FINALISTS
BBQ RESULTS
Lenox’s Spencer Brown and Nodaway Valley’s Destiny Scar are the first finalists revealed for the 2016 South Central Iowa Athlete of the Year awards. For more on Brown and Scar, see SPORTS, page 5A. >>
The seventh-annual Battle of the BBQ was held Friday and Saturday in Corning. For results, see page 8A. >>
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SHAW MEDIA GROUP SERVING SW IOWA SINCE 1879 BREAKING NEWS COVERAGE AT WWW.CRESTONNEWS.COM
MONDAY, AUGUST 1, 2016
McKinley Park Festival Van Eaton
remembered for welcoming, helpful nature By KELSEY HAUGEN CNA associate editor khaugen@crestonnews.com
CNA photos by SCOTT VICKER
ABOVE, Dassi Gates, 6, right, closely inspects her hook Saturday during the kids’ fishing derby at McKinley Park Festival. Also pictured are Gideon, 2, with mother Jennifer and Alan, 5, all of rural Creston. More than 60 children participated in the fishing derby. BELOW LEFT, Graham Jensen hits a boardslide on a rail Saturday afternoon during the skateboarding competition at McKinley Park Festival. About 25 skateboarders participated in the competition. BELOW RIGHT, Savannah Song, 7, of Creston plays a violin solo during Saturday’s Bill Riley Talent Contest at the McKinley Park Festival.
GREENFIELD – At Nodaway Valley High School, Zoey Van Eaton wore a smile that “lit up the room” and made others feel welcome. W h e n w o r k i n g Van Eaton with classmates, she sought to lighten the mood and make learning fun. And, on the job, she balanced a good work ethic with her sassy personality. “She was a wonderful student,” said Tina Phillippi, Nodaway Valley Middle School teacher and assistant high school volleyball coach. “She always made people feel comfortable and welcomed. She had a great gift with that.” On July 20, the 17-yearold Van Eaton of Greenfield died in a motorcycle-SUV collision in west Nashville, Tennessee, while on a motorcycle trip with her father, Scott Van Eaton, and brother, Bradley. According to a Nashville Metropolitan Police Department report, she was a passenger on a Harley-Davidson driven by her father when the fatal accident occurred. Only she lost her life in the crash. In an obituary published by her family, Van Eaton, born on January 30, 1999, in Creston, was described as “a gift from God” and one with
an “infectious laugh and sassy personality.” She spent the majority of her short life on a farm south of Fontanelle with her family. She loved spending time with her favorite dog, Prince, and best friend, Jordan. Three years ago, Van Eaton and her family moved to Greenfield. In the fall, she would have been a senior at Nodaway Valley. “She always had a sassiness to her that would let you know she was trying to find out the person that she was,” Phillippi said. Casey Berlau, Nodaway Valley Community Schools superintendent, added: “She was just a nice and great Berlau kid from my perspective.” At school, Phillippi remembers Van Eaton for the way she made classmates feel welcome. “She was everybody’s friend,” Phillippi said. “I don’t think Zoey really knew a stranger. When they were in group work, she had a way of making learning fun and entertaining for her classmates, whether it was a lab or readings.” During Van Eaton’s middle and high school years at Nodaway Valley Community Schools, she played volleyball, participated in FFA and played multiple instruments VAN EATON | 2A
CNA photo by SCOTT VICKER
CNA photo by BAILEY POOLMAN
Barbecue: Luke Crawford holds a pair of tongs and checks on a set of chicken wings on the grill during the seventh-annual Battle of the BBQ held Friday in Corning. Crawford is with Mama’s Boy BBQ of Middletown, Ohio.
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Copyright 2016
Volume 133 No. 43
2016
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Flash flood: The wooden train at Taylor Park is surrounded by water this morning during
a flash flood warning in Union County. By 7:12 a.m., 3.38 inches of rain had been reported in Creston. National Weather Service forecasters said at 10 a.m. between 5 and 6 inches of rain had fallen in the previous six hours.
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