ALGONA — An era ended on Saturday.
Ernie’s Harley-Davidson officially closed its doors with a going out of business sale at the property on Highway 18 on Oct. 19.
“This is a bad deal,” said Jim Schumacher, who was browsing at different auction items. “I’m going to miss it I know that.”

ALGONA — When voters go to the polls on Nov. 5, they will be voting for both a city and school election for the first time.

ALGONA — A group of Algona High School students recently completed a volunteer water quality monitoring study of the east fork of the Des Moines River.

ALGONA — The Kossuth County Democrats hosted a meet and greet fundraiser for Democratic candidates on Tuesday, Oct. 8.
County Democratic Chair Steve King said he hopes we generate some excitement for candidates and politics for Democratic politics, particularly,” he said. “Hopefully we get some momentum going.”

ALGONA – The Algona Area Chamber of Commerce is holding its 27th annual Autumnfest Craft Show Saturday, Oct. 26. It consists of three locations; the Algona High School Commons and Gym, Bishop Garrigan High School Gym and the Knights of Columbus Hall.
This year there will be two new local crafters, Vaske Creations run by Stephen and Ashley Vaske and Desi’s Desserts run by Desiree Johnson. There will be shuttle buses to move customers between the three locations.

ALGONA – The Saturday morning of the Band Day parade was rainy and cold. Algona Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Vicki Mallory expected to wake up to a rainy day. As the weather evolved the rain stopped before the parade started and the sun came out as it was going on.
“There was a lot of last minute stuff that couldn’t be done earlier in the day,” Mallory said.

ALGONA — In the late 1940s it wouldn’t be uncommon for a handwritten piece of paper to take care of a bill at a hospital. Today, technology has taken over almost every aspect of the Kossuth Regional Health Center system.
“In the early days, it was typically private paying for health care needs and things were simpler,” said KRHC Interim Administrator Dar Elbert.

ALGONA — A tree planting exercise turned out to be an educational opportunity for Algona Community School District and Bishop Garrigan school students.
"It is awesome to see the kids out here," said Algona City Parks and Recreation Director Brody Bertram. "They have the biology background to be able to use these skills this fall or next spring, depending when they have their tree units."

ALGONA — When a Gold Star father of a fallen soldier comes to Algona to speak, it won’t be about him but about stories of the young men and women he has met and what the military is all about.
“I try to tell them that the inspirational part is what you do with your life day-to-day because you will never know what will happen tomorrow,” said Dan Robinson, the father of Navy Seal Senior Chief Petty Officer Heath Robinson, who died on Aug. 6, 2011, in combat.

SWEA CITY — Last week’s storm came so fast that Tagie Hersleff had to pick up his kid from the tub and get to safety.
“It was real dramatic. It is really life changing,” said Hersleff who lives just across the street, south of the North Kossuth School. “Mother Nature comes in and you don’t know what to do. You don’t know your next step. It was really scary.”

ALGONA – Algona Police Chief Kendall Pals received a Congeniality Award from the Algona Area Chamber of Commerce Friday during a chamber coffee event at the Good Samaritan Society.
Pals received the award for, “going above and beyond in his job, by choosing to serve as a police officer keeping the citizens of Algona safe,” Chamber Ambassador Jenni Weaver said.
Pals gave a speech after learning he won the award.

ALGONA – Algona High School and Bishop Garrigan High School bands have been preparing for Band Day since their summer vacation.
“Starting the end of last school year we started preparing,” Algona Drum Major MaKiley Pesicka said. “Throughout the summer we had practice once every other week. Then July came, practice was almost every week, band camp was four days in a row from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and we’ve prepared every day since.”

ALGONA – The Kossuth County C.A.R.E. Team held its third annual quilt show Saturday, Sept. 28. The quilt show raised funds that go to the C.A.R.E. Team.
Kossuth County C.A.R.E. Team Executive Director Linda Vaudt says it’s a good event to raise money and get word about the C.A.R.E. Team out.
“People that don’t know about us learn what we do,” Vaudt said. “We’re always looking for donations to keep our doors open.”
 

ALGONA – Kossuth County supervisor Chair Jack Plathe and supervisors Roger Tjarks and Donnie Loss voted in favor of a resolution approving an application for a wind energy conversion system (WECS) permit for Kossuth Wind Energy, owned by Invenergy.
The project will contain 84 wind turbines. It will have turbines about a mile from St. Benedict and Irvington. It will stretch from the Irvington area to near St. Benedict and the Kossuth County eastern border.

ALGONA — Volunteers in the Kossuth Regional Health Center Auxiliary have done what they can to provide services in a variety of ways.
Pam Wymore, who has been a volunteer since 1974, said the auxiliary is a group to volunteer with because it supports a major functioning facility in our community. “Try to imagine Algona or Kossuth County without a hospital?” she said. “That’s part of it. We are supporting the next generation actually.”