Set the Scene was the theme chosen for the 2022 Bishop Garrigan High School prom held Saturday, April 30. The evening began with the traditional grand march followed by the dance and after prom games at the school. Arriving for the grand march from left: Jacob DePue, Marissa Rahe, Emma Bacha and Carter Morphew. Kim Wegener photo

Editor’s note: This is the second of three parts of the year in review, featuring May-June 2022. Next week will feature July-December.

Grandgenett 90th

Joan Grandgenett will celebrate her 90th birthday on January 11.

Cards will reach her if sent to Box 144, Wesley, IA 50483.

Kossuth County Master Gardeners hosted a holiday garland workshop, led by Master Gardener Shannon Franke on December 1.

Participants learned how to wire pieces of greenery together and add embellishments to make their own unique garland or wreath. From left: Lisa Zeller and her daughters, Maria Edwards, Anna Zeller, Jeni Hill and Reba Zeller enjoyed creating holiday decorations together.

WHITTEMORE—The highly anticipated return of the chili cook-off contest sponsored by the Whittemore Community Betterment Club is a little more than two weeks away.

The 2023 event will be held on Saturday, January 21, with serving from 5 to 8 p.m. or until the chili is gone at the Seely-Walsh Post #425 of the American Legion. This is a new location for the contest.

Book Munchers had an active month at the Whittemore Library and had fun on game day.

Photos clockwise: Rowen Dahlhauser, Tommy Fell, Beck Zimmerman and Ben Fell playing Candyland; Tanner and Evan Elbert playing Connect Four; Patience Ostwald drawing at the Christmas party; and Tommy Fell and Rowen Dahlhauser playing Christmas Bingo. Submitted photos

Members of the Book Munchers at the Whittemore Public Library helped the library staff out by decorating the Christmas tree in the children’s room at the library in December.

Front, from left: Patience Ostwald and Tanner Elbert.

Back: Evan Elbert and Rowen Dahlhauser. Submitted photo

More than 40 children attended the Santa Claus Day at the Whittemore Legion on December 17. Every child received a gift and the chance to tell Santa Claus their Christmas wishes. Merchant drawings were also held and stores featured specials. Submitted photo

In Ms. Keiper’s kindergarten classroom at West Bend-Mallard School in December, the students created a Holidays Around the World project.

The students pretended to fly in a plane, eat tiny plane pretzels, completed read-alouds, created crafts and filling out their passports to countries around the world to learn how they celebrate the holidays. An elf even came with the class on the trip. Submitted photos

ALGONA—The City of Algona celebrated a gift to the Central Park Redevelopment Project and Splash Pad campaign, with a gift of $25,000 from Algona’s Noon Kiwanis Club.

“The Noon Kiwanis Club has a long history of supporting Algona’s parks. We are thankful for this gift and their continued support for Central Park and our community,” said City of Algona Recreation Manager Nick Diers.

The Corwith Public Library staff and patrons express appreciation to the Hancock County Foundation for the generous gift of $7,500 toward the purchase of a new geothermal unit. With the extremely cold temperatures, library staff said it is a gift much appreciated. Submitted photo

Kayce Lee Smith

Alex and Kuleen (Parsons) Smith of Algona announce the birth of their son, Kayce Lee, on December 23, 2022, at the Kossuth Regional Health Center. He weighed 8 pounds, 4 ounces and was 21 1/2 inches long. Kayce is welcomed home by a brother, Maverick.

Maternal grandparents are Michelle and Ron Parsons. Paternal grandparents are Amy and Rick Smith. Great-grandmother is Jenny Smith.

BURT—Do your New Year’s resolutions include eating healthier or being more budget conscious when grocery shopping? If so, make plans to join ISU Extension and Outreach in Kossuth County and the Burt Public Library for the program, Good Nutrition on a Budget.

ALGONA—A new social club will kick off in January, with the goal of providing networking opportunities for newcomers and individuals who have recently returned to the Algona area.

Algona Area Young Professionals is a project of the Algona Area Economic Development Corporation, with support from the City of Algona and the Tietz Entrepreneurial Center.

ALGONA—Undecorated holiday trees are accepted in the Veterans Park compost pile, but residents are asked to follow a few easy steps before disposing of a tree. Undecorate the tree and remove all ornaments, decorations, tinsel, lights, wires, and/or tree stands from the tree before bringing it to the compost pile. Only real trees can be composted. Artificial trees are not accepted.   

DES MOINES— The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) began in late December 2022 and will continue to spend several months gathering information about farm economics and production practices from farmers and ranchers across Iowa, as the agency conducts the third and final phase of the 2022 Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS).