SWCC AWARDED
CONFERENCE WIN
The Southwestern Community College marketing department received two awards at a recent conference in Des Moines. Read more on page 7A.
Nodaway Valley’s volleyball team defeated conference foe Pleasantville Thursday evening. The Wolverines move to 10-9 overall. Read more in SPORTS, page 1S.
creston
News Advertiser WEEKEND EDITION
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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2014
First Friday: The art of Valarie Allen
honor flight: long ago, but, not forgotten
By SARAH BROWN
CNA staff reporter sbrown@crestonnews.com
Contributed photo by JACK SCADDEN
Crestonians Bill Crittenden, left, and Merlin Scadden, standing, are all smiles as they visit during an Honor Flight send-off dinner Monday at Prairie Meadows in Altoona.
Area veterans take Honor Flight to Washington D.C Tuesday to pay tribute to their past. ■
By SARAH BROWN
CNA staff reporter sbrown@crestonnews.com
I
t was a day trip they will never forget. More than 300 Korean-era veterans and 85 guardians departed Des Monies International Airport bright and early Tuesday on a Boeing 747 for a trip to the nation’s capitol. Richard Ide, 82, of Shannon City said they couldn’t have traveled on a better day. “The sun was shining and it was a pretty time to look at the monuments,” Ide said. Ide, who served in the United States Army from 1952 to 1954 and was stationed in Korea, described the energy the night before their departure. At noon Monday, dozens of people gathered in Creston and lined the streets in Afton to greet and send off area veterans who were transported by Southwest
Contributed photo by BILL CRITTENDEN
The endless possibilities with glass is what allows Valarie Allen to satisfy her need to be creative. Allen, of Creston, is a self-taught glass artist and has been creating one-of-a-kind objects and jewelry since 2007 under the moniker Barn Art Studio. Allen’s journey into sculpting and fusing colored glass began in 2007 while on vacation in Williamsburg, Va. During her trip, she stumbled upon a glass blowing demonstration. “It was just fascinating,” Allen said. “It was like the old days. They were blowing it (glass), rolling it and had open fire kilns.” Allen creates her unique jewelry and sculptures through at least five different techniques, which first begin by heating colored glass between 600 and 800 degrees in a kiln. She said ability to manipulate glass is what fascinates her the most. “The techniques I most frequently use are fusing, carving, weaving, photo image transferring, pate de verre and scraphitto,” Allen said. “But, I constantly want to learn new processes.” Inspiration for Allen comes from nature. The organic nature of glass sculpting allows her to lose herself in the process. “The techniques and colors allow me to use glass as my outlet,” Allen said. “I become absorbed in whatever process I am working on.” While most of Allen’s work is made up of her own design, she is often hired for custom pieces, such as glass plaques with transferred images and artwork made with cremains, such as necklace pendants. Allen’s glass art and jewelry will be featured 6 to 8 p.m. tonight during an opening reception at Creston:Arts Gallery, 116 W. Adams St. For more information about Allen and her glass art visit www.barnartstudio.biz.
Korean War veterans Eddie Ehm of Afton, left, Bill Crittenden of Creston, center, and Richard Ide of Shannon City pose in front of the Korean War Veterans Memorial during an Honor Flight trip Tuesday in Washington, D.C. A plaque at the memorial reads, “Our nation honors her sons and daughters who answered the call to defend a country they never knew and a people they never met.”
Iowa Trolley to Des Monies. By dinner, the vets were making their way by the bus loads from a Holiday Inn to Prairie Meadows for a celebratory dinner. A motorcade of more than 100 motorcyclists lead the way through streets lined with supporters waving flags. “It was really something,” said Ide. “It (the motorcade)
appeared to be a block or two in length.” As the service men unloaded from the buses, they were greeted by more supporters waving American flags while music streamed from bagpipes. “We got quite the welcome,” Please see FLIGHT, Page 2
Contributed photo
This flower is made of colored-glass carefully fused together by artist Valarie Allen. Starting 6 p.m. tonight, Allen’s glass creations will be featured during the month of October in the Creston:Arts Gallery, 116 W. Adams St.
SWCC promotes manufacturing education By BAILEY POOLMAN
CNA staff reporter bpoolman@crestonnews.com
Southwestern Community College hosted iManufacture, an event dedicated to explaining and promoting education and careers in manufacturing. The event was held at SWCC’s student center Thursday, and stations were set up in the center to show off the different programs the college offers. “Southwestern was given a
In the next 10 years, trade jobs are expected to increase between five and 28 percent based on the skills needed. ■
grant through (Iowa) Department of Education, and it’s called the intermediary networks,” said Valerie White, workplace learning network coordinator. “They (SWCC) were challenged by Elevate Iowa to do Manufacturing Day and celebrate manufacturing in our area.”
Elevate Iowa is a partnership with community colleges to boost student enrollment in trades programs such as carpentry and electric. “There’s a skill gap that’s missing because there’s a lot of those who are older that will be retiring and leaving the workforce, and
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there’s skills that need to be developed amongst students,” White said. “We have the education right here at Southwestern.” In the next 10 years, trade jobs are expected to increase between five and 28 percent based on the skills needed. “That’s why it’s relevant: to get that education out to students to let them know what Southwestern has to offer and that the jobs are out there for them,” White said. White helped organize iManufacture to show students there are
education opportunities at SWCC in those trades. Different booths were set up with things to do, such as a sim spray automotive simulator, welding simulator and programmable logic controller. STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) representatives were present, and Gibson Memorial Library employees lent the library’s iPad Air with advanced manufacturing applications.
Please see SWCC, Page 2
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