Jaci Christensen was selected to represent Audubon County as 2022 Fair Queen Thursday night.  Christensen, the daughter of Dan and Jill Christensen, will be attending Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge this fall.  The First Runner-up is Sienna Albertsen, the daughter of Mike and Crystal Albertsen.  The Second Runner-up is Abigail Brooks, the daughter of Mike and Allie Brooks.

2022 Audubon County Fair Queen, Jaci Christensen; 1st Runner up Sienna Albertsen
2nd Runner up Abby Brooks (Photo via the Audubon County Fair FB page)

Girls were judged on community involvement, personality, poise and speaking ability during a dinner and interviews with judges Richard and Bev Goshorn of Harlan on July 6.

Christensen will represent Audubon County at the Iowa State Fair Queen competition August 10-13 in Des Moines, which will include several days of interviews, pictures, touring the fair grounds and having fun.

(Atlantic, Iowa) –  The Cass County Tourism planning committee is working to revitalize their group and develop a cohesive county-wide strategy for tourism promotion. The group is particularly interested in increasing representation from areas of the county outside of Atlantic. Anyone interested in promoting Cass County as a destination worth a visit is invited to attend the Cass County Tourism committee’s next meeting on Monday, July 18, from 9:00-10:00 AM at the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce (102 Chestnut St. Atlantic, IA 50022).

According to spokesperson Brigham Hoegh, for more than a decade, Kenner Baxter of Marne has led Cass County Tourism as a volunteer. For the past number of years, the Cass County Board of Supervisors have provided $5,000 in funding to Cass County Tourism annually. The funding has been used primarily for county event marketing including brochures, print ads, and radio ads about events such as the county fair, mud races, Whaletown, and Cass County Parks and Conservation events. Minimal funding has also been used to reimburse Baxter for the costs of attending regional and state tourism events, where she has represented Cass County. 

Participants in Cass County Tourism’s meetings over the past few years have included representatives from the Hitchcock House, A.R.I.S.E., Cass County Conservation, Produce in the Park, the Cass Atlantic Development Corporation, SHIFT ATL, the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Mayor of Atlantic, in addition to others. As of Spring 2022, Baxter has shared she plans to step away from Cass County Tourism. However, before she departs, she’s working to ensure there is a plan for tourism promotion in the county to continue and grow. At the July 18 meeting, the group will be discussing potential long-term strategies for coordinating Cass County tourism promotion after Baxter’s departure.

Those interested in attending the meeting are encouraged to RSVP to Kenner Baxter at kennermc@metc.net.

(Ames, Iowa) – Officials with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, this week, said swimming is not recommended at beaches at 10 separate Iowa State Parks due to high levels of E.Coli (fecal) bacteria. Sources of E. coli can include untreated human sewage, failing septic tanks, livestock agriculture, pets, wildlife, and illegal connections from home sewer systems to surface water. When E. Coli exceeds the permissible level in recreational water, it results in the closing of beaches, ponds, lakes, and swimming and fishing areas.

The bacteria standard for Iowa’s recreational waters consists of two components:

• A geometric mean standard based on 5 samples in a 30-day period (126 colony-forming units of E. coli bacteria per 100 mL of water).
• A one-time maximum standard based on a single sample (235 colony forming units of E. coli bacteria per 100 mL of water).
  

  Swimming is not recommend for Beaches/Parks w/yellow dots; Blue dots indicate insufficient data; Red indicates closed; Green is OK for swimming.

In our area, the last, single sample taken from Prairie Rose Beach in Shelby County (July 6), was well above the one-time standard, coming in at 310/mL, and a mean of 122.67. Lake Manawa State Beach in Pottawattamie County was tested (July 6) at 110/ml in the last five-sample, with a Geometric mean of 130.7. And, the Lake of Three fires near Bedford in Taylor County, is temporarily closed to swimming, but the Lake of Three Fires State Park is still open. The DNR said last week a swimmer from Missouri may have contracted a rare brain-eating amoeba from the water.

The most commonly reported symptoms of E.Coli are stomach cramps, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and low-grade fever. More information about beach monitoring, including an interactive map, can be found at the Iowa DNR website here.

(Harlan, Iowa) – The 2022 Shelby County Fair is underway, in Harlan. There are lots of activities and exhibitions to view, along with the livestock. Here is the schedule for today and tomorrow (July 14-15)…

THURSDAY, JULY 14
9:00 am……………..Judge 4-H/FFA Cats & Small Pets
9:00-9:30 am………Enter Bottle Animals – All livestock is to unload at dock and be inspected by a Veterinarian.
9:30 am……………..Judge 4-H/FFA Feeder Calves, Beef Cow/Calves, Breeding Beef, and Dairy Cattle
10:00 am-1:00 pm..Little Hands on the Farm Exhibit
10:30 am……………Pie & Muffin Baking (Check Green Book for your scheduled time.)
12:30 pm……………Bottle/Bucket Calf and Bottle/Bucket Calf Plus One Exhibitor Meeting
1:00 pm……………..Judge 4-H/FFA/Clover Kids Bottle Bucket Calf Show
2:30 pm…………….Open Class Bottle Show
3:00-5:00 pm………Little Hands on the Farm Exhibit
4:00 pm……………..Carnival
6:00 pm…………….Shelby County Fair PARADE – ‘New Beginnings, Lasting Memories’
7:00-7:30 pm………Strolling Act – Amazing Arthur
7:30-9:00 pm………Little Hands on the Farm Exhibit
8:00-8:30 pm………Strolling Act – Amazing Arthur
8:00 pm……………..Show Ring: Crowning of 2022 Shelby County Fair Queen and Hall of Fame Recognition
9:00-9:30 pm………Strolling Act – Amazing Arthur
4-H & Open Class Buildings open following judging to 10:00p.m.
Nishna Valley Model Railroad Building open from 4:00p.m. – 9:00p.m

FRIDAY, JULY 15
7:00 am………………..Exhibitor Breakfast by Agriland FS for all exhibitors
7:45 am………………..Swine Exhibitors Meeting
8:00 am………………..Judge 4-H/FFA Swine
10:00 am-1:00 pm…..Little Hands on the Farm Exhibit
12:30 pm………………Rabbit Agility Exhibitor’s Meeting
1:00 pm……………….4-H Rabbit Agility – Tent
2:45 pm……………….4-H Working Exhibitors’ Meeting
3:00 pm……………….4-H Working Exhibits – Tent
3:00-6:00 pm………..Little Hands on the Farm Exhibit
4:00-4:30 pm.……….Strolling Act – Amazing Arthur
4:00 pm……..…..…..Carnival
5:00-5:30 pm………..Strolling Act –  Amazing Arthur
6:00 pm………………Double S Extreme Bull Riding
8:00-8:30 pm.……….Strolling Act – Amazing Arthur
8:30 pm………………Concert – ‘Finding Dixie’ (Grandstand)
Dark…………………….Fireworks Show – Shooting off North of Grandstands
4-H & Open Class Buildings open 10:00a.m.- 9:00pm
Nishna Valley Model Railroad 1:00-9:00 pm

(Audubon, Iowa) – The Audubon County Fair is underway through Sunday. Here’s the schedule for today (Thursday) and tomorrow (Friday)…

THURSDAY, JULY 14
8:00- 9:00 AM 4-H/FFA Sheep & Goat check in
9:00-10:00 AM 4-H/FFA Beef check in
9:00 AM-6:00 PM Commercial Exhibit set-up
9:30AM-11:00 AM 4-H/FFA/Open Class Rabbit/Poultry check in
11:00 AM 4-H/FFA Horses must be stalled
11:30 AM Farm Bureau Meal – Hoop
Agriland Ice Cream
1:00 PM 4-H/FFA Exhibitor Meeting
6:00 PM Open Class static must be entered
6:30 PM 4-H Style Show followed by Queen Contest-Grandstand
8:00 PM Open Class exhibits must be in place
FRIDAY, JULY 15
7:30 AM Clover Kids Swine Show
4-H/FFA Swine Show
9:00 AM Judging Open Class Static & Antiques Entries
10:00 AM 4-H/FFA Horse Show
2:30 PM Livestock Judging Contest Sign up
3:00 PM Livestock Judging Contest
4:00 PM-9:00 PM Inflatable Attractions
5:00 PM Clover Kids Rabbit Show
4-H/FFA & Open Rabbit Show
5:00 PM Pork Feed – Hoop
7:30 PM Figure Eight Races

(Radio Iowa) – The Nature Conservancy in Iowa is offering home and business owners in the state a crash course in solar power. Patrick Snell, the organization’s climate and external affairs associate, says the Grow Solar program is in its fourth year of helping Iowans navigate a course toward finding an affordable source of renewable energy. “It’s hard to know what to look for in solar, how to work with your utility, how to work with your municipality and figuring out all the right questions to ask,” Snell says. “What this program does is really put all that in front of them in a 30-minute educational series to get all those questions answered.”

Grow Solar is underway this summer in Polk County, after successful runs in Dallas, Warren, Linn, Jackson and Johnson counties. There’s also a longer program, the Solar Power Hour, where people can learn the basics of solar energy, along with some of the financial aspects. “The program is a limited group buy purchasing program, so anybody that wants to participate in the program, we basically do a bulk purchasing of individual solar systems,” Snell says. “We usually see about a 10% reduction in the price of solar for those individual homes or businesses.” The program aims to connect Iowa home and business owners with local, reputable installers, while warning them about the predatory tactics of some out-of-state solar companies.

“Good solar companies have a headquarters or an operation in the state, that’s a big one for us,” Snell says. “One other thing we look at is the number of installations they’ve done. There’s a lot of companies that will come in to just try it out, and you’ll end up paying for a lot of headaches both for that resident, as well as their local utilities.” Just because you see something on the internet doesn’t mean it’s true, and this applies to the solar industry as well. Snell says people may want to steer clear of some companies that advertise on social media about the benefits of solar power.

“It’s something that can be good for someone’s pocketbook and good for their heart, and unfortunately from that altruistic side, we do see a lot of actors have misleading ads,” Snell says. “I would say there’s a lot of good players, there’s a lot of not-so-good players in the industry, so yes, there’s some ads to be wary of.” The Solar Power Hours are being held virtually and in-person to help equip Iowans with the knowledge needed to make informed decisions. Learn more at: https://www.growsolar.org/polk-county/

(Radio Iowa) – A wind farm proposed for the southwest corner of Iowa has cleared one major hurdle. The Fremont County Board of Supervisors has unanimously approved Invenergy’s application for its Shenandoah Hills project. The site south of Shenandoah extends into Page County as well. Officials in Page County are still reviewing the company’s application. Mark Crowl, a development manager with Invenergy, says the turbines would generate 27 million dollars in property taxes for Fremont County — and property owners in the county will get one-and-half million dollars in annual payments for easements.

“Those dollars for the project stay here in the county,” he said. “This is a project that allows some of our participating landowners that have agricultural operations to add to that, and to have a project that allows them to kind of ride out the ups and downs and stay here in Fremont County.” The Fremont County board’s approval came after a two-hour-long public hearing Wednesday. Brian Langner of Farragut told the supervisors the only winner in the project is Invenergy.

“The energy’s going to go into the grid. It is not going to help our energy costs one bit,” he said. “It’s going to continue to tear apart our communities.” Supporters like Penny Bredensteiner of Northboro say the turbines will boost the county’s economy. “This will help the tax base, I think, a great deal,” she said. “It will bring money into our county which has no industry, no major industry, coming into it.”

Brandon Van Scyoc, of Sidney, questions the project’s impact on wildlife and on farmland enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program. “They don’t care about us,” he said. “They don’t care about any of us. It’s all for the dollar.” Others raised concerns about noise from the turbines and told the board many homes located near to the proposed turbines were not included in the project map.

A Fremont County supervisor said the project fits within the county’s wind power ordinance and had been reviewed by the county’s engineer and attorney. A Page County supervisor says there are several unanswered questions about the project, including the impact the turbines might have on the signal for K-Y-F-R, an A-M radio station in Shenandoah.

The Shenandoah Hills Wind Energy Center would be located near the Missouri border, in southwestern Page and southeastern Fremont Counties, between the communities of Riverton and Coin.

(Ames, Iowa – DNR News) – Fishing for catfish is a fun summer tradition for many Iowa families. Invite someone new to come along this year to share the fun and memories. “Catfish will bite most of the time, no matter what the water temperature,” explains Daniel Vogeler, Iowa DNR fisheries technician. “They are biting in most lakes, ponds, rivers and streams across Iowa.” Bring along two coolers with ice, one to keep your bait firm and fresh and another to keep your catch cold and preserve that great taste.

Catfish have a great sense of smell and taste. Try prepared dip baits, chicken livers, minnows or chubs, green sunfish, bluegill, crawdads, frogs, nightcrawlers or dead, but fresh, goldeye or gizzard shad. Lakes stratify, or form layers, this time of year, with cool, oxygen-deprived waters sinking to the bottom. Don’t fish in water deeper than 8 to 10 feet on most lakes.

Channel catfish

Look for areas with vegetation, brush piles or rock. Use the DNR interactive fishing atlas to help you quickly find these spots. Fish the upper ends of the larger reservoirs where the water is shallower and baitfish like gizzard shad gather. Use baits fished on the bottom or suspended off the bottom with a bobber and let current or breeze move the bait to find active catfish.

Iowa rivers are loaded with catfish. Look for fish around downed trees and brush piles, but don’t overlook rock piles or other objects that deflect water and form a current seam. Position your bait just upstream of brush piles so the scent of the bait is carried downstream into the structure to draw the catfish out. Anchor the bait with a heavy weight so it doesn’t drift into snags. If fishing the big rivers, try upstream and on the tips of wing dykes and wing dams on the Missouri and Mississippi rivers.

Find more tips for catching, cleaning and cooking catfish on the DNR website at www.iowadnr.gov/Fishing/Fishing-Tips-How-Tos/How-to-Fish-For-/Channel-Catfish-Fishing.

Des Moines – Show your support for the outdoors while enjoying a day at the ballpark watching the Iowa Cubs vs the Buffalo Bison this Sunday, July 17th, at 1 p.m. There will be hands on activities located near the indoor playground and opportunities to learn about outdoor recreation in Iowa. The first 500 attendees will receive a free I Cubs / Iowa DNR camouflage hat. A portion of each ticket sale will go to further the mission of the Iowa Hunter Education Instructors Association and to support and expand conservation and outdoor recreation programs across Iowa. Tickets are available by going to https://fevo.me/iowadnr2022

• Gates open at noon
• Salute to Service Honorary: Sergeant Craig Cutts, State Conservation Officer
• First pitch: Kayla Lyon, Director, Iowa Department of Natural Resources                                    Sergeant Craig Cutts, State Conservation Officer
• Iowa DNR Conservation Officer Honor Guard will present the colors

Iowa Hunter Education Instructor Association is committed to supporting organized conservation and outdoor recreation programs and efforts across the state of Iowa. As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, the primary functions of IHEIA are to provide funding and support to Iowa’s Hunter Education, Fish Iowa, Becoming an Outdoors Woman, Outdoor Journey for Girls, Youth Hunter Education Challenge, Field to Fork, Hook and Cook, various youth shooting sports programs and other outdoor skills-based offerings.

w/Kate Olson.

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