 Congrats to Montezuma's Sydney Burgess and Lauryn Larmore for being among the top five stat leaders in Class 1A Volleyball. Burgess comes in at number three in the state in the Kills category with 112. Larmore is number one and tied with Leah DeJong of Moravia in the Digs category with each player having 180.
 Michael DeJong of Montezuma shows bees from one of his hives west of Montezuma. DeJong got into beekeeping after taking an elective course at Iowa State University. He is currently offering large and small bottles of MD’s raw honey. By J.O. Parker Michael DeJong, 23, of Montezuma was in his third year as an industrial engineering student at Iowa State University and was looking to take a fun elective class. That led DeJong to a course on beekeeping entitled “Bee Biology, Management, and Beekeeping.” “I decided to take the class, and the experience was very eye-opening and educational,” noted DeJong. “In the classroom, we learned about bee biology, diseases, pests, etc., but every other week, we got hands-on experience managing a hive, completing inspections and taking care of the bees.” DeJong said before taking the class, he had no idea how complex the bee colony was, so “I came to appreciate the hard work that goes into managing a hive and wanted to try it myself,” he said. That experience led DeJong to founding MD’s Bees as a hobby in the spring of 2024 after graduating from ISU. DeJong purchased bees and set up four colonies in the country west of Montezuma on his parents’ pond. The hives are surrounded by acres of wildflowers, timber, and CRP land, which provide the bees with a variety of resources to forage on. “My first year, I harvested just 65 pounds of honey, and while bottling it, I came up with my company name, MD’s Bees.” DeJong said an interesting fact about the company logo he created is that it features a hidden secret in the middle with yellow honeycomb in the background. “The yellow honeycomb cutout on it is actually the shape of the pond where the hives are located,” said DeJong. “My first year of beekeeping, I started with four hives,” he said. “During my second year of beekeeping, I grew my apiary to six hives and have sustained that number since.” DeJong said six hives is the perfect number, since it is just him personally managing each hive. There are no plans to expand the business at this time. DeJong extracts the honey in the family-owned machine shed right next to where he keeps the hives. He said his honey has zero additives and it is not filtered or processed by industrial equipment. “It is raw honey straight from the hives,” he said. “We don't filter out the pollen either, so eating the local honey builds your allergy tolerance.” Helping guide DeJong in the business are two beekeeping mentors, Margi Constantino and Patti Collins, who have 10 years of experience and produce Sweet Surrender Honey. “They have helped me tremendously along the way, especially my first year as a new beekeeper,” said DeJong. “They live just two miles from my hives, and we partner together and help each other out, including allowing me to borrow their 12-frame extractor during honey harvesting season.” Also pitching in is DeJong’s wife, Katherine, who helps with the bees as well. “She helps me film educational TikTok videos, prepare equipment, and extract honey,” said DeJong. “We also have a big crew that helps every year during the extraction process. It takes a village, so I have to thank my entire family and friends for supporting me every year during harvest. I couldn't do it without them.” When asked what he enjoys about the beekeeping process, DeJong said the challenges and problem solving that come with keeping bees. “Many people think you can just set out a hive in the spring and expect honey in the fall, but it doesn't work like that,” DeJong said. “I am working in the hives or preparing equipment around four hours per week. There are numerous challenges that require critical thinking to keep your bees alive, healthy, and thriving.” MD’s Bees honey is sold direct to the consumer and is not available in stores or at farmers markets. If interested in trying MD’s Bees honey, contact DeJong via his website, www.mds-bees.com and leave a message for pricing or to arrange payment and pick-up. “I sell two bottle sizes, including a large and a small bottle,” he said. For more information on MD’s Bees, check out the company on TikTok @michael_dejong to watch his educational videos and behind-the-scenes looks at how it all happens. “And of course, I want to thank all of my existing customers for supporting me and buying raw, local honey,” DeJong said. “I also welcome new customers as well.” DeJong did note that honey from this years’ extraction are getting low, so if interested, please visit his website listed above. Outside of beekeeping, DeJong enjoys spending time with family, traveling, swimming and working with technology.  Pictured is MD’s Bees Apiary which consists of six hives. Take a closer look and you can actually see some of the bees hanging out on the front of one of the hives!ok. Thanks, J.O.  MD’s Bees offers two sizes of honey bottles for sale.
 The Montezuma American Legion Post 169 is hosting the 5th Annual Car Show on the Montezuma Square on Saturday, Sept. 26 from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. with judging at 2 p.m.
 Leah Urfer, 17, the daughter of Josh and Erica Urfer of Montezuma, waves to the crowd after being introduced during the Iowa State Fair Queen Contest on Saturday, Aug. 15. Leah was named the Poweshiek County Fair Queen on Saturday, July 11 in Grinnell. She will be a senior at Montezuma this fall with future plans to attend Iowa State University to major in biochemistry with a minor in business or marketing on a pre-dental track. She wants to be an oral surgeon. Her current activities are church, community, softball, volleyball, FFA, 4-H, National Honor Society and high school student council. Judging is based on personality, attitude, leadership, citizenship, contribution to community, overall appearance, charm and poise. Belle Werner of Tama County was named the 2026 ISF Queen. Iowa State Fair photo.
 The Clarksville Indians celebrate the Class 1A state softball title, beating Edgewood-Colesburg, 5-2, at Rogers Field in Fort Dodge. Two sisters, Brooke and Kara Bohlen, who have Montezuma ties, helped lead the team to back-to-back state titles. The sisters’ parents are Darren and Molly (Thompson) Bohlen. Molly is a 1998 graduate of Montezuma. By J.O. Parker Two high school softball players with Montezuma ties helped lead the Clarksville Indians to its third straight appearance in the state tournament and back-to-back Class 1A state titles last month in Fort Dodge. The Bohlen sisters, Brooke, 15, a freshman, and Kara, 17, a junior, fought through much adversity to capture the title. In first round action the Indians, the number two ranked team in the tournament, survived a tough 15-inning game, beating the North Butler Bearcats, 12-11. Next up, the Indians beat the Fort Dodge St. Edmond Gaels, 5-4, in game two. In game three, the Indians played the Gales, losing, 12-13. The two teams played a third game with Clarksville winning, 6-5, to advance to the title game in the double elimination section of the tournament. The Indians then faced the number eight Edgewood-Colesburg, beating the Vikings, 5-2, to win the state title. Brooke and Kara are the daughters of Darren and Molly (Thompson) Bohlen. Molly is a 1998 graduate of Montezuma and is the daughter of Delmar and Jeannie Thompson. Brooke, who wears number 23, has been playing softball since she was 5-years-old, saying her sister, Kara, is her inspiration. “It just feels awesome to be able to play on the same field as Kara because I look up to her so much,” said Brooke. “We played the year before and that was my first year playing high school softball as an eighth grader,” she said. Brooke, who plays in the outfield, says the Indians have great team chemistry in all facets of the game. “Every single girl on our team can hit the ball,” said Brooke. “Our whole team is filled with underclassman who know how to play the game.” In addition to softball, Brooke plays basketball, participates in track and field as well as plays AAU softball for the Central Iowa KAOs. As for her future, Brooke plans to work in real estate. Kara, who wears number 26 for the Indians, has been playing softball for about 12 years. One of her favorite parts of softball is helping the younger girls and teaching them little tricks or habits. “I was so thankful for the opportunity to play again this year at state,” said Kara. “It was so fun and so rewarding.” This was Kara’s third year to play in the state tournament. Her first year was when she was in eighth grade and pinch hit for the team. And last year, the Indians captured the state softball title. In addition to softball, Kara is involved in basketball and track and field. As for her future, Kara plans to go into the medical field. Molly, who played volleyball and golf at Montezuma, said it’s an unbelievable feeling seeing her two girls compete together on the same field. “There were so many emotions and this year definitely was a battle in those first few games,” said Molly. “It reminded me of the days when I was able to watch my younger brothers, Ryan and Luke, compete and play in sports together during their high school years.”
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