Officials with the Shelby County Relay for Life report the event held Friday night raised in excess of $120,000.There were also some surprises during the event, including at the start of the Survivor’s Lap, where nine cancer survivors rode on motorcycles and a little boy who led the lap, Noah Petersen, received a birthday celebration.

Noah turned 11 on Friday so the Kountry Kids team along with all the survivors surrounded Noah in front of the stage, sang happy birthday and presented him with a cake and cards. Organizers of the Shelby County Relay for Life want to express their thanks to all who came out and supported a great event.

Two of Iowa’s oldest highways are enjoying more attention as groups work to preserve their past history. The 100-year-old Lincoln Highway was the nation’s first coast-to-coast roadway. The Lincoln in Iowa extends from Clinton to Missouri Valley, passing through 40 communities in-between — much of it is today’s Highway 30. Highway historian Lyell Henry used to hitchhike on the Lincoln Highway. “Prior to the Lincoln Highway there were no highways of any significance. Most paved surfaces were in the cities, and beyond the cities you had mud,” Henry explained. Four-lane interstates have replace the Lincoln as the main route for many travelers, but the old highway remains.

“It’s now listed as a county road, yet there it is. It’s the same road bed as it was a hundred years ago,” Henry says. The Lincoln Highway is a tourist destination now, a Heritage Byway that may lure some R-Vs and camper trailers off the interstates to explore the auto trails of an earlier time. Along quiet stretch of old Highway30 in Colo, just east of Ames, the town has preserved an original café, gas station and motel. It is one of the best, authentic all-in-one stops along the entire length of the Lincoln Highway.

During junior high school, Scott Berka used to pump gas, change tires and sell Greyhound tickets when the state was also bus stop. Today, the antique filling station offers nostalgia instead of gas. “We washed the windshield, and checked the oil, and put air in the tires if people wanted. We got prices down to around 22-cents a gallon once upon a time,” Berka reminisces. Two companion landmarks Niland’s Café and the Colo Motel have been restored and are running. Historian Henry says the revival of the Lincoln Highway has enthusiasts setting their sights on revitalizing another forgotten roadway — the north-south Jefferson Highway.

“It’s a surprise to people to know that there was a Jefferson Highway and that they were on the Jefferson Highway. It just hasn’t been in the consciousness of people as the Lincoln, but still, there are people we have found who increasingly say ‘yea, I’d like to do something about the Jefferson Highway.’,” according to Henry. The Jefferson connects Winnipeg to New Orleans, running parallel to Interstate-35, tracking through Iowa along highways 65 and 69. Publisher Edwin T. Meredith was a key promoter. It was coined the “Pine to Palm” highway, or “The Vacation Route of America.” Supporters have already started to paint utility poles along the Jefferson Highway with the old J-H stencil. Scott Berka, the former gas station attendant, is treasurer of the Jefferson Highway Association which re-formed two years ago. He says a byways designation would raise awareness further.

“I think the byways signage is definitely in the Jefferson Highway’s future,” He says. “I know it’s going to be a while, but the Jefferson folks are working toward that, so I look for that to happen. I’m not sure how soon that’s going to happen, that’s why poles are being painted because that’s something that can be done today.” The Lincoln became an Iowa Heritage Byway seven year ago, and now has thousand signs showing the way across the state. John Mazzello is with the non-profit group Prairie Rivers of Iowa, which manages the Lincoln Byway.

“I think that a partnership between the Lincoln and Jefferson Highways would be a great asset for both of us. The roads –just like 100 years ago — still serve to connect ideas and people and places,” Mazzello says. “And so, by demonstrating what are those things that are engaging and what are those places that are exciting, that’s the way to build interest in the roadway.” The Lincoln has always been more prominent, with heavier traffic and design upgrades. At the end of June, a caravan of classic cars will head to the centennial celebration on the Lincoln Highway in Nebraska. The Jefferson Highway turns 100, in two years.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The family of an abducted Iowa teenager has released a statement after authorities this weekend confirmed the 15-year-old’s death. Kathlynn Shepard’s father said yesterday that the teen’s family has “lost part of its soul,” but that Kathylnn is now in a better place and safe from predators. Kathylnn was described as an innocent, caring and fun-loving child.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Authorities have identified a man who was killed in a two-vehicle crash in Polk County as 60-year-old Don Mike Cameron. The Ottumwa man was pronounced dead at the crash scene in northern Polk County on Wednesday. Investigators say Cameron appears to have crossed the center lane in a Ford Ranger while driving southbound on NE 14th Street, where he struck a Dodge Dakota. The Dodge Dakota was driven by 21-year-old Andrey Kritskiy of Ankeny. He was taken by ambulance to a local hospital.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — A Keokuk woman has been chosen as Miss Iowa and will compete in the Miss America Pageant this fall. The Quad-City Times reports 22-year-old Nicole Kelly won Saturday after a three-day competition in Davenport. Kelly is majoring in directing and theater management at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

NEWTON, Iowa (AP) — Trevor Bayne rallied to win the rain-plagued NASCAR Nationwide series race in Iowa yesterday, becoming just the third series regular to win this season. Bayne caught pole-sitter Austin Dillon with 11 laps to go and hung on for his second career win.