The K&K Gardens Quilt Show Extravaganza held June 21 was successful in raising money for the American Red Cross.
    “This success is not only attributed to the beautiful weather we experienced, but also for the incredible quilters who allowed us to showcase their works of art and creativity,” said Owner Keith Kovarik. 

    The fireworks company contracted to perform the America’s Hometown Fourth of July Fireworks Display over the Cedar River in downtown Charles City said Monday a shell malfunction at the start of the grand finale caused some of the launching equipment to tip over and shoot into the large crowd gathered to watch the show.
    However, an official from the State Fire Marshal’s office said the investigation into the exact how and why of the accident on July 4 could take months to sort through before making a final determination.
    “We may never know exactly what happened because the evidence involved was destroyed in the blast,” said Deputy Fire Marshal Bryan Shupe. “There’s not a whole lot left to work with.”

    A final settlement has been reached in a Fayette County case that began in July 2007 with two search warrants served in Oelwein by Iowa Department of Natural Resources game wardens on the residences of Steven Chad Brockmeyer and Roy William Brockmeyer.
    Roy Brockmeyer, 52, of Oelwein recently pleaded guilty in the Fayette County Magistrate Court to six counts in relation to illegal activity involved in the case of illegally trafficking in turtles.

     The summer fun continues in Charles City with Party in the Park  from 5-9 p.m. Friday, July 11, in Charles City's Central Park.
    The event will feature music from Charles City favorite Endless Summer and a showing of motorcycles from sponsor Cedar River Harley Davidson.  Local Harley enthusiasts are also invited to show off their bikes at the event. Special motorcycle parking will be provided on Jackson Street.

Investigation into cause of Friday’s accident ongoing

    “What went wrong?”
    Local and state fire investigators are still trying to determine the answer to that question after a horrifying ending to what had been a picture-perfect Fourth of July celebration in Charles City Friday night.
    At least 37 people were injured and treated at Floyd County Medical Center after an apparent misfire on the final big volley of the night at the annual Fourth of July fireworks show. Entertainment turned to terror as the accident sent a huge fireball and exploding shells into part of the huge crowd gathered around the launch site along the banks of the Cedar River downtown.

    The first scholarship and artistry award presented by the Country School Association of America was given to  Jeannette and John Kottke at the CSAA annual convention held June 16-18 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.
    The Kottke’s did much of the research and directed the production titled “One-Room Rural School House Days.”  Videotaping was done in and around the restored District No. 1 rural school located on Highway 18 a half mile east of Fredericksburg.

    The trial of a New Hampton man charged with the murder of a Charles City resident has been set for Aug. 5.
    Richard Gilbert Cortez, 42, is charged with the first-degree murder of Kenyon D. Armstrong, 28. Cortez entered a plea of not guilty on Monday.

    The past 12 months have brought waves of storms across Iowa, wreaking havoc, uprooting families, and challenging leaders at every level. For members of the American Legion Auxiliary, those months called for extraordinary efforts to help others while they also struggled to help themselves.
    Norma Hawkins of Lawler and Iowa’s American Legion Auxiliary president, is thankful for the resilience of the state’s 36,000 members.
    “They have had to deal with tornadoes, floods and high winds, yet we came together as an American Legion family helping our members and the community,” Hawkins said.

    Showing a dairy cow means there is lots of work to be done before going to the 4-H/FFA Fair which begins Sunday and runs through Thursday, July 10.
    Preparing for the show means washing, clipping, brushing and lots of practice walking slowly around the ring, head up and topline straight all before going to the fair. Then there are the final preparations at the fair all for 20 minutes in the show ring.
    Chickasaw dairy project members spent several hours on Sunday, June 29, gaining hands-on experience with each facet of the process at the Dan Kime farm located east of Lawler.

    Community members in Nashua celebrated Water Over the Dam Days Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Among Saturday’s activities were 3-legged races, firemen waterball fights, a dunk tank and beanbag toss tournaments. See page 6 for more photographs.   

    The Cresco Saddle Club will hold a horse show for children and adults beginning at 8:30 a.m. Friday, July 4. Take Protivin Road (V58) to 110th Street and make a right onto Yankee Avenue. The arena is approximately a mile south on the left side of the road.
    A portion of the proceeds from the show will be donated to Great Strides of Northeast Iowa. Entry fees are $3 per class with a $1 assessment per horse. There are 44 classes, with prizes for first through fifth places.
    For more information contact committee members Julie Walsh at 563-547-4577 or Audrey Nosbisch at 563-737-2351.

    TRIO Upward Bound is once again holding its summer program on the Upper Iowa University Fayette campus for 30 pre-college students through July 11.
    “We’ve held our Upward Bound program at another college in Dubuque in the past, but it was very far away for our students and families to travel,” said Katherine Whitsitt, director of the TRIO Upward Bound Calmar program at Northeast Iowa Community College. “Since changing to Upper Iowa three years ago, the experience has been amazing.”

    The grand opening of the St. Lucas German-American Museum display “Nation Building One Community at a Time: The Story of St. Lucas” proved to be a festive event. The opening ceremony recently took place with approximately 75 people in attendance.

FEMA sets up Chickasaw County site

    The Federal Emergency Management Agency set up a local site Monday at the Chickasaw County Rescue Squad building, 260 E. Prospect. They are scheduled to stay in New Hampton until 7 p.m. Friday; however, if residents need the services longer, FEMA will extend their stay. 
    FEMA Manager Eva Packer said the on-site staff are there to help, and she encouraged area residents who have experienced any kind of damage to their businesses, homes, cars or personal property to sign up with FEMA. Those who have travel expenses or loss of time from work because of the recent flooding are also encouraged to register. FEMA representatives said those who were in flooded areas, even if they don't think they had any damage, should at least register with FEMA.
    Call FEMA at 866-434-4692 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday to get a registration number before going to the local FEMA site. New Hampton agents will help people fill out the necessary application forms.

Water Over the Dam Days is this weekend

     Despite the ironic twist in the name of the community’s summer event, Nashua residents plan on celebrating “Water Over the Dam Days” as scheduled. This weekend, event planners prepare to “Bring the Tropics to Nashua,” beginning Friday night with activities on Main Street and continuing through Sunday afternoon.
    “Our community suffered together during the terrible flooding. We’ve all worked hard to begin recovering from the recent devastation and move forward,” said Tami Sudol, one of the event organizers for Water Over the Dam Days. “We want to invite others, who may need to get away from the stress of this natural disaster, to Nashua to relax and have some fun.”