented by Mr. Travis Popken, Harris-Lake Park Secondary Principal, at their award ceremonies held at the Harris-Lake Park High School Auditorium on Wednesday, May 11...

Summer can be a great time to sharpen new skills in interests other than what happens in day-to-day classrooms. The summer Game Design Camp, at the Spirit Lake campus of Iowa Lakes Community College, can give high school and soon-to-be high school students a chance to design their own video games...

The Iowa Lakes Community College Board of Trustees approved the tuition and fees for the 2016-17 college year at a its meeting Tuesday afternoon in Spirit Lake. In-state student tuition will be $167 per credit hour. Those living in Minnesota will pay $172 per credit hour. Non-residents and international students will pay $178 per credit hour. Mandatory fees are not changing. Some fees for specific academic programs have been adjusted to reflect actual costs charged to the programs...

For the 16th straight year, an Algona High School Broadcast Team will advance from the Iowa SkillsUSA State Championship, held recently, to the National SkillsUSA Competition in Louisville, Kentucky, this summer. Conner Yi and Gabby Holmes competed in the TV/video production category. The gold medalists took a broadcast test, then videotaped and edited a one-minute promotional piece...

Join Jeff Cookinham for a volunteer-led evening computer class at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 1. Do you have questions about computers or need some help with something? Jeff will be here to answer all of your questions. An open meeting of the Board of Trustees for the Milford Memorial Library will be held at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 1...

Northwest Iowa Community College in Sheldon, Iowa, has announced the honor list for the spring semester. Students on the honor list are full-time and have achieved an average grade point of 3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale. The students are to be commended for their fine performance in their respective fields. Honorees include:...

Cris Hedgpeth will be doing an author visit to talk about her book at the Spirit Lake Public Library at 2 p.m. Thursday, June 2. Copies of her new coffee table book will be released in the Iowa Great Lakes Region this Memorial Day weekend to kick off the summer season...

The Harris-Lake Park boys and girls golf teams traveled to Hawarden on Tuesday, May 3, to take part in a pair of triangular against West Sioux and Unity Chrisitan. The girls carded a 237 to fall to Falcons (227) and Knights (180), while the boys carded a 183 to finish behind West Sioux (175) and Unity (167)...

Spirit Lake finished nearly 20 strokes ahead of host Estherville Lincoln Central to win a Lakes Conference girls golf dual on Tuesday, May 3. The Indians carded a 209 to defeat the Midgets, who carded a combined round of 228 at Estherville Golf Course...

The Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire boys and girls track teams were in action Tuesday, May 3 at the Twin Lakes Conference track meet in Manson. While the boys didn't have an All-Conference performer, the girls had one, as Toni Alesch won the 100-meter dash in 13.52 seconds and placed second in the 200-meter dash in 26.62 seconds...

Iowa Lakes softball coach Katie Larson announced the signing of Natalie Bernard to the 2016-2017 recruiting class. Natalie is the daughter of Steve and Kristie Bernard and played for the Milaca (Minnesota) High School Wolves. "We are very excited to announce that Natalie will be a Laker next year," Larson said. "She will make an impact for our team the minute she puts on the blue and gold jersey."...

Iowa Lakes women's basketball coach Ashley Martin has announced that Bailey Trickel of St. James, Minnesota, has signed a National Junior College Letter of Intent to play basketball for the Lakers next season. Trickel is a 2016 graduate of St James High School where she was a four-year letter winner for the Saints...

Iowa Lakes women's basketball coach Ashley Martin has announced Alicia Ibarra of Sleepy Eye, Minnesota has signed a National Junior College Letter of Intent to play basketball for the Lakers next season. Ibarra is a 2016 graduate of Sleepy High School where she was a three-year starter and four-year letter winner for the Indians. ...

The Iowa Lakes men's golf team finished up play at the Region XI Men's Golf Tournament Sunday. The Lakers entered the final round in fourth place overall, 13 shots from first and 11 from second. Following a 320 team score on day one, the Lakers shot 14 strokes better and came in with a 306. With the final round score, the Lakers moved up and finished in second place edging DMACC by two strokes...

A total of six Iowa Lakes softball athletes were named to Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) Division II Softball All-Region teams following the 2016 season. Named to the second team were freshman infielder Lauren Hein, freshman catcher Shelby Davis, sophomore outfielder Brittany Evans, and freshman utility Caitlyn Clayton...

If you plan to release a fish, it is important to give it a chance to survive and thrive. Here are several tips to keep in mind as you release fish: Don't lift fish out of the water -- don't even touch the fish if you don't have to. Many fish can be released without ever touching them. ...

U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced this past week that 800,000 acres will be enrolled through three different components of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Of particular note, USDA's CRP general sign-up completed at the end of February generated more than 1.8 million acres in offers, but was only able to accept 23 percent of the 26,000 landowner applications because of the program's 24 million acre cap. ...

It's pretty easy to get young kids outside enjoying nature. Their imaginations are sparked when they see a bright flower -- that to them becomes a fairy wand -- or a large oak tree -- that might be the home of a brave knight fighting for his kingdom...

Walleye season is either here or very near all across the Midwest. Now that walleyes are or will be fair game throughout walleye country, here are some things to keep in mind regarding walleyes. Soma anglers are reporting the spawn happened a bit earlier than usual this year. The timing of the spawn varies from region to region, but it should be completed soon. After the spawn and throughout the summer, walleyes are often thought of as fish that like to be near deeper structure...

Walleye Opener...over the years, Mother Nature has often used the weekend for her own personal punching bag! Wind, lightening, thunder, rain, snow, sleet...you name it, she's sent it our way. 2016? Not bad; not bad at all. Oh, sure, there was a storm that rolled in Friday night for a while and pretty strong northeast winds on Saturday morning, but there was no snow, daylong rains or anything like that! Although much of the focus was on the Iowa Great Lakes, probably the story for walleyes was Silver Lake (Lake Park). ...

The Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire girls golf team traveled to Lake City Monday to take on South Central Calhoun, East Sac County and Sioux Central in a quadrangular. The Titans carded a 248 to finish behind Sioux Central (223), East Sac County (232) and South Central Calhoun (229)...

The Spirit Lake-Okoboji girls tennis team wrapped an undefeated regular season indoors at Spencer on Monday, besting the Tigers 5-0. It was the 14th undefeated season in the team's history. In singles, SL-O's Alison Bueltel defeated Ayrial Schnell (10-2); Ashley Thorn beat Taylor Blume (10-5); Casie Barba beat Grace Ahern (10-1); Hannah Gulick beat Morgan Huss (10-4); and Anna Ascheman beat Madison Carpenter (10-3)...

Okoboji boys and girls golf teams were on the road Thursday for a pair of Siouxland Conference meets. The boys traveled to Rock Valley, while the girls were hosted by Boyden-Hull. The Pioneer boys placed fifth at Rock Valley, finishing 17 strokes off the pace set up champion Sheldon with a combined score of 176...

Spirit Lake golfers hit the links Thursday, as the boys traveled to take on Estherville Lincoln Central and the girls hosted Emmetsburg and Storm Lake in a Lakes Conference triangular. The boys fell 20 strokes behind the Midgets, carding a 178 to ELC's 158 at Estherville Golf Course...

The Spirit Lake-Okoboji boys and girls tennis teams were dominant in a pair of victories over Lakes Conference foe Cherokee on Thursday. While the girls earned an 8-1 win at home, the boys earned a 9-0 road sweep of the Braves. "The last time we played Cherokee, we had a couple of close 10-8 matches," SL-O boys coach Dan Taylor said. "This time, our guys showed their games have improved since then."...

The Spirit Lake Park-Okoboji boys soccer team extended its win streak to five games Friday and Monday, as the Indians bookended the weekend with wins over West Sioux and Sioux Center. On Friday, the Indians picked up a 4-1 road win over the Falcons thanks in large part to the two-goal, two-assist performance of senior Jake Dodge...

The Spirit Lake Park-Okoboji girls soccer team snapped a four-game losing streak Friday and bookended the weekend with a second straight victory Monday to improve to 5-5 overall on the season. The Indians, who had been shutout in their previous four games, exploded for four goals in a road trip against West Sioux on Friday...

The Spirit Lake-Okoboji girls tennis team placed third at a tournament hosted by Spencer over the weekend. Unfortunately, the tournament was held the same day as prom at Spirit Lake High School, so the squad had to end the day early despite having several athletes in the running for championships, according to coach Bob O'Hara...

Oct. 7, 1924 -- May 15, 2016 Funeral Services for Donald "Don" Dean Wright, 91, of Jefferson, were held on Friday, May 20, at Slininger-Schroeder Funeral Home in Jefferson. Interment was at the Jefferson Cemetery with the Jefferson V.F.W. Post 9599 and the United States Navy Honor Guard performing military rites...

The Harris-Lake Park boys golf team wrapped its regular season with a ninth-place finish at the War Eagle Conference tournament held Monday at The Ridge Golf and Country Club in Sioux Center. Led by First Team All-War Eagle Conference performer Jordan Kyle's 18-hole round of 87 -- placing him 13th overall -- the Wolves combined to card a 377...

Jan. 30, 1929 -- May 16, 2016 Duane Leonard Richard, 87, of Spirit Lake and formerly of Lake Park, passed away on May 16, 2016, at Hawkeye Care Center in Spirit Lake.
A memorial service was held Friday, May 20, at Turner Jenness Funeral Home in Spirit Lake. A graveside service took place at Silver Lake Cemetery in Lake Park...

Nov. 12, 1920 -- May 14, 2016 Esther R. Kastrup, 95, of Milford and formerly of Arnolds Park, passed on to eternal rest Saturday, May 14, at Lakes Regional Healthcare in Spirit Lake.
A memorial service was held on Thursday, May 19, at Turner Jenness Funeral Home in Spirit Lake with Rev. Sarah Rohret of the Calvary United Methodist Church of Arnolds Park officiating. Burial was at Okoboji Cemetery in Arnolds Park...

Spirit Lake-Okoboji tennis athletes were in action at Lakes Conference tournaments held in Spencer and Le Mars on Wednesday. While the SL-O boys tied host Spencer for third place overall, the SL-O girls earned a runner-up finish behind host Le Mars for the second straight year...

April 30, 1920 -- May 19, 2016 Funeral services for Lois Marie Otte, mother of Jane Ford, 96, of Spirit Lake and formerly of Clarinda, was held Monday, May 23, at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Spirit Lake. Interment was at Clarinda Municipal Cemetery in Clarinda.
Lois leaves a legacy of hope, faith, and love to her children and grandchildren. ...

June 4, 1933 -- May 13, 2016 Funeral services for Jack Maynard Goodell, 82, of Lake Park were held on Wednesday, May 18, at the United Methodist Church in Lake Park. Burial was at Silver Lake Cemetery. Jack, the son of Bessie (Snow) and Glenn Goodell, was born June 4, 1933 in Excelsior Township in Dickinson County. ...

The Okoboji boys and girls track teams ran Thursday at the Siouxland Conference Championships in Orange City, totaling seven top-five finishes, three All-Conference performances and a combined 37 points. The girls produced all three All-Conference performances on the night. ...

Aug. 31, 1932 -- May 14, 2016 A funeral service for Mary Schultz, 83, of Milford, was held Thursday, May 19, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Milford. Burial was at Calvary Cemetery in Milford. 
Mary Ann Nichols was born Aug. 31, 1932 in Wells, Minnesota, the daughter of Percy and Elfie (Littlefield) Nichols. ...

Spirit Lake and Spirit Lake Park boys and girls track teams totaled 13 All-Lakes Conference performances at the conference meet held Thursday in Le Mars. While the girls, led by freshman Kourtney Delperdang's three top-two placings, placed fourth overall, they boys finished eight points behind champion Le Mars to earn a runner-up finish...

Entering Tuesday night's home match with MOC-Floyd Valley on a five-game win streak, the Spirit Lake Park-Okoboji boys soccer squad looked to make it six in a row against the Dutch. The score was close throughout, but a pair of Dutch goals late proved to be the difference, as MOC-Floyd Valley snapped the Indians' streak with a 4-3 loss in Milford...

The Dickinson County Fair Board is seeking candidates for the 2016 Dickinson County Fair Queen position. The new Dickinson County Fair Queen will be crowned at 6:45 p.m. Saturday, June 25, on stage at Arnolds Park Amusement Park prior to the Casey Muessigmann/LOCASH concert, which is sponsored by Oak Hill Marina in Arnolds Park...

Abbie Gardner Cabin docent Ed Purdy held up a poster board with the word perseverance printed on it. He asked a visiting class of students what they thought it meant and then revealed the definition written below the word, "steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success."...

Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire boys golfers hit the links Tuesday, May 10 at a Twin Lakes Conference triangular in Sac City, carding a 178 to best South Central Calhoun (187) and fall to East Sac County (149). "With all this rain we've been getting, our guys lucked out and got a beautiful afternoon to play some golf," GT/RA coach Cody Dyhrkopp said. ...

An Iowa Great Lakes icon is kicking off its 120th year in Okoboji. The Inn at Okoboji Resort will be kicking off the season this Wednesday, May 25 with a pre-season social from 5:30-7:30. The social will include several stations serving various menu items available at the Landmark Café all summer long as well as punch and birthday cake in honor of the resort's 120th Birthday...

Spirit Lake boys and girls golfers competed Tuesday, May 10 at Lakes Conference tournaments in Spencer and Storm Lake. While the girls placed fourth overall in Spencer, the boys placed seventh at Storm Lake. The Spirit Lake girls, led by Marisa Weeks' fourth-place round of 95, carded a team total of 413 to place fourth...

The Lakes Region will be rocking and rolling during the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Iowa Great Lakes Recording Company and the band Dee Jay & the Runaways. A day and evening of events, including a book signing for the newly released IGL Recording studio History, are scheduled for Saturday, July 16 in the Roof Garden at Arnolds Park...

Mannheim Steamroller will present the best the holiday has to offer this season. The group will perform live at the Clay County Regional Events Center, Thursday, Dec. 15. Complete ticket information, including on-sale dates, will be announced this summer...

While the Okoboji boys hosted a Siouxland Conference meet at Emerald Hills for the first time this season on Tuesday, May 10, the girls conference meet was held at Orange City. The Okoboji boys placed fifth at home, led by Nik Mankle's low round of 40, as the Pioneers carded a total of 170...

Spending time on the water is the best part about summers in the Iowa Great Lakes area. Teens and pre-teens can learn a new way to enjoy the waves with the Kayaking Adventures day camps through the Dickinson County Conservation Board 8:30 a.m.-noon June 15-16 for ages 8-12 and 8:30 a.m.-noon June 22-23 for ages 13-18...

Spirit Lake-Okoboji girls tennis ace Alison Bueltel was recently named the Lakes Conference's Player of the Year. Bueltel finished the regular season with a 9-1 record at No. 1 singles, tallying 180 points -- 11 points ahead of Le Mars' Elizabeth Irhke for the top spot -- and led SL-O to a ninth consecutive Lakes Conference dual meet championship with an undefeated 10-0 record...

Increasing acres of row crops in the Midwest and elsewhere has eliminated quality nesting habitat for many grassland bird species, including the ring-necked pheasant. Without large tracts of grassland habitat for nesting, roadsides can offer an attractive alternative to nesting birds...

Des Moines and Cedar Rapids can lay claim to nesting sites for Iowa's big three raptors--peregrine falcons, bald eagles, and recently, ospreys. The re-appearance of the fish-eating osprey has continued to slowly expand its presence in Iowa from the initial release of a five 42-day-old chicks at Lake Macbride in 1997 by the Macbride Raptor Project and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR)...

In many areas of the Midwest, walleye fishing for the next while will be kind of in-between seasons depending on where you're fishing. In the southern and middle regions of walleye country, the fish have completed their annual spawning ritual and are starting to move in the direction of their summer feeding areas. However, this movement usually takes a little while...

A new coffee table book will be released in the Iowa Great Lakes region this Memorial Day weekend titled "Okoboji: Over 160 Years of History and Images." This pictorial history features more than 400 vintage through recent images and provides readers with an opportunity to learn about the history that shaped their community...

The Iowa Rock 'n' Roll Music Association is pleased to announce the 2016 schedule for the Rock the Roof Concert Series. The Thursday night concerts at the Roof Garden in Arnolds Park will kick off with The Trademarkz and Interstate Cruisers set to perform on June 9...

"Sting" Ray Anthony is back again for another great evening of entertainment. He is one of the most acclaimed tribute artists representing the 1950s and 1960s in music today, and is endorsed by the Ritchie Valens estate with his unparalleled tribute to Ritchie Valens and other rock 'n' rollers. Sting Ray has delighted audiences up on their feet dancing and singing the greatest songs ever written wherever he performs...

With the Walleye Opener now in the past, it's a good time to reflect on what happened and how this will play out for the rest of the open water season. First off, of course, things have changed as far as the big walleyes go. With the threat of zebra mussels and the necessity of draining livewells, etc., it's pretty much impossible to bring in big walleyes to be weighed in. ...

Okoboji played host to a Siouxland Conference girls golf meet Thursday at Emerald Hills, as the Pioneers' Hannah Butler earned runner-up medalist honors with a round of 46. MOC-Floyd Valley's Brook Dau edged the Okoboji freshman by a single stroke to take first, while Rock Valley's Kenzi Viotho placed third with a 46...

Brownmed, a leading manufacturer of quality-of-life medical equipment patients, announced on Monday that it has acquired Joslin Orthopedic Gear and its line of stretch-to-fit arm slings, all of which are designed to provide maximum patient comfort. The announcement came from Brownmed's executives offices in Boston. The company also has a 81,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Spirit Lake. Sales are based out of Kansas City...

Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire boys and girls golfers competed with Pocahontas Area and West Bend-Mallard in a pair of Twin Lakes Conference triangular on Thursday. While the boys played host in Graettinger, the girls traveled to West Bend. The GT/RA boys carded a 168 to beat West Bend-Mallard (179), but fell to Pocahontas (166) by two strokes. The Titans also defeated Sioux Central (191) in a non-conference dual...

Brownmed, a leading manufacturer of quality-of-life medical equipment patients, announced on Monday that it has acquired Joslin Orthopedic Gear and its line of stretch-to-fit arm slings, all of which are designed to provide maximum patient comfort. The announcement came from Brownmed's executives offices in Boston. The company also has a 81,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Spirit Lake. Sales are based out of Kansas City...

A company with Spirit Lake ties announced plans for an expansion in northwest Iowa. Rosenboom Machine and Tool Inc. has been selected to supply two key components for the suspension system of the U.S. Army's Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, called a JLTV...

A Danbury man was cited for driving on the wrong side of a two-lane highway following a crash at 10:24 a.m. Monday, May 16, in the 3600 mile of Clay County road N-14. Clay County deputies say 22-year-old Andrew Seuntjens was northbound in the southbound lane and tried to return to the northbound lane when he sideswiped an approaching northbound 2006 Freightliner driven by 65-year-old Craig Nelson of Terril...

Lakes Regional Healthcare in Spirit Lake is among the organizations that could benefit from a bipartisan bill proposed by Sen. Chuck Grassley. Grassley included the Spirit Lake medical center among four "tweener" hospitals in Iowa and many others nationwide in a hospitals bill from the House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee. ...

Spirit Lake Park-Okoboji boys and girls soccer teams struggled in a pair of matches against Storm Lake on Thursday, as the girls lost a 1-0 road match and the boys lost 7-2 at home to the Tornadoes. It was the sixth shutout loss of the season for the SLP-O girls, and the fourth 1-0 loss, as they continued to have a hard time putting the ball in the back of the net...

Boys golfers from Spirit Lake, Okoboji, Harris-Lake Park and Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire competed at sectional tournaments in Spencer, Sioux Center, Hull and Newell on Friday. Unfortunately, none advanced to the next round, as the Indians, Pioneers, Wolves and Titans saw their seasons come to an end...

The Iowa Great Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce that Steve Quail of Spencer has caught one of 10 tagged Walleye from the 34th Annual Great Walleye Weekend that was held May 7-8 in the Iowa Great Lakes. The tagged walleye was caught at approximately 11:30 p.m. Sunday, May 15, on East Lake Okoboji. Quail took the walleye to Stan's Bait & Tackle in Milford, an official weigh-in station for the tournament...

Girls golf teams from Spirit Lake, Okoboji, Harris-Lake Park and Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire competed at regional tournaments in Sioux Center, Lake Mills and Lake Park, respectively, on Monday. Here is how the area athletes fared: Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire, led by fifth-place finisher Sara Harris' round of 105, advanced to the regional final as a team for the fourth straight year Monday at the Class 1A Region 2B tournament in Lake Park...

With the dust settling on the legislative session, I've been reflecting on some of the bills that didn't make it to the governor's desk. HF 2421 is one of those bills. This bill requires coaches to know CPR. It also requires physician, physician assistant, chiropractor, advanced registered nurse practitioner, nurse, physical therapist, or athletic trainer to be at wrestling matches, football games, and soccer games...

For many, buckling up in a vehicle is second nature. However, in 2014, 9,385 people nationwide lost their lives as a result of not buckling their seat belt; and in Iowa in 2014, 118 of the 322 crash fatalities were not buckled up. In our rural state, it is important to note that nationally 61 percent of pickup truck fatalities were not buckled...

It's graduation season and all eyes are on the Class of 2016. Armed with diplomas, freshly minted graduates are set to make their way in the world. For some that may mean entering the military, getting a job or volunteering for public service. For most high school grads, the next rung on the ladder means continuing their education. ...

With a 5-2 loss to Spencer in Spirit Lake on Saturday, the Spirit Lake-Okoboji boys tennis team's postseason run came to an end in the preliminary substate round. "This was an extremely competitive meet with five of the nine matches going the distance to a full third set," SL-O coach Dan Taylor said. "The conditions were very difficult with the temperature at 39 degrees and a 20+ mph wind, but I thought the level of play for both teams was very high despite the weather."...

Q: What issues are handled by the Senate Judiciary Committee? A: The Senate Judiciary Committee is one of the original standing committees of the United States Senate. With sweeping legislative and oversight jurisdiction, the 20-member committee examines social, economic, legal and constitutional issues that matter to everyday Americans...

Thank you again, Spirit Lake, for coming out and giving the blood of life on May 16. We did not make our goal of 54 units but came close. We had three deferrals, one incomplete, four for eight double red cells making a total of 48 units. A big thank you to all who donated and mark your calendar for Aug. 18. Let's make our goal this time...

The YMCA of the Okobojis would like to take this opportunity to express our sincerest appreciation to the Good Neighbor Fund Committee of Spirit Lake and Okoboji for their recent contribution of $16,925.30 to support the Bedell Family YMCA and Camp Foster YMCA programming. We are deeply grateful for the continued funding. It is through the support of organizations like this that we are able to make our mission a reality...

The Pearson Lakes Art Center would like to sincerely thank the Good Neighbor Fund for their donation to the education department, specifically the preschool art program. Their commitment to the non-profit organizations in the Lakes Area is appreciated by the PLAC staff, the preschool teachers and most importantly the preschool students who participate in this unique program...

The Iowa Navy Commodores welcomed The Oakwood Inn to the Iowa Great Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce with a ribbon cutting ceremony Friday, May 20. Owners Bill and Bridget Johnson purchased the inn and bed and breakfast in April. Oakwood Inn is located at 2525 41 Street in Spirit Lake. The Victorian style building has 11 rooms and people may book a room at theoakwoodinnokoboji.com...

With wins over Estherville Lincoln Central and Storm Lake on Saturday, the Spirit Lake-Okoboji girls tennis team advanced to a regional championship rematch with Lakes Conference rival Le Mars. SL-O beat both the Midgets and Tornadoes by 5-1 scores at the regional tournament in Storm Lake despite missing a few players due to dance recitals in the second match of the day...

All area youth, in grades 6-12, are welcome to participate in Minecraft Camp from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 6-7 and June 13-14 at the Spencer Iowa Lakes campus in room 117. The camp will also be held at 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 1-2 and Aug. 8-9 at the Emmetsburg campus in room 330...

Single Spirits of Spirit Lake will hold their regular meeting at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 26, in the Spirit Lake Public Library community room at 702 16th St. Please use the door at the northwest corner of the building. The meeting is open to anyone single, widowed, or divorced. For more information call Chris (712) 320-3797, Shirley (712) 832-3266 or Ann (712) 441-6036...

Summer is just around the corner, and so is the 2016 lake monitoring season. Volunteers are needed to assist with checking the water quality of Dickinson County lakes with the Cooperative Lakes Area Monitoring Project coordinated by Iowa Lakeside Laboratory. ...

A grant writing workshop is scheduled to be presented in Dickinson County June 2 for representatives of nonprofits, local government and schools. Grant Writing 101 will provide hands-on training in seeking and writing successful grant applications. The workshop will be presented from 1 to 4 p.m. Thursday, June 2, at the Dickinson County Extension office, 1600 15th Street, Spirit Lake. The program is sponsored by Iowa State University Extension -- Dickinson County...

How do we encounter people who are different from us? How do we reach out, especially in our current political climate of distrust and disconnection from our neighbors? The third principle calls us to acceptance of one another, but does "one another" mean only our fellow UUs, or is it even broader?...

The Iowa Lakes Community College Chamber Choir will be featured along with seven other choirs on Iowa Public Television at 8 p.m. on Monday, June 6 for the broadcast of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with the Sioux City Symphony Orchestra. For the 100th Year Celebration, the Sioux City Symphony invited the Iowa Lakes Choir along with the choirs of Briar Cliff University, Morningside College, Northwestern College, University of South Dakota, Western Iowa Tech Community College, the Sioux County Oratorio, and the Siouxland Master Chorale to perform in a mass choir.. ...

Dickinson County will be well represented at the 2016 Iowa High School State Track and Field Championships, as Lakes Area athletes will compete in 24 events at Drake University's famed "Blue Oval" in Des Moines later this week. Athletes from Spirit Lake, Okoboji, Harris-Lake Park and Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire earned 18 automatic bids at state qualifying track meets held Thursday, including nine championships, and earned six additional spots with qualifying times or distances...

The Spirit Lake Area Diabetic Support Group will meet at 7 p.m. on Monday, June 6. Chelsi Jahn, LMSW with NW Iowa Council Season Center, Spirit Lake office, will present Diabetes, Emotions, and Eating. Diabetes is a chronic disease that takes self-discipline a non-diabetic doesn't understand. Dealing with a chronic disease is an emotional, physical, and social adjustment. Jahn will address these aspects of change of living with diabetes for the diabetic, for the family, and friends...

Okoboji Ladies Night Out Prayer Connection will have a meeting at the Okoboji Store at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 7. No reservations are necessary. This is a time of fellowship, prayer and planning for the coming months. A Bible study has also started for this group or any ladies in the area who are interested at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday night in the community room at Arnolds Park City Hall...

Okoboji Christian Women's Prayer Connection will meet at 11a.m. Wednesday, June 1 at the Bird House Cafe in Milford. Everyone will pay for their own lunch. This is a time of fellowship, prayer for others and finalizing plans for the luncheon on June 15 at the Okoboji Bible Conference. No reservations are necessary for the prayer connection and whey would love to have everyone join them. For questions call Marvis at 712-330-0671...

Junior Journalists is a new camp being offered by Iowa Lakes Community College for kids ages 9 to 13. Through engaging and interactive games and projects, campers will learn the five "W"s, how to identify reliable sources, as well as different types of digital media. ...

Coming off of back-to-back 1-0 losses to Storm Lake and Western Christian, the Spirit Lake Park-Okoboji girls soccer team was looking for a major boost in confidence heading into Tuesday night. Fortunately, the Indians got exactly what they were looking for, as sophomore Hannah Poolman sent a shot into the back of the net to top MOC-Floyd Valley in overtime at home on senior night...

Market President for Northwest Bank's Lakes Area Dan Kitzinger cut a ribbon Wednesday, May 18, to officially open the bank's new location in Spirit Lake. The new 8,000-square-foot building is located at 1008 18th Street near the Dickinson County Courthouse. ...

For the past several months, the Pearson Lakes Art Center was searching for a new executive director to replace the resigning Tim Hoheisel -- but a speaking engagement changed that. Bob Kirschbaum spoke at rotary meeting earlier this year in Spirit Lake. A board member from the art center heard the speech and asked one of Kirschbaum's friends if the former principal would be interested in applying for the ope...

The Spirit Lake woman involved in the car accident last week is listed in fair condition and continues to recover at Avera McKennan Hospital and University Health Center in Sioux Falls. Kathryn Kline was struck by a 1999 Dodge Dakota around 1:30 p.m. Thursday, May 19, on Highway 71 near Taco John's restaurant in Spirit Lake. The Spirit Lake Police Department arrived on the scene minutes later...

With a 5-0 win over Western Christian at home on Monday, the Spirit Lake Park-Okoboji boys soccer team snapped a two-game skid, sending their seniors out on a high note in their last home match of their careers. "It was probably about the best 80 minutes, besides maybe the Spencer game, that we've played all year," SLP-O coach Mike Davis said of the Indians win over the Wolfpack. ...

For the past several months, the Pearson Lakes Art Center was searching for a new executive director to replace the resigning Tim Hoheisel -- but a speaking engagement changed that. Bob Kirschbaum spoke at rotary meeting earlier this year in Spirit Lake. A board member from the art center heard the speech and asked one of Kirschbaum's friends if the former principal would be interested in applying for the open executive director position...

Because of the sacrifices in the past, we can enjoy freedoms not found in other parts of the world. Memorial Day brings avenues of flags, 21-gun salutes, the playing of taps and colorfully adorned cemeteries. Four communities in Dickinson County will hold ceremonies on Monday to honor the men and women who have served in the United States Armed Forces and to pause and remember all deceased loved ones...

I make no secret for my love for shallow weed pattern walleyes. These fish are aggressive and will hit baits with force. Spend any time chasing muskies and sooner or later, don't be surprised to find your retrieve interrupted by a big old "Walter" smashing down on a bucktail or spinnerbait...