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VOL. 163 NO. 52Copyright 2013 The Fayette County Union

The ‘Gift of Giving’

See this issue

FAYETTE COUNTYFAYETTE COUNTYThe UnionTo ‘Marvel’ during the holidays

The late Marvel Alber Sauerbrei loved Christmas more than anything. One of her fa-vorite movies was “It’s a Wonderful Life.” The movie has become an in-spiration in so many lives today, much like Marvel was to people who knew her best. As Marvel Alber, she would start a Christmas collection that would become like no other. Family members stopped counting as her different Santa Clauses swelled to over 114 in number. She had 40 angels in her collection, and her dolls numbered 70. Then there are her Christmas village pieces, some 75 of them, some lighted and some not. Many have moving parts as little skaters move around on an ice rink. Marvel collected Thomas Kincaid pieces that draw the attention of both adults and chil-dren. There is one musical piece that has little danc-ers changing scenes as the stage revolves. Passersby at the Sauerbrei home at 315

South Pine in West Union know that the Christmas spirit lives in a residence lit up by no fewer than three Christmas trees surround-ed by Marvel’s collection. The illumination from the small village windows will lend a glow to the darkness outside the home’s win-dows.

The chance meeting of Marvel Alber and Warren Sauerbrei could be a mov-ie script. He grew up in Readlyn and married a girl from Oran named LaDonna Heineman. He came to

West Union in 1968 to manage the West Union Co-op.

Their children, Marv, Marie, Mark, and Marjorie graduated from North High. Marcia and Marty fin-ished school in Lebanon, Mo., where Warren oper-ated a dairy farm.

The six Sauerbrei kids were close friends with the eight children of Gary and Marvel Alber. The Alber siblings are Randy, Steve, Jeff, Tad, Chad, Brooke, Joy, and Kristi.

The Albers had a fam-

ily band, and its biggest fans were the Sauerbreis. Its theme song was Merle Haggard’s “Okie from Muskogee” if the band would play at the American Legion Hall in Hawkeye.

Wherever they would play, Muskogee would be replaced by the town where they were. The switch was a big hit with their audi-ences. The song would later be a matchmaker in both Warren’s and Marvel’s lives.

In 1976 the Sauerbreis moved to Missouri. The

two families said goodbye as the children began to grow and start families of their own.

Gary Alber died in 1992. In 2000 LaDonna Sauerbrei died shortly after their 50th wedding anniver-sary.

Then in the summer of 2004, Warren was driving home from work with his radio on. The voice of Merle Haggard was heard as he began singing his classic “Okie from Muskogee.” The song reminded him of the Alber family, and Warren

thought of Marvel. He knew she had lost Gary, but she wasn’t aware that LaDonna had died.

So Warren called Marvel… and called her… and called her. He ex-plained, “I think my first phone bill was $325 be-cause we talked so much. It was so expensive, I decided to ask her if she would marry me, and I was the happiest guy around when she said yes!

A book for students and families to bank on

‘Tis the season for high school and college coun-selors to discuss financial aid and student loans with graduating seniors and their families. Any future college student and/or his or her parent(s) who have attempt-ed to interpret pages upon pages of financial aid loan documents are familiar with the confusion and related questions that quickly arise. A West Union woman recently completed a five-year examination of the stu-dent loan process, which included putting the results of the study into her own words over the past year. In January, Carol Jensen will re-lease her recently published book “College Financial Aid: Highlighting the Small Print of Student Loans.” “My career in banking has given me a front-row seat in

watching the financial cri-sis shift from agriculture to housing to student loans in the past three-plus decades,” said Jensen, who has worked in the banking industry since the 1980s. “By 2007, Iowa was the state with the high-est student debt level in the entire U.S. Since that time, Iowa has annually placed in the top six high-debt states. The 2012 Project on Student Debt Report, just released in December 2013, has Iowa as sixth in the nation for high student debt. “There are more employ-ers who prefer to hire appli-cants with both college de-grees and good credit scores these days. I knew it was time for me to do my part and share what I have learned along the way,” she added. “I hope this book will help past, future, and current stu-dents protect or regain their independence and/or avoid being financially reliant on

their parents.” Jensen noted that the foundation for her book be-gan in 2008 when she con-ducted a doctoral study at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to determine how fi-nancial aid employees coun-seled students who borrowed money for college through private (nonfederal) lenders. “I interviewed college counselors in 12 Midwest states, as I was still trying to figure out why people didn’t understand much about the details of any of their college loans,” she reported. “There was a noticeable trend in banking where student loan amounts increased due to higher college costs and a fal-tering economy, loan defaults were increasing, the job mar-ket was declining, and more people had negative-net-worth statements due mainly

By RICH HOLMFeature Writer

A photo of the late Marvel Alber Sauerbrei is displayed among her Christmas collection of more than 300 dolls, villages, angels, Santa Clauses, and other holiday collectibles. (Mike Van Sickle phoio)

Warren Sauerbrei holds a Christmas angel during his children’s sermon at Zion Lutheran.The angel belonged to his late wife, Marvel.

By MIKE VAN SICKLEmvansickle@thefayettecountyunion.com

First-time author Carol Jensen displays her soon-to-be released book “College Financial Aid: Highlighting the Small Print of Student Loans.” The West Union woman hopes the publication will help past, future, and current college students protect or regain their financial independence. (Mike Van Sickle photo)

See STUDENT LOANScontinued A-2

See TO ‘MARVEL’continued A-2

from all of us to all of you!

A-2 Wednesday, December 25, 2013/The Fayette County Union

Dairy royalty sought

WU Festival of Lights

Communityvolunteernominations due Dec. 31

Nominations for the an-nual Community Volunteer awards continue to be ac-cepted by the West Union Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors through Tuesday, Dec. 31. The special award recipi-ents will be honored at the annual Community Awards Banquet on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2014. Th ere are fi ve categories in which to honor the commu-nity volunteers: Community Service, Religion, Education, Health, and Youth. In addition to the form above, nomination forms can be picked up at the West Union Chamber offi ce or on the City of West Union web-site at www.westunion.com, under the Chamber Events tab. Th e event will be held at Echo Valley Banquet and Reception Center on Saturday, Jan. 18. Doors open at 6 p.m. Dinner will be served at 7 p.m. Tickets for the “Stars and Stripes of Our Community” Banquet are currently on sale at the West Union Chamber of Commerce. In addition to the meal and awards ceremo-ny, a quilt and 50/50 raffl e will be held.

Th e Union wishes to congratulate the follow-ing young people on their creative and colorful ef-forts in the Christmas Tree Decorating Contest. Claiming the overall grand prize was Allison Nuss, 12, of New Hampton. Other winners, accord-ing to age groups, are as follows: Six and Under: First place – Lauren Nuss, 6, of New Hampton; second place – Brooklyn Kuennen, 6, of Waucoma; third place – Taylynn Rios, 5, of Postville. Ages 7-9: First place – Delaney Kruse, 7, of Wayne, Neb.; second place – Tess Franzen, 9, of Waucoma; third place – Drew DeMeyer, 7, of Hutchinson, Kan. Ages 10-12: First place – Payton DeMeyer, 11, of Hutchinson, Kan.; second place – Miranda Johansen, 11, of Elgin; third place – Bennie J. Gingerich, 10, of Clermont. Prizes may be picked up at the Union offi ce, located on S. Vine Street in down-town West Union.

Twelve-year-old Allison Nuss of New Hampton has been named the overall winner of the 2013 Fayette County Union-sponsored Christmas Tree Decorating Contest. (Mike Van Sickle photo)

Lauren Nuss, New HamptonFirst place-Six and under

Delaney Kruse, Wayne, Neb.First place-Ages 7-9

Payton DeMeyer, Hutchinson, Kan.

First place-Ages 10-12

Christmas Tree Decorating winners announced

THE FAYETTE COUNTY UNIONUnion Printing Co., Publisher

(USPS 188-460Published weekly on Wednesday morning by

Union Printing Co., 119 S. Vine St., West Union, Iowa 52175. Periodical postage paid at West Union, Iowa, and additional mailing offi ces.

LeAnn Larson - Publisher Mike Van Sickle – Editor

Subscription Rates One year in advance, $45, special two years in advance, $80. Out of State and Outside Fayette and adjoining counties, $52.00 per year.

Single copies (offi ce pickups) $1.00 each. All subscriptions expire on the fi rst of the month as

designated on your address label. POSTMASTER: Please send change of address form 3579 to the Fayette County Union,

PO Box 153, West Union, Iowa 52175-0153.E-Mail:

mvansickle@thefayettecountyunion.com Phone 563-422-3888 Fax 563-422-3488

Red Heart to open

to their college loans (debts exceeding assets).” Just prior to those interviews, there was an extensive in-vestigation into colleges on whether or not they received fi -nancial incentives when they recommended private lenders to students. Th e concluding investigation resulted in fi nes for some colleges and employees. “Since that investigation, I learned from interviewing counselors that families who needed anything more than federal fi nancial aid no longer have a one-stop shop to rely on for fi nancial guidance,” she said. “College costs were increasing annually, and students were now left alone to fi nd private lenders that they thought off ered the best private loans for college. Th ey needed to do their homework and fi nd their own private lenders,” she added. Ironically, it was a royalty check mistakenly mailed to Jensen in 2012 that enabled her to complete her writing for this year’s release of her book. She explained that aft er receiving the misdirected pay-ment, she began searching online for the rightful check benefi ciary and author, another Carol A. Jensen of San Francisco. “We now email back and forth, and I looked at that whole experience as one more sign to give some serious thought to writing a book,” she added. “Without Carol’s help, I really believe it would have been a much longer process for me to get this book published. “I didn’t realize the length of time it takes to jump through all the hoops, and Carol was always there to provide advice or answer questions,” the local fi rst-time author admitted. If she were to write another book, Jensen said it would most likely be a small booklet to further help students and their parents or guardians prepare for postsecondary edu-cation. “Student aid and loan terminology alone can be scary. It would be a ‘Don’t do this, but instead do that’ type of publi-cation,” she explained. “College Financial Aid: Highlighting the Small Print of Students Loans” will be available online and at local book-stores in January 2014. Jensen is tentatively planning to host a book signing at the West Union Community Library in February.

STUDENT LOANS continued

“In fact, we moved the wedding date up to June 26, 2004, so we didn’t have to spend any more money on phone calls,” he recalled. It was obviously a big wedding at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Eldorado with such large families involved. Marvel and Warren re-turned to Missouri to live, but she had a yearning to return to her West Union roots, and Warren said why not? Th ey were back in town in 2006, and Marvel’s Christmas col-lection came with her. She had fi rst put up all her displays to the delight of people in Missouri. Th en folks in West Union became the benefactors in 2007-2011 when the Sauerbrei home became a shrine for holiday merriment with so many dancing and moving dis-plays. Marvel and Warren were custodians at North Fayette High School, and many stu-dents came to their home to see the “Marvel”ous collec-tion. One season the basket-ball teams came to view the collection of the Christmas enthusiast they got know at school. Th e collection is so large that a storage shed is rented to store some of the displays. Beginning each November, Marvel and Warren would begin unpacking the displays as the countdown began for Christmas even before Th anksgiving arrived. It was a wonderful life, but then Marvel’s kidneys be-gan to fail and she became so ill that her collection stayed in boxes in 2012. Christmas wasn’t the same without them. God chose Marvel’s fa-vorite month to take her back home on Dec. 28, 2012. Today Marvel’s collec-tion is back up, and over the past couple weeks visitors have been coming and going at the Sauerbrei home, en-joying Marvel’s collection. A photo of Marvel rests among her displays, as friends and relatives know she is back home. Warren doesn’t know for sure if “It’s a Wonderful Life” is playing in Heaven or not, but if it is, Marvel will be sit-

TO ‘MARVEL’ continued

Large dolls fi nd a home around one of the Sauerbrei home’s three Christmas trees.

Lighted Christmas displays await

holiday visitorsto the

Warren Sauerbrei home.

Marvel and Warren were married June 26, 2004.

ting in the front row. And back down on Earth, when Warren hears a bell, he knows another angel got its wings. It’s only fi tting that Marvel’s favorite Santa is one in which St. Nick has his wings—a Santa angel. Marvel Alber Sauerbrei is no longer physically pres-ent, but her spirit lives on. Warren and all the Sauerbrei and Alber children make sure of that. Th ey know that all her life, their wife, mo th-er, grandmother, and friend spread the Christmas joy with her extensive, heartfelt collection.

Th e Fayette County Dairy Promotion Board is seeking candidates for Little Miss Squirt and Fayette County Dairy Princess. Th e Fayette County Dairy Princess and Little Miss Squirt will help promote the dairy industry throughout the year. Th e Princess must be be-tween the ages of 16 and 21 and at least a junior in high school. Th e Little Miss Squirt contestants must be between the ages of 8 and 10 as of Feb 1, 2014. Th eir parents/guard-ians must live in Fayette County and be actively en-gaged in the production of milk. Th e deadline for candi-dates to apply is Saturday, Feb. 15. For additional in-formation or applications, contact the Fayette County Extension offi ce at (563) 425-3331 or Fayette County Dairy Promotion Board President Melinda Walz at (563) 380-8589. Th e 2013 Fayette County Dairy Banquet will be held Saturday, March 22, at Echo Valley Banquet and Reception Center in West Union. Th e event will begin at 7 p.m. Following the banquet, awards will be presented and Little Miss Squirt and the Fayette County Dairy Princess will be crowned. An ice-cream social will con-clude the evening’s activities. Tickets will be available at the door.

BRIEFS

Th e Festival of Lights at the West Union Recreation Complex remains open from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. through Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2014. Th ere is no admission, but donations are accepted at the drop box at the entry/exit of the vast holiday display, which is created annually by community volunteers.

Trent and Nicole Russler will reopen Red Heart Pizza on Wednesday, Jan. 1. Additional information will be published in next week’s Union.

Th e Williams Center for the Arts in Oelwein is hosting a tribute to Th e Bee Gees on Th ursday, Jan. 9. “Night Fever,” the largest production of the Bee Gees in the world, will be performed on the Williams Center Stage at 7 p.m. Th e all-Canadian cast from Toronto, Ontario, has been touring from Disneyland to Russia for the past decade. Members of the group include Joe Varga, John Acosta, and Carm Casliglione. With the amazing vocals, “Night Fever” creates an eerie sense of seeing the Bee Gees (Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb) live in concert. “Night Fever” performs two sets. Th e fi rst set, being the group’s early songs. Meanwhile, the second set fea-tures the hits from the disco era. Capturing the full history of the popu-

lar band, “Night Fever” includes songs “To Love Somebody,” “Massachusetts,” “I Got to Get a Message,” “I Started a Joke,” “Jive Talking,” “More Th an A Woman,” “Night Fever,” “You Should Be Dancing,” “Tragedy,” and “Stayin’ Alive.” You will never see the original Bee Gees in concert ever again, but you have the opportunity to experience the next-best thing with the production of “Night Fever.” Tickets are available at the Oelwein Chamber and Area Development Offi ce at (319) 283.1105, the Williams Wellness Center at (319) 283.2312, or on-line at www.williamscenterforthearts.com. For further information, contact the Williams Center for the Arts Offi ce and leave a message at (319) 283-6616.

‘Night Fever’ outbreak to hit Oelwein

Wednesday, December 25, 2013/The Fayette County Union A-3

SOCIETY Union-land Activities Calendar

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WAUKON, IA • 1-800-932-7028 • (563) 568-3661www.elliottjewelers.com

Open Mon. Nights Until 8;

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Gorgeous RingThe first time I saw Kylie, I knew that she was the one I wanted to

spend the rest of my life with. She is my best friend and

confidant who I can always turn to in any situation.

When the time was right, I also knew that I would be

going to Elliott Jewelers for the engagement

ring. Seven years ago, my older brother, Ben,

went to Elliott Jewelers and had such a wonderful

experience that he told me it was the place for me too.

When the day came to buy the ring, I found myself surrounded by knowledgeable, friendly and

helpful people. I left the store with a gorgeous ring and total

confidence that she would love her ring…Portrait by Jasper Duberry

Cole Lewis Eastman, WI

& Kylie JanovickSparta, WI

New Year’s Eve 9-3 Closed New Year’s Day

What When Where W.U. City Council 1st/3rd Monday, 6 p.m. W.U. City Hall, Hwy. 150 SouthFayette Co. Supervisors Mondays, 9 a.m. Fayette Co. Courthouse, West UnionNorth Fayette School Board Second Monday, 7 p.m. High school library (unless otherwise noted)Valley School Board Th ird Monday, 7 p.m. Valley School, ElginNF Athletic Boosters First Wednesday, 5:30 p.m. NF High School libraryFayette Co. Fair Board Second Tuesday, 8 p.m. Dance Pavilion, Fairgrounds, W.U.W.U. American Legion Post 15 Second Tuesday Legion Bldg. (on E. Main St.)Sons of Am. Legion Second Th ursday, 7 p.m. Legion Bldg. (on E. Main St.)W.U. Legion Auxiliary Unit 15 Th ird Tuesday, 6 p.m. Legion Bldg. (on E. Main St.)Hawkeye Legion Aux. Unit 312 Th ird Monday, 12:30 p.m. Diane’s Café (lunch); Legion Hall (mtg.)W.U. CIVIC Club Fourth Monday, 7 p.m. (Varies; see below each month)Rotary Mondays, noon Kerndt Bros. Savings BankLions Club 2nd/4th Monday, 6 p.m. Tap’t Out Stein-n-DineHawkeye Lions Club 1st/3rd Tuesday Hawkeye Fire StationMasonic Lodge Th ird Monday Masonic LodgeW.U. Past Matrons 2nd Monday (April-Dec.), 11:30 a.m. W.U. Senior Meal SiteKnights of Columbus Th ird Monday, 8 p.m. Holy Name KC HallCatholic Daughters (CDA) First Tuesday Holy Name Parish CenterHoly Name Rosary Society First Monday, 7:15 p.m. Holy Name Parish CenterMen’s Christian Outreach Gp. First Wednesday, 7 p.m. West Union Country Club (Weekly Breakfast) Mondays, 6 a.m. Tap’t Out, W.U.Palmer Hospital Auxiliary Second Monday, 7 p.m. Palmer Lutheran Health CenterPLHC Auxiliary Board Th ird Th ursday, 5 p.m. PLHC Board RoomW.U. Community Coff ee Th ird Th ursday, 2 p.m. Good Samaritan CenterHawkeye Senior Citizens First Monday, noon Hawkeye Community HallPrairie View Auxiliary Fourth Monday, 5 p.m. Prairie View Res. Care FacilityAGO Th ird Sunday, 2 p.m. Various sites (call 563-382-8230)HAL Club 2nd/4th Monday, 8 p.m. Bank 1st Board RoomWU-IRSPA 2nd Wednesday, 1:30 p.m. Historical Center, West UnionFayette Co. Historical Society First Monday, 1:30 p.m. Historical Center, West UnionWaucoma Historical Society Th ird Th ursday, 7 p.m. Call Norma, (563) 776-6041Republican Central Comm. First Tuesday, 7 p.m. Fayette Community Library Hawkeye Conservation Club Fourth Tuesday, 6:30 p.m. Hawkeye American LegionPack 54 Committee First Wednesday, 6:30 p.m. W.U. Fire StationKaleidoscope Kids Board Second Tuesday, 5:15 p.m. KKCC, United Methodist Church, W.U.Adult Reading Discussion Second Tuesday, 7 p.m. W.U. Community LibraryFriends of the Library of W.U. Th ird Tuesday, 5:15 p.m. W.U. Community LibraryWomen’s Discussion Group Mondays, 7 p.m. Old City Hall, W.U.A.W.A.K.E. Support Group 3rd Mon. (Jan., April, July, Oct.), 5-6:30 p.m. Boeke/Freed Room, PLHCBaby Café Second Monday, 10 a.m.-noon Palmer Homecare Conference Room, W.U.Cancer Support Group Second Monday, 4:30 p.m. Palmer Lutheran Health Center, W.U. Fourth Tuesday, 6 p.m. Gundersen Clinic - DecorahCaregiver Support Group Th ird Tuesday, 1:30 p.m. Arlington Place, OelweinDiabetes Support Group Fourth Th ursday, 4:30 or 6 p.m. Boeke-Freed Education Room, PLHCAA Tuesdays, 8 p.m. Historical Center, W.U.Celebrate Recovery Th ursdays, 7:30 p.m. Valleyview Community Center, W.U.Fayette Co. Substance Abuse Coalition 4th Tuesday, 2:30 p.m. W.U. Community LibraryOvereaters Anonymous Wednesdays, 6:30 p.m. Old City Hall, W.U.Weight Watchers Mondays, 5:30 p.m. Fayette Co. Historical Center, W.U.Kenpo Martial Arts Tuesdays: 5:45-6:45 p.m. (ages 5-9) Valleyview Community Center, W.U. 7-9 p.m. (ages 9-adult beginners) Th ursdays: 5:45-6:45 p.m. (ages 5-teen) 7-9 p.m. (teens and adults)Northeast Swinging Squares 1st/3rd Mondays, 7:30-9:30 p.m. West Union Elementary School

Aria Jo Steines…birth announced…

Ben and Kim Steines of Tiffi n are proud to announce the birth of their third daughter, Aria Jo, born Aug. 11, 2013, at Mercy Hospital in Iowa City. Aria weighed 8 lbs. 6 oz. and was 20.5 inches long at birth. She joins big sisters Cora and Isla at home. Grandparents are Chuck and Deb Frieden of Elgin and Phil and Nadine Steines of Spring Valley, IL. Aria’s great-grand-mother is Isabelle (Langel) Laddusaw of Remsen. 

Birthday card shower for Art Hemesath Art Hemesath of Ossian will observe his 90th birth-day on Th ursday, Dec. 26, and will celebrate the occa-sion with his family. Friends, relatives, and former roller-skaters are also invited to join in honoring him with a birthday card shower.    From 1944-1970, Art was the proprietor of Art’s Roller Rink in Ossian. All are invited to send birthday greetings and roll-er-skating memories to Art Hemesath at 102 West Bothel St., #5, Ossian, IA 52161.

Senior Meal Site menus Congregate Meals for area senior citizens are served on the following days at the locations listed (home delivery is also available):

WEST UNION – Monday through Friday, Senior Center on Armour St. Reservations: (563) 422-6100.

ARLINGTON – Wednes- day and Friday, Arlington Public Library basement. Reservations: (563) 633-4715.

CLERMONT – Monday and Friday, West Clermont Lutheran Church. Reservations: (563) 423-5550.

ELGIN – Tuesday and Th ursday, Elgin Veterans Memorial Community Bldg. Reservations: (563) 426-5545.

HAWKEYE – Tuesday, Th ursday, Friday, Hawkeye Community Hall. Reservations: (563) 427-5503.

ST. LUCAS – Monday and Wednesday, St. Lucas Community Hall. Reservations: (563) 778-2742.

WAUCOMA – (Home delivery only)

Th e Meal Site menus for the week of Dec. 26-Jan. 1 will be as follows:

*Th ursday, Dec. 26 – Beef cube steak, mushroom rice, dilled carrots, roll and margarine, assorted fruit.*Friday, Dec. 27 – BBQ chicken breast, mashed potatoes, Riviera vegetables, bread and margarine, banana, orange juice.*Monday, Dec. 30 – Beef noodle casserole, stewed tomatoes, bread and margarine, fl uff y fruit dessert, orange juice.*Tuesday, Dec. 31 – Roasted chicken breast, rice, green beans, roll and margarine, assorted fruit, orange juice.*Wednesday, Jan. 1 – SITES CLOSED FOR THE HOLIDAY. Happy New Year!

Each meal provides 1/3 of the Recommended Daily Allowance and includes a beverage. Menu is subject to change.

Serving at the Meal Site begins at 11:45 a.m.

SPECIAL NOTES

* Did you know…? Th e cost to prepare and serve each meal is $7.26. Diners age 60 and over may give more or less than that amount, contributing what they think is fair and aff ord-able toward the cost of the meal. (Diners under age 60 must pay the full amount.) For meal reservations, please call (563) 422-6100 by 8 a.m.

* Have you had breakfast yet? Come on down to the West Union Meal Site between 7:30 a.m. and 9 a.m. each weekday for a tasty meal to get your day off to a great start! All ages welcome!

By Amie JohansenMSWU board member

Christmas is almost upon us, and it is always a great time to celebrate our great community and all the things taking place. A lot has happened in 2013, and as the projects move for-ward, take a moment to thank those doing the hard work behind-the-scenes to make it possible: business owners, com-munity leaders, contractors, engineers, city workers, and anyone else who has helped in any way, shape or form. Our community is really making some great changes, and we can see the good that is happening because of it. I personally say THANK YOU to each and every one of you out there making a diff erence!! As the new year is right around the corner, we start to fo-cus on “what is next” and planning to make 2014 another Best Year Ever. As you transfer things to your new 2014 calendar, please include the following events. More details will come as the planning continues. Saturday, Jan. 18 – Community Awards Banquet at Echo Valley Speedway. Tickets at the Chamber offi ce. Friday, April 11 – Divas & Dining at Echo Valley Speedway. Th ursdays, July 10 – Aug. 28 – Playin’ on the Plaza each week Saturday, Aug. 23 – WU Stock is coming back!!! September – 2nd Annual Metal Fundraiser Saturday, Nov. 22 – Mistletoe & Merriment As always, we welcome anyone interested to join in the planning to make each event the best ever. So from us on the Main Street team, Merry Christmas to you all & a very Happy New Year! Th ank you for your sup-port, for your patience during the projects, and for being a part of this great community we call HOME!!!

Celebrating our great community!

Main StreetMinute

Holiday concert rescheduled Th e North Fayette Valley Middle School and Valley Fift h- and Sixth-Grade Holiday Concert has been rescheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 8. Th e program will be-gin at 1 p.m. in the middle school gymnasium. Th e concert was post-poned Th ursday, Dec. 19, due to inclement weather.

Snow Sculpture Contest Th e annual West Union Parks and Recreation D e p ar t m e nt - sp ons ore d Snow Sculpture Contest is underway. Individuals and families are encouraged to build any kind of structure they wish. Th ey should then contact the Parks and Recreation Department at (563) 380-8496 to have a picture taken of the entry. Th e contest runs through February. First place is a $25 gift certifi cate at SUBWAY restaurants. Second place is $15, and third place is $10. Th e contest is limited to West Union residents.

PMF annual meeting Jan. 9

Pagelgraduates from boot camp Private First Class Alexander Doug Pagel, 21, of Westgate graduated Nov. 22 from United States Marine Corps boot camp at Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego. Pagel successfully com-pleted 13 weeks of intensive basic training at MCRD San Diego as one of 82 recruits in Training Platoon 3205. While in basic train-ing, Pagel displayed supe-rior leadership, accurate marksmanship with an M16 A4 service rifl e, abili-ties to clear a fi eld respira-tor, and the ability to swim with a full combat load. Pagel earned the title Marine and is now enjoying time home with friends and family. Following 30 days home on leave he will re-port to Camp Pendleton for one month at Military Combat Training, then to North Carolina of Florida for Aviation Mechanic School. Pagel will be sta-tioned in North Carolina, California, or Japan follow-ing training.

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Courthouse closed Th e Fayette County Courthouse will be closed Wednesday, Jan. 1, for New Year’s Day. Th e Board of Supervisors will meet Th ursday, Jan. 2, 2014, to elect a Chairperson, vice chairperson and make board appointments.

BRIEFS

Alexander Pagel

Palmer Memorial Foundation (PMF) will host its annual meeting Th ursday, Jan. 9. Th e meeting begins at 7:30 a.m. in the Boeke/Freed Education Center on the lower lever of Palmer Lutheran Health Center in West Union. Th e annual meeting is open to northeast Iowa resi-dents 18 years of age or older who have purchased a $25 voting membership or who have contributed at least $25 to the Foundation.

A-4 Wednesday, December 25, 2013/The Fayette County Union

For 40 years our staff and volunteers have been working to end domestic violence and child abuse; build healthy families, friendships, and relationships; and reinforce positive decision-making about alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use. Holiday Lights brings in dollars to keep this mission going.

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Frozen

Claire Orr prepares to share a few thoughts on the holiday sea-son with Santa in Wadena on Saturday. (Ann Hutchens photo)

Following the Clermont City Council meeting on December 16, the following offi cials were sworn into offi ce. Pictured (l to r) are councilmembers Bill Ashby and Sharon Harris, Mayor Jim Matt and Councilmember Bruce Lehmann.

Dylan Buryee whis-pers a few of his Christmas wish list items in the ear of Santa Claus in Wadena Saturday. (Ann Hutchens photo)

Wesley Burgin ap-pears to be a bit ap-prehensive about St. Nick during the jolly old soul’s recent visit to the Wadena fi re station. (Ann Hutchens photo)

Wednesday, December 25, 2013/The Fayette County Union A-5 Wednesday, December 25, 2013/The Fayette County Union SPORTSTHE FAYETTE COUNTY UNIONEVENTS OF THE WEEK

Coff ee Cup LeagueDecember 19, 2013

Knox/Reeder 32 16Houg/Bowers 30 18Kocher/Erickson 29 19Schott/Enlow 26 22Blockhus/Sellers 21 27McGuire/Walkup 21 27Lansing/White 20 28Hanson/Kohls 13 35High Team Series: Schott/Enlow, 1245; Kocher/Erickson, 1205High Team Games: Kocher/Erickson, 433; Schott/Enlow, 432High Ind. Games: Lois Kocher, 164; Joyce White, 168; Deb Blockhus, 170, 166High Ind. Series: Deb Blockhus, 484; Lois Kocher, 441; Julie Lansing, 447

Tall Corn LeagueDecember 18, 2013

Tap’t Out 305.5 194.5Kuennen’s House of Power 296.5 213.5NuCara Pharmacy 271 239McJ’s 260.5 249.5Anytime Fitness 247.5 262.5Homestead Realty 232.5 277.5Dessel-Roach 211 299Granger Construction 205.5 304.5High Team Series: McJ’s, 2979; NuCara Pharmacy, 2963High Team Games: McJ’s, 1042; Anytime Fitness, 1013High Ind. Games: DeLois Martin, 190; Rose Wander, 202; Jackie Halstead, 172; Amy Ameling, 195; Denise Nelson, 178; Madlyn Houg, 181; Vanga Enlow, 174; Evelyn Schultz, 179High Ind. Series: Rose Wander, 502; Denise Nelson, 508; Amy Ameling, 488; Nancy Stahl, 484; Evelyn Schultz, 488

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Broghammer NSICWrestler of Week

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December 19, 2013Begalske Construction 49 11Tap’t Out 39 21Barrel Drive In 37 23Miller Sports Cards 36 24Top Hat 24.5 35.5Brick City 23 37Hometown Pest Control 19.5 40.5Lilac Lanes 12 48High Team Game: Brick City, 1102High Team Series: Top Hat, 3171High Ind. Games: John Foreman, 216; Kevin Brockway, 204, 200; Terry Chensvold, 209, 200; Derwin Osmundson, 204; Jared Tilleraas, 203; Gerald Lauer, 207, 205; Jeremy Brink 244; Derek Miller, 229, 225; Lynn Kelck, 216; Kyle Wurzer, 278; Troy Johansen, 217; Ron Miller, 212; Jay Jensen, 203; Logan Gage, 233, 225, 211; Bryan Erickson, 202; Cody Farr, 222; Brendan Erickson, 224; Keith Knox, 206; Greg Stahl, 203; Mike Elsbernd, 248, 204High Ind. Series: Logan Gage, 669; Kyle Wurzer, 639; Mike Elsbernd, 624; Derek Miller, 600; Brendan Erickson, 584; Dion Bumgardner, 578; Kevin Brockway, 577; Jeremy Brink, 576; Troy Johansen, 575; Terry Chensvold, 574; Jon Luchsinger, 574

Sunday MixedDec. 22, 2013

Guter Minded 84 44Livin On A Spare 78 50Fireballs 76 52Th e Dream Team 74 54Strike Hunters 66 62Lost In Th e 70’s 62 66Hillbilly Hound 44 784High Team Game: Th e Dream Team, 643; Hillbilly Hound, 574High Team Series: Th e Dream Team, 1825; Hillbilly Hound, 1667High Ind. Games: Mark Harberts, 201; Justin Spies, 190; Bob Fagle, 168; Litisha Johnson, 190; Tanya Wolcott, 167; Karita Avis, 151High Ind. Series: Mark Harberts, 574; Justin Spies, 523; Kyle Henry, 442; Litisha Johnson, 484; Tanya Wolcott, 454; DyAnna McGrane, 413

Bruns, Baumler, Johansen win titles

TigerHawk wrestlers2nd at North Linn

By Jerry Wadianjwadian@thefayettecountyunion.com

Th e North Fayette Valley girls’ and boys’ basketball games only had one scheduled game last week but Old Man Winter put an early end to the week. Th e scheduled games at South Winn on Friday, Dec. 20, were postponed due to icy road con-ditions. Th e games will be rescheduled aft er the new year. Both TigerHawk squads are on holiday break. Th e girls enter the holiday break with a record of 2-2 in the UIC and 2-3 overall. Th e boys are 2-1 in conference play and 2-3 over-all. Both squads will return to action on Friday, Jan. 3. Th e boys will host Sumner-Fredericksburg, while the girls travel to Sumner.

When North Fayette Valley basketball resumes in January, fans should show their appreciation to this group of cheer-leaders who try to rev up the crowd throughout the girls’ and boys’ games. Rooting the TigerHawks on during basketball season are (l-r) Drew Weidemeier, Hayley Bushman, Isabelle Gardner, Samantha Ohlson, Hope Wander, and Allison Plegennkuhle. (Jerry Wadian photo)

Austin DeMuth has Dubuque Senior’s Luke Hoerner in serious trouble in their second-round match at the Lynx Invitational in North Linn. DeMuth won a major de-cision, 13-4, and went on to win silver at the tour-ney. (Kris Van Sickle photo)

Fourth-ranked Tyler Johansen hip-rolls this recent opponent with ease. The TigerHawk 220 -pounder won another tournament title Saturday, Dec. 21, with three wins and a bye at the Lynx Invitational at North Linn. (Becky Walz photo)

Upper Iowa basketballswept in Winona

By Jerry Wadianjwadian@thefayettecountyunion.com

Upper Iowa’s Carl Broghammer was recently named the NSIC Wrestler of the Week. Th e Manchester native won the 197 pound title at the 35th Annual Midwest Classic hosted by the University of Indianapolis Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 14-15, posting a perfect 5-0 record. Saturday, Broghammer won his three matches by major decision (11-0), by fall (4:22), and by decision (3-2). Sunday in the semifi nals, the senior won a 6-2 decision in the second tiebreaker over Sam Johnson from Cumberlands. Broghammer met Julian Smith of McKendree in the fi nals, in which the Peacock grappler won, 3-1, in the fi rst sudden-victory period. Broghammer is now 15-1 on the season with 11 bonus-point wins, including nine by fall and one each by technical fall and major decision. He is now just 17 wins shy of the UIU career wins leader, Cliff Th ompson.

Carl Broghammer

Winter trumpsNFV basketball

North Fayette Valley wrestlers fi nished second at the Lynx Invitational Saturday, Dec. 21, at North Linn. Wilton, ranked third in Class 1A, won the tourney with 214.5 points. Th e TigerHawks were 22 points behind the winners but 14½ points ahead of third-place Williamsburg.

NFV won championships at three weights when Zach Bruns (138), Nick Baumler (160), and Tyler Johansen all won their respective weight classes.

In addition, Jared Kerr (132) and Austin DeMuth (145) earned second-place fi nishes.

Kelvin Guyer had the fastest pin for the TigerHawks, winning the fi rst round at 170 in .08 second.

NFV is off for the holiday break; the TigerHawks enter

the break with a perfect record (6-0) in duals. Th e team has four ranked wrestlers. Bruns and Baumler are currently ninth in Class 2A, while Johansen is fourth. Dalton Lape is ranked third at heavyweight.

TigerHawk wrestlers resume action Th ursday, Jan. 9, in a triangular with MFL/MM at Postville. Th ey will wrestle at the Panther Invitational Saturday, Jan. 11, in Tripoli.

Team Scores 1. Wilton, 214.5; 2. North Fayette

Valley, 192.5; 3. Williamsburg, 178; 4. Center Point-Urbana, 153; 5. Beckman, 141; 6. Mid-Prairie, 133; 7. Dubuque Senior, 55; 8t. Ed-Co & West Delaware, 46; 10. Central Community, 45; 11. North Linn, 44; 12. Clear Creek Amana, 35; 13. Belle Plaine, 22.

Individual TigerHawk Results 113- Jensen, 5th- thrown by Murphy

(MP), 1:13; bye; threw Ritchie (W), 4:08; lost, 2-0, to Murphy (CCA); bye; maj. dec. Carton (B), 18-6.

120- J. Wander, 4th- bye; lost by DQ; bye; thrown by Overbey (CPU), 5:36; threw Steffen (DS), 0:26; threw Brecht, (CCA), 2:47.

126- Blue, 7th- bye; thrown by Allison (W), 5:14; thrown by Budde (DS), 1:53; bye; threw Hilgerson (CC), 2:47.

132- Kerr, 2nd- tech fall over Crandall (CPU), 16-0; lost, 9-6 to Feldman (B); threw Maldonado (W), 3:30.

138- Bruns, 1st- bye; bye; dec. Blythe (W), 7-5 (SV1); dec. Naber (B), 2-0.

145- DeMuth, 2nd- bye; maj. dec. Hoerner, 13-4; dec. Ford (WIL), 6-2; lost, 7-3, to Schultz (W).

152- N. Wander, 3rd- threw Peterschmidt (MP), 5:49; maj. dec. Reinert (B), 15-7; thrown by Schmidt (WIL), 0:08; bye; dec. Stahl (W), 9-7; dec. Sadler (CPU), 7-6.

160- Baumler, 1st- bye; dec. Oveson (WIL), 7-2; threw Siegwarth (CC), 2:57; dec. Malloy (W), 7-3.

170- Guyer, 5th- threw Rausch (WD), 0:07; thrown by Sadler (CPU), 5:29; thrown by Snider (WIL), 1:03; bye; threw Tajaran (CC), 1:06; threw Wegmann (EC), 3:26.

182- Streeter, 6th- bye; threw Baylor (MP), 2:40; inj. default to Sparks (WD); inj. default to Hilty (WIL); thrown by Spenler (W), 0:58.

195- Lansing, 5th- bye; threw Jipp (WIL), 1:40; bye; thrown by Bryant (W), 0:13; dec. Carolan (CPU), 9-4; thrown by Thom (DS), 0:45.

220- Johansen, 1st- bye; threw Burns (WD), 0:40;threw Fjordalise (MP), 0:37; dec. Reddick (WIL), 4-3.

HWT- Lape, 3rd- bye; bye; dec. by Schott (NL), 8-1; bye; dec. Lueck (B), 4-2.

The Upper Iowa women’s and men’s basketball teams suffered losses Saturday, Dec. 21, at Winona State.

The women lost, 60-44, while the men lost, 78-68, despite outscoring the Warriors by six in the second half.

In the women’s game, Whitney Kieffer led the Peacocks with 17 points. Lindsay Carroll added 11.

The women had a rough night from the fi eld, shooting just 28 percent.

UIU is now 3-3 in the NSIC and 4-6 overall.The men dug themselves a deep hole in the fi rst half,

trailing, 49-33, at the break.Senior Joey Woods was the only Peacock in double

fi gures with 18 points. The UIU men enter the holiday break at 2-4 in the NSIC and 4-8 overall.

A-6 Wednesday, December 25, 2013/The Fayette County Union

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City to host hearing

Supervisors to host hearing

Robert Eugene Crow, 70, of Highmore, SD, passed away on Tuesday, December 10, 2013 at his home in Highmore sur-

rounded by family. A Celebration of his Life will be 2:00 p.m., Friday, June 13, 2014 at the Church of Christ, Highmore with Pastor Max Kelley offi ciating. Robert Eugene Crow was born on November 24, 1943 to Robert T. and Bettie (Davis) Crow in Waterloo, IA. He attend-ed Valley High of Elgin, IA and following graduation he continued at the Upper Iowa University in Fayette, IA. He became a high school teacher of math, science, and physics.

Robert married Linda Hackmann on December 28, 1965 at Elgin, IA. Robert enjoyed gardening, reading, carpentry, music, fi shing, cooking, camping and traveling. He especially loved his fl ower garden. He was a Cub Scout leader for the Boy Scouts of America in Victor, IA for several years. He was a member of Highmore Church of Christ where he served on the mission board. He also published a paper for the Iowa Academy of Science. His teaching career took him many places throughout his life such as, Cylinder, IA, Emmetsburg, IA, Olin, IA, Victor, IA, Stephan, SD, Fort Th ompson, SD, and Highmore, SD. While living in South Dakota, he taught at Crow Creek High School, Harrold Schools, and the Aft er School Program at Highmore Elementary. He was back at Crow Creek High School when he needed to resign due to his illness. He was a gentle man who loved his students as much as his family. Grateful to have shared in his life was his wife, Linda of Highmore; children: Carlin Crow of Wichita, KS, Holli (Mark) Oberheu of Denver, IA, Jeremy (LeAnne) Crow of Nixa, MO, Heidi (Jason) Lavender of Wichita, KS, Heather (Eric) Trefz of Highmore, and Cameron (Erika) Crow of Olathe, KS; 14 grandchildren; four brothers and one sister; nieces, and neph-ews. Preceding him in death were his parents, Robert T. Crow and Bettie (Davis) Crow. Luze Funeral Home of Highmore has been entrusted with Robert’s arrangements. Visit www.familyfuneralhome.net.

52u52

Services pending

Obituaries are now printed unedited as they are re-ceived from the funeral home/families.

Wednesday, December 25, 2013/The Fayette County Union

OBITUARIES

Former Elgin mandies Dec. 10 in S.D.

Motor vehicle crashes kill more teens than anything else. Th at’s why I voted this year to strengthen our state’s Graduated Driver’s Licensing. It’ll help keep teen drivers and all Iowans safer on the roads. Th e changes take eff ect on Jan. 1 and include the following: • More supervised drive time: Young drivers will carry an instruction permit for 12 months, double the current six months, before they can apply for an intermediate license. Th at means they’ll have more time to learn from an experienced driver and get driving practice in all seasons. Th is aff ects all teens seeking an intermediate license aft er Jan. 1. • Reduced distractions: Th e fi rst six months of unsupervised driving is the most dangerous for teens. To reduce the risk, unsupervised teens will be limited to one unrelated minor passenger during their fi rst six months with an intermediate license. Parents can waive this restriction at the time the intermediate license is issued. Th is will apply to all intermediate licenses issued aft er Jan. 1. In addition, the new law limits students with a minor school license to one unrelated minor passenger when driving without adult supervision for the duration of the time they hold the minor school license. Th is provision applies to all teens holding a minor school license, even if the license was issued before Jan. 1, 2014. At this time of year, I encourage parents to prepare their teens for win-ter driving by practicing together when there is snow on the ground. Here are some tips from the Iowa DOT: • Practice braking and steering in a vacant parking lot, demonstrating stopping and maneuvering on dry and slick surfaces. • Take gradual steps in learning to handle diff erent weather and road conditions. • Reinforce the importance of maintaining plenty of space between ve-hicles. • Make sure the vehicle’s windows, headlights and taillights are cleared of ice and snow, and that the vehicle is in top working order. • Carry a winter survival kit in the vehicle. For ideas, watch “Prepare for Survival” at www.YouTube.com/IowaDOT. • Check on road conditions at http://511ia.org, and don’t take unneces-sary trips if the weather is bad.

LEGISLATIVE

CORNER

By Senator Brian SchoenjahnDistrict 32

Boosting safety amongour teen drivers

Th e Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) reports that the spread of infl uenza is picking up across Iowa and other parts of the country. Surveillance by the IDPH Iowa Infl uenza Surveillance Network shows that three strains (all of which are covered by the vaccine) are currently circulating, including H1N1 (2009 pandemic strain), H3N2 (regular seasonal fl u strain) and Infl uenza B. With the holiday season upon us and many Iowans traveling and attending family gatherings, IDPH reminds Iowans that an annual fl u vaccination is the best way to pro-tect them and their loved ones from the fl u. Th is is especially important during family gatherings that in-fants, those with chronic diseases, or elderly individuals might attend. Infants younger than 6 months of age are not old enough to receive the infl uenza vaccine, so they are at a higher risk of catching the fl u from someone else, and they have the highest chance of being hospi-talized if they get ill.

If you are ill with � u-like symp-toms during the holidays, you need to stay home and away from others. Th e fl u vaccine is plentiful, widely available, and is recom-

mended for everyone 6 months of age and older. While the fl u vaccine is the best defense against getting infl uenza, it’s also important to take personal actions to help prevent the spread of illness. Remember the 3 C’s: • Cover your coughs and sneezes. • Clean your hands frequently. • Contain germs by staying home when ill. Th e fl u is a serious respiratory illness caused by viruses. It comes on suddenly and symptoms may include fever, headache, tiredness, cough, sore throat, nasal conges-tion, and body aches. Illness typi-cally lasts two to seven days, and oft en puts healthy people in bed for days. Infl uenza may cause severe illness or even death in people such as the very young or very old, or those who have underlying health conditions.  For more information about where and what kind of infl uenza is in Iowa, go to www.idph.state.ia.us/Cade/Infl uenza.aspx?pg=FluHome. Contact your health care pro-vider or local health department to fi nd out where the vaccine is avail-able in your community or use the fl u vaccine fi nder at www.fl u.gov. 

Keep healthy during the holidays

Deloris Waalk, 88, of West Union died Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2013. Funeral arrangements are pending with Cedar Memorial Park Funeral Home, Cedar Rapids.

DaVita®, the kidney care division of DaVita HealthCare Partners Inc., has announced a $1,000 contri-bution to Kaleidoscope Kids Childcare Center (KKCC) in West Union. On behalf of DaVita West Union Dialysis, Colleen Dinan, RN/BSN, a DaVita facility administrator in West Union and Waverly, pre-sented LeRoy Soppe, KKCC Capital Campaign co-chair, with the donation on Friday. Th e contribution is part of the “DaVita Way of Giving,” the company’s locally fo-cused charitable-giving ini-tiative that helps nonprofi t organizations throughout the United States grow and thrive. DaVita “teammates” from West Union Dialysis chose to donate to Kaleidoscope Kids Childcare Center because some of them utilize the lo-cal childcare/preschool cen-ter for their own childcare needs.

KKCC bestowed holiday gift

Colleen Dinan RN/BSN, a DaVita facility administrator at West Union Dialysis, presented LeRoy Soppe, Kaleidoscope Kids Childcare Center (KKCC) Capital Campaign co-chair, with a $1,000 donation to the fundraising campaign for the pro-posed KKCC construction project on Friday. (Photo submitted)

“It is important to help support this nonprofi t orga-nization as it is a benefi t to the children, parents, and lo-cal businesses of West Union and the surrounding com-munities,” said Dinan. “We are supporting their current capital fundraising campaign to fi nance construction of a new facility.” Soppe said the DaVita con-tribution will go a long way to support KKCC’s mission. “What a surprise –  just in time for Christmas!” he smiled while in great appre-ciation. DaVita, a leading provider of kidney care services com-mitted to improving the qual-ity of life for those diagnosed with chronic kidney disease, is dedicated to spreading ripples of citizen leadership through its Trilogy of Care: caring for its patients, caring for each other, and caring for the world.

Th e West Union City Council will host a public hearing Monday, Jan. 6, to consider vacating an alley along N. Pine Street. Th e hearing will begin at 6 p.m. at City Hall.

Th e Fayette County Supervisors will host a public hearing Monday, Jan. 6, to consider vacating a portion of Wickham Road. Th e hearing is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. in the Supervisor’s Offi ce at the Fayette County Courthouse in West Union.

Wednesday, December 25, 2013/The Fayette County Union A-7

‘Silent nights’ can be enjoyed during a visit to the West Union Festival of Lights through Wednesday, Jan. 1. (Jerry Wadian photo)

Christmas Day may be here and soon to pass, but the dazzling Festival of Lights at the West Union Recreation Complex re-mains open from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. through Wednesday, Jan. 1. There is no admission, but donations are gratefully accepted at the drop box at the entry/exit of the vast holiday display, which is created annually by community volunteers. (Jerry Wadian photo)

We thank you, our customers, for your support this year. We appreciate you all and wish you a happy holiday.

Merry Christmas!

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Call the team at Moss Service Center to prepare your vehicle for the winter season.

563-422-5592 • 610 Hwy. 150 S. • West Union, IA

“QUALITY USED VEHICLES”www.mossservicecenter.com

See: Rick Daniels, Britt Dyke

or Jim Moss

‘10 Ford Focus SELblack, 49K ..........$12,590

‘09 Chevy Impala LTblue, 98K ...........$9,599

‘07 Chevy Impalasilver, 95K ..........$8,490

‘10 Nissan Altima SLblack, 34K ..........$15,690

‘11 Ford Edge SELsilver, FWD, 25K... $20,490

‘12 Ford Escape XLTblack, FWD, 16K.. $18,900

‘03 Chevy Tahoeblack, 4x4 .............. $9,999

‘07 Chevy ColoradoXcab, orange, 4x4.. $11,980

‘05 Lincoln Town Carsilver, 62K ..........$10,500

‘06 Saturn Vuesilver, 4x4 .............$7,395

‘13 Chrysler 200 LXblue, 30K ...........$14,890

‘12 Chevy Malibu LSwhite, 28K ..........$13,799

‘12 Ford Focus Swhite, 46K ..........$11,790

‘06 Ford F150 Crewsilver, 4x4 ........ $14,999

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Our Feature Vehicle

May your heart be light, your troubles few, and may

you rejoice in the many blessings of this holy season,

just as we rejoice in the goodness of knowing people

like you. Thank you for your continued patronage, and

we look forward to serving you in 2014!

Have a Very

‘12 Ford Fusion SEL$16,790

Our Feature Vehicle

May your heart be light, your troubles few, and may

you rejoice in the many blessings of this holy season,

just as we rejoice in the goodness of knowing people

like you. Thank you for your continued patronage, and

we look forward to serving you in 2014!

Laci Lauer smiles as she reveals what a typical 6-year-old from West Union wants for Christmas. (Jerry Wadian photo)

Evelyn Bruihler, 2, of Hawkeye gives Santa such a look that even her mother, Cara, has to look away and laugh. (Jerry Wadian photo)

Peyton McElree, 4, of West Union wanted to put on her pretty Christmas dress to go see Santa, making for a really cute picture. (Jerry Wadian photo)

West Union’s Kaylee Lerch, 5, has to pause a mo-ment to make sure she has told Santa everything she wants for Christmas this year. (Jerry Wadian photo)

Collin Gumm, 2, of West Union had a fun time going over his Christmas list with Santa Claus. With the ef-fervescent Collin is his mother, Katie. (Jerry Wadian photo)

A-8 Wednesday, December 25, 2013/The Fayette County Union

We will be open 6 a.m.-4 p.m. Christmas Eve Day and closed Christmas Day!

We will be open 8 a.m. - 1 p.m. New Year’s Day!

Moore’s FOODSWest Union • Ph. 422-3565

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16 oz. Select Peas, Corn, Mixed, Green Beans, Car-

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Your Hometown Bowling Center

- Bowling Center -

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Ring-In 2014Family-Style!

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Elgin Community Betterment Club (ECBC) and the City of Elgin will host a celebration in honor of the Center Street Project, which will be held on Saturday, Jan. 11, on Center Street in Elgin. Ground was broken on the Center Street Project in August, and the new street was recently reopened to traffi c earlier this month. Some detail and landscape work remains to be completed, but the street is now usable. Th e upcoming celebration will provide community members an opportunity to visit Center Street businesses and admire the new street,

Fayette County farmland values increased an estimated 4.95 percent (approximately $430) to $9,080 per acre from 2012 to 2013. According to results of the Iowa Land Value Survey, the local fi gure is slightly lower than the statewide average of $8,715, a 5.1 percent increase. Values increased in 2013 for the fourth year in a row and achieved historic peaks. “Th e 2013 land value survey shows a mar-ket in fl ux, with strong and weak price sales occurring at the same time,” said Michael Duff y, Iowa State economics professor and Extension farm management economist who conducts the survey.  “Th e key question is if this shows that the market is going to settle, if it is just pausing before another takeoff in values, or if the market has peaked and due for a correction.” Duff y said examining some causes for the current increase in farmland values and the reactions is helpful in assessing the situation. Farmland values are highly correlated with gross farm income. A majority of the survey respondents were concerned about income. Over three-fourths, 76 percent, of the re-spondents cited lower commodity prices as a negative factor aff ecting the land markets. Data show that the rate of increase in land values slowed and commodity prices started dropping aft er June 2013. Iowa corn and soybean price movements are good indicators of gross farm income movement. Th ere was a 33 percent drop in the Iowa average corn price from October 2012 to October 2013, and there was an 11 percent drop in soybean prices over the same time period. Th e November estimated price for Iowa corn was 39 percent lower than the November 2012 price. Soybean prices were 11 percent lower. Th ere are many competing forces that will infl uence prices over the coming years. Th e Iowa State economist goes on to say that for now, it appears there are more factors that will lead to lower prices as opposed to return-ing to levels of the past few years. “Farm income is a strong indicator for the direction land values will go, but there are other factors as well,” Duff y said. “Interest

rates remain low, but the percent of respon-dents who reported less sales than in 2012 was the highest it’s been since 1985.” Th e odds are against a major collapse in land value. However, if projections of a new lower level for commodity prices holds, then Duff y believes we should expect land values to drop. Th e economist said many respon-dents commented that the current situation might be a plateau. While the highest county land values were reported in Scott County, Decatur County remained the lowest reported land value at $3,628 per acre. O’Brien County, which showed the highest county average value and greatest dollar increase in 2012, showed the highest dollar decrease of $478 in 2013. For the Northeast Crop Reporting District, the average land value was estimated at ap-proximately $9,160 per acre, an increase of 7.5 percent from 2012. Within the district, average values ranged from $5,910 in Allamakee County to $11,239 in Black Hawk County. Additional average land values in the district included Chickasaw County, $8,700; Clayton County, $7,814, and Winneshiek County, $7,712. Th e Iowa Land Value Survey was ini-tiated in 1941 and is sponsored by the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station, Iowa State University. Only the state average and the district averag-es are based directly on the Iowa State survey data. Th e county estimates are derived using a procedure that combines survey results with data from the U.S. Census of Agriculture. Th e survey is based on reports by licensed real estate brokers and selected individuals considered knowledgeable in land market conditions. Th e 2012 survey is based on 486 usable responses providing 663 county land value estimates. Th e survey is intended to provide informa-tion on general land value trends, geographi-cal land price relationships and factors infl u-encing the Iowa land market. It is not intend-ed to provide an estimate for any particular piece of property.

Farmland values continueupward trend

Center Street ribbon-cutting celebration set for Jan. 11

By Brian Smithbsmith@fayettepublishing.com

Center Street in Elgin.

ter the drawing. Th e cards must be properly endorsed by all the partici-pating businesses listed on them and then submitted during the meal at Torkelson Motors. Multiple winners will be drawn. Th e community is invited to join in the celebration by taking a stroll down Center Street, visiting local businesses, taking advantage of some special deals, appreciating the newly revamped street, and enjoying a com-plimentary lunch. Mark your calendars for Saturday, Jan. 11, for the Center Street celebration in Elgin!

curb, sidewalks, pavers, landscaping and light poles. Th e celebration will be an all-day event, fea-turing promotions and specials being off ered by Elgin businesses, a rib-bon-cutting ceremony, a complimentary meal, and a drawing for Elgin Bucks. Th e offi cial rib-bon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for noon, with the meal to follow immediately aft erward. Lunch will consist of brats, hot dogs, chips, and soft drinks, and will be served in the Torkelson Motors show-room from noon to 2:30 p.m. Th ose in attendance during the day will have the opportunity to enter a drawing for free Elgin Bucks, provided by ECBC and Elgin State Bank. Cards will be available at businesses along Center Street to those who wish to en-

News itemor feature idea?Call � e Union563-422-3888

Rosenbaum services set A Mass of Christian Burial for Fred G. Rosenbaum, 92, of Waucoma will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 28, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Waucoma. Interment with military honors will be held in the church cemetery. Visitation will be held from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 27, at Hugeback-Johnson Funeral Home in Waucoma with a 4 p.m. rosary. Visitation will continue at the funeral home an hour prior to the service on Saturday.

OBITUARY

Close to home...

Integrity.Respect.Responsibility.Dedication.

www.palmerlutheran.orgClose to home...

Celebrating

Palmer Lutheran Health Center’s Radiology Department has received excellent ratings on its mammography services. PLHC offers digital mammography for area women, combining imaging technology that provides sharper images using lower doses of radiation . The service was recently inspected by federal Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA) surveyors, and Palmer Lutheran Health Center achieved the highest rating possible. “Gundersen/Palmer Lutheran mammography is the only one in our area inspected by BOTH the MQSA and the ACR (American College of Radiologists) and has received highest ratings from both.“ said Radiology Supervisor Jayne Soppe. The annual MQSA federal inspection covers six major areas: technologist quality control; equipment performance; personnel

qualifications; medical physicist survey; medical reports and outcome audits. Palmer Lutheran Health Center provides advanced-certified mammography technologists who are skilled and compassionate, along with a registered ultrasonographer to ensure the highest quality exams for our patients. In addition, a Gundersen Health System radiologist is available to read every mammogram conducted. Patients who need further testing after a mammogram screening can often have same-day appointments at PLHC. The hospital offers ultrasound-guided breast biopsies in a private, comfortable environment, conveniently available close to home. “We try to make the experience as simple as possible; our patients can call and schedule their own exam and get a letter at home with their results. We also send the result to the patient’s medical provider. Mammograms can be scheduled from 6 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, with other hours upon request,” Soppe closed. The American Cancer Society suggests women should begin yearly mammograms at age 40. If a woman has a family history of breast cancer, she should consult with her health-care provider for advice on when to begin a baseline mammogram. To schedule a mammogram at PLHC, call 563-422-9741.

Excellent Ratings on PLHC Mammography

Questions about the new “Marketplace”?Assistance is available - at NO COST to you. At Palmer, a team of Certified Application Counselors (CAC) is ready to help you navigate the new Health Insurance Marketplace (also referred to as an “Exchange”). This service is provided at no cost to community members.

Our Counselors: •Meetwithindividualsone-on-one •AnswerquestionsabouttheAffordableCareAct andthenewHealthInsuranceMarketplace •Helpyoufindhealthinsurancethatworksforyou •Helpyoudetermineifyouqualifyforfinancial assistance

•Guideyouthroughtheenrollmentprocess For questions or to schedule an appointment, call Palmer Lutheran at 563-422-3811 and ask for the Certified Application Counselors or CACs.

When Karla Gavin, Fayette, went in for her routine mammogram at Palmer Lutheran Health Center in 2011, little did she know that her life would forever be changed.

“I’ve always been faithful with all my check-ups, so I’ve never really worried, and there was no family history,” Gavin recalls. “When I got a call back requesting a biopsy from my right breast I was in total shock.”

Having the biopsy at Palmer, Gavin praised the local hospital from the get-go. “Having the procedure done in West Union saved me FOUR hours of ‘think time.’ The wait and worry was nerve-wracking enough.”

When Gavin received the news that the biopsy was positive and she did, indeed, have breast cancer, she listened intently as the results were explained to her.

“They told me not to panic; they caught the cancer early and it was very small and nonaggressive,” Gavin remembers. “But who isn’t going to panic and worry when they hear the word ‘cancer’?”

Wanting to stay in the Gundersen system, Gavin scheduled her appointment in LaCrosse. It wasn’t long until

the day came for her surgery to remove the lump. In outpatient procedure, Gavin had a small incision and had minimal anesthesia. After the removel of the tumor and surrounding lymph nodes, which after further tests were found to be noncancerous, Gavin woke up in the recovery room after the procedure and came home the same night. “I want to commend my employer, Upper Iowa University, and especially my boss. When I told her about my breast cancer, the only thing she said was ‘Tell me what we can do for you. What do you need?’ I appreciated that more than they will ever know. During a time when I felt I was losing control, Upper Iowa gave me some of that control back.” Gavin soon realized the surgery was the easy part. After a month of recovery, she quickly started radiation in Waterloo. Even though she felt completely comfortable with Gundersen, she knew she still wanted to work in between treatments, and Waterloo was closer to her workplace, as she had to make the 45-minute drive five days a week after teaching two classes. “It’s a good thing I like to drive!” Gavin laughs.

“I would always take the same route so my family would know where I would be, especially my son, Colin, he was my guardian angel. I would get texts from him every day at the same time, wondering where I was and checking to make sure I was all right. He was the most protective during that time. There were even times he wanted to go with me!” Praising her son, Gavin also knew how important her husband, Ray, and daughter, Megan, were in her treatment. “Megan was so supportive…listening and learning…and just being there for me. Ray was amazing. He was doing double duty. When I was at treatments, he would work and then go to games, programs and concerts. The North Fayette school system with its teachers, counselors and coaches were great, as well. We really tried to keep things

as normal as possible during my treatments.” In less than two months, Gavin had undergone 33 radiation treatments. While most people would think that would take its toll, Gavin’s positive attitude continued to shine. “Due to Palmer and digital mammograms,

cancer is found sooner and smaller. I was fortunate that it hadn’t spread. I didn’t have to have chemotherapy, didn’t swell, didn’t get radiation burns or lose my hair. I would say I was pretty lucky.” Completing radiation, Gavin now has to take medication to continue treatment. Commenting that she gets to have appointments with her oncologist at Palmer Lutheran instead of having to drive hours to and from his office, she loves having such great care close to home. “The Palmer Lutheran staff is fabulous! Their dedication and perseverance made my

process much easier. Today, I am healthy and have no side effects from the medication. I continue to have check-ups, mammograms and appointments until I have been ‘clean’ for five years.” Gavin even attended Palmer’s “Pampered in Pink” night (an event for women to enhance breast cancer awareness) to say ‘hi’ to the staff who found the original lump.Palmer Radiology Supervisor Jayne Soppe says, “Karla is a perfect example of early detection success! Our new digital system offers the best technology for our patients here close to home. We offer screening

mammograms, diagnostic or call-back studies, as well as breast ultrasound and ultrasound-guided breast biopsies right here at Palmer.” “I recommend Palmer to everyone I know, Gavin Closed. “I know I have sent many women to our local hospital for their mammograms because you never know what may happen. No one is immune to cancer. You can do your breast self-exams and get your yearly mammogram like I did and still end up with breast cancer. And if that happens, I want my friends to have the best treatment possible…and that’s Palmer Lutheran Health Center.”

Merry ChristmasMerry ChristmasMerry ChristmasMerry ChristmasMerry ChristmasMerry ChristmasMerry ChristmasMerry ChristmasMerry ChristmasMerry ChristmasMerry ChristmasMerry Christmasand a healthy...

& Happy New Year!From all of us at Palmer Lutheran Health Center

Merry ChristmasMerry ChristmasMerry ChristmasMerry Christmas

Wednesday, December 25, 2013/The Fayette County Union B-1

113 E. Bradford St., West Union(563) 422-8988

HappyHolidays

from the staff of Phone Connection West Union!

The magic of the holidays never ends...

it lives on for us through all our customers, family and friends!

Brooke

Brittney

Nicole

Trevor

Cathy

Conrad

Brittany

TaitKatie

You might just

your own stocking.

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Things we want you to know: A new 2-yr. agmt. (subject to a pro-rated $150 early termination fee for Basic Phones, modems and hotspot devices and a $350 early termination fee for Smartphones and tablets) required. Agmt. terms apply as long as you are a cstmr. $35 device act. fee and credit approval may apply. Regulatory Cost Recovery Fee applies (currently $1.57/line/month); this is not a tax or gvmt. required charge. Add. fees, taxes and terms apply and vary by svc. and eqmt. 4G LTE not available in all areas. See uscellular.com/4G for complete coverage details. 4G LTE service provided through King Street Wireless, a partner of U.S. Cellular. LTE is a trademark of ETSI. Holiday Bundle: Customer must choose at least 2 out of the following 3 options: 1. trade in a Smartphone and receive at least $50 — Device must power on and cannot be pin locked. Device must be in full functional working condition without any liquid damage or broken components, including, but not limited to, a cracked display or housing. Trade-in offer can be redeemed at http://instore.uscellular.com/cexchange.com; 2. enroll in Device Protection+ or purchase an Accessory Bundle — Enroll in Device Protection+ or purchase an Accessory Bundle and receive a $50 bonus. The monthly charge for Device Protection+ is $8.99, per device, for Smartphones and must remain on account for 90 days. A deductible per approved claim applies. You may cancel Device Protection+ anytime after the 90 days. Federal Warranty Service Corporation is the Provider of the Device Protection+ ESC benefits, except in CA and OK; and 3. purchase a connected device with new 2-yr. agmt. (tablet, modem or hotspot) and receive a $50 bonus. Bonus(es) for purchase of Device Protection+ or Accessory Bundle and connected device redeemable online at uscellular.com/holidaybundle. Bonus(es) in the form of a U.S. Cellular MasterCard® Debit Card issued by MetaBank™ Member FDIC pursuant to license from MasterCard International Incorporated. This card does not have cash access and can be used at any merchant location that accepts MasterCard Debit Cards within the U.S. only. Card valid through expiration date shown on front of card. Allow 10–12 weeks for processing. To be eligible for offer, customer must register for My Account, or if already registered for My Account, log in to My Account within 14 days of activation. Account must remain active and in good standing in order to receive bonus. Offer not valid on business accounts and not combinable with other offers. Kansas Customers: In areas in which U.S. Cellular receives support from the Federal Universal Service Fund, all reasonable requests for service must be met. Unresolved questions concerning services availability can be directed to the Kansas Corporation Commission Office of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at 1-800-662-0027. Offers valid at participating locations only and for a limited time. See store or uscellular.com for details.©2013 U.S. Cellular.12MUL_PROMO_Holiday_DI_5_5x7

New 2-yr agmt., $35 device activation fee, Shared Data Plan and purchase of Holiday Bundle required. In-store price is $99.99. Other restrictions apply. See store for details.

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CALL FOR STORE HOURS.

Independence1200 3rd Ave. SE, 319-334-7066Oelwein423 S. Frederick Ave., 319-283-3372West Union113 East Bradford St., 563-422-8988

B-2 Wednesday, December 25, 2013/The Fayette County Union

Hedgie the Hedgehog, a creation of children’s author/illustrator Jan Brett, congratulated Decklyn Heins during an assembly at the North Fayette Elementary in West Union on Thursday. Decklyn was presented a certifi cate and 10 Brett-authored books as part of a recently completed photo contest on Brett’s Facebook page, which included a photo of Decklyn, his mother, Brittany, and maternal grandmother, Pam Buddenberg. Decklyn’s fi rst-grade teacher Elly Lehs was also presented a Jan Brett book bag and book. (Mike Van Sickle photo)

The Best in Other Craft Media Award was recently pre-sented to Elissa Cox-Wenthe of Fayette for her mixed media piece entitled “Reach” at the Iowa Crafts: 41 Exhibit at the Charles H. MacNider Art Museum in Mason City. (Photo submit-ted)

Susan E. Kuennen-Massman of Elgin was recently award-ed special mention in Fiber for her untitled Deer Antler Basket entry as part of the Iowa Crafts: 41 Exhibit at the Charles H. MacNider Art Museum in Mason City. (Photo submitted)

To the editor: I would just like to say that aft er reading the article about a Casey’s General Store that I was disappointed. It says how good it would be for the town and that it would employ 25 to 30 people and add additional property tax. What about all the businesses, families, and employees it would hurt that are already here? All these places and employees already pay property taxes and spend money in town and send their children to school here. Many businesses give to help our schools, fi re de-partment, hospitals, etc. A new Casey’s would hurt many places and people. It would hurt two pizza places, two gas stations, a grocery store with a bak-ery, and at least seven places that are locally owned that serve food at breakfast, din-ner and supper. All these places hire many more employees than the small 25 to 30 that

would be at the new place. Some of these places might — and probably would — lose business and could close. We already have in-town businesses that off er what Casey’s would bring, so let’s help our local busi-nesses. Our new streets were supposed to en-courage business, but it should not be at the expense of our businesses that are already here supporting our town. We surely don’t need to pay for the way of a business that is only going to hurt our own residents. If a new business wants to come to town and off er us something diff er-ent than we already have we should welcome it, but let’s take care of our own families and businesses and employees before we lose some of them. Th ank you. Mark Hanson West Union

OPEN FORUM

New FSA County Committee ballots mailed USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator Juan M. Garcia has an-nounced that the FSA County Committee Elections began Friday, Dec. 20, with the mailing of ballots to eligible voters. Th e deadline to return the ballots to local FSA offi ces is Friday, Jan. 17, 2014.  Producers have been instructed to destroy the FSA County Committee Election ballots (FSA-669’s) mailed earlier on Nov. 4. Th e new ballots mailed to producers will have the word “corrected” printed on the outside of the mailing, on the ballot itself, and on the return envelope. Producers must com-plete and return the corrected FSA-669 to have their vote counted. Eligible voters who do not receive a ballot in the coming week can obtain one from their local USDA Service Center. Th e last day for voters to submit corrected ballots in person to local USDA Service Centers is Jan. 17. Ballots returned by mail must be postmarked no later than Jan. 17. Newly elected committee members and their alternates will take offi ce Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2014. Fa rmers and ranchers elected to county committees help deliver FSA pro-grams at the local level, applying their knowledge and judgment to make de-cisions on commodity price support programs; conservation programs; in-centive indemnity and disaster programs for some commodities; emergency programs and eligibility. FSA committees operate within offi cial regulations designed to carry out federal laws. To be an eligible voter, farmers and ranchers must participate or cooperate in an FSA program. A person who is not of legal voting age but supervises and conducts the farming operations of an entire farm may also be eligible to vote. Agricultural producers in each county submitted candidate nomina-tions during the nomination period, which ended on Aug. 1.

The Fayette County Committee election is for Local Administrative Area (LAA) #2, which represents Fairfi eld, Illyria, Pleasant Valley, Putnam, Smithfi eld, Union, and Westfi eld townships. Close to 7,700 FSA County Committee members serve in the 2,124 FSA of-fi ces nationwide. Each committee consists of three to 11 members who serve three-year terms. Approximately one-third of county committee seats are up for election each year. More information on county committees, such as the 2013 fact sheet and brochures, can be found on the FSA website at www.fsa.usda.gov/elections .

A trio of local residents were among the recent contest participants in the Iowa Craft s: 41 Exhibit at the Charles H. MacNider Art Museum in Mason City. Th e state-wide competition was open to all artists above high school age.  Forty-four artworks by 32 artists were selected for the fi nal show.   Th e Best in Other Craft Media Award was given to Elissa Cox-Wenthe of Fayette for her mixed media piece entitled “Reach.” In addition, special mention in Fiber was awarded to Susan E. Kuennen-Massman of Elgin for her untitled Deer Antler Basket entry. Jon Siblik of Fayette also participated in the event. Iowa Craft s: 41 can be viewed in the Museum’s Kinney-Lindstrom Gallery through March 1, 2014. Th e juror for the exhibit is Zach G. Schnock.  Schnock is the gallery director and exhibitions manager at Wartburg College. Admission to the Mason City museum is free.  Museum hours are as follows: Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays - 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Tuesdays and Th ursdays - 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sundays and Mondays – closed. For more information, call (641) 421-3666 or visit www.macniderart.org.

Local artist award winners

Happy Holidays!

Thanks for your

patronage!

Bunn ServicesToll-Free: 877-286-6462 bunnservices@hotmail.com

May the joyous spirit of Christmas reside in your heart throughout the

holiday season and beyond.

Sewer & Drain Cleaning

Wednesday, December 25, 2013/The Fayette County Union B-3

Member FDICNow available: Online banking

at www.kerndtbrothers.com

Cedar RapidsClermontHarpers FerryLansingWest Union (563) 422-3871 Ph. 563-422-3814

Union Drug• Medicare Billing • Manual Blood Pressure Monitoring• Patient Education and Counseling • Diabetic Shoppe

• Free Delivery & Mailout • Gifts & HallmarkLilac Plaza - West Union - Ph. 422-3721

TOLL-FREE 800-246-3721

Dessel-RoachFURNITURE AND FLOORS

611 West Bradford • West UnionPh. 422-5302 • 422-3419

CHURCH PAGE SPONSORS

CHURCH DIRECTORYRedeemer Lutheran Church

Corner of Hwy. 18 & 150,West Union

Rusty Phillips, Pastor Sun., Dec. 29 - S.S., 8:30 a.m.; worship, 9:30 a.m.

Zion Lutheran ChurchWest Union

Rev. Nancy Larson,interim pastor

Church Offi ce, 422-3295 Sunday - Worship, 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.; Sunday School & conf. class, 9:20 a.m.

St. Peter’s CatholicClermont

Rev. Jim Brokman, pastorRev. Dale Rausch, Sacramental Priest

Sunday - Mass, 8:30 a.m.

Valleyview Wesleyan ChurchLeslie White, pastor

Sundays - Sunday School for all ages, 9:30 a.m.; Worship, 10:30 a.m.; Evening Service/Study, 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays - KENPO Martial Arts in Church Community Center - kids, 5:45-6:45 p.m.; adults, 7-9 p.m. Wednesdays - Narcotics Anonymous meets in base-ment, 7 p.m. Th ursdays - “Celebrate Recovery,” 7:30 p.m.

Northeast IowaChurch of Christ

Sunday - Worship, 9 a.m.; S.S. classes for all ages follow-ing worship service Monthly devotionals/Bible Study For more information, call Brian or Mandy Smith, 426-5689

HawkeyeSeventh-day Adventist

ChurchGarry Birth, pastor

(563) 920-3589 Service times: Saturday - Bible Study groups, all ages, 9:30 a.m.; Worship and sing-ing, 10:55 a.m.

Victory ChristianWest Union

Pastor Roland WatermanPh. 563-379-8310

Sunday - Worship, 9:30 a.m. Wednesday - Family Night, 6:30 p.m.

Fayette Community ChurchPastor Andy Sayer207 W. State Street

Church Offi ce, 425-3551 Sunday - Small groups for all ages, 9 a.m.; Worship, 10:20 a.m. Communion every 3rd Sun. Monday - Women’s Bible Study, 6:30 p.m. Wednesday - Kids’ Zone (ages 5-grade 5), 6:30 p.m.; BLAST (youth grades 6-12), 6:30 p.m

Holy Name ChurchRev. Jim Brokman, Pastor

Rev. Dale Rausch, Sacramental Priest

Monday - Mass, 9 a.m. Tuesday - Mass, 9 a.m. Wednesday - Mass, 9 a.m. Friday - Mass, 9 a.m. Saturday - Mass 5 p.m. Sunday - Mass, 10 a.m.

Arlington United Methodist Church

590 Main Street, ArlingtonJulie Ahrens, pastor

Sundays - Worship, 10:30 a.m.

Volga United Methodist Church

306 Washington Street, VolgaJulie Ahrens, pastor

Worship, 9 a.m.

St. Peter (Richfi eld)Rural Sumner

Rev. Wayne and Irmgard Ellingson

supply pastors Sundays - Worship, 9 a.m.; S.S., 10 a.m. .

St. John (Stapleton)Rural Waucoma

Rev. Wayne and Irmgard Ellingson

supply pastors Sundays - S.S., 9:15 a.m.; Worship, 10:30 a.m.

Trinity Lutheran

Interim Pastor David Nelson116 W. Wilbur St., Hawkeye

Ph. (563) 427-3358 Sunday - S.S., 8:45 a.m.; Worship, 10 a.m.

St. John LutheranArlington

Rev. Paul Fohs andRev. Linda L. Reichstadter

Sundays - Sunday School, 9:15 a.m.; Worship, 10:30 a.m.

East Clermont LutheranPastor Ron Roberts

Sun., Dec. 29 - S.S. & Conf., 9 a.m.; Worship, 10 a.m.; ser-vice at Good Sam, WU, 1:30 p.m. Mon., Dec. 30 - Bible Study, Good Sam, W.U., 10:30 a.m.

First United MethodistFayette

Pastor Jason Princer Sunday - Fellowship, 9:30 a.m.; Service, 10 a.m.

First BaptistWest Union

Church (563) 422-5663Cell (563) 518-1064

Pastor A.A. “Rip” Baillargeon Sundays - Worship, 9 a.m.; S.S., 10 a.m. First Wednesday of the month - Ladies’ Mission Society, 1:30 p.m.

St. Francis of Assisi CatholicFayette

Rev. Jim Brokman, pastor Tuesdays - Mass, 8 a.m. Th ursdays - Mass, 8 a.m. Sundays - Mass, 10:30 a.m.

EpiscopalChurch of the Saviour

ClermontKathryn Campbell, vicar

Sundays - Worship, 10:30 a.m. 2nd & 4th Sundays - Communion

Hawkeye and Alpha UMCPastor Jason Princer

Sundays - Joint worship at Hawkeye, 9 a.m.

United MethodistWest Union

Pastor Christopher Ebbers Sun., Dec. 29 - Worship, 10:15 a.m. Mon., Dec. 30 - Mann, 9:30 a.m.

Church of ChristArlington

Scott Hall, pastor Sundays - S.S., 9:15 a.m.; Worship, 10:30 a.m.

Th e Church of Jesus Christ ofLatter-Day Saints

Fayette Branch509 W. Water St., Fayette

Sunday - 9 a.m.

First BaptistElgin

Pastor Lee BoleynPh. 426-5272

Sundays - Discipleship Hour, 9 a.m.; Worship, 10:15 a.m. Wednesdays - Awana, TREK and Journey, 6:30 p.m.

Elgin & Highland LutheranPastor Jerome Godson

Communion on 1st & 3rd Sundays Wed., Dec. 25 - Elgin Comm., service, 9 a.m. Sun., Dec. 29 - Elgin service, 9 a.m.; Highland service, 10:30 a.m.

St. Paul’sUnited Methodist Church

ElginSylvia Kennedy, pastor

Wed. - Confi rmation, aft er school; Choir, 7 p.m. Sunday - Sunday School; Worship, 10:30 a.m.

Bethel PresbyterianWest Union

Galen Smith, pastor Fri., Dec. 27 - Worship at Stoney Brook, 10:30 a.m. Sun., Dec. 29 - Worship, 10 a.m.; Coff ee Fellowship, 11 a.m.; Bible Study, 5:30 p.m.

West Clermont LutheranPastor Dayna Winke

Wed. - worship, 7 p.m. Sun., - S.S., 8:30 a.m.; Worship, 9:30 a.m.; Coff ee & Fellowship, 10:30 a.m.; Adult S.S., 10:30 a.m.

Bethany LutheranRural West Union

Pastor Marshall Nessa Wednesdays - Bible Study, & Prayer, 7 p.m. Sundays - S.S. for all ages, 9:30 a.m.; Worship, 10:30 a.m.; FLIGHT youth group, 6 p.m.

Illyria Community ChurchSylvia Kennedy, pastor

Sunday - Worship, 9 a.m. Ossian-Stavanger Lutheran

Wed. - Confi rmation, 6 p.m. Sun., - Ossian Worship, 8:30 a.m.; S.S. & C.H., 9:45 a.m.; Stavanger Worship, 10 a.m.; S.S. & C.F., 8:45 a.m.

St. Peter LutheranEldorado

Pastor Virginia Olson Communion on the 2nd & last Sundays Sun. - Sunday School, 9:15 a.m.; Worship, 10:30 a.m.

Wadena Community ChurchRusty Phillips, pastor

Sunday - Adult Bible Study, 10 a.m.; Worship, 11 a.m.

Oratory ofOur Lady of Walsingham(Anglican/Episcopal Rite)

409 West Elm StreetTh e Rt. Rev. Terry Lee

Landsgaard,Priest-in-Charge

Saturday Mass, 9:15 a.m. Holy Day Masses: Call for information (563) 422-3758

Faith Bible FellowshipEvangelical Free Church

Interim Pastor Rod AnkromP.O. Box 106, West Union

(Meeting at 105 Armour Street

West Union, lower level) Sunday, Fellowship, 9:30 a.m.; Worship service, 10 a.m.

Owned & Operated by S. K. Rogers

212 East Elm St. - West Union563-422-3615 (Ph. & Fax)

Local Ownership ~ Local Decisions

Helping You... www.bank1stia.com

563-422-3883 West Union ~ St. LucasKen Steege R. Ph.

119 N. Vine St. West Union - 422-3151

PHARMACY

By Pastor Andy SayerFayette Community Church

“He’s making a list, checking it twice, gonna � nd out who’s naughty and nice, Santa Claus is coming to town!” If we are really honest with ourselves, we

probably deserve a lump of coal in the stocking this year. We’ve said, done, or thought things that would qualify us for Santa’s Naughty List. So we better be good for good-ness sake, or else when Santa comes, we’re in a lot of trou-ble. Th is time of year, many of us celebrate another arrival to town, the baby Jesus who ar-

rived on that infamous night in that little town of Bethlehem. What’s strikingly diff erent about this night is whom Jesus came for. It wasn’t the nice, but the naughty. You read that right. Jesus came for the naughty, not the “nice.” Just look at the night of Jesus’ arrival. Luke tells us who were the fi rst to hear the news of this great arrival. It wasn’t the religious people. It was humble shepherds, mak-ing a meager wage watching fl ocks at night. Fast-forward a few years to Jesus’ encoun-ters with people. On numerous occasions Jesus is looked down on by the religious (“nice”) folk for hanging out with sinners. On one such oc-casion, Jesus makes his mission clear: “For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost.” (Luke 19:10 NIV) Over and over again, Jesus does the un-thinkable. He speaks with questionable char-acters, those on the outskirts of society, those given up on by everyone else. And the religious people of the day couldn’t stand it. Ultimately these “nice” people brought about Jesus’ horrifi c execution. I love the description given of Jesus’ ar-rival to town given in John chapter 1: “� e true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him” (verses 10, 11). Th e people who were “closest to God” didn’t recognize God among them, and they certainly didn’t receive Him. Th e good part comes next in this passage. Th is part is good news for those of us like me who deserve coal in our stockings. John writes: “Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who be-lieved in His name, He gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural de-scent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” (John 1:12-13) Th is message is the crux of Christmas: Jesus came to town that we might know him. Christmas is a reminder that we don’t work our way up to God; it was at Christmas that God worked His way down to us. It’s as though Jesus hands out a gift to each of us (yes, even the naughty) and says, “You can know the living God and experience fullness of life. Just take the gift .” It’s as simple as receiving the gift . Th is season we give as a reminder of that in-credible gift of Jesus that came long ago for each of us – not just those of us who have been good for goodness sake, but for the rest of us, too.

Jesus came to town for the naughty, too

Area Christmas services

Cameron Gardner was among the local second-grade stu-dents to perform “Most Precious Time” during the Holy Name Catholic Church Christmas program on Wednesday, Dec. 18.

Holy Name Catholic Church fi rst-grade stu-dents (l-r) Carsten Lensing, Kaelyn Elsbernd, and Brianna Davis were among the youth participat-ing in the West Union church’s “The Bright Stars of Christmas” program.

Bryan Rodriguez (Joseph), Katelyn Kuehner (Mary), and Aidan Schmitt (Baby Jesus) were joined by the other cast members of “The Christmas Story” in concluding the recent Holy Name Catholic Church Christmas program.

Food shelf closed Due to the holiday sea-son, the Fayette County Food Shelf in Fayette will be closed through Wednesday, Jan. 1. Th e local food shelf will resume regular hours Wednesday, Jan. 2.

Library news Check out the new books at the West Union Community Library:    “Kissing under the Mistletoe”    by Bella Andre; “Th e Dogs of Christmas,” by                          W. Bruce Cameron; “Starry Night: A Christmas Novel,” by          Debbie Macomber; “A Proposal for Christmas” by                   Linda Lael Miller; “A Pioneer Christmas Collection: Nine Stories of Finding Shelter and Love in a Wintry Frontier” by        Lauraine Snelling [et al.]; A Nantucket Christmas”  by Nancy Th ayer; “Candlelight Christmas ,” by                         Susan Wiggs. An animated feature, with voices by Steve Carell, Al Pacino, and Kristen Wiig, will be shown Friday, Jan. 3, at 1 p.m. for children kinder-garten through sixth grade. Universal Pictures presents this sequel to the wildly suc-cessful 2010 animated pic-ture following Gru (voiced by Steve Carell), the ex-scheming evildoer-turned-parental fi gure. Th e movie is rated PG and is 98 minutes long. While at the library, be sure to see the beauti-ful Santa collection on loan from Marlys Fink.

‘Magical Nights’ in Decorah

Holiday concert rescheduled Th e North Fayette Valley Middle School and Valley Fift h- and Sixth-Grade Holiday Concert has been rescheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 8. Th e program will be-gin at 1 p.m. in the middle school gymnasium. Th e concert was post-poned Th ursday, Dec. 19, due to inclement weather.

Victim advocate training

BRIEFS Th e annual “Holiday Lights, Magical Nights” Christmas light display remains open at Pulpit Rock Campground in Decorah through Saturday, Dec. 28. Th e Helping Services for Northeast Iowa-sponsored event is open from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. nightly.

Helping Services for Northeast Iowa Domestic Abuse Resource Center will off er free volunteer victim advocate training on Mondays and Wednesdays in January 2014. Sessions will be held from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Luther College. TO RSVP or for additional information, call Teresa Dehning, Volunteer Program coordinator, at (800) 383-2988.

Area churches will hold Christmas worship services and programs as follows:

West Union – Bethel Presbyterian, Dec. 24, 5:30 p.m.;Redeemer Lutheran, Dec. 24, 7:30 p.m.;United Methodist, Dec. 24, 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.;Zion Lutheran, Dec. 24, 4:30 p.m., carols, Communion,

Senior Choir; 6:30 p.m., Bell Choirs; 9:30 p.m., guest soloist. Dec. 25, 9:30 a.m. worship with Holy Communion.

Alpha – United Methodist, Dec. 24, 7 p.m.Clermont/Elgin – East Clermont, Dec. 24, 7 p.m.;Elgin Lutheran, Dec. 24, 5:30 p.m.; Dec. 25, 9 a.m. wor-

ship with Communion.Eldorado – St. Peter Lutheran, Dec. 24, 7:30 p.m.,

Christmas program and worship with Communion; Dec. 25, 9 a.m. worship, “Lessons and Carols.”

Fayette – Fayette Community, Dec. 24, 5 p.m. and 8 p.m.Hawkeye – United Methodist, Dec. 24, 5:30 p.m.Richfi eld/Stapleton – St. John Lutheran (Stapleton), Dec.

24, 4 p.m.;St. Peter Lutheran (Richfi eld), Dec. 24, 7 p.m. Christmas

program.

Note: Not all area churches provided Christmas worship service information to the Union. If your church is not listed, please contact the church o� ce/pastor directly for worship times.

B-4 Wednesday, December 25, 2013/The Fayette County Union

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For more information and a tour,call Tina Berg at

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HELP WANTEDThe West Union Parks and Rec

Department is accepting applications for assistant managers, lifeguards, water safety instructors, and aides.

Applications are available online at www.WUParkandRec.com or

they can be picked up at City Hall.They must be returned by December 31, 2013

Benefi ts are available.Please contact Human Resources at:

Palmer Lutheran Health Center112 Jefferson Street, West Union, IA 52175

563-422-3876, FAX: 563-422-9754Apply online at www.palmerlutheran.org

An Equal Opportunity Employer

HELP WANTED

Med./Surg. RN5 pm to 5 am, RN, full-time position, 36 hours

a pay-period, 3 out of 6 weekends, holiday rotation. Must have OB or ED experience.

CONSTRUCTIONWe have openings for skilled and entry level Laborers and Journeymen for concrete, electrical and erection positions. Industries highest wages. Benefi ts include employer paid health care, retirement, vacation and

holiday pay. Ability to travel and valid drivers license required. Call 563-382-9214 for an application or

online at www.voltmerelectric.com.Voltmer, Inc.

EOE/AA recruiter. Females and minorities are encouraged to apply.

ELECTRICIANSeeking experienced and entry level electricians for

commercial work. Industries highest wages. Benefi ts include employer paid health care, retirement,

vacation and holiday pay. Entry level candidates will be considered but be required to enroll in Federal

Apprenticeship program. Ability to travel and valid drivers license required. Call 563-382-9214 for an application or online at www.voltmerelectric.com.

Voltmer, Inc.EOE/AA recruiter. Females and minorities are encouraged to apply.

Freelance Writer The Fayette County Union/

Fayette Publishing is currently seeking a freelance writer to cover area city council meetings,

cover local news & assist withfeature writing for our four publications.

Council meetings are held Monday evenings on a bimonthly schedule.

Please respond by callingPublisher LeAnn Larson

or Editor Mike VanSickle

at 563) 422-3888 or email

lanews@thefayettecountyunion.com or mvansickle@thefayettecountyunion.com.

51u52

Assistant for School of Business. This full-time position reports to the Dean and is responsible for summarizing reports and information, preparing cor-respondence, maintaining the calendar of the Dean and other activities as assigned.

Applicants must possess a thorough knowledge of general office practices; previous experience in education setting is preferred. Excellent customer service and communication skills, with the ability to deal effectively with faculty, staff, and students, are also preferred. Further qualifications include strong computer skills (e.g., Microsoft Office Suite), ability to multitask, excellent organizational skills and attention to detail. Minimum of an associate’s degree required; bachelor’s degree preferred.

Interested applicants should submit, in Microsoft Word or PDF format, a cover letter, resume, names and contact information for three references to the Residential University EO Officer at savagem@uiu.edu. The position is open until filled, though applica-tions received by January 3, 2014, will receive full consideration.

Upper Iowa University is anEqual Opportunity Employer.

Wendall Kueker Anne Benningwkueker@viafield.com abenning@viafield.com24932 150th Street 1001 Blunt Pkwy Sumner, IA 50674 Charles City, IA 50616

www.viafield.com

We’re adding a new team member at our Sumner facility!Responsibilities include servicing our customer needs through dumping and loading grain by truck, grain blending, operate grain dryer and facility maintenance. This team player should understand grain quality and will also cross-train to assist our Agronomy division. Viafield expects the ideal applicant to be a reliable communicator with a positive attitude and a willingness to be a part of what it takes to get the job done in a timely, safe, and accurate manner.

Please see www.viafield.com/joinourteam for more details.

Career Opportunity

Those interested in applying should email or mail a cover letter and resume to:

R

Grain/Agronomy Operations - Sumner

Lynch Livestock, Inc.331 3rd St. NW, Waucoma, Iowa 52171

Attn: LoriEmail: lorit@lynchlivestock.com

Post offer physical & drug screen requiredEOE

LYNCH LIVESTOCK ISCURRENTLY HIRING FOR:

•Waucoma Gooseneck Driver/Yard Help OT hours available, home daily

•Hog Buyer Trainees

•Diesel Mechanic (do not need own tools)

•Truck Washer

We offer above average wages, great benefits,Health, Life, Dental, Vision, Short and Long

Term Disability, 401(k) and More!

Stop by to fill out an application ormail resume to:

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BodensteinerMotorsports

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Try our cooler with 10 gallons of water FREE for 1 month.

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FOR RENT – 3-bedroom house on Franklin St. in West Union. Available Jan. 1. Call (563) 422-5182. 52u1

FOR RENT – 1-BR apt. in West Union. Some utilities included. References and deposit required. (563) 422-3615. 37utf

FOR RENT – 2-BR duplex in West Union. Call (563) 880-0443 or (319) 283-4190. 43utf

FOR RENT – 2-bedroom house in West Union. $400/mo.; no utilities included. (563) 537-0123. 51utf

FOR RENT – 2-bedroom home; includes all appliances and large 2-stall garage. No pets/no smoking. $460 per month. (563) 380-8626. 51utf

FOR RENT – Large 2-bedroom apt. and 2-bedroom house in West Union. Available Jan. 1. Call for details, (563) 419-4217. 51utf

FOR RENT – 2-BR apt. in Elgin. Appliances, gas, and wa-ter/sewer/garbage included. $425/mo. plus deposit. (563) 419-9818. 52utf

WINE, BEER, SPIRITS Holiday Sale – Box Wines, Gift Decanters, CHEESE BOXES, made to order, Shipped Daily. Our Price is Best. Save Every Day. STARKS, Prairie du Chien, Wi. Open Sundays. 51utf

To give away to a GOOD home – Two 2½-year-old female cats. Spayed, shots, and litter-trained. Call (563) 774-3900. 51p52

FRee

HELP WANTED – Full-time cook for nights and weekends. Experience pre-ferred. Please send resume to: ATTN: BA-0001, c/o Th e Fayette County Union, P.O. Box 153, West Union, IA 52175. 52u1

FoR sAle

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WANTED – Concrete stave silos and unloaders. Elma Silos, (641) 330-2278. 52cc1

$5GIVE THE GIFT OF NEWS!The Fayette County Union

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The Fayette County UnionHurry, off er expires December 31, 2013!PO Box 153, West Union, IA 52175 563-422-3888

888-321-5410

To place yourclassifi ed ad, call

Th e Union563-422-3888.

Deadline is Fridays at 4 p.m.

eMPloyMent

eMPloyMent

JUDICIAL CLERK IThe First Judicial District Clerk of

Court office has an opening in West Union, Iowa. For further information,

including specific duties/qualifica-tions, and application, visit the Iowa

Judicial Branch website at:http://www.iowacourts.gov/Admin-

istration/Career_Opportunities/

Application deadline: January 3, 2014, 4:00 p.m.

EOE/AA

Wednesday, December 25, 2013/The Fayette County Union B-5

A new year...A NEW YOU!Get a jump on your New Year’s resolutions...

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Council Chambers, City Hall, December 16th, 2013, 6:00 P.M.

West Union City Council met December 16th, 2013 at 6:00 P.M. in Council Chambers with Mayor Kent Halverson presiding. The meeting began with the Pledge of Allegiance. Roll call: Present – Council members Lauer, Gumm, Guenther, Granger, and Bemiss Absent: None Motion was made by Lauer, seconded by Gumm, to approve the agenda as presented with one change omitting item #14. All Aye. Carried. Motion was made by Gumm, seconded by Granger, to approve minutes of the December 2nd, 2013 regular meeting. All Aye. Carried. Discuss Main Street: Will add to January agenda as representation was not in at-tendance. Earl Moss advised Council he has an offer on the table from Casey’s General Store for prop-erty on highway 18, but concerned with an old sanitary sewer main that runs through the prop-erty. The project is over $1mm, would create approximately $15,000 of tax revenue, and they would employ 20-25 people, as well as contrib-ute to Local Option Sales Tax. Jon Biederman of Fehr Graham advised the cost to move it to the west edge of the property would be about $140,000. Moss asked if the City could take on the project and pay for it with the proceeds from the increase in tax base. Vagts advised this is exactly what TIF is meant for and would like to see Casey’s or Moss as the developer apply for the TIF and rebate back at 100% over a short period of time to complete the project as quickly as pos-sible. Guenther stated he does not want to see the City absorb the costs and deplete the fund balances to benefit private property. Moss will take back to Casey’s with Council’s recommen-dation to apply for the TIF. Gary Bemiss presented pictures of the nuisance at the E. Elm property. Police Chief Parker asked if a No Trespassing order should be given to him as well as changing the locks. The paperwork is done and ownership transferred to the City, but Goodell continues to be on the property. After much discussion, Guenther made a motion, and Lauer seconded, to have Mayor Kent Halverson and Police Chief Parker sit down with Goodell and address the situation with him. All Aye. Carried. Police Chief Parker brought a concern to Council of the intersection at E. Elm and Walnut Street and how it is “visually” set up as a 4-way intersection even though it is not. He has seen some close calls, but has not had any ac-cidents to date. Council asked Parker to continue monitoring. Parker also requested to have a gas card put in each police vehicle in case of emergency. Gumm made a motion to purchase 3 gas cards not to exceed $200/card, Guenther seconded. All Aye. Carried. Motion was made by Lauer, seconded by Granger, to approve accepting the electrical portion of the Streetscape as presented by Fehr Graham. All Aye. Carried. Motion was made by Guenther, seconded by Lauer, to approve pay estimate for $40,291.78 from Blazek Corporation and change order #27 for a decrease in contract price of $62,072.25 for the same. All Aye. Carried. Motion was then made by Gumm, sec-onded by Granger, to approve pay estimate #31 for Blazek for $29,968.25 for retainage on the electrical portion. All Aye. Carried. Motion was made by Granger, seconded by Gumm, to approve payment to Fehr Graham for invoice #57740 for $2,626.91 for smoke test-ing, and invoice #57741 for $720 for GIS Storm Sewer Collection map as presented. All Aye. Carried. Vagts advised it was time to update our signature card at the bank with Mayor Kent Halverson, Bob Vagts, and Amie Johansen as permissible signatories. Motion was made by Guenther, seconded by Gumm, to approve as presented. All Aye. Carried. Oath of Office was administered to Mayor Kent Halverson, Councilman At-Large Isaiah Stansbery, First Ward Councilman Adam Keller, and Police Officer Michael Tobin. Vagts advised he received a call from Shawn Miller that he would like to buy the por-tion adjacent his property, which would come to $50 at the $ .10/foot, and Chris Lauer’s por-tion would be $250. Biederman advised the City would need easements for the storm sewer. Motion was made by Lauer, seconded by Gumm, to set the Public Hearing for January 6th, 2014 at 6:00 p.m. at council chambers. All Aye. Carried. Motion was made by Bemiss, seconded by Guenther, to approve December, 2013 expen-ditures totaling $247,994.04 as presented. All Aye. Carried.

CLAIMS LIST:Advanced Systems – MaintenanceContract ................................................. $ 97.14All Stop – Fuel ......................................... 1,155.83Allamakee-Clayton Electric – ElectricService ..................................................... 3,730.91Alliant Energy – Electric Service ........... 7,656.81Amazon/GE Money – Library Books ..... 429.39Banker’s Trust – GO Bond Payment .. 53,687.50Baumler Imp. – TIF Payment ............... 5,417.27Black Hills – Gas Service ........................ 1,877.30Blue Cross & Blue Shield – HealthInsurance ................................................ 14,507.40Brown Supply – Paint ................................ 222.00Bryan Heavy Equip. – Filters &Fluids .......................................................... 84.37Bunn’s – Garbage Service ............................ 45.00California Contractors – Plastic Ties ...... 118.00Carpenter Uniform Co. – PoliceSupplie ..................................................... 1,477.83Center Point Print – Books ......................... 60.00

CenturyLink – Phone ................................ 852.88Chief Supply – Supplies ............................. 113.98Cindy Bilden – Clean City Hall ............... 100.00City Laundry – Shop Towels & Uniforms ..................................................... 302.67Continental Research – Supplies ............. 271.49Croell – Cement......................................... 797.11Data Tech – Annual License ................ 4,808.16Detroit Industrial Tool – Blade ................ 245.47Digital-Ally – Mirror ................................. 395.00EFTPS – Fed/FICA Taxes ..................... 12,376.29Elwood, O’Donohoe, Braun &White – Legal Fees ..................................... 172.50Emblem Enterprises – Patches.................. 284.76Fauser – Diesel ......................................... 2,618.77Fay. Co. Abstract – Credit Report Fee .... 100.00Fay. Co. Auditor – Election Fees ............ 1,400.94Fay. Co. Recorder – Recording Fees .......... 37.00Fay. Co Union – Publications ................... 389.39Fehr Graham – GIS Mapping ............... 9,249.18Feld Fire – Freight, LED Light .................. 205.00First National Bank – Pymt on AquaticNote .................................................. 12,816.02Gage & Gage – Furnace Repair ................. 72.00Gale – Books .............................................. 133.51Garvin & Moser – TIF .......................... 6,896.07Gundersen Clinic – Testing...................... 128.65Hawkins – Cylinders .................................. 235.50HD Supply Waterworks – Deeter ............ 575.00Iowa Law Enforcement Academy – MMPI Eval ................................................. 180.00Iowa One Call – Locates ............................. 63.00Iowa Prison Industries – Signs ................. 241.01Iowa Rural Water Assoc – Membership ............................................... 250.00IPERS – IPERS Payment ........................ 7,518.52Jay’s Automotive – Repairs ......................1,595.75Jessica Koch – Coaching .............................. 50.00Jill Clark – Health Claims ........................1,000.00John Deere Credit Union – Supplies ........ 285.16Kathleen Guyer – Dental Claim ............... 216.00Kerndt Bank – Fire Truck Loan ........... 13,300.99Lahey Family Trust – TIF ........................1,730.89Lechtenberg Janitorial – Brushes .............. 286.50Lee Barness – Health Claims .................... 468.00LeRoy Soppe – Qtrly Salary ....................... 125.00LL Pelling – Asphal ..................................1,138.40Martin Brothers – Towels ............................ 97.83Mastercard – Grout, Training ................... 466.31Mediacom – Internet .................................. 135.85Mike Streif – Lease .................................. 4,800.00Mike’s C&O Tire – Tires ............................. 498.64Moore’s – Supplies ......................................... 47.82Morgan Wolfs – Coaching ........................... 50.00NAPA – Parts .............................................. 651.17North American Salt – Salt & Sand....... 5,147.46North Fayette Fitness – TIF Payment ....... 62.44Outdoor Recreation – Swing ..................... 340.00Petty Cash – Postage ................................... 26.19Predicament Partnership – TournamentAd ......................................................... 72.00Presto – Rodent Control .............................. 34.24Reggie Gross – Airport Manager ............. 509.23Reiser Imp. – Broom .............................. 4,995.00Reliant Fire Apparatus – Repairs .............. 859.38Rite Price – Office Supplie ........................ 263.57Robert Blockhus – Health Claim ............ 780.00Robert Vagts – Mileage ................................ 50.07Roger Gamm – Qtrly Salary ..................... 250.00Sims –UPS, Labor, Antivirus .................... 209.90Sprayer Specialties – Directovalve ........... 252.95State Hygenic Lab – Testing ....................... 55.00Stephen’s Windows – Blinds..................... 565.20Strahm Hardware – Supplies..................... 525.00Superior Welding – Oxygen ....................... 12.40Take A Shot – Glocks ................................. 570.00Taser International – Supplie ................ 1,014.71Testamerica – Wastewater Testing ............ 74.97Tom Luhman –FiremenCompensation ......................................... 1,822.00Treasurer, State of Iowa – Sales Tax,State WH.................................................. 3,820.36TrueNorth – Insurance .............................. 359.10United Dairy Systems – TIF ...................... 448.52UnityPoint Clinic – Drug Screening ........... 37.00Unum Life Insurance – Disab. & LifeInsurance ..................................................... 225.40Upper Exploreland –GrantAdministration .........................................1,830.07US Cell – Cell Phone Service ....................... 83.74U.S. Postal –Util Billing, Presort Fee ........ 543.53Walvatne Electric – Wiring ....................... 164.60WBC Mechanical – Switch ........................ 161.69Wertjes Uniforms – Uniforms ................... 939.47West Union Hardware – Supplies .............. 365.59West Union Motor Supply – Supplies ....... 262.00West Union Motors – Winterizing ........... 118.34West Union Shell – Fuel............................. 815.12West Union Vet – Boarding ...................... 110.00Westphal Mower Service – Repairs ............. 76.90Total Payroll ............................................37,499.97TOTAL CLAIMS .......................... $ 247,994.04

RECAP OF OCTOBER RECEIPTSGeneral .............................................. $ 210,255.38Util Billing .............................................. 58,281.02TOTAL RECEIPTS ........................$ 268,536.40

Vagts asked that Council hold a Special Council meeting Monday, December 30th, 2013 to start working on the budget. Motion was made by Gumm, seconded by Granger, to ap-prove setting the date. All Aye. Carried. Next council meeting will be held Monday, December 30th, 2013 at 6:00 p.m. for a Special Council meeting discussing Budget. With no further business to bring before the Council, a motion was made by Guenther, seconded by Gumm, to adjourn. Roll call. All Aye. Carried. Meeting adjourned at 7:07 P.M. KENT HALVERSON, MayorATTEST:Amie Johansen, Deputy City Clerk Published in The Fayette County Union December 25, 2013.

West Union City CoUnCil

PUbliC notiCe THE IOWA DISTRICT COURT

FAYETTE COUNTYIN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF

CAROLEE ANN WOODS, DeceasedPROBATE No. ESPR019563

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF ADMINISTRATOR

AND NOTICE TO CREDITORSTo all persons interested in the estate of

CAROLEE ANN WOODS, Deceased, who died on or about July 31, 2011:

You are hereby notified that on the 2nd day of October, 2013, the undersigned was appointed administrator of the estate.

Notice is hereby given that all persons in-debted to the estate are requested to make imme-diate payment to the undersigned, and creditors having claims against the estate shall file them with the clerk of the above-named district court, as provided by law, duly authenticated for allow-ance, and unless so filed by the later to occur four months from the second publication of this no-tice or one month from the date of the mailing of this notice (unless otherwise allowed or paid, a claim is thereafter forever barred.

Dated this 10th day of December, 2013.Timothy P. Woods, Administrator of the Estate3025 Jordan GroveWest Des Moines, IA 50265-6452Michael D. Craver, ICIS PIN No: AT 0010278Attorney for the AdministratorCraver Law Firm303 West State StreetCenterville, IA 52544

Date of second publication 25th day of December, 2013.Probate Code Section 230

Published in The Fayette County Union December 18 and 25, 2013.

Fayette County Board of SupervisorsMeeting Minutes of

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

The Board of Supervisors of Fayette County, Iowa, met on Wednesday, December 11, 2013, at 4:00 o’clock p.m., at the Fayette County Supervisor’s office.

The meeting was called to order by the Chairperson, and the roll was called showing the following Supervisors present and absent: Present: Jeanine Tellin, Darrel Dolf & Vicki Rowland. Absent: None.

Motion was made by Dolf and seconded by Rowland to approve the current agenda. On roll call, all voted aye, none nay, and the motion was carried.

The Board met with Wayne Saur, County Attorney, for a discussion regarding the Oran Sanitation District and 28E Law Enforcement.

The Board was informed of the meeting date for the Conference Board.

The Board met with the Cities for a discus-sion regarding 28E Law Enforcement.

The Board adjourned.Upon request, this information could be

made available in large print, and/or computer disk.

Lori Moellers, County AuditorJeanine Tellin, Chair of the Board

Published in The Fayette County UnionWednesday, December 25 2013

PUbliC notiCe

Fayette County Board of SupervisorsRegular Meeting Minutes ofMonday, December 9, 2013

The Board of Supervisors of Fayette County, Iowa, met on Monday, December 9, 2013, at 9:00 o’clock a.m., at the Fayette County Supervisor’s office.

The meeting was called to order by the Chairperson, and the roll was called showing the following Supervisors present and absent: Present: Jeanine Tellin, Darrel Dolf & Vicki Rowland. Absent: None.

Motion was made by Dolf and seconded by Rowland to approve the current agenda. On roll call, all voted aye, none nay, and the motion was carried.

Motion was made by Rowland and sec-onded by Dolf to approve the minutes from the Monday, December 2, 2013 meeting. On roll call, all voted aye, none nay, and the motion was car-ried.

The Board met with Carol Keune, Community Services, for an update.

The Board had a discussion regarding the Compensation Board recommendations.

Motion was made by Rowland and seconded by Dolf to approve the increases for elected of-ficials that were recommended by the Fayette County Compensation Board for 2014-2015. The salaries will be as follows: Attorney $67,830: Auditor $52,273; Recorder $52,266; Treasurer $52,266; Sheriff $73,872; Supervisors $31,688. On roll call, all voted aye, none nay, and the mo-tion was carried.

The Board had a discussion regarding County Farm issues.

The Board met with Al Miller, County Engineer, for an update.

Motion was made by Rowland and seconded by Dolf to adopt Resolution # 253 Resolution to Revise Fayette County 2014 Five Year Road Program adding the following projects: Joint Project with Buchanan County on 100th Street from Stanley to 1.1 Miles East and also the B Avenue Culvert Replacement on B Avenue, Over Tributary of the Maquoketa River, on WLINE S13 T91 R07. On roll call, all voted aye, none nay, and the motion was carried.

A public hearing was held on Mon. Dec. 9, 2013 at 10:00 A.M. in the Fayette County Courthouse, West Union, IA.Members Present: Darrel Dolf, Jeanine

Tellin & Vicki RowlandMembers Absent: NoneOthers Present: Debbie Dietzenbach

Mr. Dolf made a motion to open the public hearing at 10:06 A.M. Mrs. Rowland seconded the motion. All members voted yes.

#359, Michael & Janet Helgerson, West Union, IA, are requesting to rezone approx. 4.00 acres from Conservation Floodplain to Agricultural for the construction of a new house. The affected property is located in the SE ¼, NE ¼, SE ¼, Section 26, Dover Township in a Conservation Floodplain Zoning District.

Ms. Dietzenbach presented Mr. & Mrs. Helgerson’s request to the Commission. The acreage is being separated from the farm. The minimum acre requirement in a CFP Zoning District is 5 acres. In order to keep the actual floodplain with the farm parcel and separate from their parcel they are creating a parcel of ap-prox. 4.077 acres. The land use for either parcel created will not change.

Mr. Dolf made a motion to approve the re-quest as presented. Mrs. Rowland seconded the motion. All members voted yes.

#360, Dellene Stubenrauch, Strawberry Point, IA, is requesting a waiver of the subdivi-sion ordinance to split approximately 35.23 acres from a 145.64 acre parcel. The affected property is located in the N ½, NW ¼, Section 28, Banks Township in an Agricultural Zoning District.

Ms. Dietzenbach presented the Stubenrauch request to the Commission. The acreage in-cluding 6.94 acres was split to Mr. & Mrs. Borcherding in 1988. Their acreage is for sale. The prospective buyer would like to purchase the acreage and approximately 35 acres adjoining on the East.

Mrs. Rowland made a motion to approve the request as presented. Mr. Dolf seconded the mo-tion. All members voted yes.

Mrs. Rowland made a motion to close the public hearing. Mr. Dolf seconded the motion. All members voted yes.

The public hearing adjourned at 10:10 A.M. The Board adjourned.Upon request, this information could be

made available in large print, and/or computer disk.

Lori Moellers, County AuditorJeanine Tellin, Chair of the Board

Published in The Fayette County UnionWednesday, December 25, 2013

PUbliC notiCe

NOTICE OF SHERIFF’S LEVY AND SALEIN THE IOWA DISTRICT COURT IN AND FOR

FAYETTE COUNTYSTATE OF IOWA

FAYETTE COUNTYIowa District Court Fayette County

Case # EQCV053817Civil # 13-001724

NATIONSTAR MORTGAGE LLC,vs.HERBERT J. CLEFISCH

Special Execution As a result of the judgment rendered in the above-referenced court case, an execution was issued by the court to the Sheriff of this county. The execution ordered the sale of defendant(s) real estate described below to satisfy the judg-ment. The Property to be sold isTHE SOUTH 60 FEET OF LOTS 19 AND 20, BLOCK 4, SUTTER’S ADDITION TO THE TOWN OF ELGIN, IOWAProperty Address: 306 RIVER STREET, ELGIN, IA 52141 The described property will be offered for sale at public auction for cash only as follows:Sale Date: 01/29/2014Sale Time: 15:00Place of Sale: FAYETTE COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE, 220 N. INDUSTRIAL PKWY., WEST UNION, IA 52175 Homestead: Defendant is advised that if the described real estate includes the homestead (which must not exceed ½ acre if within a city or town plat, or, if rural, must not exceed 40 acres), defendant must file a homestead plat with the Sheriff within ten (10) days after service of this notice, or the sheriff will have it platted and charge the costs to this case. This sale is not subject to Redemption. Property exemption: Certain money or property may be exempt. Contact your attorney promptly to review specific provisions of the law and file appropriate notice, if acceptable.Judgment Amount: $36,424.52Costs: $285.00Accruing Costs: PlusInterest: $634.69Sheriff ’s Fees: PendingDate: 12/04/2013MARTY FISHERFAYETTE COUNTY SHERIFFSgt. Roxane BrugmanAttorney: JANELLE G. EWINGPO BOX 2675WATERLOO, IA 50704(319) 232-3304 Published in The Fayette County Union December 25, 2013, and January 1, 2014.

PUbliC notiCe

NOTICE OF PROPOSED ACTION TO VACATE THE RIGHT OF WAY AND

DISPOSING BY SALE TO ADJOINING OWNER

The City Council of the City of West Union, Iowa, will meet on the 6th day of January, 2014, in the Council Chambers at City Hall at 6:00 PM for the purpose of considering and tak-ing action to vacate the real estate described as:

THE EAST WEST ALLEY IN BLOCK 10, WEST UNION, DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS:ALL THAT PART OF THE EAST AND WEST ALLEY IN BLOCK 10, WEST UNION, FROM THE WEST LINE OF NORTH PINE STREET, WEST TO THE EAST LINE OF THE ALLEY THAT RUNS NORTH AND SOUTH IN SAID BLOCK 10, (SAID PARCEL LIES BETWEEN LOTS 1, 2 AND 3 ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE ALLEY AND LOTS 12, 13 AND 14 ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE ALLEY), FAYETTE COUNTY, IOWA.

and disposing by quit claim deed to the adjoining landowners.

At said time and place, oral or written objections may be filed or made to the proposal. After received any objections or comments, the City may determine to proceed with such action, in which case, the decision will be final unless appealed to the Iowa District Court within 30 days thereafter.

By Order of the City Council of the City of West Union, IowaRobert Vagts, City Clerk/Administrator

Published in The Fayette County Union December 25, 2013.

PUbliC notiCe

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARINGFayette County

IN RE: Proposed Vacation of County Road – Wickham Road

The Fayette County Board of Supervisors, acting under the authority of Iowa Code Chapter 306, proposes to vacate a section of Fayette County Secondary Road, described as follows:

That portion of Wickham Road lying West of the West Right of Way of Rose Road (County Road W-14), in the following ¼ -¼ Sections of Section 29 T95N-R9W; NE¼ - NW¼, SW¼ - NW¼, SE¼ - NW¼ and NW¼ - SW¼. As Established on September 6th, 1852. Said Establishment Recorded in Road Record Book A, Page 42. With Field Notes and Plat Recorded in Road Record Book A, Pages 46-47, on file in the Fayette County Engineer’s Office.

A hearing will be held by the Fayette County Board of Supervisors in their office, Fayette County Courthouse, West Union, Iowa, 52175, at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, January 6, 2014. Any person owning land abutting on the road proposed to be vacated and closed shall have the right to file, in writing, a claim for damages at any time on or before the date and time fixed for the hearing. Published in The Fayette County Union December 25, 2013.

PUbliC notiCe IN THE IOWA DISTRICT COURT FOR FAYETTE COUNTY

EQUITY NO. EQCV053907ORIGINAL NOTICEFOR PUBLICATION

REGIONS BANK DBA REGIONS MORTGAGE62-0859006,

Plaintiff,vs.

ANDREW M. PUTNAM ANDCONNIE J. PUTNAM,

DefendantsTO THE ABOVE-NAMED DEFENDANTS: You are hereby notified that there is a petition on file in the office of the clerk of the above court which petition prays for a judgment in rem against the property involved in this ac-tion for the sum of $76,984.53 with interest at 5% per annum from and including May 1, 2013, on the promissory note executed by Andrew M. Putnam and Connie J. Putnam and mortgage executed by Andrew M. Putnam and Connie J. Putnam to Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc. and assigned to Plaintiff, who is the sole and absolute owner thereof. Said note, together with the mortgage given to secure the same are due and payable by reason of the failure of the Defendants Andrew M. Putnam and Connie J. Putnam to pay the in-stallments of principal when due. Plaintiff also prays in said Petition for the foreclosure of said mortgage dated June 30, 2009, recorded in Book 2009, Page 2034 in the Recorder’s Office of Fayette County, Iowa, with said note dated June 30, 2009, on the following described property, to-wit:

Lot 109, Stewart’s Second Addition to Oelwein, Fayette County, Iowa

and also asking that said mortgage be declared a prior and superior lien to that of each of the above-named Defendants; for appointment of a receiver; for the amount paid by Plaintiff for attorneys’ fees, abstract expense, costs and ac-cruing costs of this action; that special execution issue for the sale of said real estate to satisfy said judgment, interest, attorneys’ fees and costs, and for such other and further relief as may be just and equitable.

FOR FURTHER PARTICULARS, SEE COPY OF PETITION NOW ON FILE.

THE PLAINTIFF HAS ELECTED FORECLOSURE WITHOUT REDEMPTION. THIS MEANS THAT THE SALE OF THE MORTGAGED PROPERTY WILL OCCUR PROMPTLY AFTER ENTRY OF JUDGMENT UNLESS YOU FILE WITH THE COURT A WRITTEN DEMAND TO DELAY THE SALE. IF YOU FILE A WRITTEN DEMAND, THE SALE WILL BE DELAYED UNTIL SIX MONTHS FROM ENTRY OF JUDGMENT IF THE MORTGAGED PROPERTY IS YOUR RESIDENCE AND IS A ONE-FAMILY OR TWO-FAMILY DWELLING OR UNTIL TWO MONTHS FROM ENTRY OF JUDGMENT IF THE MORTGAGED PROPERTY IS NOT YOUR RESIDENCE OR IS RESIDENCE BUT NOT A ONE-FAMILY OR TWO-FAMILY DWELLING. YOU WILL HAVE NO RIGHT OF REDEMPTION AFTER THE SALE. THE PURCHASER AT THE SALE WILL BE ENTITLED TO IMMEDIATE POSSESSION OF THE MORTGAGED PROPERTY. YOU MAY PURCHASE AT THE SALE.

The Plaintiff’s attorneys are Petosa, Petosa & Boecker, L.L.P. by Benjamin W. Hopkins, whose address is 1350 NW 138th Street, Suite 100, Clive, Iowa 50325-8308, tele-phone number (515) 222-9400, facsimile num-ber (515) 222-9121.

You must serve a motion or answer on or before the 28th day of January, 2014, and within a reasonable time thereafter file your motion or answer in the Iowa District Court of Fayette County, at the Courthouse in West Union, Iowa. If you do not, judgment by default may be ren-dered against you for the relief demanded in the Petition.

If you require the assistance of auxiliary aids or services to participate in court because of a disability, immediately call your district ADA coordinator at (319) 833-3332. (If you are hearing-impaired, call Relay Iowa TTY at 1-800-735-2942).Elizabeth NussClerk of the Above CourtFayette County CourthouseWest Union, Iowa 52175

YOU ARE ADVISED TO SEEK LEGAL ADVICE AT ONCE TO PROTECT YOUR INTERESTS. Published in The Fayette County Union December 25, 2013 and January 1 and 8, 2014.

PUbliC notiCe

Elgin City Superintendent Tom Martin updated the City Council on Monday, Dec. 16, on several issues now that the Center Street Project is mostly complete. After re-moving snow the first few times since con-struction was completed, Martin reports that the process went smoothly and presented no major problems.

He also reported that there was a minor issue with some of the lights that had been installed on the light poles. Some of them had been wired incorrectly at the factory and were not shining as brightly as the rest. Those lights have now been rewired and are work-ing correctly.

Superintendent Martin also brought up the matter of continuing to divert truck traf-fic around Center Street, even now that con-struction is basically complete.

“Having large semis come through or park on those pavers might not be a big deal now, but later in the spring it will cause prob-lems,” explained Martin.

Keeping large trucks out should increase the life expectancy of the pavers and avoid any shifting, breaking, or cracking of the pav-ers. Martin went on to explain how perma-nently diverting trucks around Center Street could be accomplished through the use of signage and communicating with local busi-nesses and semi drivers.

In addition to this, Martin noted that there are other issues that need to be ad-dressed, including the need for trash cans along Center Street, putting signs back up that had been taken down during construc-tion, Christmas decorations for next year, and some issues with ramps and curbs that were part of the Center Street Project.

Joe Elsinger from MSA Professional Services was also on hand at Monday night’s meeting and presented the council with three change orders and two pay applications re-lated to closing out the Center Street Project. Elsinger also presented a certificate of sub-stantial completion and final completion with release of claims. All of these were approved, along with a supplementary contract that will hold the contractors responsible for remain-ing punch list items and provide for any re-tainage caused by the contractors not com-pleting the project by the agreed-upon date.

“When you add everything up, we came in about $3,000 over what the original con-tract for the project called for, not including the cost of some landscaping that was done in the park. When you combine that with $60,000 set aside as contingency, the City should have a little left over to use for some-thing that still might need a little extra atten-tion,” noted Elsinger.

He added that the work that needs to be done in the spring has been assigned a sub-stantial completion date of May 1, with final completion set for May 15. The supplemental contract, which includes all the work that re-mains to be done, lists a cost of $39,930.54.

The council also discussed the current status of a possible façade grant for property owners along Center Street. Eleven property owners have shown interest in the program, and Elsinger informed the council that if one or more others could be added, a grant appli-cation could be submitted. After some discus-sion, the council decided to wait on applying for a façade grant.

“I think we need to educate our property owners a little more about this opportunity. I would like them to have a better understand-ing of what the costs are and what the expec-tations would be if we submit and receive a façade grant,” stated Mayor Pfister.

In addition, Pfister informed the coun-cil of a meeting that he had attended regard-ing the possibility of a 28E Law Enforcement Agreement among towns in Fayette County. Those in attendance representing the dif-ferent cities suggested that a $10 per capita charge per town was a possibility; however, this is significantly lower than the $57 per capita amount that had been originally sug-gested. The Fayette County Supervisors will now consider what might be the best plan with which to go forward, and the issue will be addressed again in January.

Earlier, Pfister and councilmembers Sarah Schori and Sara Strong were sworn into office. Pfister, who was re-elected as mayor, has served in that capacity since January 2004. Schori and Strong were also re-elect-ed to their council positions and will offi-cially begin their third consecutive terms in January.

Elgin officials present Center Street update

By Brian Smithbsmith@fayettepublishing.com

Elgin Mayor Bill Pfister, who was sworn in earlier during the Elgin City Council meeting on Monday, Dec. 16, watches as Councilmembers Sara Strong and Sarah Schori (l-r) take their oaths. Strong and Schori will both begin their third terms in January.

Join us in supportingWRESTLING

North Fayette Valley TigerHawk

2013/2014

REAL ESTATE AUCTION

6:15 p.m. - G JV BB @ Sumner- Fredericksburg6:15 p.m. - B JV vs. Sum.-Fred. @ NFV7:30 p.m. - G & B V BB @ Sum.-Fred.

5:45 p.m. - B & G 9 BB @ Dike-New Hartford

7 p.m. - B & G JV BB @ Dike-NH

4:15 p.m. - B 7 BB vs. WC @ NFV MS4:15 p.m. - G 7 BB @ WC5:15 p.m. - B 8 BB vs. WC at NFV MS5:15 p.m. - 8 G BB @ WC

6 p.m. - 9 & V WR @ Postville6:15 p.m. - G 9 BB vs. Crestwood @ Fayette gym7:30 p.m. - B 9 BB vs. Crestwood @ Fayette gym

4:15 p.m. - G 7 BB @ TV5:15 p.m. - G 8 BB vs. TV @ NFV MS6:15 p.m. - B JV BB @ Central Elkader6:15 p.m. - G JV BB - vs. Central Elkader @ NFV7:30 p.m. - B V BB @ Central Elkader7:30 p.m. - G V BB vs. Central @ NFV

10 a.m. - V WR @ Tripoli5 p.m. - B JV BB vs. Decorah @ NFV6:30 p.m. B V BB vs. Decorah @ NFV

Dorian Honor Choir

4:45 p.m. - G 9 BB @ Waukon6:15 p.m. - G JV BB @ Waukon7:30 p.m. - G V BB @ Waukon

4 p.m. - G JV vs. Ed-Co5:15 p.m. - B JV BB - @ Ed-Co6 p.m. - JV, 9 & V WR @ Wapsie Valley6:15 p.m. - G V BB @ Ed-Co7:30 p.m. - B V BB @ Ed-Co

4:15 p.m. - G 7 & 8 BB @. Sum.-Fred. MS6 p.m. - 9 WR @ Sum.-Fred.6:15 p.m. - G JV BB @ MFL/MM7:30 p.m. - B JV BB @ MFL/MM

4:15 p.m. - B 7 BB @ Nashua-Plainfi eld5:15 p.m. - B 8 BB @ N-P6:15 p.m. - G V BB vs. MFL/MM @ NFV7:30 p.m. - B V BB vs. MFL/MM @ NFV

Honor Band - Marion 6-8

9:30 a.m. - V WR @ Hudson10 a.m. - JV WR @ New Hampton

UIC Band Festival 7:30 p.m.

4:45 p.m. - B JV BB @ Postville6:15 p.m. - G V BB @ Postville7:30 p.m. - B V BB @ Postville

6 p.m. - V & 9 WR at NFV

4:15 p.m. - B 7 BB @ Clay. Ridge MS4:15 p.m. - B 8 BB vs. CR @ NFV MS6:15 p.m. - G V BB @ Starmont HS6:15 p.m. - G JV BB vs. Star. @ Stephen Shannon Complex7:30 p.m. - B JV BB vs. Star. @ Stephen Shannon Comp.7:30 p.m. - B V BB vs. Star. @ Stephen Shannon Comp.

Honor Choir at Wartbirg

10 a.m. - V WR Tourney @ Waverly-Shell Rock

Fine Arts Festival at noon

State Jazz Band Contest

4:15 p.m. - B 7 & 8 BB @ Oelwein

3:45 p.m. - B 7 BB vs. TV @ NFV MS 4:45 p.m. - B 8 BB vs. TV @ NFV MS6 p.m. - V, JV, 9 WR @ NFV HS 6:15 p.m. - G V BB vs. TV @ Valley HS8 p.m. - B V BB vs.TV @ Valley HS

4:15 p.m. - B 7 BB @ McGregor4:15 p.m. - B 8 BB vs. MFL/MM @ NFV MS6 p.m. - 9 WR @ Ed-Co6:15 p.m. - G 9 BB @ Crestwood6:15 p.m. - G JV BB vs. WC at NFV7:30 p.m. - B JV BB vs. WC @ NFV7:30 p.m. - B 9 BB - vs. Crestwood

4:15 p.m. - 7 B BB vs. Sum.-Fred @ NFV MS4:15 p.m. - 8 B BB @ Sum.-Fred. MS6:15 p.m. - G V BB @ WC 7:30 p.m. - B V BB @ WC

P.O. Box 40Fayette, IA

563-425-3395

P.O. Box 206 Sumner, IA

563-578-3312

w w w. f s b s u m n e r. c o m West Union ~ St. Lucas

Helping You...www.bank1stia.com

563-422-3883

R

We promise to provide...innovative products and

dependable serviceto help YOU exceed

your potential.

www.viafield.com

370 Main StreetLansing, Iowa 52151(563) 538-4231Toll-Free (800) 577-5272

205 North Vine StreetWest Union, Iowa 52175(563) 422-6072Toll-Free (800) 568-4235

200 Mill StreetClermont, Iowa 52135(563) 423-5267

315 West Chestnut StreetHarpers Ferry, Iowa 52146(563) 586-2166

600 Boyson Rd. NECedar Rapids, IA 52402(319) 378-8100

www.kerndtbrothers.comOnline banking and EZ Bill Pay at

www.westunionmotors.com

409 W. Bradford•West Union, IA 563-422-3801•800-373-3801

SALES & SERVICE

Elgin 563-426-5811

Bodensteiner Implementwww.bodimp.com

Elkader, Waukon, Decorah, Monticello, Clermont, Dyersville, Cresco, New Hamption, Rowley, Oelwein

164 W. Tilden Str., Postville563-864-3561

301 Mill Ave., ELGIN 563-426-5164

All faiths or beliefs are welcome.

201 Hall St., West Union, IA 52175

(563) 422-3814

www.good-sam.com

www.artsway-mfg.com800 Hwy. 150 South

West Union

The North Fayette Valley wrestling room is bursting at the seams with 36 wrestlers going through their paces. The grapplers include (front, l-r) Madison Monroe, Jason Bradley, Luke Reicks, Zach Bruns, Brian Jensen, Austin DeMuth, Jordan Larson, Jared Van Sickle, Brandon Monnahan, Paul Franzen, Lucas Phillips, and manager Alannah Guenther (row two) Madeline Trumm, David Jellings, Jared Kerr, Kelvin Guyer, Kieran Harrington, Isaiah Ruckdashel, Colton Blue, Brody Woods, Colton Caldwell, Freddie Kuhn, Prince Dingelius, Johnny Wander, (row 3) assistant coach Chris Moss, assistant coach Winston Robbins, Dalton Lape, Tylen Burrow, Nick Baumler, Ethan Lape, Jesse Mackey, head coach Jacob Pedersen, Tyler Johansen, Nashua Lansing, Nick Wander, Daniel Streeter, Spenser Schmitt, assistant coach Matt Bruns, assistant coach Doug DeMuth. Not pictured: Colby Larson. (Jerry Wadian photo)

B-6 Wednesday, December 25, 2013/The Fayette County Union

Greetings Season!

City sidewalks, busy sidewalksDressed in holiday style;In the air there’s a feeling of Christmas!

Children laughing, people passing,Meeting smile after smile;And on every street corner you’ll hear...

Silver bells, silver bells,It’s Christmastime in the city!Ring-a-ling, hear them ring,Soon it will be Christmas Day!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

West Union ~ St. Lucas

www.bank1stia.com563-422-3883

Local Ownership ~ Local Decisions

Helping You...

Officers, Directors & EmployeesBank 1st of West Union & St. Lucas

CHRISTMAS EVE Tuesday, December 24

CLOSING at Noon CHRISTMAS DAY

Wednesday, December 25CLOSED

NEW YEAR’S EVE Tuesday, December 31CLOSING at 3:00 P.M.

(This will allow for year-end transactions)

NEW YEAR’S DAYWednesday, January 1

CLOSED

HOLIDAY HOURSat all Bank 1st locations

During this special time of the year, we are reminded of our many blessings and are deeply grateful to our customers and

friends who have placed their trust in us.

of the

Wednesday, December 25, 2013/The Fayette County Union C-1

C-2 Wednesday, December 25, 2013/The Fayette County Union

John Duehr (right), West Union Residential Correctional Facility residential offi cer, is pictured helping resident Brock Coleshovel the sidewalk outside the local facility. West Union’s Residential Correctional Facility was recognized for the community service efforts of its staff and residents in 2013 by being bestowed a Governor’s Volunteer Award. (Mike Van Sickle photo)

Since 1983, Iowa has annually honored nonprofi t, chari-table, and government organizations with Governor’s Volunteer Awards. In 2013, West Union’s Residential Correctional Facility was recognized for the volunteer

eff orts of its staff and residents. While acknowledging that each resident is required to pro-vide a minimum 20 hours of volunteer service while they are detained at the local facility, residential offi cer John Duehr stressed that a great number of the participants put in many more such hours. “I have to admit, when I fi rst heard of the program, I was like, ‘Really? It’s tough enough to fi nd anyone willing to work for free anymore,’” Duehr said. “But whenever an opportunity has arisen, they (residents) always cooperate and step forward to help volunteer.” Noting that the services of the residents and staff must be made available to nonprofi t groups and/or organizations, Duehr explained that among the most common duties of the residents is providing nearly 15 miles of roadside main-tenance as part of the Iowa Department of Transportation’s Adopt-A-Highway program. In addition, the residents have provided assistance to the Volga River Recreation Area, Fort Atkinson Rendezvous, Fayette County Historical Society, and the local library. At the facility itself, the participants may wash dishes, clean and wax the fl oors, shovel snow, etc. “I feel we are truly the only facility in Iowa that goes out of its way to be there for our (correctional) residents. Th at is why we’re out there working by their side. You have to work alongside them to let them know you truly care,” said the local residential offi cer. “Ultimately, we want to do our best to get them employed, fi nd a place to live, a chance to start over. A lot of them do want a fresh start, and some of them have done very well,” he continued. Among the current residents who feel that they have ben-efi ted from the program is Manchester native Brock Cole. Th e 26-year-old has resided at the West Union facility for approx-imately 80 days. During his detention he has helped shovel snow, sorted recyclables, and helped prepare the facility for various meetings. “I have appreciated the opportunity to help other people out when others haven’t been capable of helping,” said Cole. “Th e program has helped me feel better about myself, and I have enjoyed being able to help give something back to the community.” “It is not only a positive experience for the residents, but also the staff ,” noted Duehr. “It brings a positive atmosphere to the facility and makes the entire environment here better. “At the same time, the community benefi ts in receiving free supervised labor, especially in the case of projects that are in much need of additional volunteers,” he said. “We are always looking forward for an opportunity to provide a community service, especially during these winter months.”

(Editor’s note: Nonprofi t groups and/or organizations wishing to utilize the volunteer services provided by the West Union Residential Correctional Facility may call John Duehr at 422-5758.)

A benefi t to all involvedBy Mike Van Sickle

mvansickle@thefayettecountyunion.com

May faith be your guide, and joy your constant companion during this holy season.For the blessing of your friendship, we are forever grateful.

May the peace of the Lord be with you

Burnham-Wood Funeral Home Owned by S.K. Rogers Funeral Homes212 East Elm St., West Union

Phone: 563-422-3615

S.K. Rogers Funeral Home 120 Main St., FayettePhone: 563-425-3535

www.skrogersfuneralchapel.com

From left: Steve Rogers, Pam Rogers, Eleanor Miner-Hageman, Ginny Boeckman

and Andrew Boeckman

West Union

Fayette

Fayette County EconomicDevelopment & Tourism

101 N. Vine St., West Union, IA563-422-5073

www.fayettecountyia.com

May you enjoy all the blessings of the season with friends and family.

2014

We look forward to yourcontinued growth in the new year!

We’re here to spread cheer with our best wishes for a happy and harmonious new year!

Leslie Lauer & Sons, Inc.Excavating & Grading

Serving this area since 1948

West Union, IA ~ (563) 422‐5430

Best Wishes for a happy holiday season from our family to yours!

DECK THE HALLS!

Wishing you every happiness this holiday season. We truly value your

business and look forward to your continued support.

PEACE HOPE LOVE JOY

Dr. Fred W. Eickert D.C. Ph. 422-3323

403 S. Vine, West UnionEmergency Appointments Available - Ph. (563) 422-8333

We will be closed Dec. 24 & 25

Go, Hawks!

May you enjoy all the best this special time of year has to offer ~

you deserve it!

...And many thanks to you, our neighbors and friends, for bringing us so much joy this

past year!

FredericksburgFarmersCooperative

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

608-519-3342

We're driving ourSleigh

...and bringing youthe miracle of life-saving technology!

(l-r) Leonard Voshell, EMT-I; Kenny Monteith, CCP; Steve Post, AEMT; Susan Leary, PS; Amy Zehr, PS; Arlene Klatt, EMT; Dave Dennler, EMT; Walt Zehr, CCP; Jeremy Davis, EMT. (Missing, Dan Anderson, P; Alicia Smith, PS; Bryan Hubka, EMT; David Pleggenkuhle, FR/D; Doreen Norris, P; Jordan Massman, CCP; Loren Mitchell, PS; Todd Westpfahl, EMT

Wednesday, December 25, 2013/The Fayette County Union C-3

Ossian Lumber

Company203 E. Main, Ossian563-532-9165

for your business this year!

You’ve made 2013 a great year, and we

look forward to your visits in 2014!

Trimmed with our Best Wishes and a special

& Home Accents301 Mill St., Clermont

563-423-2213Tuesday-Friday, 10-5:30; Saturday, 9-4

www.theartgalleryandhomeaccents.com

Closed Dec. 29, 2013 thru Jan. 2, 2014

Happy Holidays!

Th ank you for your support throughout the year, we hope to see you again in 2014!

From our family to yours...

24411 Highway 13 N., Elkader

563-245-2515

Holiday Greetingsfrom our family to yours!

Baumler Implements, Inc.www.baumlerimplements.com

Thank you for your patronage! HAPPY

HOLIDAYS!

From our families to yours,

HappyHolidays!Becker-MilnesFuneral Service, Inc.

Proudly serving families in this

area since 1957.

Funeral ChapelHawkeye

563-427-3244

Funeral HomeSumner

563-578-3451

Funeral HomeFayette

563-425-3307

Hawkeye563-427-3419

Insurance Agency

Hope it all adds up to a truly wonderful

holiday for you! We appreciate our loyal customers!

NUSS

SUCCESS • HEALTHPEACE • HOPE

LOVE • JOY

'Tis the Season!May your Christmas

holiday be filled with glad

tidings every day and when the holiday is through, may

our best wishes remain with

you!

Heying Mfg. &

563-562-3583201 W. Main St., Calmar, IA 52132

Lumber Co., Inc.

Performing a verse of “Following the Drinking Gourd” during the recent North Fayette fi fth- and sixth-grade concert were (l-r) Raily Wolfe, Chase Lensing, and Kole Johnson. (Mike Van Sickle photo)

Gina Gibson was among the performers during the recent North Fayette fi fth- and sixth-grade concert, which featured “The Rhythms of Life.” (Mike Van Sickle photo)

Carrie Halva, Zoe Larson, and Emily Kline (l-r) were among the North Fayette fi fth-grade band members to perform a dem-onstration concert during the recent music program at the Performing Arts Center in West Union. (Mike Van Sickle photo)

Breanna Baumler and Baylie Shrubb were among the North Fayette fi fth-grade band members to perform before family and friends during “The Rhythms of Life” concert. (Mike Van Sickle photo)

Alexis Ruroden helped lead the North Fayette fi fth- and sixth-grade choir in perform-ing “Home” during the recent “The Rhythms of Life” con-cert. (Mike Van Sickle photo)

Among the North Fayette fi fth- and sixth-grade students singing a salute to America during “The Rhythms of Life” con-cert were (front, l-r) Emma Ney, Brady Koester; (second row) Katelyn Hackley, Mariya Yasinovska, Kale Rodgers; (third) Cole Heins, Nolan Hoey, Dylan Lerch; (back) Jackson Blue, Raily Wolfe. (Mike Van Sickle photo)

From your friends at Gundersen Health System Holiday Hours:Dec. 24 Open until noonDec. 25 ClosedDec. 26-30 Regular HoursDec. 31 Open until 5 p.m.Jan. 1 Closed

110 Jefferson Street, (563) 422-3817

Healthy Holiday

Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center, Inc. | Gundersen Clinic, Ltd. | 9847_1213

C-4 Wednesday, December 25, 2013/The Fayette County Union

Have a One-of-a-Kind Christmas!Here’s wishing you a season that’s as special as you are!

Sales & Leasing

Your Hometown Dealer

Hours:Mon. 8-8

Tue. 8-5:30Wed. 8-5:30

Thur. 8-8Fri. 8-5:30Sat. 8-3563-245-2505

www.4browns.com

We really appreciate your goodwill and

support.

Bushman Insurance& Real Estate, Inc.

Ossian • 563-532-9207www.bushmanagency.com

Th ere’s no place we’d rather be for the holidays than right here with

our neighbors and friends! Merry Christmas from everyone at Bushman Insurance & Real Estate!

“Where Honesty is Our Business”

With our Happiest Th anks & Warmest Wishes!

EQUAL HOUSINGOPPORTUNITY

How sweet it is . . .to serve customers like you!

107 Hwy. 150 N., West Union(563) 422-6240

HolidayGreetings!

SUE

CINDY

We’re here for all your shopping needs!

Holiday Hours:Christmas Eve

Open 9 a.m. - NoonNew Year’s Eve

Open 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.CLOSED

Christmas & New Year’s Day

ROB

MIKE

BARB

611 West Bradford, West Union, IA 52175

Dessel-RoachF U R N I T U R E & F L O O R S

563-422-3419563-422-5302

Northeast Iowa’s One-Stop-Shop for Furniture, Flooring, & Appliances

May the coming year bring you peace, joy and enlightenment...

Electric Motor ShopHappy Holidays!

402 Clermont St.Elgin, IA

563-426-5888

With resounding

gratitude and best wishes to all at this

glorious time of year.

Glory to the

newborn King!

Andrea Rue was among the volunteers who helped ensure that the West Union Santa Store would remain open for an-other holiday season. Andrea is pictured helping Thomas Sadler pick out a gift during the recent event. (Ann Hutchens photo)

Volunteer Tina Berg helped Brayden Bodensteiner pick out a few Christmas gifts at the West Union Santa Store this holi-day season. (Ann Hutchens photo)

Among the names to be added to Santa’s own list is that of 2-month-old Dalton Langreck of West Union. The infant was personally in-troduced to St. Nick at the West Union Santa Store. (Ann Hutchens photo)

Disney Davis peers intently into the twinkling eyes of Santa Claus during her visit to the West Union Santa Store. (Ann Hutchens photo)

The Schaefer boys, Lucas, Nick and Clayton, were excited to see Santa on Saturday at Elgin Lutheran Church.

Adalynn Germann sits wide-eyed on Santa’s lap for the fi rst time at Elgin Lutheran Church on Saturday.

Alexis Landis is not so happy to see Santa on her fi rst birthday Saturday at Elgin Lutheran Church.

Santa makes

stops inWest Unionand Elgin

Wednesday, December 25, 2013/The Fayette County Union C-5

“Helping your fi nancial dreams come true” Member FDIC www.fsbsumner.com

1150 W. 1st St.Sumner

(563) 578-3312 or 866-578-3314

Regular hours on Dec. 31, but 2013 transactions close at 3 p.m.We will be closed New Years Day, January 1, 2014.

200 S. MainFayette

(563) 425-3395 or 866-578-0008

Moss Roofi ng

Who’s that onthe roof?

Before Santa drops in,we’d like to deliver our best wishes for the

very merriest holiday season ever.

& Insulation, Inc.(563) 422-3331 • 310 Hwy. 150 S.

West Union

A little birdie told me it’s time to deliver our message of thanks and warm wishes for a merry and bright holiday season.

We are humbled by your generous patronage and look forward to serving you again next year.

Robinson Construction& Custom Telebelting

Gary RobinsonHAWKEYE

563-428-4600

greetingsHOLIDAYhappy

North Fayette Valley ninth- and 10th-grade choir members who performed “Believe” dur-ing the high school’s recent Holiday Concert include (front, l-r) Alexa Pleggenkuhle, Madison Imoehl, Mariah O’Hare; (second row) Kim Rounds, Tessa Reynolds, McKenzie Yauslin, DeniseThompson; (third) Mackenzie Kauffman, Madeline Trumm; (back) Nicole Henry, Bailey Potratz,and Samuel Thomas. Mike Van Sickle photo)

Soloist Jenna Bemiss led the North Fayette Valley High School combined choirs in performing “Hope for Resolution” during the re-cent Holiday Concert. Mike Van Sickle photo)Brady Guyer accompanied the North Fayette Valley High

School combined choirs to open the choir portion of the re-cent Holiday Concert at the Performing Arts Center in West Union. Mike Van Sickle photo)

Abby Oelrich, Julie Breuer, and Maggie Weidemann (l-r) join in the playing of “Christmas Flourish” during the recent North Fayette Valley High School Holiday Concert. Mike Van Sickle photo)

Among the North Fayette Valley Choir members performing during the high school’s Holiday Concert were (front, l-r) Krista Moellers, Julie Breuer, Josie Mackey, Allison Pleggenkuhle, Maggie Weidemann; (middle) Jenna Bemiss, Leah Reierson, Colby Smith; (back) Devon Monnahan, Roy Moore, Prince Dingelius, Jacob Guenther, Nate Treloar. (Mike Van Sickle photo)

Share the warmth...

Happy Holidays!Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

from your friends and neighbors at Allamakee-Clayton Electric Cooperative!

Merry Christmas from your friends at

www.fauserenergy.com

Elgin, Iowa(563) 426-5811 • (800) 328-7371

Wishing you the gift of faith, the blessing of hope and the peace of His love at Christmas and always!

Sun.-Thurs.: 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.• Fri.- Sat.: 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.301 Mill Ave., Elgin • 563-426-5164

HAPPYHOLIDAYS!

New Year’s Eve & New Year’s Day SPECIAL

2 Large Pizzas and 1 sideJUST$2399up to specialty

Reg. price $38.99Off er valid

Dec. 31, 2013 - Jan. 1, 2014ONLY!

West Union, IA

Call Tony today! Commercial - Residential - Industrial - Cemeteries

Thank you to all our customers over the past year - it was a pleasure working with

each and everyone of you!

Snow Removal!ofGive the Gift

- Even though there is snow, now is the time to book spring 2014 lawn care!

C-6 Wednesday, December 25, 2013/The Fayette County Union

Four-year-old Eli Novak of West Union seems a little unsure about the Santa at the Rec Complex. However, after a few hearty “ho, ho, ho’s,” Eli revealed his Christmas wish list. (Jerry Wadian photo)

West Union’s Zoie Stark (left), 2½, and her sister, Jenna, 5, have vastly different reactions to Santa Claus. (Jerry Wadian photo)

Sydney Streif, 8, of West Union tries to recall everything on her wish list. (Jerry Wadian photo)

Ayla Moss, 8, of West Union gives Santa Claus a shy smile as she tells him everything she wants for Christmas. (Jerry Wadian photo)

The Brehme family shows a range of Christmas emotions. Jenny (left) smiles for the camera, and John, 4½, smiles as he talks to Santa. However, Lucas, 1, seems less than happy about being in the limelight. (Jerry Wadian photo)

Pacey Schlee of Winfi eld enjoys a light moment with Santa Claus. The 6-year-old brought her Christmas list with her for the visit. (Jerry Wadian photo)

Santa Claus has a lapful of cute as Dane, 3, and Reagan, 8, Wymer of West Union discuss their Christmas lists with the Jolly Old Elf. (Jerry Wadian photo)

Norm EinckCONSTRUCTION

411 N. Vine St., West UnionWest UnionCar Wash&

behind

Here’s hoping your holiday season delivers everything you’ve ever wanted. We know we’re

truly grateful for the gift of your friendship.

Happy Holidays!

Jasmine Davis, great-granddaughter of Adrian and Bernie Martin of Hawkeye, was able to give Santa Claus her list of ideas for his Dec. 24 deliveries. (Janell Bradley photo)

Grant Soppe fi nally agreed to sit on Santa Claus’ lap at the Hawkeye library, but not for long, as he looks for his mom or grandma for reassurance. The gent in the red suit recently met with children, received a sack of peanuts, fruit and candy, and were able to color pictures and check out books. (Janell Bradley photo)

LEHMANN TRUCKINGWADENA 563-581-7173

JEFF & LORI LEHMANN

HappyWe look forward to doing

business with you again soon!Holidays

563-864-7234“We want to earn YOUR business!”

Holiday Hours7:30 a.m. - noon

Dec. 24 & Dec. 31

CLOSEDDec. 25 & Jan. 1

Postville Farmers Co-Op Society

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Blake and Kayla Hunt visited Santa on Saturday at the Opera House in Clermont to talk about what they should be looking forward to under the tree this year.

Teagan Schrader enjoyed sitting on Santa’s lap and talking about what she wants to do for Christmas Saturday at the Clermont Opera House.

Glad Tidings from our family

to yours!Th ere’s no time like the present

to let you know how much we appreciate the gift of your

business & friendship. Merry Christmas and warm wishes

throughout the upcoming year!

StructuralContracting, Inc.

1799 Sand Road, Ossian563-532-9889

Wednesday, December 25, 2013/The Fayette County Union C-7

Ten-year-old Madison Clausen is already anticipating the opportunity to donate to the Locks of Love program for the fourth time in her young life.

While a delightful smile seems to continual-ly radiate across the face of North Fayette fourth-grade student Madison Clausen, it

is her caring heart that people fi nd even more en-dearing. In addition to being active in Zion Lutheran Church children’s activities, the West Union Girl Scout has been known to periodically pick up trash in her family’s neighborhood and stop by to pet andshare caring words with animals at West Union Vet Clinic. At the same time, donating not once, but three times to Locks of Love in her 10 short years of life is among Madison’s favorite acts of kindheartedness. Madison, the daughter of Jim and Amy Clausen of West Union, fi rst donated her locks to the nonprofi t organization at the age of 5. “Mom was getting her hair cut when she told me about Locks of Love,” the young good Samaritan explained. “She thought it was a cool idea, and I agreed.” According to the Locks of Love website, the vol-unteer eff ort provides hairpieces to fi nancially disad-vantaged children under the age of 21 with medical hair loss. Th e recipients are provided with a custom, vacuum-fi tted hairpiece made entirely from donated human hair. Th e mission is to return a sense of self-confi dence and normalcy to children suff ering from hair loss. Many of the applicants suff er from an autoim-mune condition called alopecia areata, which has no known cause or cure. Others have experienced hair loss from radiation therapy and chemotherapy, se-vere burns or trauma, and various other genetic and dermatological conditions. As a Locks of Love donor, Madison has already donated her hair three times, at the ages of 5, 7, and 9. She now eagerly awaits the opportunity for her hair to grow to the minimum 10 inches in length. “I really like helping other kids feel more happy while they wait for their hair to grow back and they no longer need to wear a wig,” Madison grinned. “Besides, I like my hair better short, whether it is in the summer or wintertime.” Madison, who has shared her experience with friends, encourages everyone to consider donating to Locks of Love the next time he or she is seated at his or her favorite hair salon; you, too, can share “locks of love” with others. (Editor’s note: In addition to a great majority of local hair salons, additional information on Locks of Love can be found online at www.locksofl ove.org.)

Sharing ‘locks of love’ with others

Dear Customers, Neighbors, Associates and Friends...

You make it all worthwhile. Thank you for your continued patronage,

and may you enjoy a safe and happy holiday!

WILBUR FORD SALES(563) 422-3881

www.wilburfordsales.com112 West Elm • West Union, IA(Front, l-r) Sarah Blocker, Tom Thompson and Allen Holtzman. (Back, l-r) Wes Crawford, Nick

Post, Craig Spies, Gene Bemis, Kyle Anderson and Joelene Weidemann. Not Pictured: Reggie Humpal.

Closing Christmas Eve at Noon - Closed Christmas Day

By Mike Van Sicklemvansickle@thefayettecountyunion.com

BLESSINGS OF CHRISTMAS!

May they be with you today & always...

With our thanks for the precious gift of your patronage.

203 Armour St., West Union

Ph. 563-422-5124

to all and to all

a good night!

800-568-4449 • www.shawverwell.com

“An Employee Owned Company”

With our thanks for

your business all year long!

May all your days be Merry & Bright!

Chapman ElectricJon & Eric Chapman • Elgin • 563-426-5342

Commercial - Residential - Farm Wiring - TrenchingBucket Truck - Underground Locating - Electric Jackhammer Rental

this holiday season!

estnionentalssociates

UW

DA

563-422-6292100 E. Bradford St., West Union, IA

319-283-4222135 7th St. SE, Oelwein, IA 50662

We look forward to serving you in West Union in the Spring of 2014!

www.oelweindentalassociates.com

BRIGHTShine

2 Locations to Serve You!

May your holiday season

be merry, warm & bright!

HawkeyePlumbing & Heating

220 W. Main, Hawkeye(563) 427-3297

Chuck Harriman

C-8 Wednesday, December 25, 2013/The Fayette County Union

As Sue Patterson makes her way through the halls of Valley Elementary, the faces of students light up while some call out, “Mrs. Patterson!” and others, “Grandma

Sue!” and run to greet her with a hug. Th is will be Patterson’s fourth year volunteering at the el-ementary school where her two of her grandchildren are in attendance. “I get more hugs in a day than you can imagine. All of these kids are so fun; they’re just so excited about everything,” the veteran volunteer shared. Patterson works with Lori Carey, the Title I instructor at Valley Elementary. Th e Title I program is a federally funded program to strengthen students’ reading capabilities. “Th ey’re not necessarily bad readers. We just give them some extra attention to improve the reading skills they al-ready have,” Patterson explained. “It’s so fun to watch them grow and learn things.” On a given day, Patterson will work with students rang-ing from fi rst to third grade, helping them with anything they may need while they’re in the Title I room. Th e rural Elgin woman also helps the teachers in the lounge by doing copy work and fi lling in around the building wherever the teachers need her. “She is just a godsend,” raved Carey. “I don’t know what we would do without her. And the kids love her.” “It’s such a good feeling because the teachers appreciate everything you do, even if it’s just wrapping Christmas pres-ents or making copies. Th ey truly appreciate what you’re do-ing for them,” Patterson explained. Her volunteering doesn’t end at Valley Elementary. She recently volunteered to go with a group from her church to Minneapolis to help with Operation Christmas Child, a holi-day campaign sponsored by Samaritan’s Purse. Samaritan’s Purse works with local churches each year through Operation Christmas Child to share gift s and to minister to children in other countries. Th e campaign utilizes shoeboxes fi lled with an assortment of toys as well as useful items like toothbrushes, pencils, paper, and much more. “We worked in a warehouse and picked through the box-es to make sure everything was safe to be mailed and prepared it for packaging,” Patterson explained. “It was so much fun.” She also uses her Wednesday nights to volunteer at Awana at the elementary school. Patterson’s interest in volunteering was sparked by her granddaughter Dylan. “Well, I ‘retired’ from Union Drug in 2009, and I used to pick Dylan up on Wednesdays, so I thought, ‘Why don’t I go use my free time at the school?’ And I’ve been here ever since!” she laughed. Patterson encourages other people throughout the com-munity to get involved and volunteer. “Just do it. I was kind of scared at fi rst and didn’t know what I was getting myself into. But it’s not just about helping others,” the dedicated volunteer shared, “you’re helping your-self, too.” Patterson retired from Union Drug in 2009 aft er work-ing there for 25 years as a pharmacy technician. Th ough she still helps out when the drugstore needs an extra tech, she is spending the majority of her time enjoying her retirement, her family, and her community.

Volunteering becomes passion for PattersonBy Shalee Hanson Contributing Writer

Sue Patterson volunteers her time at Valley Elementary to help students in the Title I reading program to strengthen theirreading skills.

With best wishes from our entire team this Christmas.

We really appreciate yourbusiness and look forward

to serving you in 2014!

Merry Christmas To All... And to All a Goodnight!

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With wishes warm and bright to all of our friends this holiday season. We

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At this special time, we’d like to acknowledge all the folks who have made this year a good one for us.

May God bless you and your families, wherever you reside this holiday season!

seasons greetingsSCOTT

With App reciation at the Holidays

Happ y Holidays to our customers and fr iends!

Because we value your business and friendship too,We’re sending this message to each one of you –

To express our best wishes along with our gratitudeFor your support and goodwill and your most winning attitude!

TORKELSON MOTORS

www.torkelsonmotors.com563-426-5505 • 800-779-0035216 Center Street, Elgin, Iowa

Front (l-r): Dirk Torkelson, Terry Throndson, Lou Anne Dennler, Nancy Craig and Drew Batterson.Back (l-r) Richard Wessels, Les Sass, Mark Stone, Paul Seabrooke, Craig Converse and Brian Lane.

Dave’s Auto & Frame563-425-3686

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Here’s hoping everything runs smoothly for you this holiday season.

We’re always at your service and aregrateful for your business.

Erickson Pump Service, Inc.

563-245-1698800-269-1698

Elkader, IA

May this holiday season bring you peace, happiness, good health, joy

and so much more. We appreciate

the support you’ve given us and wish

you and yours a very Merry

Christmas!

Wednesday, December 25, 2013/The Fayette County Union D-1

Zion interim Pastor Nancy Larson looks on as “Grandpa Warren” Sauerbrei delivers a children’s sermon to the youth of the local church.

In 1976 Warren Sauerbrei managed the West Union Co-op before moving to Lebanon, Mo.

His life and that of his family have always been centered around their faith. When their church’s pastor died in 1978, the congregation there asked Warren if he would do the children’s sermons.

Of course, he said yes because he came from a large family of fi ve girls and eight boys, and Warren loves children.

He lost his fi rst wife, LaDonna, in 2000, three months aft er they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in June.

Longtime friend Marvel Alber in West Union had lost her husband, Gary, to illness in 1992. She and Warren would become reacquainted, and on June 26, 2004, they got married at St. Peter Lutheran Church in Eldorado.

Th e newlyweds would return to Missouri, where Warren had a dairy farm, but came back in 2006 to West Union, where Marvel’s roots were.

Warren and Marvel attended church services at Zion Lutheran Church in West Union. When Pastor David Grant went on a

Children’s sermons with Grandpa Warren By Rich Holm

Union Feature Writer

sabbatical, Warren stepped forward to say he would do the children’s sermon. Boys and girls would come to the front of the church before the adult sermon was given. Th ey would sit on t he carpeted steps while Warren gave his message for the day, based on the gospel of the longer sermon, which was to follow. He would draw the attention of the children by bringing his message down to their level so they would understand, and each sermon would end in a prayer. Earlier this year Pastor Grant left for another church in Minnesota. It would be interim Pastor Nancy Larson who would label Warren “Grandpa Warren,” and that’s what the children call him every Sunday. As the children learn about Jesus, so does the congregation. Warren Sauerbrei has gained the admiration of all the families at Zion, as many stop to say thank you and note appreciatively the closeness he has with their children. Grandpa Warren follows the text of the sermon of the day and admits that he gets talking so much, sometimes he has enough left over for

the next Sunday. Th e children of Zion could listen longer, too, but aft er their prayer they line up to receive a small candy gift from their “grandpa” before they return to their pews where their parents are seated. Grandpa Warren lost Marvel to kidney failure on Dec. 28, 2012, so Christmas

2013 will be his fi rst without the second love of his life. As he gives his next children’s sermon, he may stop a moment to think of Marvel, the children in their lives, and the children sitting around him at that moment, looking up at him with smiles. Everyone knows Grandpa Warren will have

a special message for them during the most special

time of the year, which is Christmas.

Sorry if we missed anyone!

Relax & enjoy your HOME for the HOLIDAYS!

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107 Sunset St.~ELGIN~

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D-2 Wednesday, December 25, 2013/The Fayette County Union

The Fayette County Historical Center in West Union is home to thousands of fascinating stories of people who have lived in the county, including inventor Nikola Tesla, of whom Phyllis Holmstrom holds a photo on display in her offi ce. Phyllis is among a dedicated group of men and women who help preserve our local history.

An infi nite number of volunteer hours are donated at the Fayette County

Historical Center to make sure history fi les are not only accurate but easily accessible to visitors searching for long-lost relatives. Once the West Union hos-pital at the corner of North Walnut and East Elm streets, it is now an historical site preserving and interpreting Fayette County’s illustrious history. Many rooms have their doors open on all three fl oors, preserving artifacts of days gone by. Th ere are six Civil War rosters, more than 8,000 surname fi les, Census records from 1850-1930, and newspapers from 1856. At the welcome desk is Phyllis Pape Holmstrom, who has been at the front desk since 2000. Phyllis her-self is part of county history, coming from the large Pape family of eight brothers and sisters. It was the birth of a niece that led to an amazing story of her helping a patron over a half-century later. She recalled, “I picked up the phone one day and a 62-year-old gentleman from Florida asked me if I could help him fi nd the name of his birth mother. He explained he was born in West Union on Dec. 19, 1948, and was given up for adoption at the age of 14 months.” Phyllis then remarked, “When he told me that date, I paused for a moment and said, ‘Oh!’ Th e man asked me if there was something wrong, and I told him, no, that I would look into the matter of fi nding his mom.” Th e man knew his parents were probably dead, but by fi nding his real birth name, he might be able to locate any possible sisters and brothers who might be looking for him. December 20, 1948, was the date Phyllis’ niece, Charlene, was born to her sister, Betty Lou Rose. In the adjacent bed in the mater-nity room was a lady who had given birth to a son a day earlier. Phyllis would put two and two together. She didn’t tell the Florida man that in her conversation with him because, like any good historian, she wanted to

Preserving our historyBy Rich Holm

Union Feature Writer

make sure that lady was his mother. Phyllis checked the microfi lm fi les of Th e Fayette County Union and verifi ed the birth. She went farther into his-tory and saw that the mother and the father of the baby were indeed deceased. Phyllis then learned that through another marriage, there was a sister and a half sister. Th ere was a storybook ending to the story, however, because when Phyllis told the man what she had found, he, in turn, found his two sisters in Iowa. Last year the three of them came to West Union to-gether and surprised Phyllis at the Historical Center with their visit to say thank you. One sister had been search-ing for her brother for the past 15 years. Th ey knew, and Phyllis knew, that if someone other than Phyllis would have an-swered the phone the day it rang, the siblings wouldn’t have found each other; the man’s original birth record in those days was expunged when he was adopted. Holmtrom loves her job at the Historical Center, know-ing no two days are ever the same. Th e story of inventor Nikolas Tesla’s brief residen-cy in West Union is just one of thousands on the shelves and in the fi le cabinets of the historical center. What Edison Th omas got credit for, Tesla invented and he lived here. Walter P. Chrysler lived and worked in Oelwein ,and his story is as intriguing as that of Tesla. Answering phone calls and telling stories is all in a day’s work for Holmstrom as she follows in the footsteps of Frances Graham, Mary Richmond, and Ruth Brooks.She quickly gives cred-it to museum volunteers Meg Moellering, Kathryn Weidemann, Linda and Don Bright, who have spruced up the historical center’s various rooms to keep visitors com-ing back to see something they may have missed on an earlier trip. In addition, she reported that Bill Moellering, Steve Story, Terry Landsgaard, Jan Baade, Fran and Gay Bowden, and Laura May Janssen also play key roles in making the center a better place to visit. While noting that Janice

Smith closely reviews news-paper clippings, Holmstrom said that among the Historical concerns is that recordkeeping is in jeopardy since many obituaries don’t appear in newspapers any-more. Norma Kerr and Barb Hagelie can be seen making mannequins for the clothes to be displayed. At the same time, Marlene Mayo, Betty Cline, Woody and Kay Th omas, and Niles Boehmler, Marcia Whitcher, Doris Howard, Bev Baker, Mary Ann Vagts, and Mary

Anne Iliff can also oft en be witnessed making the center one of the most visited muse-ums in the county. Holmstrom stressed that

while there are many more unnamed but equally appre-ciated volunteers, there is al-ways room for more to help preserve our local history.

Merry Christmas!Our sincere thanks for your valued business!

We appreciate having you as our customer and look for to serving

you in the New Year!

Cline CONSTRUCTIONCall Kevin, Pam or Albert

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During this holiday season we thank all our employees, both past and present, for their hard work and dedication.

We sincerely appreciate our association with you!

During this holiday season we thank all our employees,

Merry Christmas!

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Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

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Wednesday, December 25, 2013/The Fayette County Union D-3

During his many travels, Jordan Eberhart has found time to volunteer at a South African orphanage, help restore a Nicaraguanwater treatment facility, and teach English at a Chinese university.

Scroll through 22-year-old Jordan Eberhart’s Facebook cover photos, and you might think he’s really good at ‘Photoshopping’ himself into the foreground of famous sites many Iowans will never see in a lifetime.

One day he’s posing before Stonehenge, and the next week he’s at the Great Wall of China or the Cliff s of Moher on the west coast of Ireland. Another day he’s changed his cover to a shot taken in front of Big Ben in London, or the one in which he’s holding the board he used to sled down the side of a vol-cano in Nicaragua. But perhaps most captivating are the images where he’s shark diving or bungee-jumping from the world’s tallest bridge in Bloukrans, South Africa. Th e photos are real, and before he graduates from college, the adventurous Eberhart can boast a passport stamped in countries from around the world. Beginning his senior year of high school and while attending the University of Northern Iowa the last three years, Jordan has found his way to Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Italy, England, Ireland, Nicaragua, China and South Africa. From his many travels, the 2010 North Fayette graduate said his three-week stay in South Africa was probably the most remarkable. He compared the weather and off ering of beaches to that of California. While bungee-jumping was a fantastic experience, the opportunity to pet a cheetah, and go shark diving were other memorable moments. But it wasn’t all fun and games. Jordan, the son of Dave and Lisa Eberhart of West Union, volunteered at an orphanage. “As part of my organizational management course, we were required to brainstorm ideas for how they (the orphanage) could change their management structure and become more self-sustaining,” he added. “We also came up with ways for them to receive donations from abroad and ways that they could utilize their facilities to make money locally. Baking bread for people in the town was among the suggestions. “But I really enjoyed spending time with the kids. It was a real eye-opening experience because they come from nothing, so any amount of extra attention you can give them means a lot in their lives,” he concluded. Meanwhile, in Nicaragua for two weeks, Eberhart helped restore a water treatment facility. Among his duties was re-placing piping to the water fi lters and painting the facility. In addition, a fi ve-week odyssey in China included teaching English to university students. “I have certainly learned not to take things for granted. Th ere are people a lot worse off in the world,” said Jordan. “I just appreciate things more and learned that you can gain a lot from getting to know people from other cultures. Th ere is defi nitely a whole world outside of America to learn about.” Eberhart is presently doing an internship at a Waterloo business as a comp reauthorization specialist. He is also work-ing in UNI’s study abroad offi ce as a program assistant for a short-term summer program. Currently recruiting students, he’ll then book the accom-modations and plan activities for the group. While leading the participating students across South Africa for three weeks as a professor’s assistant in summer 2014, he intends not only to help introduce them to a diff erent culture, but hopefully inspire them to make an impact in the lives of other people across the globe.

Making a global impactBy Janell Bradley

Union Feature Writer

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

TO ONE AND ALL!

Have A Ball…It’s Christmas!

As we celebrate another holiday

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to celebrate this past year.

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Dear Friends...As we come to the end of 201 , we’d like to pause and say thanks to

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We look forward to seeing you in the New Year!

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D-4 Wednesday, December 25, 2013/The Fayette County Union

Keith Kovarik has been instrumental in creating an ice rink in the community of Hawkeye each winter since 2006. The idea fi rst came to him when some of the local youth were complaining that there was nothing to do during the wintertime.

Th e Ice Man cometh in HawkeyeBy Brian Smith

bsmith@fayettepublishing.com

The weather outside may be frightful at times this winter, but Keith Kovarik and a

team of others in Hawkeye have found a way to make it delightful. Th ey are using our frigid temperatures to create a wintertime attraction that draws people to Hawkeye for miles around. Th e Hawkeye ice rink, which has been in existence at Hauth Park since 2006, is currently used by well over 300 skaters each year. “Th e idea fi rst came to me when I heard some of the teenagers who work at K&K Gardens talking about how there was nothing to do in our community during the winter. I knew the tennis courts at Hauth Park were built with the expectation that they could be used as an ice rink, so I thought, why not?” Once Keith was involved with the process, he could not help but continue trying to fi nd ways to make creating and maintaining the rink easier and more effi cient. He found himself on a continual quest to develop a skating surface that was more and more professional with each passing year. “To maintain the ice, we used to use just a common garden hose and walk across the ice fi lling in any cracks, which amounted to basically watering the ice several times a week. Doing it that way was pretty time-consuming and a very cold job,” admitted Kovarik. A liner was purchased for the rink in 2008, and in 2010 a grant was received that helped fund the addition of a warming house, a carpeted walking path, and boards around the perimeter to protect the liner. Funds have also been contributed by the City of Hawkeye, K&K Gardens, Hawkeye Businessmen’s Association, the Hawkeye Fun Days Tractor Ride, the Hawkeye Fire Department, and the Windsor Spark Plugs 4-H Club which are infl uential in the creation and maintenance of an ice rink in Hawkeye each year. “Every year it is a challenge to work with the weather as far as installing the liner and putting in the water, but this year was perfect. We were able to do both of those things the same day, and due to the frigid temperatures, we had the water frozen solid within 48 hours,” explained Kovarik. Sometimes things don’t go as smoothly, like when it snows more than a trace soon aft er fi lling the liner with water. When that happens the snow acts like insulation and doesn’t allow the ice to freeze completely, and it can

also form a crusty covering that needs to be removed by hand. If the ice doesn’t form properly and large or wide cracks occur, it can be dangerous to skate. Kovarik tries to maintain the ice during the skating season, which oft en can turn into a daily task. Blowing or sweeping off snow, cleaning the ice before fi lling large cracks or chips, and applying fresh coats of warm water are all needed in order to keep the ice smooth and looking as professional as possible. “I am very fortunate to be able to use the City equipment (garden tractor, blower, and sweeper) to help maintain the ice. I also have a core group of people who I can turn to for help, including Kurt Weidemann, Brian Reichter, Ted Lujan, John Fels, Don Kelly, and a lot of the youth skaters,” acknowledged Kovarik. Last year, Kovarik constructed a homemade zamboni, which is a water tank on a trailer pulled by a garden tractor. Th e tank has a six-foot PVC arm on the back with ¼ inch holes drilled into it. Th e warm water goes through the PVC and onto the ice where a rubber mat spreads it out into grooves, cracks, and other imperfections. It results in an extremely smooth surface that freezes within seconds, and does the job much more quickly than the old garden hose method. “I had some hockey players from Waterloo who came through Hawkeye on snowmobiles one day, and they said they were very impressed with the quality of our rink. Th at was really a nice compliment to get from some people who know a little bit about ice rinks,” smiled the community volunteer. As for what motivates Keith to continue to pour eff ort into the ice rink each year, knowing he is providing an activity for both children and adults to enjoy during the cold winter months and an occasional “thank you” are more than enough. “When kids take the time to say thank you or when they help with the project, seeing people use it, hearing the sound of pucks and skates on the ice - all of those things make me want to continue doing what I can to provide this for our community,” noted Kovarik. Th e Hawkeye ice rink is open generally from Dec. 15 through March 5 each year, depending on what the weather allows. Th e rink is open to anyone at no charge. If you need to rent skates, Kovarik has nearly 100 sets of hockey and fi gure skates in

his garage, which is just one block west of the rink. You can also rent hockey sticks and pucks if you so desire, as well as get your skates sharpened. Th e warming house at the rink is also available for changing into your skates or taking a break from skating to get warm. In

addition there is a place to plug in hot pots or Crockpots in the warming house, so that you can bring coff ee, hot chocolate, or hot cider to enjoy while warming up. Stay current with what is going on with the ice rink by becoming a member of the “Hawkeye Ice Rink” Facebook page.

“It gives me a good feeling to provide something that simultaneously promotes physical fi tness and creates a positive image in our community,” said Kovarik proudly. If you have not yet had

the opportunity to enjoy the Hawkeye ice rink, you may want to consider giving it a try this winter. You may fi nd you get almost as much enjoyment out of it as Keith Kovarik does in helping to provide it.

Clermont • (563) 423-5505

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from all of us at:

Barb Bolt, Henrietta DelaRosa, Dakota Brown, Julie Biver and Kathy Stepan. Not pictured: Ashley Einck, Michele Bosh,

Vicki Chicken, Tara Drapeau and Ashley Miller.

M-F 5-10; Sat & Sun 6-10 with 24-Hour Pumps!

Valley Store“C”

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!From the entire staff at Th e Fayette County Union and Fayette Publishing: (front l-r) Connie Lauer, Danielle Luchsinger, Amanda Reiling-Pasket and Steven Murray; middle: Jerry Blue, Donna Blue, Stephanie Hermen, Becky Walz, Amy Boehm,

Brian Smith and Rich Holm; back: Sue Wolf, Mike VanSickle, Jerry Wadian and LeAnn Larson.

Fa-La-La-La-La-La-READ THE NEWS!

Wednesday, December 25, 2013/The Fayette County Union E-1

For the past year, Bruce Baker and Barb Ashby have eagerly anticipated

each opportunity to enhance the life of an abandoned ca-nine. As part of the Humane Society of Northeast Iowa (HSNEI)  “Wags to Riches” program, the rural West Union couple helps care for and moderately train indi-vidual dogs until they are adopted. In addition to providing shelter in their home, Bruce and Barb house-train, exer-cise, teach basic commands and provide any required medications to the animals while in their care. Above all else, they provide the dogs for the fi rst time in the animals’ lives with abun-dant hugs, kisses, and words of praise and kindness before transporting them to a new loving home for adoption. “We get them when they are in pretty bad shape,” admitted Bruce, a retired Gundersen PA. “Th ey’re all skin and bones when they ar-rive.” “Th ey each seem to have a heart-wrenching story to share,” Barb agreed. “Th at’s the sad thing. Th ey didn’t ask to be placed here in that con-dition.” Th e couple have personally owned seven Labs in their lifetimes. With the deaths of their last two black Labs, sis-ters Licorice and Smokey, in 2007 and 2012, respectively, Bruce and Barb decided to take a break from owning another. “Honestly, we didn’t want to see another dog that we love waste away and die of old age,” said Barb, adding with a smile, “We oft en joke that this program is just like having grandkids. Th ey are here only temporarily, so they are given our whole-hearted love and attention.” Th e list of “grandkids” that have thrived under the car-ing hands of Bruce and Barb thus far are as follows: • Hershey, a stray pit bull/chocolate Lab mix. • Ginger, a red heeler/beagle mix left chained in the backyard when her previous owner moved away. • Harlow, a yellow Lab/golden retriever mix, named aft er Jean Harlow, the Hollywood blonde bomb-shell of the ‘30s and her long eyelashes. “She (Harlow) was a doll,” Barb fondly remem-bered. • Red, a stray, three-legged redbone coonhound. “Everyone in the Humane Society knew Red,” said Bruce assuredly. • Buster, a pug, who suf-fered from various large tu-mors. • Claire, who currently re-sides with Bruce and Barb,

A dog’s best friendsBy Mike Van Sickle

mvansickle@thefayettecountyunion.com

is a yellow Lab mix suff er-ing from Lyme disease and a separation-anxiety disorder. She was purchased for $3 at a silent auction. “Red was the benchmark. Every one of them is com-pared to him,” Bruce grinned. “He was a big, sweet boy who thoroughly enjoyed barking and howling, and who found an interest in everything.” At the opposite end of the spectrum was Buster. Th e 2 1/2–month-old pug had three surgeries to remove his tumors and couldn’t go for a walk for 30 days. ‘He was just a mess. Th e transporter even asked when he delivered Buster, “Are you sure you want this dog?’” Barb sadly reminisced. “But this is our latest love, and it is our life now. “I just wish they could each talk to us for fi ve minutes af-ter their arrival, maybe tell us

their likes and dislikes,” she said with a small smile re-turning to her face. With Claire pacing back and forth between her care-givers and each time suc-cessfully soliciting a hug or scratch behind the ear, Bruce added, “Dogs are so smart. Th ey pick up on training and other things in a matter of days. Oft entimes I’m not sure who is teaching whom.” During their brief asso-ciation with the Humane Society of Northeast Iowa (HSNEI), Bruce and Barb are extremely grateful for the amazing stories of human kindness they have heard or personally witnessed. Th ose footnotes in their lives help overshadow the more dis-tressing tales of human cru-elty and neglect of animals. “Wouldn’t it be nice if ev-eryone would spay or neuter their pets, or we would no

longer have puppy mills?” Barb noted. As she nuzzles up against

Barb Ashby and husband Bruce Baker are pictured with Claire, a yellow Lab mix, who is the latest dog being cared for by the rural West Union couple as part of the Humane Society of Northeast Iowa (HSNEI) “Wags to Riches” program. (Mike Van Sickle photo)

Barb’s lap and her tail quickly swishes back and forth across the kitchen fl oor, Claire

Merry Christmas

from all of us!May the coming year bring peace, joy and enlightenment to you and those you cherish.

With best wishes to you & yours from our entire staff at:

www.kerndtbrothers.comOnline banking and EZ Bill Pay at

Cedar Rapids (319) 378-8100Clermont (563) 423-5267Harpers Ferry (563) 586-2166Lansing (563) 538-4231 (800) 577-5272West Union (563) 422-6072 (800) 568-4235

E-Z Phone Banking:(563) 538-4059 or

Toll-Free (888) 527-4231

Wishing you an abundance of glad tidings at

this special time of the year!

SEASONʼS GREETINGS

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E-2 Wednesday, December 25, 2013/The Fayette County Union

Caretakers of the ChurchBy Rich Holm

Union Feature Writer

For 50 years Gordie and Doris Kleppe have had many reasons to smile as Custodians of United Methodist Church in WestUnion. (Rich Holm photo)

319-283-2524 • 800-568-4239201 South Frederick, Oelwein

Christmas Eve - Closing at noonChristmas Day - Closed

New Year’s Eve - Closing at 2 p.m.New Year’s Day - Closed

Full Circle Services201 1st Street NE, Oelwein • 563-283-1177

612 Hwy. 150 S, West Union • 563-422-3555

Greetings of the

SeasonThere may be a chill in

the air, but our hearts are warmed by thoughts of our many good friends and neighbors at this special time of year.

Happy Holidays!

�������������������������������������������

Holiday blessings from all the residents and staff at Good Samaritan Society – West Union.

P eace. Love. Joy. Faith.

CONTENTMENT

JOYHOPEPEACEHARMONYTTNNTTNTOO

Wishing all a and holiday

season and many blessings in the

new year.

The Staff at Community Memorial Hospital

Gordie and Doris Kleppe of West Union have had their share of

heartbreaks in life, but the couple have remained stead-fast as they look back on their 50 years as custodians of United Methodist Church. Th ey witnessed the down-town fi re that destroyed the church in 1976 and saw it rise from the ashes when it was rebuilt at a new location three years later. It has been a joy in their lives to care for both churches, while at the same holding down full-time jobs and raising a family at home. Losing family members is more tragic than any fi re. Doris’ mother died when she was 7. Th eir youngest daughter, Carrie Hauer, died when she was 37 nearly 10 years ago, leaving behind two daughters, Sydney and Saige. Th e oldest was 8 years old, and Doris thought about her granddaughter and mother at the same time. Gordie and Doris also lost their fi rst son 11 days aft er his fi rst birthday, but today they celebrate the many birthdays of their son Chris, at home, and Cindy, who lives near Maynard with her husband, Ron Ward. Th eir son, Tanner, is now 23. Th e Kleppes remember the past but count the many blessings they have today, in-cluding their extended fam-ily – the United Methodist parishioners, who are grate-ful to the Kleppes for serving them so long and keeping their church so clean. Doris Jorgenson is a West Union native. Gordie Kleppe of Ossian chased her when they were teenagers, and he fi nally latched on to her for good in a Halloween chance meeting in 1957 that began with both of them having dif-ferent dates. Th ey were mar-ried in Bethel Presbyterian Church on June 1, 1958. For six years Kleppe worked at Wilbur Ford. He was a city policeman for 10 years, 20 years as water superintendent, and an ad-ditional 10 years in various City departments. But his 50 years as church custodian began in 1963. It all started when Jim Haines asked Gordie if he would clean First National Bank when Jim was on vacation. One favor led to another as Haines then asked if he would like half of his job as Methodist Church custodi-an. Six weeks later that half-time job became a full-time one. Th e old church had a big dome. It was a beautiful church with chandeliers; as Gordie would climb into the attic to hand-crank down the lights to a waiting wife who, in turn, would change and dust off the lighting. Gordie was one of the last

people in the church before it caught fi re. He took his noon break as a city employee to clean the church’s upstairs. He said everything was nor-mal and he smelled noth-ing, saying, “I still believe it was arson, but nothing could be proven. During the same time there was a rash of church fi res in other commu-nities.” He added, “It was about 3 p.m. when Archie Martin and I were going to the wa-ter tower downtown to check on the pressure when we saw smoke coming out of the church. Th e clock that was saved from the sanctuary stopped at 4:02 p.m.” Gordie recalled Pastor Byron Ayers coming out of the corner drugstore when he yelled at him, “Th e church is on fi re! He wanted to go into the church to save items, but I held him back, saying the fi re department was com-ing.” Gordie then went home to get Doris, and they held hands with so many other people to witness the total destruction and hear the church bell fall. For three years Gordie and Doris remained diligent when church services were held at the high school. For three years they were tied down their entire weekends setting up 200 chairs in the cafetorium every Saturday and returning them to the their places on Sunday before school on Monday. Nine years ago the Kleppes joined United Methodist Church because they spent so much time within its hal-lowed walls. Seven days a week they unlock the doors early in the morning and make sure everything is functioning correctly.

Th ere are weddings and funerals to be attended to, as well as community functions, including “Th e Messiah” ev-ery December. Th ey have seen pas-tors Bayse, Ayers, Root, Foxworthy, Roath, and Keele-Kober come and go. Th e latter now serves a parish in Solon where the Kleppes’

granddaughters reside. Present pastor Chris Ebbers is the latest minister to tell the Kleppes how much the church appreciates their longtime service. Congregation members who were there for the new church’s dedication 34 years ago also say thank you, be-

cause they see their church looking as new as it did in 1973 when its fl oors were laid. As they see their refl ec-tions in the church’s fl oors that they buff by hand, Doris and Gordie know they are the lucky ones to serve such a caring congregation.

Th is Christmas will be like every other as the lights they turn on will make them re-call their fi rst Christmas in the church 50 years ago. Th e congregation will pause for a moment to say thank you to Gordie and Doris Kleppe, who have been c aretakers like no other for the church they all dearly love.

Wednesday, December 25, 2013/The Fayette County Union E-3

This is the time of year when you oft en hear people saying, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” For Palmer Hospice volunteer Connie Van Sickle, giving has become so intertwined with receiving that it’s

hard for her to tell the two apart at times. “I have a strong desire to help others, and I am especially interested in assisting the elderly as they go through the fi nal stages of their lives. When I am able to help others, it really energizes me and benefi ts me as well,” explained the longtime volunteer. Whether it be holding a patient’s hand, talking to them, cooking for them, reading to them, or taking them to doctor or hair appointments, Van Sickle delights in providing service to people who need it. Four to fi ve days a week and approxi-mately 25-30 hours a week, including some weekends, that is what you will fi nd her doing. Van Sickle started volunteering for Palmer Hospice in the late 1990s and has been doing it ever since, totaling approxi-mately 18 years of service to those who are terminally ill and need assistance in their homes. Th e care and support provided are not only for the patient, but for his or her family as well. “One time the daughter of a patient thanked me for what I was doing because it allowed her to just be her mother’s daughter during that time, and not have to worry about being the primary caregiver, as well. Th at gave me a wonderful feel-ing of satisfaction, knowing I had helped in some way,” noted the former medical technician in the Women’s Army Corps (WAC). Van Sickle is the wife of Donald Van Sickle of Fayette, whom she married aft er serving in the WAC. Donald served 20 years in the military, and he and Connie raised a family with four children. While stationed in San Antonio, Texas, Connie was a volunteer for the Red Cross. She and her hus-band also volunteered at the Rio Grande Children’s Home in Mission, Texas. Donald is now a disabled veteran, and Connie helps to take care of him as well as her hospice patients. Th e experiences she has had with her husband helps to give her insight to the patients and families with whom she works. She also relies on her faith a great deal. “Dying is one of the stages of life. In fact, it is a part of life, and helping people gain knowledge about that and learn how to cope with it is something I think is important,” declared Van Sickle. Her eff orts have not gone unnoticed. Twice Van Sickle has been recognized as the Volunteer of the Year, amassing over 200 hours of volunteer work in a year. In addition to volunteering as a hospice worker, Connie also volunteers at Maple Crest Manor in Fayette and helps other elderly people that she knows who need assistance of some kind. She also serves as the historian for Fayette American Legion Post 339 and is a member of Fayette Wesleyan Church. When someone asks Connie to do something, the word “no” doesn’t seem to be in her vocabulary. Th ere also doesn’t seem to be any sign of her slowing down in the near future. “I will keep going as long as I can go. I meet so many wonderful people through my volunteer work, and I really love it. It is always my pleasure to help them, and it really is its own reward,” related Van Sickle. One of Connie’s friends once commented, “Where Connie is, there are no strangers.” Th is is an appropriate de-scription for someone such as Van Sickle, who truly enjoys giving of herself through her time and abilities. Receiving as a result of giving - a concept that is defi nitely worth thinking about during this holiday season.

Hospice volunteer gives and receives blessingsBy Brian Smith

bsmith@fayettepublishing.com

Connie Van Sickle (r) is shown here with hospice patient Georgia Humphries (center) of Oelwein and Georgia’s daughter Sharon Schwenke, who is her mother’s primary caregiver. Connie has served as a volunteer with Palmer Hospice for ap-proximately 18 years. In Connie’s lap is one of Georgia’s two pet dogs, Cochise.

We are sending your our very best!

To all our good friends everywhere, go our sincere thanks and warm wishes for a very,

merry holiday season!

See you in 2014!

We’re looking forward to 2014 and all of the new products and services

we will be able to provide you.

Hawkeye Telephone would like to wish all our friends and their

families a happy holiday!

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It’s been pleasure serving you.

Witha loadof best wishes- and a bundle of thanks!

Here’s hoping the holiday delivers an

abundance of joy and glad tidings to

your doorstep.

from all of us at Schwans’sMike Donahue, Jason Lensing, Steve Woods, Pete McCaffrey, Ron Parmley, Ronnie Heller, Dave Krivachek, Josh Baumler, Tom Ewing,

Rob Ahrens, Jessica Guyer, Dave Baruth, Dean Mueller, Patrick Powers, Spencer Koch,

and Rick Trumm.West Union, IA

Hilton & Preston Heins - 15 months Sons of Derek & Jill Heins,

Grandchildren of John & Jann Kuehner and Mike & Barb Heins

Very Merry

Happyand a

Wishing you a

Christmas

New Year!

THANK YOU

to all of our customers and

friends for your business in 2013!

We look forward to serving you

in the coming year! Merry Christmas

from the entire staff of Walvatne Electric!

HAWKEYE • 563-427-5384

HAPPYHOLIDAYS!

563-422-5411117 Hwy. 150 N., West Union, IA

Hardees Gift Cards

Th e Perfect Stocking-Stuff er

Th ank you to our community for your

business in 2013! We look forward

to serving you again in 2014!

E-4 Wednesday, December 25, 2013/The Fayette County Union

www.viafield.com

R

Thank you for your loyal support and friendship.We look forward to working together with you in 2014!

We will be CLOSEDWednesday, December 25

& Wednesday, 1

Wapsie ValleyC R E A M E R Y I N C .

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For the past 105 years, we have been a family-owned company serving family-owned farms.

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Fayette, IA563-425-3336 • 563-425-4160www.maplecrestmanor.com

Best Wishes for a fabulous holiday season from our entire staff to you!