Stories from Wednesday, March 27, 2019

Today's Queen II excursion boat rides harken back to the late 19th century, when steamboats were relied on as a form of mass transit in the Iowa Great Lakes. Large steamers — including the original Queen — were commissioned to transport visitors. The Queen was ultimately retired in 1973 — after 89 years on West Lake Okoboji.

"Come and see how Coca-Cola is bottled by modern automatic machines," read an ad in the Lake Park News. "See how the purity and wholesomeness of Coca-Cola is protected with scrupulous care and cleanliness." It was June of 1939, and seven months of construction on the "new" Spirit Lake Coca-Cola plant had been finished earlier that March. The building, with its product's unmistakable logo set in relief on the facade, still stands today along Highway 71...

The completion of Dickinson County's current courthouse is still one of former County Supervisor Paul Johnson's proudest moments — though he stressed he was but one of many who made the project a success. For Johnson, it was a promise made to the public and a promise kept by he and the rest of the county staff...

The arrival of summer will mark the 46th season since community boosters threw Allen Arnold, Chief of the Lake Park Service Board, into the deep end of the new Lake Park Municipal Pool. Fortunately, water plant employees made sure he had a soft landing — the pool took about 24 hours to fill and needed some staff overtime to be ready for the July 11, 1973, opening...

Years go by and miles add up, but nothing seems to get in the way of Okoboji's master of jazz and American standards. Marilyn Maye turns 91 at the start of April, but fans will still find concert dates in Minneapolis, Omaha and New York City on her schedule...

A new park at one of Milford's busiest intersections may just inspire visitors to slow down and enjoy what the community has to offer. Milford officials and business leaders took a moment away from the hustle and bustle of Pioneer Days in 2018 to let the idea of a park capture their imaginations...

This article was inserted into the Dickinson County News as part of the Northwest Iowa Publishing Spring Home Improvement section. The snow piles may linger a little longer than we'd like in 2019, but a new season brings new ways to make a house a home. Some time-tested tips can help save time and money in the four-season climate of northwest Iowa:...

This article was inserted into the Dickinson County News as part of the Northwest Iowa Publishing Spring Home Improvement section. A wave of solar energy began rising in eastern Iowa several years ago, and is beginning to light up the western portion of the state today, according to officials with Simpleray — formerly Iowa Wind and Solar...