Eight Poweshiek County 4-H and FFA Grand Champion winners will participate in the 2024 Best of the Best on Saturday, July 27 at the Iowa County Fairgrounds in Marengo. Introductions get underway at 10 a.m. with the show following at 11 a.m. Pictured, from left, front row: Emma Norman, Champion Market Beef; Dayton Mortvedt, Champion Breeding Doe; Anthony Wolfe, Champion Breeding Gilt. Back row: Rhylee Rodgers, Champion Market Hog; Rylie Smith, Champion Breeding Beef; Hailey Heishman, Champion Market Goat; Kaylia Fuch, Champion Breeding Ewe; and Anna Slagle, Champion Market Lamb. Submitted photo.

By J.O. Parker
 
         Poweshiek County will be well represented at the 2024 Best of the Best competition on Saturday, July 27 at the Iowa County Fairgrounds in Marengo.
       Eight area 4-H and FFA Grand Champion winners in swine, meat goat, beef and sheep from the 2024 Poweshiek County Fair will go against champions from Benton, Buchanan, Cedar, Clinton, Delaware, Dubuque, Iowa, Jones, Keokuk, Linn, Scott and Tama counties.
     Grand introductions start at 10 a.m. with the show immediately following at 11 a.m. Show order – Breeding Heifers, Breeding Goats, Breeding Gilts, Breeding Sheep, Market Goats, Market Hogs, Market Lambs and Market Beef.
          The Best of the Best was started in 2016 by Rob and Mary Vetech of Marengo, who direct the event and serve on the showdown committee.
        “The whole goal for this is to keep the county fairs relevant,” said Mary. “Our young people have lots of choice of activities and the Best of the Best keeps them motivated to participate in county fairs.”
          All 13 counties that participate in the Best of the Best have a member on the event committee.
        “Together, we (the Best of the Best committee) organize and rally troops and keep our young people a priority.”
      There are 10 regional showdowns across the state of Iowa and the Best of the Best is the largest showdown in the state.
       “Out of our 13 counties, our grand champions from the Best of the Best will compete in the All-Iowa Showdown in Oskaloosa on Sunday, Aug. 4 at 1 p.m. at the Southern Iowa Fairgrounds,” noted Mary.  
          The Iowa County Fairgrounds is located at 800 East Marion St., Marengo.
          Representing Poweshiek County are:
Swine
          Rhylee Rodgers, Grand Champion Market Hog, Sheridan 4-H Club.
          Anthony Wolfe, Supreme Champion Breeding Gilt, Sheridan 4-H Club.
Sheep
          Anna Slagle, Grand Champion Market Lamb, Sheridan 4-H Club.
          Dayton Mortvedt, Grand Champion Breeding Doe, Sugar Creek 4-H Club.
Beef
          Rylie Smith, Grand Champion Supreme Breeding Female, Sheridan 4-H Club.
          Emma Norman, Grand Champion Market Beef, Sugar Creek 4-H
Meat Goat 
          Kaylia Fuch, Grand Champion Breeding Ewe, Poweshiek Pioneers 4-H Club.
          Hailey Heishmann, Grand Champion Market Goat, HLV FFA.

      The community is invited to meet Lisa Beames, the new Superintendent of Grinnell Newburg Community School District (GNCSD), at an open house welcome event on Wednesday, July 31 from 4 - 6 p.m. in the Drake Library Community Room. Superintendent Beames will make remarks at 5:30 p.m. The event is being hosted by the Coalition of Community Partners led by the Grinnell Newburg School Foundation (GNSF)
    This event provides an opportunity for Grinnell residents, community leaders, and business owners to meet Superintendent Beames before the start of the new school year. The open house format allows attendees to drop in at their convenience during the two-hour window.
       “We’re excited to introduce Superintendent Beames to our community,” said GNSF Co-President Ashley Grundler.
      According to GNSF Co-President, Roger Henderson, “This event is a great chance for our residents to welcome her and share what makes Grinnell special.”
        Community partners joining GNSF for this event include the Claude and Dolly Ahrens Foundation (CDAF), Drake Community Library, Grinnell Education Partnership (GEP), Greater Poweshiek Community Foundation (GPCF), Grinnell Chamber of Commerce, Grinnell College Office of Community Partnerships, Planning, and Research, and Grinnell Mutual.
        “Each day brings us closer to the beginning of the 2024 - 25 school year." noted Superintendent Beames. "I am excited for our work on behalf of the Grinnell Newburg Community School District’s students and community. I believe, together, we will accomplish amazing things. I look forward to meeting each of you.”
       The welcome event precedes Superintendent Beames’ formal introductions to GNCSD educators and students as the new school year begins.
      All community members are encouraged to attend and offer a warm Grinnell welcome to Superintendent Lisa Beames.

       Current Peanutters are making their way across the nation in the Planters NUTmobile. They are, from left: Jessie Carl, Katie Krupinski and Ryan Connors. The trio was in Grinnell and Newton from July 9 - 15.

 By J.O. Parker
 
       The Planters NUTmobile is rolling all across the country making stops along the way. They were in Grinnell and Newton from July 9 -15.
         The large nut-shaped vehicle is under the direction of Peanutters, as they are called, Ryan Connors, Jessie Carl and Katie Krupinski. The trio is spending a year traveling in the lower 48 states sharing good will and talking all things nuts.
         This is the 11th year that the NUTmobile, which is owned by Hormel, has been touring the United States. It is currently the only vehicle of its type on the road.
        The trio, known as brand ambassadors or Peanutters, left Austin, Minn. (Hormel headquarters), in mid-June and have already made nine stops including Rochester Hills, Mich. (Carl’s hometown), Gettysburg, Pa., Hoboken, N.J., Long Island, N.Y. (Connors’ hometown) and Washington, D.C., where they met the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile while in the Nation’s Capital.
         “That’s a lot of bologna,” said Connors with a chuckle.
        While in Grinnell, the trio stayed at Hotel Grinnell and ate at local eateries. They also visited with and had photos taken with curious on-lookers who stopped to check out the NUTmobile.
       As part of their stay in the Grinnell area, the trio spent July 12 – 14 at the Hy-Vee Indy Race in Newton where the 108-year-old Mr. Planters made daily appearances and race fans stopped for photos and received free salty Planters goodies from the operators.
      “When we stop, we handout peanut stickers and peanuts and when we can, we take pictures,” said Krupinski.
         “We love to take photos of people and tell them all about the NUTmobile,” said Carl.
          While on the road, the Peanutter’s carry nutty names.
          Connors is “Honey Roasted Ryan.”
          Carl is “Peanut Butter and Jessie.”
          Krupinski is “Maca-Katie-A.”
        The NUTmobile is 26-foot long, 11.5-foot tall and 8-foot wide and according to Connors, weighs three-million (13,000 pounds) peanuts. The 2017 NUTmobile currently has 132,000 miles and seats six people. The Peanutters do not sleep in the NUTmobile and there is no restroom onboard.
          The ceiling of the vehicle features the timeline of Mr. Peanut and company.
        According to Wikipedia, Planters Peanut Company was founded in 1906 in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. by Amedeo Obici, and incorporated two years later as the Planters Nut and Chocolate Company.
    In 1916, youngster Antonia Gentile submitted drawings of an anthropomorphic (relating to or characterized) peanut to a design contest.
        “When his design was chosen, commercial artist Andrew S. Wallach added the monocle, top hat and cane to create the iconic image,” noted Wikipedia. “Gentile’s family originally received five dollars for winning the contest.”
        Obici later paid Gentile and four of his siblings’ way through college and also paid for Gentile to attend medical school.
         Connors, Carl and Krupinski all share duties driving the NUTmobile. 
         The Hormel office plans about a half-dozen major events during the year that the trio is on the road. The      Hy-Vee Indy Car Races was one of the planned stops. The rest of the trip is self-planned.
         “We are in a different city every 3 – 5 days,” said Krupinski.
         “The goal is to stop at all 48 continental states,” said Connors.
         Last year, the NUTmobile crew visited 39 states and in 2022, the crew visited 46 states.
        The current Peanutters, who did not know each other prior to joining the NUTmobile crew, learned about the road trip in different ways.
      Krupinski, a native of the Chicago area and current resident of Texas, learned about the NUTmobile opportunity from a friend who was on the crew two years ago. She holds a degree in public relations and a minor in business administration from Texas State University. 
       “My favorite part about being a Peanutter is exploring new cities and spreading joy across the country,” said Krupinski.
       Carl, who is from Rochester Hills, Mich., learned about the NUTmobile opportunity from her mom, who sent her a newspaper clipping she received from friend about the joining the NUTmobile crew.
      “It said ‘Mr. Peanut is looking for the next class of Peanutters,’” said Carl of the ad. “My whole family is excited for me.”
       Carl holds a degree in musical theater from the University of Northern Colorado.
     “My favorite part of being a Peanutter is the opportunity to see the entire country and bring smiles to people,” said Carl. “I’m so excited.”
       Connors, a native of Manhasset, N.Y., is a graduate of Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, where he earned a degree in communications with a minor in journalism.
      “I was looking for a job where I could travel,” said Connors. “I learned about the NUTmobile job through an ad on Instagram.”
      Connors has a life goal of visiting all 50 states before he turns 25. He’s already visited 31 states and has 19 more to go. The NUTmobile doesn’t travel to Alaska nor does it visit Hawaii.
     “My favorite part of being a Peanutter is being able to visit states I’ve never been to before,” said Connors.     “I’m looking forward to meeting people from all over the country.”
     The NUTmobile left Grinnell on Monday, July 15. The next stop is the Chicago area then they will make a stop in Beloit, Wisc., Canterbury, Minn., Winston-Salem, N.C., Bentonville, Ark., Cincinnati, Ohio; and Suffolk, Va.
     “It’s a lot of nutcracking fun,” said Krupinski of the journey.
      For more information on the NUTmobile, visit https://www.plantersnutmobile.com/schedule/.

      We heard there's this thing called "the Summer Olympics" or something like that happening later this month. ...or something.
      Sounds cool and all, but more importantly, our show, "The Big Five-Oh" hits the stage around the same time. It's going to be THE BIGGEST event to hit Brooklyn this month and you won't want to miss it! Get your tickets today, and secure the best seats in the house!
https://www.eventbrite.com/.../brooklyn-theatre-company...

​      Grand Marshals this year were sisters, Peggy Elliott and Martha Pinder, owners of the Grinnell Hearld Register, who rode in a 1963 Chevrolet Nova SS Convertible driven by Jim White, who bought the vehicle in 1973. Riding shotgun and joining the newspaper duo was Chris Varney, former sports director at KGRN in Grinnell. In late May, KGRN, the local radio station in Grinnell, fired the entire staff in favor of outsourced news. Varney has accepted a job in Atlantic, Iowa and will soon be moving from Grinnell.

By J.O. Parker

      Nearly 70 Grinnell businesses and organizations along with area communities were represented at the annual Fourth of July Parade on a comfortable Thursday, July 4 afternoon.
      Both sides of the parade route were lined with folks of all ages dressed in festive clothing and kids with candy bags awaiting to be filled.
       All were there for one reason, to celebrate our freedoms and our nation’s 248th birthday.
      The parade featured an assortment of floats from fire trucks to tractors and farming equipment, a big ear of corn, decorated golf carts and ATVs, trucks and trailers loaded with kids squirting water guns, a Mayflower ship, decorated semitrucks, horses, a church furniture outreach, martial arts students, local veterans, a fellow dressed in Confederate War attire and much more.
     Grand Marshals this year were sisters, Peggy Elliott and Martha Pinder, owners of the Grinnell Hearld Register, who rode in a 1963 Chevrolet Nova SS Convertible driven by Jim White, who bought the vehicle in 1973.
    Riding shotgun and joining the newspaper duo was Chris Varney, former sports director at KGRN in Grinnell. In late May, KGRN, the local radio station in Grinnell, fired the entire staff in favor of outsourced news. Varney has accepted a job in Atlantic, Iowa and will soon be moving from Grinnell.
     “It was a great honor to be asked by Martha and Peggy to ride with them,” said Varney. “I hate to be leaving Grinnell but riding in the parade was a good way to say goodbye to a community I was privileged to be a part of for the last 13 years.”
      “I’m glad I live in Grinnell to see all the people that line the streets and wave and yell at you and are so happy to be here never gets old,” said White of the parade. “It’s always like a reunion of old friends seeing people sitting in the same places with friends, neighbors, classmates and families. It’s just a coming together of everyone and it always makes me feel so good.”
       White added that it’s like a big family reunion for the town and surrounding areas.
       “I appreciate all the people who wave and holler and say nice things to you,” said White. “It always makes me feel good.”
      Grinnell resident Rachel Bly said she is usually walking in the parade and being able to watch this year from the sidelines was a treat.
       “From celebrating local journalists as our marshals, to the horses at the end, the Grinnell parade is always fantastic,” noted Bly. “Highlights for me were the C & K flag truck, the fire trucks from Grinnell and so many other surrounding towns, the Mayflower float, and the semis with train whistles that convinced us all a train was coming! The weather was perfect and it was great to see the community come together to celebrate the parade.”
      “I love our small town parades and seeing all the familiar faces in the parade,” said Cindy Bartley Pollock. “It’s fun seeing all the creativity of our local businesses and organizations. What a treasure to have a running 1913 American LeFrance leading the Grinnell Fire Trucks. Being a horse girl, I love seeing the horses in the parade. The semis this year were impressive. I loved seeing them all together. Kudos to the C & K (trucking) crew. We’ve lived in Grinnell for 20 years, they always have an impressive entry. It was a great parade as always.”
       “Grinnell has a great parade and I love capturing photos of the variety of entries and sharing them with others,” said Duane McClun, a local Grinnell photographer.
        Quinton O’Halloran, 5, commented that the trucks were too noisy.
        Parade attendee Larry Brown said Grinnell goes to a lot of work to put together the parade.
        “It was nice parade, a good parade,” said Suzanne Nekloa, who attended the parade with friends.
        “It was awesome and kind of loud and fun,” said Lena Schaw, 9, who enjoyed the parade with her family.
        The Fourth of July Parade and related activities are sponsored by the Grinnell Chamber of Commerce.

​       Daneen Schafbuch, owner of the newly opened New Day Flower Farm at 1558 Old 6 in rural Brooklyn, welcomes customers to stop at her newly opened retail store. The business offers a variety of farm fresh-cut flowers and dried flower arrangements along with faith-based T-shirts, jewelry and homemade greeting cards. Schafbuch has been growing and selling flowers since 2019 and opened the business to be able to spend more time with family, attend school events and support the family farming operation.

By J.O. Parker
 
         Putting smiles on people’s faces is something that Daneen Schafbuch takes to heart.
       Step inside her newly opened retail store, New Day Flower Farm, 1558 Old 6, rural Brooklyn, and one of the first things customers will notice behind the store counter is the neon sign “God Smiles through Flowers.”
        “I just want to make people smile,” said Schafbuch. “That is the whole point behind my business.”
Schafbuch has been raising and selling farm fresh-cut flowers on-line through a subscription-based flower club since 2019.
      “People purchase my flowers on-line through my website,” said Schafbuch. “People order four or eight bouquets at a time and I deliver them locally.”
      Schafbuch said people purchase the flowers for Christmas, Mother’s Day, birthdays, anniversaries and special occasions.
     As the business grew, Schafbuch decided to branch out and sell her fresh-cut flowers to area floral businesses. She quickly learned that the Amish already had the corner on that market, so she started offering the flowers at pop-up events such as Homegrown Grace, a twice yearly vendor fair in nearby Victor.
        “The pop-up events helped get the word out about my business,” she said.
     Wanting to spend more time at home and with family, attend school events and support the farming operation all led Schafbuch to open the new retail store. The store, which is located at the family farm, opened its doors on Thursday, July 11.
      The new retail store offers fresh-cut flowers, dried flowers and an assortment of faith-based T-shirts and jewelry along with greeting cards made in Brooklyn.
        “I wanted a place where people can come and be able to purchase my flowers and gifts,” said Schafbuch.
        When asked what she enjoys the most about her flower business, Schafbuch said it’s a gift from God.
       “I truly believe that your talent is your gift from God and what you do with that talent is your gift back to God.”
      In the early going, Schafbuch started growing her flowers in containers and then started growing them from seed.
       All of her flowers but one are planted and grown from seed on a half-acre of land next to the retail store.
It takes from 60 – 120 days to grow each kind of flower she raises. Her flower garden has around 4,000 flowers.
        Her flower offerings include: Cosmos, Sunflowers, Zinnics, Celosia, Gomphrene, Dianthus and Statice.
        The retail store is open Thursday – Sunday, from 8 a.m. – 12 p.m.
      In addition, each morning customers can stop and pick-up a grab-n-go bouquet from the front porch of the business and pay through an honor system.
       There is also a u-cut flower option from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. daily, also on the honor system.
       People can also order flowers through the business website, www.newdayflowerfarm.com.
       The business phone number is: 515-205-3145.
       The business email is: [email protected]
       Schafbuch was quick to add that without her faith, none of this would be possible.
     “I really want my faith to be part of the business,” she said. “I place a scripture card with all of my bouquets.”
        She said every morning is new and she enjoys being inspired by all the flowers that bloomed overnight.
        “I feel like every day is a new day,” said Schafbuch.