Barn Catches On Fire – Fire Fighter Injured
(Hull) — Fire destroyed a barn Sunday morning at about 11:00 a.m. located at the 3400 block of Ibex Avenue near Hull. Fire fighters from Hull, Boyden and Sioux Center responded to the blaze. Hull Assistant Fire chief Mike Van Es says the barn was fully engulfed when fire fighters arrived at the scene.
Van Es says there were no animals inside the burning structure, but the two other hog barns located within forty feet of the fire were fully occupied.
The burning barn was listed as a total loss. Van Es was not certain as to what may have started the fire, or the estimate of damages.
One Hull fire fighter suffered minor injuries and was transported to the Sioux Center hospital by the Hull Ambulance. Fire fighters were on the scene of that barn fire for a little more than two hours.
Independence Day Parade Scheduled For 11:00 a.m.
(Le Mars) — Plans to celebrate Independence Day in Le Mars are being organized. The Plymouth County Historical Museum is taking the lead with the town’s celebration, starting with the 4th of July annual parade. Judy Bowman of the Plymouth County Historical Museum shares the details.
Bowman says the parade will begin at the 8th Street Blvd. and will continue on Central Avenue heading north to 2nd Street North. Following the parade, the entire community is invited to attend a luncheon at the Plymouth County Historical Museum.
The museum administrator says the lunch is a free-will donation. However, museum officials indicate they ask for five dollars as the minimum donation.
Following the luncheon, Bowman invites everyone to enjoy the many artifacts and exhibits at the Plymouth County Historical Museum, saying the museum has added some displays that many people perhaps have not seen. At 3:00 p.m. on Monday afternoon, the museum will be serving free watermelon. Bowman says the watermelon feed has become a long standing tradition with the Le Mars celebration.
The museum official says another 4th of July tradition will be acknowledged at the county museum, and that is the serving of rootbeer floats from the Miller’s Lunch counter. Bowman says the recently restored Joy Hollow log cabin will be open during the 4th of July celebration. She says volunteers have spent many hours decorating the log cabin that once served the Girl Scouts.
Bowman says Le Mars has had a long tradition of celebrating the Independence Day holiday, and she hopes it will continue.
The evening’s activities include a free concert at 8:00 p.m. held at Foster Park with music provided by the Le Mars Municipal Band. Following the concert, fireworks will be set off from the Plymouth County Fairgrounds.
Loutsch Family Displays John Deere Tractors For Independence Day Holiday
(Oyens) –Every 4th of July, for the past 23 years, the Loutsch family consisting of brothers Mark, Jerry, and Billy, along with their sons, roll out their extensive collection of antique John Deere tractors to be featured on display for the public’s viewing. At noon on the 4th, the people of Oyens are treated to the annual parade consisting of the many models of John Deere tractors as the Loutsch family, and friends, take pride in driving the collection of 79 tractors the nearly two miles from the farm through the streets of the small Plymouth County community. Mark Loutsch says the parade of tractors tradition began years ago with his mother wanting a reason to gather the family members for the holiday.
Loutsch talks about the collection of John Deere farm equipment.
Loutsch says the people of Oyens look forward to the annual parade of tractors on Independence Day each year, and they appreciate the effort by the Loutsch family.
The John Deere tractor collector says every one of the tractors and equipment has an unique story, but he tells of one tractor that has two serial numbers, and is considered to be a 1938 and 1939 model.
Loutsch says the oldest tractor in his collection is a Kerosine powered 1919 Waterloo Boy, the predecesor to John Deere.
Loutsch says it was in the 1980’s when he and his brothers first became interested in collecting antique John Deere tractors.
Loutsch says it takes four days to pull all the tractors out of the storage sheds and wash them and get them ready for display and for the July 4th parade. The public is welcome to visit and view the antique tractors located on Pioneer Avenue, about a mile east of Oyens, and a half mile north.
Editorial Cartoonist Hired Back By Publication
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa editorial cartoonist has been rehired by the farm publication that fired him earlier this year.
The Des Moines Register reports (https://dmreg.co/29ED1F6 ) that Rick Friday’s cartoons returned to the Fort Dodge, Iowa, based Farm News in Friday’s edition.
He was fired in May after an advertiser reportedly complained about a cartoon he drew complaining about dwindling farmer profits at the same time CEOs at agricultural corporations receive millions.
Friday says the Farm News apologized for his firing and negotiated a deal for his return.
The Farm News included a brief note with Friday’s new cartoon announcing his return. The publication said Friday’s “witty insight will regularly return to its home on our editorial page and our website.”
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Fort Dodge Airport To Get More Flights
FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) – Air Choice One, which serves Fort Dodge, says it’s expanding its fleet with the addition of a new aircraft.
The Messenger reports (https://bit.ly/29f0n4h ) that a Cessna Caravan EX was added to the fleet earlier this week in Witchita, Kansas. The aircraft joins Air Choice One’s existing fleet of 10 Caravans.
Air Choice One marketing manager Stefanie Kitcher says the addition was made in conjunction with the airline’s expansion into Minneapolis.
The airline’s current map includes Fort Dodge, Mason City and Burlington in Iowa; Ironwood, Michigan; Minneapolis; Chicago; Decatur, Illinois; St. Louis; Jackson, Tennessee; and Jonesboro, Arkansas.
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OSAGE, Iowa (AP) – Parents who lost 20-year-old daughter after she was hit by a car are disappointed in the sentence the driver faces. Darrel Harken says he hopes Iowa lawmakers will re-evaluate the penalties for car crashes that cause deaths unintentionally.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Roadside memorial for bicycle rider fatally struck by car last year mangled in car crash Friday. Authorities say a car struck the bicycle memorial and bent up its wheels in Des Moines.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Hundreds of volunteers are needed to read with children once school starts this fall, and Des Moines Public Schools is going door to door to find them. The push comes as schools prepare for a state law that will require students who are below grade level reading proficiency to repeat third grade or attend an intensive summer reading program before moving on to fourth grade.
