Landowners Eric and Kelly Hoien will host Prairie Strips and Conservation on Big Spirit Lake, a free Practical Farmers of Iowa field day exploring how integrating prairie strips into row crop fields can benefit water quality. The field day is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, July 9 on land they own adjacent to Big Spirit Lake in Orleans — a field directly north of 13026 253rd Ave.

 Lake Park Library News

Thank you to everyone who attended our Summer Reading Program Performances in the Park and to the wonderful volunteers who helped with the shows.

Our Summer Reading Challenge “Read Beyond the Beaten Path” continues through the month of July. The program is easy — read books and do fun tasks to win a prize. The Summer Reading Challenge is free to enter. Each child can complete the challenge up to three times by July 31.

For the last several months, the people of Ukraine have been torn from their homes. More than 4.9 million people are now refugees in other countries and starving. Much like northwest Iowa, the Ukraine is an agricultural area and is known for its wheat production — it is the breadbasket of Europe. Due to farmers being forced out by the Russian invasion, crops are not being planted, which will have a potentially longterm impact on the area.

The U.S. Department of Education recently funded the Iowa Lakes Community College TRIO Upward Bound program for five more years. Contingent on annual congressional appropriations, the award is expected to total $1,488,005 over the next five years. The Iowa Lakes TRIO Upward Bound program serves 60 students in grades nine through 12 attending Emmetsburg, Estherville Lincoln Central, Spencer and North Union High Schools.

DMACC announces spring 2022 president's .ist

Des Moines Area Community College President Rob Denson recently released the names of students eligible for the spring semester president’s list. To be eligible, a student must have completed a minimum of six credits and earned a 4.0 grade point average for that semester. The honorees included Tyler Grems of Milford — auto mechanics technology, and Khloe Arndt of Spirit Lake — pre-dental occupations.

Milford Past Times to present on the Milford Opera House

The Dickinson County Museum and the Milford Public Library are collaborating to offer an evening of photos and conversation at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 12 in the Milford Community Room. Some of the photos to be shown are from a private collection and have never been publicly seen. The public is invited to bring their stories and curiosity.

Inch by inch and yard by yard, students from all three of Iowa's public universities are sifting through soil in search of local history.

By Seth Boyes - News Editor

A judge will decide whether prosecutors must provide the court with confidential mental health records regarding an Okoboji High School student who accused a bus driver of sexual abuse.

Correction: An earlier version of this story mistakenly described the proposed development as being west of the city of Arnolds Park rather than east of the city.

By Seth Boyes - News Editor

The nearby city street light had switched to a flashing yellow signal by the time the Dickinson County Board of Adjustment adjourned Monday night. The board heard from Travis Hulstein and his family who were representing Twin Hills LLC.

By Seth Boyes - News Editor

A Lake Park man has filed an appeal with the Iowa Supreme Court after being found guilty in March of sexually abusing two of his young relatives — both under the age of 12.

The Iowa Great Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce marked the 40th annual Walleye Weekend fishing tournament earlier this year, and although a portion of the proceeds are donated the community, 2022 was the first year in which funds were given away as part of a local grant process.

Treasure Village is celebrating its 50th season of shows this year. The milestone will also coincide with the final show on the Treasure Village stage. Treasure Village's original musical “Rapunzel” will show at 10 a.m. July 20-23 and July 27-30.

The Spirit of Harmony Chorus will present pre-show entertainment under the Okoboji Summer Theatre awning at 7:30 pm, Friday, July 15 before the production of "An Inspector Calls." Suspense rules when a middle-class Yorkshire family meets the enigmatic Inspector Goole, in this English classic whodunit. Celebrating their recent regional first-place competition results, the Spirit of Harmony Chorus is excited to share their harmony with OST audiences again.

The public is invited to join Sting Ray Anthony for his tribute to Ritchie Valens and other rock 'n' rollers of the '50s during his performance at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 29 at the Pearson Lakes Art Center.

Having worked alongside Bobby Vee, Fabian, Danny & The Juniors, Chubby Checker and many other original artists of the '50s and '60s, Sting Ray has delighted audiences by singing to what many consider the greatest oldies ever written.

Local nonprofit Spirit of Okoboji announced the first three trees included in the OkoboTree project will be transformed into outdoor sculptures this week. Gary Keenan, a chainsaw carver from Des Moines, started a tree located at Isthmus Park in Spirit Lake on Monday.