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WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 2016 NUMBER 20, 155TH YEAR
Sigourney Health Care News
Sat. May 21 Northup family Spring Fling Bruegge Band music, dancing, friendship, ice cream, 2:00 p.m. Everyone is invited to join in the Fun!
May Blood Pressure Check Calendar
Manor House nursing staff check blood pressures, provide a personalized record, share activity calendars, and provide a treat for each participant. This is a free service and the public is welcome. Wednesday, May 18 Keota Senior Dining Site at 11:30 a.m.
Memorial Day at the Sorden Cemetery
Monday, May 30th at 2:00 p.m. with the Keswick American Legion. Please your bring lawn chairs for this event. In case of bad weather, activities will be held at the Legion Hall in Keswick. Call 319-6643576 or 319-330-7319 with questions regarding the weather that day.
Cookoff at SS Peter & Paul Church Needs Chefs
Any chef interested in participating in the June 25th 2nd Annual Cookoff at SS Peter & Paul Church at Clear Creek must sign up by Friday, May 20. Call Jon Baker at (319) 461-5900 or Mick Berg at (319) 461-3281 to sign up.
Ollie Alumni Tea
The Ollie Alumni Tea will be held in the Ollie Community building May 28 1-4 p.m. Refreshments will be served. A short business meeting will be held at 2:30 p.m.
What Cheer Opera House
High Bank Boys from Montezuma, IA. Friday, June 3.
Delta Alumni Banquet
Members and all guests invited. Saturday, June 4 at Thomas Hall, K.C. Fairgrounds in What Cheer. Doors open at 4:00 p.m. Dinner at 5:45 p.m. Tickets are available. Make reservations by calling June Rice 641-624-2077 or Laurel Streigle 641-6242155.
Bingo at Sigourney Health Care and Assisted Living
Bingo at Sigourney Health Care and Assisted Living is Tuesdays at 2 p.m.
Manor House Sing-a-long Sing-A-Long at Manor House Care Center in Sigourney is every Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. The entire community is encouraged to attend.
Sigourney Public Library Sigourney Public Library will hold “Toddler Time” every Monday morning from 11:30 a.m. to noon. Continued on Page 2
In This Issue
Church Calendar............ Pg. 9 Classifieds.................Pg. 6, 7 Milestones.................... Pg. 3 Opinion/Editorial........ Pg. 4, 5 Local....................Pg. 2, 3, 10 Records........................... Pg. 8 Savage Eye..................Pg. 11 Sports.............. Pg. 12, 13, 14
Members of the Stick With It 4-H Club presented the Lord’s Pantry with a $200 donation during their weekly meeting on Wednesday, May 11.
Sticking To It for 90 years By CJ Eilers News Editor An organization being around for 90 years shows that is has relevance and importance in a community. Take Kiwanis and Hy-Vee, both that have existed for 90 and 85 years. Both provide great opportunities for their communities and many can’t themselves without them now. Not everyone can last for that long. That’s why 4-H club Stick With It reaching that milestone is so impressive. When the club was first thought up in 1926, a name eluded original member Margarite Wehr-Hemler. Her mother, who would be one of the leaders, found Wehr and her friends debating over the names, asking about it. “We haven’t thought of it yet, but we’re sticking with it.” Wehr had said. And the rest is history. Today, the club consists of 30 members and participates in activities from baking, community service, farm related projects, etc, all with a community in mind. During their meeting on Tuesday, May 10, the club gave the Lord’s Food Pantry a $200 dollar donation after hearing Patty Hammes from the pantry speak about the need for certain donations. “Over the years, thousands of dollars have been giving back to the community for the new park, the fountain, dog obedience, and giving to the nursing homes during Christmas time so they can buy things for the residents they not be able to have,” Gail Weber, one of the parents that oversees the club, said. Currently, Weber and Stick With It are planning their offi-
cial 90th anniversary celebration at the Keokuk County Expo Fair on July 14, the busiest night of the fair. The club has been
reaching out to former members through social media to raise awareness of the event. Audra Weber, Stick With It’s president of 2 years, feels that the club’s long existence can be attributed to how it grows confidence in of its members, including her. Audra became involved long before 4th grade, since he mother has been a part of the club for year. She quickly became referred to as a ‘junior-junior” member, doing little presentations for the club. “It’s always something I’ve been involved with for almost 13 years, technically 7,” Audra sad. Since joining, Audra has been involved in cattle, baking, woodwork, communications, science, child-development, home improvement and many other activities. For her though, seeing the difference in the younger members that 4-H makes is what she enjoys the most. “It’s really seeing the younger kids excited to show a project,” Audra said. “They are like ‘I did this’ and they loved being praised. If you just get them involved, they will open themselves up and be who they are.” Audra has two more years left until high school graduation, and plans to make it worthwhile for Stick With It. “These last few years have been big for us. More people are hearing about us and want to get involved,” Audra said. “Over the 90 years, we’ve just wanted to go out to help, and there’s not a lot of opportunity to do so elsewhere. We provide that connection.” Audra “We’ve kept the original name and spirit of the club, which means doing service work and continuing to learn, educate ourselves on things in the home and barn,” Weber said.
Be Safe, Be Buckled!
Sigourney Police Department and Keokuk County Sheriff’s Office to Participate in STEP For many, buckling up in a vehicle is second nature. However, in 2014, 9,385 people nationwide lost their lives as a result of not buckling their seat belt; and in Iowa in 2014, 118 of the 322 crash fatalities were not buckled up. In our rural state, it is important to note that nationally 61-percent of pickup truck fatalities were not buckled. Iowa’s seat belt compliance rate is at 93 percent, one of the best in the nation but, still, too many of the state’s traffic fatalities are unbelted. Those are lives that could have been saved. The consequences of not buckling up are too high, don’t become a negative seat belt statistic, always buckle up! National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) statistics show that passenger vehicle occupants are buckling up more during the day but not enough at night. The May 23 – June 6, 2016 Click It or Ticket mobilization fo-
cuses on seat belt violators 24/7, but a strong enforcement effort will be made between the nighttime hours of 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., due to the significant number of violators and fatal crashes during that time. “Law enforcement plays an important role in helping protect the safety of our citizens,” said Pat Hoye, Chief of the Iowa Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau. “Time after time, we see the deadly results that come from drivers and passengers not wearing their seat belt. Wearing a seat belt is one of the most important steps in increasing survivability in a crash.” As you travel near or far this Memorial Day, remember to buckle up in the back seat as well as in the front. Rear seat passengers are three times more likely to die in a crash if they are unbuckled. In real life we don’t get a second chance.
Keokuk County Career Academy instructor Robert Arendt (left) with Clayton McKim in front of a workstation.
McKim heading to Louisville welding nationals
Pekin senior Clayton McKim is heading to Louisville, Kentucky for the SkillsUSA National Welding Competition June 20-24th after placing 1st at the state level. McKim will compete with representatives from other states in a written and welding test at the Kentucky Expo Center over those several days. The competition will send McKim a blueprint to prepare and pieces to practice on. “I was at work and my instructor called to tell me we were going on to Louisville,” McKim said. “I felt good about it, that I would move on.” After winning the state contest at Des Moines Area Community College, Mckim received welding equipment and duffel bag. If he
were to make it past Nationals, McKim would be awarded a welding machine and would be qualified to represent the US at the World Skills competition against other countries. “His best assets are following directions well and getting work done independently,” Robert Arendt, McKim’s instructor at Indian Hills/Keokuk County Career academy, said. “Welding class is self motivated. They get a topic sheet and work at their own pace to get everything complete, so it takes self discipline.” Arendt and McKim’s father will accompany McKim on his trip. “My dad used to be a welder, and ever since then I’ve welded a little bit for him in the shop,” McKim
said of his father. “I knew a little bit of the basics, but coming to the Career Academy taught me a lot more like cutting, voltage, and other stuff.” Two other students from the Career Academy, Tommy Hampton and Maria Cline, also placed 2nd and 3rd respectively in the state competition. This is the 2nd year in a row that Arendt has had one of his students go on to Nationals. “[Career Acadeny] prepare these students for industry, and for the workforce,” Arendt said. “I’m very proud of their accomplishments.” “I knew a little bit of the basics, but coming here taught me a lot more like cutting, voltage, and other stuff.”