Stories from Tuesday, June 23, 2020

Schaller Hose Company’s Fun Day Fundraiser is planned for July 11. Events include a BBQ cook-off at the fire station from 10 a.m.-6 p.m., a show and shine car show from 3-7 p.m., and two concerts. The show and shine includes classes for cars, trucks, motorcycles, antique fire trucks and semi trucks...

Okoboji duo Gary Lambert and David Boon will be on stage at Innspiration Vines & Wines in Linn Grove, Sunday June 28. Showtime is 3 p.m. at the outdoor stage. Boon & Lambert have 40+ combined years of performing, both logging time with Rock a la Carte most recently before they began their acoustic act in 2016. They have opened for the likes of Foghat, Michael W. Smith, Head East, Addison Road and more...

The Jay Clyde Band will perform at Early Crossroads Days, July 18. Showtime is 9 p.m. The Manson-based band has built a following around the region with cover songs including current pop, southern rock, ’80s-‘90s rock and country. The Jay Clyde Band is a combination of several guys who have played in many different bands, and have had many different experiences musically - Cory Waller, Neil Anders, Ronley King, Greg Merritt and Jake Merritt...

The fifth annual Okoboji Blue Water Festival scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 8, at the Green Space in Arnolds Park is the latest event to be postponed until August 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Organizer Greg Drees discussed the difficulty in making the decision...

C’mon. Everyone knows that when you rent a vacation house online, you read the reviews first. So maybe if Theo and Susanna, the upscale couple in “You Should Have Left,” had read the reviews before renting their lovely getaway house in Wales, just maybe they’d have come across that creepy guy who says in the film, “Some don’t leave.” He doesn’t seem to mean it in a good way...

Constance Lou “Connie” Rohlk, the daughter of Robert and Helen (Klanderud) Schroeder, was born July 2, 1930 in Storm Lake. She was the youngest of three siblings (Mac & Ann). Her childhood years were spent in Truesdale, Iowa, where she received her education, graduating in 1948. She continued her education at the University of Iowa Teacher’s College, where she received her teaching degree. She later finished her education at Buena Vista College in Storm Lake, receiving her BA degree...

Lynn DePrez, age 76, of Alta, died on Tuesday, June 16, at her home in Alta. Drive In Celebration of Life Service was held on Monday, June 22, at 11 a.m. at the west parking lot and west green space of Summit Evangelical Free Church in Alta. A time of visiting and refreshments will take place one hour prior to the service on the west lawn. ...

Dolores J. Johnson, age 94, of Albert City, died on Wednesday, June 17, at the Pleasant View Nursing Home in Albert City. Private Family Memorial Service were held on Saturday, June 20, at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Albert City. Burial will be in the Fairfield Township Cemetery in Albert City. The Sliefert Funeral Home in Albert City is in charge of the arrangements...

Joyce Nielsen, age 78, of Alta, Iowa died on Thursday, June 18, at Accura Healthcare in Aurelia, Iowa. Private family services will be held on Tuesday, June 23, at the Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Alta. Burial will be in the Woodlawn Cemetery in Alta. Public visitation took place on Monday, June 22, at the Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Alta. The Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Alta is in charge of the arrangements...

Iowa’s recent mild winter and dryer than normal April and May could lead to positive results for pheasant hunters this fall. Hen survival increases during mild winters, and more hens mean more nests and more nests typically means more pheasants in the fall...

Mike Copeland and Samantha Rasmussen, co-owners of The Turn Around, wanted to give back to our dancers and dance families by having scholarships for various grade levels. At the end of the dance year, they asked head dance teachers to nominate dancers from their classes for these awards. ...

An inflatable obstacle course and bounce house designed and built to be larger than the current world record holder is coming to Milford this summer. Bouncelandia, an inflatable attraction for all ages, is scheduled to open next to the Boji Bay Entertainment Plaza in Milford by the end of the month...

When Tim O’Brien tried to leave behind Worthington, Minn., the community where he lived his formative years, and later the Vietnam War, it was to try to forget both. Fast forward 50 years later and we have Dad’s Maybe Book, O’Brien’s homage to his sons Timmy and Tad and advice he hopes to leave behind for when he’s no longer around to mentor them...

One of Iowa’s most unique bands will make a rare area appearance. The Cedar Rapids-based Surf Zombies will be at Byron’s in Pomeroy, Sunday, July 19. Showtime is 5:30 p.m. The Surf Zombies raise surf rock from the dead with fast, crazy, original instrumentals that straddle retro surf, bubblegum punk, and garage rock. ...

The Pork Chop Revue, a Florida-Based show featured four-legged friends led by trainers Les and Nina Kimes, will be among the free shows on the Clay County Fair grounds, September 12-20. The bodacious barnyard buddies perform “amazing stunts and laughable antics” in this family-oriented show...

By THOMAS BEAUMONT Special to The Pilot After Donald Trump carried Iowa in 2016 by nearly 10 points, its swing state status was in doubt. But now, with stunning swiftness, Iowa Democrats have spun from distraught to hopeful. This shift appears to be propelled by the president’s uneven handling of the coronavirus pandemic and his aggressive response to protests over the death of George Floyd. ...

A federal jury may have a chance to determine a Milford man’s connection to pipe bombs, drugs, an arsenal of rifles, an explosive arrow and a fatal truck crash in eastern Iowa at the start of the year. The grand jury on June 9 charged 35-year-old Darrell Sorey with:...

Time is of the essence. If you or someone you know has recovered from COVID-19, the vital antibodies in your blood plasma could be used to help another patient fight off the disease or to create a medicine to potentially treat it.   Please join us to unite against COVID-19 by donating your plasma.  ...

LifeServe Blood Center is asking community members to book an appointment to give blood at an upcoming area blood drive. If a hospital patient requires a transfusion, that blood must come from a healthy volunteer donor. There’s no substitute! It’s important that eligible community members continue to give blood regularly to ensure the health of the community...

Families have been beating the heat in recent days at Awaysis Beach in Storm Lake.

Cancellation of the 2020 Threshermen & Collectors Show at Albert City was announced Friday. The show was to have been held in August. “We know that this will come as an enormous disappointment, to the volunteers, exhibitors and to all who attend the show. We also know you share in our sadness,” organizers said in an online post. “This was a very tough call to make, but we must have the health and wellness of our Threshermen Family at the highest priority.”...

Storm Lake residents are expressing displeasure with overgrowth along the lakefront and in the parks blocking the view of the lake, and help is on the way. The city has been working on a plan for trimming back the overgrowth, to the point that the Department of Natural Resources allows. The city has responsibility for property to the high water line, while the state controls the property from there down to the lake, and wants to ensure that enough plant life remains rooted to prevent erosion...

Storm Lake United is looking closely into the prospects to hold a Wood, Wine and Blues festival in Storm Lake this fall. With COVID-19 concerns lingering, bands are dropping their bookings, organizers said. Wineries and breweries that typically set up tasting booths in the park are also concerned...

Jamie Doescher was four classes short of earning her bachelor’s degree in child and adolescent psychology in March 2019 when the college she attended, Argosy University Twin Cities, closed, leaving Doescher in a state of uncertainty. “We had the option of trying to transfer credits, or we could possibly opt out of our degree completely,” says Doescher, of Lakefield, Minn. “With me only having four classes left, there’s no way I could quit and give up on everything.”...

A trend is continuing with new COVID-19 cases daily in Buena Vista County, but at a much lower rate than earlier. The county had 12 new cases Saturday, 19 Sunday, and one Monday at presstime - compared to the recent high of 106 new cases on Saturday, June 13...

Storm Lake Mayor Mike Porsch envisions an advisory group to help guide the city to progress on multi-cultural issues. Speaking at the recent Black Lives Matter rally in the city, Porsch said that the efforts can’t end there. He plans to keep that pledge...

A coalition of civil rights, public health, and labor organizations submitted a letter to the plant managers of Tyson’s two Storm Lake facilities Friday, calling on the company to release details of steps it is taking to comply with COVID-19 prevention guidance...

The Medical-Surgical department at Buena Vista Regional Medical Center in Storm Lake, has received the prestigious AMSN PRISM Award®, an honor recognizing exceptional nursing practice, leadership, and outcomes in hospital medical-surgical units. This is the first Medical-Surgical unit in Iowa to receive the award...

For over 100 days, 62-year-old, two-time cancer survivor Rob Sharpe has been walking across the United States on a unique journey. Rob, with wife Marvy piloting a support van and their dog Jackson riding shotgun, is following the path of historic Highway 20, the coast-to-coast route that dates as far back as the early 1920s in some sections...

As weeks of quarantine have dragged into months, a spark of optimism is evident in a battered Storm Lake business community beginning to emerge from the dark. “I’ve been getting some feedback that things are picking up a little bit. The businesses are hanging in there, trying to stay upbeat,” says Lee Dutfield, of Storm Lake United...