The Year in Review in Hancock County - Part II

Fairs, festivals and celebrations were part of the second half of 2022. Hancock County sided solidly with the GOP during the Nov. 8 mid-term elections.

JULY

Happy 150^thbirthday, Wesley! The town celebrated its Sesquicentennial (150^th), July 2-4. A star-spangled celebration was held at Crystal Lake, July 4.

Senator Charles Grassley toured Plas-Tooling Inc. in Garner on his annual 99-county tour on July 7.

A statue in memory of the late Mayor Ken Mick was dedicated July 7 at Central Park in Garner. Members of the Mick family and many others were on hand for the event. 

Duesey Days in Garner was held July 8, 9, 10. Garner businessman Lynn Smith was the parade Grand Marshal.

The Duncan community celebrated the 100^thanniversary of the Duncan Community Hall on July16. The original hall was built in 1922. The current facility was constructed in 1952.

Literally thousands of visitors rolled through Hancock County on Day 4 (July 27) of the Registers Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa. The Klemme Shamrock Nation turned out to greet riders as RAGBRAI made its first-ever visit through the community. “Welcome to the Hobo Jungle” was the theme at Britt. Britt also served as a “meeting town’ for support vehicles and riders on their way to the overnight stop in Mason City.

Emma Goll was crowned 2022 Hancock County Fair Queen.

A fatal two-car collision occurred on Hwy. 69 south of Garner on July 22.

AUGUST

Hobos convened at Britt for the 122^ndNational Hobo Convention, Aug. 11-14. Iowegian Rick and Halftrack won the coveted coffee can crowns and were declared king and queen of the hobos for 2022. Britt Mayor Ryan Arndorfer was dubbed an honorary hobo.

State Auditor Rob Sand visited Garner for a “town hall’ style meeting on Aug. 2. Mike Franken, Democratic candidate for the U.S. made a campaign stop at Garner.

The Garner City Council learned that the Garner Volunteer Ambulance Service might be in jeopardy if more people don't come forward to serve as EMTs. The shortage of ambulance personnel is a problem facing many other rural communities.

Hola, a Belgian Malinois joined the Hancock County Sheriffs Department a K-9 unit.

A photo by the late Noah Clites won 1^stplace in the Family Farm photography category at the Iowa State Fair. Trece Lonneman, former Hancock County Extension Director, was inducted into the Iowa 4-H Hall of Fame at the Iowa State Fair.

SEPTEMBER

The Yoder Family Hay Co. of Westcliff, Colo., won Supreme Team honors at the 2022 Britt Draft Horse Show, Sept. 2-4 Ally Eliason was honored as grand marshal for the 75^thLabor Day Parade at Kanawha.

In a special election on Sept. 13, voters in the LuVerne and Algona school districts approved plans to reorganize. The merger goes into effect July 1, 2023. Students attending LuVerne Elementary will attend school at Algona. 

The Garner City Council announced plans for a new baseball/softball ballpark at Larkin Field. The project has an estimate cost of $1.8 million.

Homecoming royalty at GHV were James Cash and Emily Van Dusseldorp. Jackson Johnson and Dru Hagen were crowned Homecoming King and Queen at West Hancock.

Homecoming week at GHV also included inductions into the GHV Hall of Fame: Bonnie Ray Cataldo, the late Dr. Lyle Fuller, Linda Stromer Upmeyer, and the 1996 Garner-Hayfield Track & Field team.

Hancock County supervisors questioned representatives from Summit Carbon Solutions on easement claims concerning the controversial CO2 pipeline through Hancock County.

Donna Powers was named the new city clerk at Ventura. Wilson Dental Clinic (former Vidal Family Dentistry) opened at Garner.

Reliance State Bank honored three employees for 50 years of service: Gloria Halverson, Barbara Blummer, and Mary Nedved.

Garner Mayor Tim Schmidt was honored by the Iowa League of Cities at a conference in Waterloo on Sept. 29.

OCTOBER

Iowa Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg toured Stellar Industries on Oct. 2. Gregg visited with Stellar employees and with students from GHV and West Hancock who were also touring the plant.

The Garner United Presbyterian Church celebrated their 150^thAnniversary on Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022. Tonya Lorentzen is the new Hancock County Veterans Affairs Director.

The Iowa Department of Agriculture suspended the grain dealer license of Global Processing Inc., a soybean facility near Kanawha.

The City of Crystal Lake was awarded Community Development Block Grant for a sewer infrastructure project. A new wastewater treatment/sanitary sewer lagoon system became operational at Goodell.

Clear Lake Bank & Trust was among the top workplaces in Iowa in 2022.

The $2.2 million State Street Reconstruction project at Garner extends from 10^thStreet to Lyons and involves a new sanitary sewer main, new water main, new storm sewer main and intake, new driveways, sidewalks and PCC paving.

The Trendy Pineapple Boutique opened at Garner.

The GHV Boys Cross Country team qualified for the State Class 2A meet. The team placed 9^thin Class 2A. GHV coach Ryan Hinders was named Cross Country coach of the Year for the Top of Iowa Conference West. 

Diners can experience a taste of the tropics at Sweetwoods Tropical Grill at Garner. The restaurant opened in October.

Iowa Mold Tooling Co. (IMT) was awarded the Voluntary Protection Programs Star certification by the Iowa Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Jelani Faulk of Chicago was sentenced to 45 years in prison in connection to a 2021 shooting in Mason City in which a Garner man, Christopher Tucker was killed. Sentencing was Oct. 18 in Cerro Gordo County.

Concerns from neighboring residents about plans for a solar panel array at Prairie View Apartments generated a lengthy discussion at the Oct. 26 Garner City Council meeting.

The grand opening of the Swing Shack baseball training facility in Garner was Oct. 15.  Ben Stinnett of Ventura achieved the rank of Eagle Scout in 2022.

Kids turned out for Treats on the Street and Trunk N’ Treats events at local communities for Halloween.

NOVEMBER

Mid-term elections were held Nov. 8. Mark Thompson of Clarion will represent the new District 56 in the Iowa House of representatives. 

The Garner Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting November 8 for Edward Jones Financial Services / JMS Plumbing at their new location on State Street in Garner.

Veterans were honored at Veterans Day programs at Garner, Britt and Kanawha on Nov. 11.

The West Hancock Eagles football team made the championship game for Class A IHSAA football finals, Nov. 17 at the UNI-Dome. The game was a rematch of the Eagles vs. the Grundy Center Spartans. The Eagles brought home the runner-up trophy and ended their season with a 12-1 record.

A fatal crash in Wright County on November 21 killed three persons from Hancock County. 

The annual Garner Community Thanksgiving Dinner was held Nov. 24. St. Paul Lutheran Church served as host.

The GHV Colorguard won 3^rdplace, Class I Colorguard Division, at the Iowa High School State Dance and Drill Team Championships.

DECEMBER

Hancock County welcomed the Christmas season with a variety of school and community events. One tradition was concert by the Hancock County Little Theater Choir, Sunday Dec. 4. The concert was held at First Lutheran Church of Britt.

The Britt VFW Auxiliary sent “care packages” and spread some Christmas cheer to the Iowa Army National Guard 1133^rd Transportation Company serving in Poland.

Iowa was stripped of its first-in-the-nation caucus status when the Democratic National Committee said voters in South Carolina should go first in picking Democratic presidential nominees. Iowa Democrats say the caucus fight is not over yet.

Tammy’s Pharmacy was sold to HyVee Inc. The change became effective Dec 12.

Allen Eden of the Original Saw Company, Britt, was named the December Entrepreneur of the Month by the NIACC Pappajohn Entreprenurial Center.

The month of December ended on the frigid side with temperatures in the single digits and below. Prior to Christmas, an Artic blast and blizzard made traveling hazardous.