The
Kanawha
In this issue:
REPORTER
An official publication for Kanawha, Klemme, and West Hancock Community Schools Thursday, September 24, 2015 | Volume 124, Number 39 | $1
BRIEFLY.
A lot can happen in just three years
Garage Sales This Weekend
The Kanawha City Wide Garage Sales are happening this weekend. See the map on Page 12 for locations with advertised sales and keep your eyes open around town for others.
By Emlie Jenson
With all of the recent excitement at our house, if it had not been for Facebook reminding me, I may have completely forgotten about it all together. The days have all run together for the past couple of weeks, and most of the time, I don’t even know what day of the week it is, let alone the actual date. It’s been three years this week since my wedding day, Sept. 22 2012. The day we said “I do” in front of more than 300 of our closest family and friends. Sometimes it feels like it was just yesterday, but on days like today I find myself thinking “has it really only been three years?” But in a good way, of course. It’s only been three years since we set out, just the two of us, to build a life and a marriage together. If someone had told me we’d be where we are today already, I would have laughed. I don’t even remember what it was like, those days of “just the two of us.” The days I’d come home in my clean car to a quiet clean home, make a nice big meal and then settle in for a quiet night alone with my husband. No, I never would have believed it if someone could have seen into the future and told us that in just under three years time, we’d be a family of four. Our days of just the two of us didn’t last long as our oldest daughter, Hannah, arrived just a few days after our first anniversary. I’ve been busy these past few weeks at home caring for Hannah, and our newest addition, Avery Grace, who arrived on Sept. 1. Little Avery has definitely taught me that a lot can happen in just a short time. Awaiting her arrival a few weeks
Big Brad’s Has New Hours
KCS Harvest Sale Emilie and baby Avery Grace ago, one night I went to bed after updating my Facebook status to something of “looks like a September baby, nothings happened yet.” To show how quickly that changed I’ll jusy say, eight hours later, I was holding her in my arms. It’s already been three weeks since our 8 pound 4 ounce redheaded baby girl so quickly came into the world, and next week, Hannah will celebrate her second birthday. These days, I’ve gone from having that quiet, clean house I used to come home to, to one cluttered with toys and baby items. Those late evening big dinners I used to prepare have been replaced with quick and easy things like macaroni and cheese to please a toddler who now runs the show, and when she wants to eat, we eat. My once clean car, which is starting to show its wear and tear, now has two carseats squeezed into the backseat, and it is littered with books and toys, the seats spotted with sticky juice stains. My dream? I’d really Continued on Page 2
Kanawha Christian School held another successful Harvest Sale on Saturday, Sept. 19. The event included a pork loin supper, an auction and games and activities for the kids. Lois Uitermart and KCS teacher Joyce Tjarks help serve the pork loin supper. (Photo by Rebecca Peter)
Candidates file for city elections By Rebecca Peter
Races for city council have developed in most Hancock County communities for the Nov. 3 city elections. The last day for candidates to file nomination papers for inclusion on the ballot was Sept. 16. Britt – There will be a race for mayor and city council at Britt. Candidates for mayor are Ryan Arndorfer and Jeremy Lester. Voters at Britt will elect three to the city council. Incumbent candidates are Curt Gast, Dwight Leerar and Chad Luecht. Challengers are Bryan Aitchison, Josh Schmid and Paul Verbrugge. Garner – Two positions on the Garner City Council expire this year. Councilman Lynn B. Smith has filed for reelection. Candidates also include Steve Eastman, Marline K. Lewerke and Bruce Schupanitz.
Kanawha – A three-way race for mayor has developed at Kanawha. Candidates for mayor are Tom G. Gretillat, Nancy Litch and Judy Vander Ploeg. Voters will elect two to the Kanawha City Council. Candidates are: Meridee Ansel, Shirley Marie Blank and Robert Zeigler. Klemme – Joyce Allendorf is a candidate for mayor. She is unopposed. Two seats on the Klemme City Council expire. Candidates include incumbent David Abele and challengers Clyde W. Holecek and Douglass Taft. Corwith – David K. Wagner is unopposed in his bid for election as mayor of Corwith. Wagner was appointed to the post in 2014. Three seats on the Corwith City Council are open. Candidates are incumbents Wade D. Nall, Michael Petersen. Challengers are Sharon Hankins and Sharon Spellins. Tim
Poage is a candidate to fill a vacancy on the Corwith City Council. Goodell – Mayor Patrick Sweeney is being challenged in his bid for reelection by Ryan Halfpop. Goodell voters will also elect two members to the city council. Candidates are incumbent Alan Pralle and challengers Michael Holst and Tom Quigley. Crystal Lake – Les Leibrand is a candidate for mayor. He is unopposed. Voters at Crystal Lake will elect three to the city council. Candidates are incumbents Laura Blocker, Samantha Corsaro and Russell K. Helm. Doris Haugland is also a candidate for city council. Woden – Mayor Kathy Ann Brown has filed for reelection at Woden. She is unopposed. Two seats on the Woden City Council expire in 2015. Both will be filled by write-in ballot.
Smokin’ hot barbecue at Britt Former County Employee and husband charged
By Rebecca Peter BRITT – The aroma of barbecued pork loin permeated the air at Municipal Park in Britt, Saturday, Sept. 19. The 1st Annual Ron Eisenman Barbecue Competition got underway at 9 a.m. and concluded with the announcement of the winners of the pork loin and open categories of pork cookery Saturday evening. There were a total 13 entries in pork loin category and 10 entries in the “open” category. The Hancock County Pork Producers donated the pork loins. Entries in the “open” competition could contain other meats or vegetables, as long as the recipe included pork. The public was invited to come to the park and sample the meat and enjoy the music of the Kraft Brothers, which followed the announcement of the winners. Low cooking temps, slow cooking, and “lots of love” were key to cooking a mouth watering pork loin, according to the team of Mike Johnson and Mike Brooks. Vance Hagen and Mariah Shaylor may have shared the same tent, but were competitors for barbecue. Vance cooked a “Hawkeye Delight” pork loin competition. The key to a successful “Hawkeye Delight” is “order the meat from a good meat guy,” he said. Shaylor’s entry was a bacon wrapped stuff pork loin. “It has spinach, feta cheese, onions, red pepper flakes, and garlic.” “I found the recipe and tried it out on the family a few times. They llked it, and I thought I would try it in this year’s competition,” she remarked. This was the first year Shaylor entered the competition. “It’s a little stressful, but fun,” she said.
A former Hancock County employee and her husband face felony charges in connection to an alleged false sealed bid for on county property in 2014. Charges of felonious misconduct were filed against Sharon Louise Rockow, rural Klemme. Rockow was 26-year employee of the Hancock County Secondary Road Department, where she was office manager. The Hancock County Board of Supervisors terminated Sharon Rockow’s employment with the county on Monday, Sept. 14. Her husband, Gary Earl Rockow, is charged with aiding and abetting felonious misconduct in office. According to court documents, Sharon Rockow allegedly delivered a
sealed bid on a lease for county property in someone else’s name on Sept. 19, 2014 with the knowledge that the property would become a public record. Gary Rockow allegedly knowingly took part in the delivery of the document. Hancock County Attorney David Solheim referred the investigation and prosecution to the Wright County Sheriff and the Wright County Attorney to avoid any conflict of interest. The charges are a Class D felony with a maximum penalty of up to five years prison and a fine of at least $750 but not more than $7,500. The sentence may be deferred or suspended. The Rockows are scheduled to make an initial court appearance at 9 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 24.
GARNER – Hancock County Supervisors met in special session Tuesday, Sept. 15, to accept the resignation of long-time county engineer, J. William Waddingham. Waddingham submitted a brief notice that he was resigning, effective immediately, late Friday afternoon, Sept. 11. Waddingham was Hancock County Engineer for a total of 40 years. He retired in 2003, but was rehired by the county in 2004. Alan Bredlow, current assistant to the engineer, will handle the day-to-day office duties that he is qualified to do. Supervisors will begin a search for a new engineer immediately. The board is also looking into other options such as sharing the services of a county engineer with another county, for an interim period. As a result of Waddingham’s resignation, a formal hearing with land-
owners for improvements to DD#82 was continued to April 18, 2016. Supervisors acknowledged a petition for a remonstrance, stopping improvements to DD#57. The petition was signed by a majority of landowners in the district. The project will be taken up again at a later date once a drainage engineer is appointed. In other matters, supervisors accepted the resignation of Tony Rasmusson from the Hancock County Veteran’s Affairs Commission. Mayor David Wagner, Corwith, visited with the board about designating Gains Street in Corwith as farm-to-market road. The street connects to Elm and McKinney, which are already designated farm-to-market roads, and has heavy local traffic. Supervisors signed a contract with Larson Contracting LLC for open ditch repairs for DD #15. Estimated Continued on Page 2
By Rebecca Peter
County Engineer Resigns The team of Mike Johnson and Mike Brooks won 1st place in the pork loin category. (Photo by Rebecca Peter)
Eric Cox wasn’t about to divulge his “secret ingredient” for cooking his pork loin. Was he having fun? “Are you kidding me?” he responded. “It’s the most fun I had in my life. I wish we had this every year.” Travis Hagen was a co-organizer of the barbecue competition. It’s something for the town of Britt … to get together at this beautiful park and have a nice outing,” he said. This 2015 barbecue was dedicated to the late Ron Eisenman, who farmed and raised hogs. Eisenman enjoyed cooking pork loin, according to Hagen. “He was a true Britt person,” Hagen said, “He was very proud to
be from Britt.” The competition was “very tight,” according to Hagen. “Everyone was here by 9 a.m. and cooked until 4 p.m.” Trophies and cash prizes were awarded to the first, second and third place winners in the pork loin and open categories. Winners of the pork loin competition were: 1st place – Michael Johnson and Michael Brooks; 2nd place – Don Madison and Don Kirsch; 3rd place – Team Cody Trample. Top three winners of the open pork category were: 1st place – Troy Rasmussen and Greg Kumsher; 2nd – Doug Weiland and Greg Weiland; 3rd place – Mariah Shaylor.
Big Brad’s BBQ & Grocery in Kanawha is now open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. five days a week, according to Ron Connor, store operator. On Saturdays, the hours are 5:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. On Saturday mornings the store, which is also a deli, will serve hot coffee, fresh rolls and a breakfast special. As Kanawha’s cafe is not open on Saturdays and as scores of duck hunters flock to this area on Saturday mornings, Connor believes there is a need his store can fill. The breakfast special can be eaten on site or purchased as a take-out item.
Corwith School Community Sale
A community sale of high school furnishings and equipment will be held on Saturday, Sept. 26, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Corwith building. Sales will be cash and carry. Prices are negotiable. For more information, readers may contact Don Seymour at 515-418-7244.
Annual bazaar at Kanawha Lutheran
Kanawha Lutheran Church will have its annual Spiritual Bazaar on Sunday, Sept. 27, in the Fellowship Hall after worship at 10:30 a.m. A special offering will be taken during worship, and a brunch will be served afterward.
Kanawha Book Club to meet Oct. 2
The Kanawha adult book club will meet on Friday, Oct. 2, at 10 a.m. “Under the Banner of Heaven,” by Jon Krakauer, will be discussed. This is “a white-knuckle mix of true crime reporting and provocative history.” Readers may pick up the book at the Kanawha library, check out the audio book or find the eBook at BRIDGES on the online resources page.
Learn About Comic Books Thursday Night
While most Clarion Coin Club members collect coins, some collect other things such as sports cards, post cards, stamps, currency and comic books. Meeting on Thursday evening, Sept. 24, at the Pizza Ranch in Clarion, members will hear about comic books from Lowell Gudall, a longtime club member and an avid comic book collector. There will be a display of collectible comic books and a question and answer session. The 50 member group meets the fourth Thursday of the month. Each meeting features an 80 item public auction of collectibles, which often includes comic books. The auction items go on display at 6 p.m. A short business meeting is held at 7 and is followed by the live auction. Sessions usually conclude about 9. Auction items come from club members and other consignors. For more information, contact Boyd LaRue, club president, at 515-460-5681.