Displays Sought for Event December 1-4; Raffle Items Featured

(Atlantic, Iowa) – A longstanding holiday tradition will once again bring holiday spirit to Cass County, as organizers recently announced that they are seeking decorators for the annual Festival of Trees. This multi-day event, sponsored by the Cass County Unit of the American Cancer Society, is set for December 1^st-4^th this year and will again be held at the Catholic Parish Center,105 West 5th Street in Atlantic. Co-chairs Deb Schuler and Vicki Nordskog are looking forward to welcoming back decorators and visitors alike when doors open on Thursday December 1st at 10 AM.

Last year’s event featured 57 trees, decorated in a variety of themes, as well as 7 other holiday themed displays. The committee hopes to have an equally successful event this year, and encourages anyone interested in setting up a tree or other display to contact them for more information. Decorators are encouraged to be creative in sharing fun, inspiration and education with attendees! Tree themes from last year included a Christmas grinch-themed balloon tree, Mental health awareness (Stop the Stigma), Cancer awareness/support (No one Fights Alone), a tree decorated with optical glasses, a tree made from a step ladder, doll and cupcake themed trees, decorations made from dried local produce, an upside-down Christmas tree, collectible Hallmark ornaments, and ornaments hand-made using dried pasta and pinecones.

In addition to trees, displays ranged from the local Lions Club showcasing a seven-foot gold lion to a display centered around a 4 x 8 x 8-foot church and a display featuring satin boxes of all shapes, sizes, and construction. There was a display by Richter and Sons featuring all manner of towing equipment, a display from the Atlantic Fire Department that featured a variety of firefighting and rescue equipment, and for the second year in a row children and adults alike were entranced by an operational Christmas train and village display.

In addition to helping spread holiday cheer with a variety of engaging displays, the festival serves as a fundraiser to benefit the American Cancer Society. Admission to the festival is a free will donation, and raffle tickets are also sold for attendees to win a chance at a variety of seasonal home and gift items. Last year’s raffle featured seventeen unique items donated by the community, in addition to a vintage, life-sized mechanical Santa. The special feature for this year’s raffle is a red metal Coca-Cola themed outdoor bench, fabricated and donated by Weirich Welding in Lewis. The bench has already been displayed around the community, with raffle tickets sold at Coca Cola days and the Atlantic Lions pancake supper. It will be on display at Brown’s Shoe Fit Company in downtown Atlantic until the Festival of Trees. Tickets for the bench raffle can be purchased at any time prior to the drawing on December 4^th at Brown’s or at Festival of Trees where it will be on display. Other items donated to date to be raffled during the festival include a variety of wreaths, hand-made pine needle baskets, a train and more!

Festival organizers are still accepting entries for display at the 2022 Festival of Trees. Any individual, group, business, or organization interested in contributing a tree, display or raffle item for this year’s Festival of Trees should contact Deb Schuler (debschuler4@gmail.com) or Vicki Nordskog (vjnbob@icloud.com) via email for more information. All displays must be pre-registered by November 11^th so the committee can assign spaces in the floor plan. No ‘drop ins’ will be able to be accommodated.

The dates to set up a tree or display are Tuesday, November 29th, from 9 AM to 8 PM and Wednesday, November 30th, from 9 AM to 3 PM. Light refreshments will be provided during decorating. Trees and displays will be open to the public for viewing Thursday, December 1st, through Sunday, December 4^th, and tear down of displays will be on Sunday, December 4th, starting at 2:30 PM. Additional information about setup, teardown, and registering a display can be obtained by contacting organizers using the emails above.

For those interested in attending the Festival of Trees, planned hours for visitors are Thursday, December 1st from 10:00 A.M to 7:00 P.M., Friday, December 2nd from 10:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M., Saturday, December 3rd from 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., and Sunday, December 4th from 10:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M.  In addition to the displays, several other special activities will be going on during the festival, including on Saturday morning, December 3rd, when the B.P.O. Does will again have their Cookie Walk upstairs in the Parish Center from 9 AM to noon. A full schedule of events will be released closer to the event date when all displays are confirmed!

(Radio Iowa) – A Des Moines Register “Iowa Poll” released this weekend shows Republican Senator Chuck Grassley with a 12 point lead over Democratic challenger Mike Franken. Grassley has joined a group of Republicans running for statewide office flying to campaign rallies in eight different cities today (Monday). “Like the governor and everybody else up here, we don’t take your vote for granted,” Grassley said, “so in a humble way, I ask for your vote.” Grassley is seeking an eighth term in the U.S. Senate. “The people tomorrow have a choice between a rubber stamp for the Biden Administration and everything that’s gone wrong in the last two years or this person that’s serving the people of Iowa,” Grassley said. “I think I’m in tune with the people of Iowa by traveling the state as I do every year.”

Franken says he’s appealing to independents and Republicans as well as Democrats who believe Grassley’s 63 years in office is enough. “If we want a different direction for the state of Iowa,” Franken said, “if we want a clean thought process, a place where America looks in the mirror and feels good about itself and where economically, scholastically, health care are of high import to you, then give me a look.” Franken suggests having former President Trump campaign for Grassley last Thursday was an act of desperation.

“And in my hometown, in Sioux City,” Franken said. “…In phone calls I got flooded with from Sioux Citians afterwards, saying: ‘OMG, save us from ourselves.’ I’m not that type of savior, but I am a steady hand on the tiller and hopefully we get this ship of state back on course.” Franken is campaigning in Sioux City, Council Bluffs and Ames today (Monday).

(Red Oak, Iowa) – A man was cited for Failure to provide proof of insurance, following a hit-and-run accident Friday afternoon, in Red Oak. According to Red Oak Police, officers were called to 300 block of W. Reed Street, for a report of a hit-and-run property damage accident. They observed a 2007 Dodge Ram 1500 legally parked in front of a residence with damage to the driver’s side rear. The owner of the truck, said a black SUV was parked across the street in front of the Red Oak Greenhouse, when it backed into the parked truck. The SUV took off westbound on Reed Street. There were no injuries reported.

The vehicle returned to the scene while officers were working on their report. The driver of the SUV, 24-year-old Jose Ramiro Cruz Palafox, of Red Oak, told police his vehicle hit the pickup truck. Damage from the collision amounted to $4,100. No citations were issued.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department says no injuries were reported following a crash Wednesday afternoon, at the uncontrolled intersection of Harsh and Mulberry Streets. According to the report, 38-year-old Denise Michelle Squires, of Creston, was driving a 2018 Lexus northbound on Mulberry, at the same time a 2002 Dodge pickup driven by 17-year-old Jesetta D. Miller, of Creston, was traveling west on Harsh Street.

Authorities say Miller told them she was driving at around 30 mph when her pickup collided with the car. Squires told police she saw the pickup “flying” down the road at around 40 to 50 mph, and that she didn’t have time to react.  Both drivers were checked out by medics and cleared. The car was totaled in the crash, with damage estimated at $30,000. The pickup sustained $7,000 damage. Both vehicles were towed from the scene. No citations were issued.

Creston Police report also, an accident happened at around 12:24-p.m. Friday, but no one was hurt. The incident involving a 2003 GMC pickup and a 2020 Honda SUV, occurred at the intersection of Sumner and Russell Streets. An investigation determined the SUV, driven by 70-year-old Sally Ann Ross, of Marshalltown, was stopped facing north in traffic, waiting for other traffic to clear for her to make a left turn. The driver of the pickup, 18-year-old Peyton Wyatt Parrish, of Creston, told police he tried to stop, but was unable to do so in-time. The pickup hit the SUV in the rear.

Damage from the collision amounted to an estimated $5,000.