Thursday, June 29, 2023
Vol. 158, Issue 26
Decorah, Iowa 52101 www.decorahnewspapers.com
For the love of the game... and the Mustangs
One Section email: news@decorahnewspapers.com
Winn. County Fair Queen candidates announced
This year there are five young ladies vying for the title of Winneshiek County Fair Queen, each who would proudly represent the biggest little fair in Iowa. The Winneshiek County Fair, held July 1115, will feature a coronation ceremony Tuesday, July 11, at 3 p.m., in the Grandstand of the Fairgrounds. The 2022 Fair Queen Katrina Hageman of Ossian will pass the crown to this year’s representative. Addison Wicklund Addison Wicklund is the 16-year-old daughter of Melissa and Christopher Wicklund of Decorah. She will be a junior at Decorah High School this fall. Addison is involved in musicals, chorus, varsity bowling and tennis. She volunteers for Project Linus, Decorah Rocks, The Landing Homeless Shelter and helps with church activities at Mabel First Lutheran, Decorah First Lutheran and Bethel Baptist. She is currently a member of the Hesper Helpers 4-H Club and is on the Winneshiek County Council. Addison enjoys crocheting, camping with her family, ceramics, bowling, participating in 4-H events and being with family and friends. In the future, she plans to attend college to earn a business degree to open up her own cosmetology business and earn a psychology degree. Autumn Schmitt Autumn Schmitt is the 17-year-old daughter of Sara and Greg Schmitt of Waucoma. She will be a senior at South Winneshiek High School this fall. Autumn is involved in band, choir, speech, theatre, football cheerleading, Decorah High School Swim Team, track and field and Brenda’s School of Dance. She is also a member of the National Honor Society, participates in the Talent and Gifted program, a chess club member, on student government and involved with SODA. Autumn is currently a member of the South County Innovator 4-H Club, on Winneshiek County Council and the State 4-H Council. She participates in the South Winneshiek FFA chapter, and also in Girl Scouts. In her free time, she enjoys swing and line
ABOVE: Assistant Coach Matt Kuempal gives outfielder Cade Olson a high five after a catch that ended the scoring threat Friday night. The Decorah baseball dugout took on new colors Friday versus Waukon as the Vikings paid tribute to the former North Winn Mustangs by wearing black and gold uniforms. Individuals who attended the former North Winn school were admitted into Friday’s game for free. Waukon swept the Vikings in NEIC action, 13-9 and 7-3. (Driftless Multimedia photos by Becky Walz)
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Addison Wicklund
Autumn Schmitt
Brynn Storhoff
Elizabeth Pritchard
dancing, swimming, reading, thrift shopping, kayaking, spending time with family and friends and working with her livestock. In the future, Autumn hopes to attend Iowa State University to pursue a degree in animal science or biology. She eventually wants to have her own livestock Megan Blong production operation involving meat goats or cattle while continuing to work in the agricultural industry. Brynn Storhoff Brynn Storhoff is the 17-year-old daughter of Brent and Brigit Storhoff of Decorah. She will be a senior at Decorah High School this fall. Brynn is involved in the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union Student Athlete Advisory Com-
Fair Queen Candidates continued on page 8
Air Quality alert Wildfire smoke in multiple states and Canada is moving hundreds of miles into the U.S., affecting air quality into unhealthy or worse categories, with air quality reaching 183 Tuesday, June 27. Good air quality scores 50 parts fine particulate matter or below. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources had issued an air quality advisory through Wednesday night, June 28, for the entire state with the worst air quality expected in the eastern third of Iowa. Air quality is expected to get somewhat better, but remain in
the moderate zone through at least Friday. The smoke from wildfires in Ontario, Canada, is moving south over the Midwest on top of smoke from Alberta and British Columbia covering most of the midwestern and eastern united states with additional haze. There are nearly 500 wildfires burning throughout Canada, includ- According to the EPA’s ing British Columbia, Alberta, www.airnow.gov website air quality is in the unhealthy category Air quality as of Wednesday morning, with The Canadian wildfires continue to plague the air quality in the midwest. The haze above smoke from two fire sources com- the city of Decorah can be seen in this photo taken Tuesday afternoon, June 27. (Driftless continued on page 9 Multimedia photo by Roz Weis) pounding the haze locally.
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Center Stage Series announced
2023-23 season boasts theatrical, folk and musical experiences By Roz Weis
Wu Fei and Abigail Washburn will perform Nov. 9.(Submitted photo)
The upcoming Center Stage Series at Luther College promises a wealth of good music and performance to the area beginning this fall. In a letter to series subscribers earlier this month, Kristen Underwood, Director of Campus Programming at Luther, notes the season starts with Invoke, an inventive, multi-instrumental string quartet sharing piec-
es from their ongoing project American Postcards.” Homer’s “Odyssey” is presented by The Acting Company theatrical group. The play is set in a refugee camp. Chinese ghuzeng master Wu Fei and American treasure Abigail Washburn flow between the ancient folksongs of rural China and the bluegrass traditions of Appalachia. Wu is a master of the 2,500-year-old guzheng ziether and Gram-
my Award-winner Washburn’s name is synonymous with the banjo. Next, the series travels from the Harlem of Langston Hughes performing “Ask Your Mama: 12 Moods for Jazz” to Norway, home of the tenThing Brass Ensemble. Formed in 2007 by Norwegian trumpeter Tine Thing Helseth as a collaboration between musical friends, the 10-piece all-female brass ensemble is committed to outreach
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and access to music through a diverse repertoire ranging from Mozart to Weill, Grieg to Bernstein and Lully to Bartok. The series concludes in the spring of 2024 with a musical exploration of the Indian and Pacific Island nations in “Small Island Big Song.” The series features an
Center Stage Series continued on page 8