The BeTTer Way ProjecT
Downtown & Community
The Better Way Project seeks to breathe new life
into old buildings, revitalize
By BILL SHEA
bshea@messengernews.net
Alocal real estate investment group dedicated to rejuvenating the Fort Dodge community has purchased four large buildings with the goal of getting them fully utilized again.
The group is called The Better Way Project. Its members are Matt Johnson, Todd McCubbin, and Scott and Katie Underberg.
Since October, the group has purchased these buildings:
n the Carver Building.
n 817 Central Ave.
n the former Land O’ Lakes building.
n Atrium on Central.
Johnson summed up the goal of The Better Way project by explaining that if no one ever takes a risk and does something significant downtown, nothing will change.
“As a community, we all agree that something has to be done,” he said. “Well, apparently nobody is going to
““If we’re going to revitalize downtown, we have to have movement and energy down there.”
— Matt Johnson The Better Way Project
come from the outside and save us, so we’re putting local money where our mouth is and we’re at least going to give it a shot.”
Johnson added that The Better Way Project sees a great deal of value in bringing people back downtown.
“If we’re going to revitalize downtown, we have to have movement and energy down there,” he said. “Giving people a reason to go downtown and start getting used to the idea that downtown once again has a lot to offer is the only way things are going to change.”
downtown Fort Dodge
it’s a shame that it has been sitting there empty when it could be such a key pillar of the local economy in downtown Fort Dodge.”
McCubbin said the previous owner is from Florida, and purchased the building solely for the income generated by the two cell phone towers on the roof.
One of the buildings purchased is the historic Carver Building, an eight-story structure occupying most of a city block at 1003 Central Ave. that was built in 1918. The Carver Building was vacant in recent years after the sale and relocation of Heartland Communications, which at its peak housed more than 600 employees in the building.
“We are super excited to begin our downtown revitalization with the Carver Building,” McCubbin said. “The building is in great shape and
“We don’t get the towers unfortunately, the seller gets to keep them via an easement agreement, but we now have the underlying building back under local control and can start filling it with businesses and other users to bring more life back to downtown,” he said.
“We have been told many times in the past few weeks that we must be crazy or stupid to buy a vacant building of this size with its expensive property taxes, high insurance costs, utilities and maintenance expenses, but our feeling is if nobody ever takes a risk and does something significant downtown, nothing will ever change,”
See BETTER, Page 8D
-Submitted photo FROM LEFT, Katie Underberg, Scott Underberg, Todd McCubbin and Matt Johnson have formed a group called The Better Way Project in an effort to revitalize old buildings and bring more business to the downtown area. They now own the Carver Building (pictured above), the former Land O'Lakes building, the Atrium on Central, and the building at 817 Central Ave.
Carver Building
Pastor al Pavilion
HONORING PASTOR AL
Pavilion in Henderson's memory graces Kennedy Memorial
Park
By BILL SHEA bshea@messengernews.net
The Pastor Al Pavilion — the Fort Dodge community’s tribute to a minister who was the chaplain to local law enforcement officers, firefighters and paramedics — is now standing at John F. Kennedy Memorial Park.
After about a week’s worth of assembly work by professionals and volunteers, the pavilion that honors the memory of the Rev. Al Henderson was substantially completed in November.
Kristine Henderson, the pastor’s widow, got into a lift to tighten down the final bolt.
“It’s amazing,” she said of the pavilion.
Some stonework and the installation of plaques bearing the emblems of the public safety agencies for which Henderson was the chaplain will be installed this spring.
Henderson was the pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Fort Dodge. He was also the chaplain of the Fort Dodge Police Department, Webster County Sheriff’s Office, District 7 of the Iowa State Patrol and the Fort Dodge Fire Department.
He established Serving Our Servants as a volunteer group to support local first responders. Henderson was murdered Oct. 2, 2019, on the St. Paul Lutheran Church grounds.
Ground for the 16-by-24foot pavilion was broken in October.
MC Concrete, of Fort Dodge, built the foundation, while a related company, Mechanico, did the structural assembly.
TJ Pingel, the president of Serving Our Servants, said the crews from MC Concrete and Mechanico were “unbelievable.”
“Hands down, this was a perfect spot.”
— Kristine Henderson Rev. Al Henderson's wife
He said that law enforcement officers, firefighters and members of St. Paul Lutheran Church volunteered to help with the final assembly of the pavilion.
“It’s been really cool to see everyone come together,” Pingel said. Pay It Forward Friday, a day devoted to random acts of kindness in Henderson’s
memory, was established after his death. But Serving Our Servants and the Henderson family also wanted a physical memorial to him.
Pingel said the initial concept was a bench with a couple of trees nearby. He and Kristine Henderson met Matt Cosgrove, the director of Webster County Conservation, at the park to check out some possible sites. At first, their search was unsuccessful.
“No spot felt right,” Pingel said.
-Submitted photos
ABOVE: Kristine Henderson, center, poses with construction workers and law enforcement officers after the Pastor Al Pavilion at John F. Kennedy Memorial Park was substantially completed in November.
LEFT: Kristine Henderson, right, prepares to tighten down the last bolt in the Pastor Al Pavilion at John F. Kennedy Memorial Park in November 2025. A worker from Mechanico in Fort Dodge assists. The pavilion is a tribute to her late husband, the Rev. Al Henderson, who was pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church and chaplain to local law enforcement officers, firefighters and paramedics.
Then Cosgrove led them to a flat patch of ground near the playscape. The site overlooks Badger Lake. Terry Moehnke Veterans Memorial Park can be clearly seen across the lake.
“Hands down, this was a perfect spot,” Kristine Henderson said. As they looked over the site, the potential for much more than a bench and trees became apparent. The proposed tribute almost instantly evolved into a picnic shelter to be called the Pastor Al Pavilion.
A PLACE TO FEEL AT HOME
Marian Home debuts new assisted living apartments
By BILL SHEA
bshea@messengernews.net
There is a new option in Fort Dodge for senior citizens who need a little help with everyday living, but don’t require the services of a nursing home.
The Marian Home and Village recently expanded beyond its longtime home at 2400 Sixth Ave. N. to open a new assisted living facility just a couple blocks away.
When Villa Care Center closed in 2023, the Marian Home and Village acquired its property and thoroughly renovated the former Villa Cottages at 925 Martin Luther King Drive to create 12 assisted living apartments.
The completion of the project was celebrated last summer with a ribbon cutting conducted by the Ambassadors of the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance.
Speaking on behalf of the Ambassadors, Terry Allers said the new assisted living apartments are a reflection of the Marian Home and Village’s “unfailing commitment to provide compassionate care to our community.”
The apartments, he said, provide a place where people “can not just live, but truly feel at home.”
His interest in the project extends far beyond his role with the Ambassadors. His firm, Allers Associates Architects of Fort Dodge, designed the renovation project. He said the company, which closed at the end of the year when he retired, was “truly blessed” by the opportunity to design the project.
He saluted Tracy Trotter, the administrator of the Marian Home and Village, saying her “dedication to the project is unparalleled and much appreciated.”
Trotter thanked everyone involved in the project.
“As part of our commitment to providing the highest quality of care and support for our residents and tenants, this new addition will enhance our offerings and ensure that all levels of senior living needs are met within our community,” she said.
“At the Marian Home, we understand that every person has unique needs and preferences. That is why we offer a comprehensive array of living options designed to support independent and assisted living and skilled care levels.
“The new assisted living facility will provide personalized
care and support for tenants who may require help with daily activities, such as bathing, dressing and medication management,” she added. “Our compassionate staff will be available 24/7 to ensure that residents receive the care they need, allowing them to thrive in a supportive environment.”
Monsignor Kevin McCoy, who serves on the Marian Home and Village Board, summed up the effort by saying, “We are inspired by the healing mission of Jesus Christ.”
The building was constructed in 1998.
In its Villa Cottages configuration, the building contained 18 small apartments.
It now houses 12 apartments, including 10 one-bedroom units and two studio apartments. There is a gathering and dining area near the front entrance, plus smaller common rooms on each end of the building.
There will be caregivers on the premises 24 hours a day to help the residents of those apartments with anything they might need.
The residents will be served three meals a day. They will also have housekeeping and laundry services.
The renovation work began in July 2024. Sande Construction and Supply Co., of Humboldt, was the general contractor.
-Messenger file
TRACY
the administrator of the Marian Home and Village, holds an oversized pair of scissors during a July 8, 2025, ribbon cutting to mark the completion of new assisted living apartments at 925 Martin Luther King Drive. She was joined by Jim Kesterson, center, and Monsignor Kevin McCoy, who are both members of the Marian Home and Village Board, plus staff members and the Ambassadors of the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance.
Way
ALBERT
VETERANS
BRIDGE is one of the most visible projects supported by a fund under Community Foundation management. The once basic-looking bridge has been turned into a true tribute to veterans, with insignias from each branch of the armed forces displayed.
LENDING A HELPING HAND
By BILL SHEA bshea@messengernews.net
The Fort Dodge Community Foundation and United Way serves in ways that aren’t always obvious.
The Community Foundation manages close to 200 funds. It’s all behind-thescenes work, but the money from those funds makes some major things possible.
The United Way side of the operation is dedicated to helping poor families with children. Its mission is to keep those families together in their homes with the utilities on.
“We’re here to give them a guiding hand, a helping hand,” said Randy Kuhlman, executive director of the Fort Dodge Community Foundation and United Way.
Both the Community Foundation and the United Way are able to function because of the generosity of Fort Dodge residents and businesses, he said.
“We’re fortunate that we have a generous community,” he added.
Community Foundation
The Community Foundation manages 160 funds that provide money for various projects and organizations.
It has $25.5 million in assets under management, according to Kuhlman.
More than $2 million worth of grants were awarded by the various funds last year.
One of the most visible projects supported by a fund under Community Foundation management is the Albert Habhab Veterans Memorial Bridge on First Ave-
nue South. Money to turn the once basiclooking bridge into a true tribute to veterans is channeled through the fund.
“It’s been a great collaborative effort and a very successful project,” Kuhlman said.
The foundation also plays a role in preserving local history by financially supporting the Webster County Historical Society and maintaining the fortdodgehistory.com website.
united Way
The United Way is focused on helping poor families with children.
According to Kuhlman, in 2025 the organization helped 110 families with 250 children. He said most of those families were headed by a single mother. Those mothers, he said, are often working multiple jobs that don’t offer benefits.
When those families reached out to the United Way, they were in financial crisis and facing the prospect of being homeless, he said.
The number of families needing help has more than quadrupled since the COVID pandemic in 2020, and the inflation experienced in the last three years has made things worse, he added.
Kuhlman said the United Way also helped about a dozen families who were victims of house fires last year. He said the organization provides temporary shelter and helps the families find new homes. It also helps the families get new documents, such as licenses and Social Security cards, that were lost in the fire.
photo by Bill Shea
TROTTER,
-Messenger file photo by Britt Kudla
Johnson said shortly after the purchase was announced.
The building will be managed by Cornerstone Property Management, owned by Better Way Project leaders Scott and Katie Underberg. Cornerstone will market the various office spaces and main floor retail spaces for lease.
Katie Underberg, who handles the majority of daily operations for Cornerstone, said the Carver Building offers a variety of amenities for business tenants.
“The building is in really good shape, has a working elevator, lots of on-site parking, and a convenient circle driveway on the east side for picking up and dropping off employees and customers,” she said. “The upper floors offer some of the best views in Fort Dodge.”
Katie Underberg said the main floor has a combination of retail and office space available, and the upper floors would primarily be used for professional offices.
“There is a large space on the main floor that was once a drug store and malt shop that would be ideal for a deli, coffee, or downtown cafe concept,” she said.
817 Central ave
The building at 817 Central Ave. was most recently the home of Candies & More and the past home of second-floor bars and nightclubs, including Chevy’s and Solid Country. Built in 1890, the building is currently vacant and in need of repairs and remodeling.
“Unlike the Carver Building, we’re going to have to do quite a bit of work to 817 Central,” McCubbin said. “For starters we are getting bids on a new roof, new windows and some exterior upgrades to spruce up the building’s appearance, and then we’ll move to working on the inside.”
Scott Underberg said the east side of the main floor at 817 Central Ave. is currently improved with a retail space that could be remodeled to suit a new tenant, and that the west side serves as an entrance to the second floor bar and tavern space.
“The 817 building will be fun to bring back to life,” he said. “My wife Katie and I actually met there back in the ’90s so there’s definitely a personal interest in seeing the property restored to its former glory.”
Former land
o’lakes building
In November, The Better Way Project announced its purchase of the former Land O’Lakes building at 2827 Eighth Ave. S. “Everyone in town has been driving past this once-beautiful property for the last few years watching it sit empty and decay before our eyes,” McCubbin said. “In its day, the building was home to a success-
ful company contributing great jobs and a super positive impact on our community. Since Land O’Lakes left, it’s just sitting there vacant and the last owner was able to buy it online from his apartment in New York for pennies on the dollar.”
“To make matters worse, last winter the heat was never turned on, which caused pipes to break and now our first project is going to be remediating the mold inside the building,” he added. “The property still has great bones, good mechanical systems and a ton of potential, it just needs someone to roll up their sleeves and get to work. And that’s what The We’re doing the things that need to be done.”
The Underbergs will help oversee the building’s revitalization.
“Cleaning it up is obviously a priority,” Scott Underberg said, “as well as getting security in place to ward off the vandalism and vagrants. We’ve already had to replace several broken windows.”
“The future of this property is still unknown, but there are a lot of potential new uses that we are exploring,” he added. “We have a working concept for some public/municipal uses that we are going to explore first, and will then look at marketing the property as potential corporate offices to bring jobs and economic
“We are gaining a lot of momentum filling up space in the Carver Building downtown, which is bringing more people here every day. More people means more demand for services, retail and other needs, which creates opportunities for small businesses to serve the needs of the growing downtown customer base.”
— Matt Johnson The Better Way Project
stimulus back to the area.”
Katie Underberg said the former Land O’Lakes building would make a great home for one or more companies looking for new and affordable office space.
“Once it’s cleaned up, the building is really quite nice and will show well,” she said. “The space is flexible and can easily be divided into more than one
suite of offices to accommodate different users. It’s centrally located near the Corridor Plaza commercial district and there’s plenty of on-site parking. We’re super excited to get this building back into production in Fort Dodge.”
atrium on Central
Earlier this month, The Better Way Project announced its ac-
Custom Designed Memorials
-Submitted
ABOVE: The former Land O'Lakes building at 2827 Eighth Ave. S. has sat empty for several years. The Better Way Project leaders plan to clean up the building and prepare it for potential new uses.
LEFT: Earlier this month, The Better Way Project announced its acquisition of the building at 1012 Central Ave., renamed the Atrium on Central.
quisition of the building at 1012 Central Ave.
Originally known as The Arcadian, the building is reputed to be the first shopping mall in Fort Dodge. The layout consists of multiple small retail, office and service suites with a central atrium accentuated by a skylight. It was built in 1914, according to online records of the Webster County Assessor’s Office.
“This building is so cool and we are super excited to bring new life back to it,” McCubbin said.
“The center atrium area is a perfect gathering place for people who come downtown to stroll through shops and enjoy the beauty of our downtown area,” he added. “Renaming it the Atrium on Central helps capture the uniqueness of the space.”
According to Johnson, the Atrium on Central building offers potential synergies with the Carver Building across the street.
“We are gaining a lot of momentum filling up space in the Carver Building downtown, which is bringing more people here every day,” he said. “More people means more demand for services, retail and other needs, which creates opportunities for small businesses to serve the needs of the growing downtown customer base.”
Fort DoDge riverFront
PAVILION PLANNED
Large shelter to be located along the river in Fort Dodge
By BILL SHEA bshea@messengernews.net
A jumbo-sized version of the picnic pavilions found in many parks will be constructed along the riverfront in downtown Fort Dodge.
The large shelter, capable of seating 200 people, will be located at the west end of Central Avenue just south of the Matt Cosgrove River’s Edge Discovery Center. It will be easily visible to anyone heading down Central Avenue from the City Square to the Des Moines River.
The City Council in December hired Jensen Builders Ltd., of Fort Dodge, to build it at a cost of $1,635,795.
The work will also include construction of a restroom building, trellis and swings,
sidewalks and storm sewers.
Fort Dodge and Webster County have received a $400,000 state Community Attraction and Tourism Grant to help pay for it.
“Fort Dodge was a community that was founded on its river,” said Matt Cosgrove, director of Webster County Conservation. “This is a return to the river.”
“People just like to spend time near the water,” he added.
He said the project is an investment in recruiting and retaining workers in the area.
The large pavilion is envisioned as a place for festivals and other special community events. It could also be rented for private events.
Cosgrove said it will be the
first thing people see as they come down the hill on Central Avenue toward the Des Moines River.
Construction of the big pavilion is one element of a larger effort to draw people to the riverfront in Fort Dodge. Other features in that effort include the Matt Cosgrove River’s Edge Discovery Center, a playscape, fishing jetties and trails.
Improvements to the boat ramp that is below and north of the Kenyon Road Bridge are envisioned. In addition to upgrading the boat ramp itself, the project will include construction of a small picnic pavilion, a bathroom building and a parking lot. Work on that project may start this summer.
“Fort Dodge was a community that was founded on its river. This is a return to the river.”
—
Matt Cosgrove Webster County Conservation director
-Submitted images
ABOVE AND LEFT: These renderings show a large pavilion planned for the riverfront at the west end of Central Avenue in downtown Fort Dodge. It could be used for community celebrations or private events, and will be capable of seating about 300 people. A state board awarded a $400,000 state grant in April 2024 to help pay for it.
February 18, 2026 4:30 – 6 pm
SPORTS DRIVE TOURISM
New events planned for 2026, including FD Summer Fest, tractor ride
By BILL SHEA bshea@messengernews.net
Whether it’s cross country running, softball or wrestling, sports remain the major activity drawing people to Fort Dodge and Webster County.
Competitions like the girls high school state softball tournament continue to pack local hotel rooms, according to Kerrie Kuiper, executive director of Visit Fort Dodge.
And there are some new events coming this year, including Fort Dodge Summer Fest and the WHO Great Iowa Tractor Ride.
For two years in a row, Visit Fort Dodge has received a Regional Sports Authority District Grant from the Iowa Tourism Office. It won a $75,000 grant for the current fiscal year that ends June 30.
Kuiper said that money will be spent to assist with 27 events, including many at the new Pavilion Sports Complex in Corridor Plaza, which is the site of multiple basketball and volleyball tournaments for youth.
“We’re seeing those really hitting their stride,” she said.
“Youth sports is a really huge market,” she added.
Events that are boosted with the Sports Authority District money will attract an estimated 96,000 participants and generate about $1.2 million for Fort Dodge hotels, according to Kuiper.
The Sports Authority Grant received in fiscal year 2025 supported 13 events that attracted 64,177 participants and had an economic impact of $680,000 for the hotels, according to Visit Fort Dodge.
Looking back on 2025, Kuiper said one of the largest sports events that drew people to Fort Dodge was in November. That’s when Iowa Central Community College hosted the National Junior College Half Marathon and Cross Country Championship at Lakeside Municipal Golf Course. She said 1,700 student-athletes participated.
“If you went out there, you would have seen vehicles from all across the country,” she said.
Hotels were “pretty much full” during the event, she added.
Another new event for 2025 was the CIK Youth Softball Tournament held at Harlan and Hazel Rogers Sports Complex. Kuiper said that event brought 37 teams, 407 athletes and 1,200 spectators to Fort Dodge.
This summer, the girls state softball tournament, which has been a staple of both local sports and tourism for more than 50
“Youth sports is a really huge market.”
— Kerrie Kuiper Executive director, Visit Fort Dodge
years, will switch to a double elimination format. That format will likely result in fans staying in town longer, keeping hotel rooms full and restaurants busy, Kuiper said.
Other events returning for 2026 include:
n CIK Youth Softball Tournament, April 11-12.
n Midwest Battle of the Borders Baseball Tournament, April 18-19.
n Iron Sharpens Iron Team Wrestling Camp, June 8-11.
The wrestling camp was first held at Iowa Central Community College in 2023. Kuiper said
the number of participants has grown every year.
The new Fort Dodge Summer Fest 2026 is scheduled for May 29-30. It is sandwiched between the Memorial Day weekend and Frontier Days.
While a lot of planning is still underway, Kuiper said it will include live music, a carnival, vendors and food trucks. She said it is being discussed as a family event.
Hundreds of tractors and tractor enthusiasts will converge on Webster County in June for the WHO Great Iowa Tractor Ride.
The event will be held June 21-24 with the Webster County Fairgrounds south of Fort Dodge as its base, organizers announced.
“There will be big caravans of tractors,” said Kuiper.
She estimated that the event will draw about 400 tractors and about 750 people.
She said the tractor ride has a reputation for attracting multiple generations of tractor lovers.
-Photo courtesy of Iowa Central Athletics
John F. Kennedy Memorial Park in November 2025. Fort Dodge hotels were nearly full
event,
country, according to Kerrie Kuiper, executive director of Visit Fort Dodge.
-Submitted photo
ABOVE: From left , Community Sales Manager Tiffany Conrad, Executive Director Kerrie Kuiper and Communications Specialist Geneva Dillon work together to market Fort Dodge as a visitor destination.
-Messenger file photo by Britt Kudla
BELOW: Pella celebrates its Class 4A state softball title this past summer at Harlan and Hazel Rogers Sports Complex. Fort Dodge has hosted the state softball tournament for more than 50 years.
New committee forms; first formal ball fundraiser held
By BILL SHEA bshea@messengernews.net
A new team has taken over leadership of the Brushy Creek Area Honor Flight, and it plans to resume taking veterans to Washington, D.C., in May.
This new board is led by Sara Murphy as president, Regina Rhea as vice president, Carmen Fielding as treasurer and Jim Wilkins as secretary.
Other board members are Alex Kennebeck, Merete Klocke, Josh Boehler, Bob Fort, John Hyink, Barb Runneberg and Sarah Rustvold, who is the director of aviation at the Fort Dodge Regional Airport.
This group is taking over for the original Honor Flight board led by the late Ron Newsum, of Fort Dodge. That board started the flights in 2010, then stepped aside after the May 7, 2025, flight.
It conducted 27 flights over 15 years, taking about 3,700 veterans to see the nation’s war memorials.
“We are proud to serve our veterans one flight at a time,” the new board members said in a written announcement.
“We are dedicated in serving our veterans by bringing them to our nation’s capital in Washington, D.C., so they can see their memorials and finally say a long-needed, proper goodbye to their comrades and loved ones who served with them and before them,” the board stated.
“This gives them a peace that cannot be described, a peace they have longed for and for some, never knew they needed until they got to Washington, D.C. This is an unforgettable, honorable and emotional experience we are proud to give our veterans and have the opportunity to experience with them.”
The board is planning some new fundraisers, which included an Honor Flight Ball held Nov. 15, 2025, at the Laramar Ball-
room, 710 First Ave. N. Donations and fundraisers remain essential because veterans travel on the flights for free.
Each flight begins early in the morning at Fort Dodge Regional Airport. The veterans, board members, other volunteers and a small group of medical personnel fly from Fort Dodge to
PREPARING FOR TAKEOFF FULFILLING THE FOUNDER'S VISION
Senior living community marked 75 years in 2025
By BILL SHEA
bshea@messengernews.net
In the years immediately after World War II, the Rev. Dr. Clarence Tompkins envisioned a place in Fort Dodge where senior citizens could live purposeful lives in dignity and safety. His vision became Friendship Haven, which debuted on July 3, 1950, when its former East Building opened.
Last year, the Friendship Haven community held a series of special events to celebrate the milestone anniversary of 75 years.
One of those events occurred in June 2025, when Friendship Haven residents, staffers, local officials, and the Ambassadors from the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance came together to dedicate a bell from the former Chapel on the Hill to Tompkins’ memory.
“This bell now stands as a permanent symbol of the Rev. Dr. Clarence Tompkins’ vision and passion,” said Julie Thorson, president and chief executive officer of the retirement community.
Two of Tompkins’ grandchildren — Clarence Tompkins and Laura Tompkins Reitan — were on hand for the event
“Oh my word, it’s beautiful,” Tompkins Reitan said when asked what she thought of the Friendship Haven campus.
She said she had not been to the campus since 1996. Since her last visit, the site has been dramatically transformed, with all of the major buildings replaced with new ones.
Tompkins Reitan said she and her brother, Clarence Tompkins, used to spend every summer with their grandparents in Fort Dodge up until they were about 9 years old. She recalled that her grandfather used to take them to Friendship Haven frequently.
“He was so proud to have his first set of grandchildren,” she said.
The bell at the center of the event came from a bell tower that stood next to the Chapel on the Hill. The chapel and bell tower stood roughly where today’s River Ridge Apartments and the Celebration Center come together. The bell was used to welcome people to church services.
The chapel and bell tower were demolished in 2003 as part of the transformation of the campus. The bell was saved, and for awhile it sat on a pallet in a garage at Friendship Haven.
The 75th anniversary provid-
Dulles International Airport in the Virginia suburbs of Washington. There, the group boards buses and heads into the capital.
The group visits the Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam War Veterans Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial, World War II Memorial, the Marine Corps War Memorial, Arlington Na-
tional Cemetery and the Air Force Memorial.
The flight then returns to Fort Dodge late the same night.
Veterans who served between 1941 and 1975 are eligible for Honor Flights.
The Brushy Creek Area Honor Flight is a nonprofit organization operated by volunteers.
How to Help
Donations can be sent to: Brushy Creek Area Honor Flight P.O. Box 104 Fort Dodge, IA 50501
ed the motivation to do something with it.
E. John Zuerrer, a Friendship Haven resident, made a gift to pay for restoring the bell and building the base it now stands on.
Kallin-Johnson Monument Co., of Fort Dodge, donated the plaques mounted on the base, which is made of brick.
The bell now stands in front of the main entrance to the Welcome Center.
“We celebrate a mission that has spanned generations,” Thor-
son said. “We celebrate the people, the progress and the passion that brought us to this milestone.”
Tompkins, she said, “dedicated his life’s work to this special place we call Friendship Haven.”
She also described how the place got its name. The board members had a meeting at which different ideas for names were jotted down on a chalkboard, she said. But the board members were struggling to come up with a name they liked. Then Sally Snyder, the wife of one
of the board members, walked in. She looked at the chalkboard, then picked up a piece of chalk and drew a line connecting the words “friendship” and “haven,” Thorson said.
“And that is how we became Friendship Haven,” she said. Matt Johnson, the chairman of the Friendship Haven board, said two of his grandparents lived there, so he got to see on a personal level just how special the community is. “Seventy-five is an amazing milestone,” he said.
-Messenger file photo by David Borer
ABOVE: A number of veterans on the Brushy Creek Area Honor Flight gather at the Air Force Memorial in May 2025.
-Messenger file photo by Hans Madsen
LEFT: Brushy Creek Area Honor Flight Board President Sarah Murphy thanks those attending the First Annual Honor Flight Ball in November at the Laramar Ballroom for their support of the Brushy Creek Area Honor Flight.
-Messenger file photo by Bill Shea
JULIE THORSON, center, the president and chief executive officer of Friendship Haven, uses a pair of jumbo-sized scissors to cut a ribbon June 25, 2025, at a ceremony dedicating a bell to the Rev. Dr. Clarence Tompkins, the founder of Friendship Haven.
INSPIRING PATRIOTISM
Red, white and blue lights brighten Fort Dodge bridge
By BILL SHEA bshea@messengernews.net
The Albert Habhab Veterans Memorial Bridge in Fort Dodge now looks even brighter and more patriotic after the sun goes down.
Red, white and blue lights were added to the 15 lamp posts lining the bridge. They came on for the first time in June.
Mike Larson, a Navy veteran who is leading the effort to make the span a true salute to veterans, said the public response to the new lights has been “extremely positive.”
“It was very positive,” he said. “It was awesome.”
The bridge that carries First Avenue South over the Union Pacific Railroad tracks has always been called Veterans Bridge. In 2023, after a major overhaul of the bridge was completed, an effort was made to truly emphasize the structure as a monument to veterans.
In November 2023, it was renamed the Albert Habhab Veterans Memorial Bridge, after a World War II Army veteran who was the mayor of Fort Dodge, a district court judge, appeals court judge and finally chief judge of the Iowa Court of Ap-
peals. Habhab was mayor when the bridge was built. He died in January 2024 at age 98.
On Veterans Day 2024, the bridge was formally dedicated.
Illuminated steel banners in the form of folded American flags and the emblems of the various branches of the U.S. armed forces are mounted on the lamp posts. The bridge project was the first one outside of the military to receive permission to use the emblem of the relatively new Space Force.
Additional lighting was always part of the plan for the bridge. Placing that lighting on the railings of the bridge was the initial concept. But because of concern that lights on the railings would be vulnerable to damage from snow removal and vandalism, it was decided to place them on the lamp posts.
Additional lettering was placed on the concrete monuments on both sides of the bridge last year.
Construction of a plaza on the southeast end of the bridge on ground between the bridge and an auto parts store is planned. The entire project is being paid for with donations, not tax dollars. The cost has been estimated at $1.5 million.
-Submitted photo
RED, WHITE AND BLUE LIGHTS have been added to the 15 lamp posts lining the Albert
Habhab Veterans Memorial Bridge