Le Mars YMCA to host annual Daddy Daughter Dance this week
The Le Mars YMCA will host their annual Daddy Daughter Dance this upcoming Saturday, with a special evening of dancing, laughter, and lasting memories planned.
The event is designed for all girls and an important man in their life, including dads, stepdads, grandpas, and uncles. Registration includes snacks, desserts, a photo area, and dancing. Music and entertainment for the evening will be provided by Jammin’ Entertainment.
Those interested are asked to register ahead to ensure enough food and supplies will be available. The dance will cost $25 per daddy & daughter, with a $5 fee for an “additional daughter,” meaning a niece, granddaughter or friend. Registration is open now in person or at lemarsymca.org; for questions or concerns call 712-546-6655. The dance itself will take place on Saturday, February 21st, from 6pm-8pm inside of the YMCA Gym.
+++++++++++
Monthly Northwest Iowa Genealogical Society meeting to be held this weekend
The monthly meeting of the Northwest Iowa Genealogical Society will be held this upcoming Saturday, February 21st, and during the meeting, member JoAnn Schleis will give a talk on her recent memorable journey to the Italian town of Anzio.
Schleis’ father Richard N. Skinner participated in the Allied forces landing there during World War II. Called up from the Colorado National Guard, he served as a medic with the U.S. Army “Thunderbird” 45th and the 157th Infantry. Surviving the war by some forty years, he passed away in 1985.
While planning her trip, JoAnn’s strong interest in history and genealogy led her to an exceptional tour guide. She became acquainted with Italian historian and author, Silvano Casaldi, who was delighted to “put together a day of walking in her father’s footsteps.” Along with her daughters and son-in-law, she experienced a deep sense of pride in her country’s sacrifices during the trip.
Schleis, a longtime Le Mars resident, will present a program with photos and her father’s wartime letters to her mom during Saturday’s meeting. The event is free and open to the public, with refreshments to be served.
+++++++++++
Grassley, Ernst push to rename facilities after fallen soliders
Senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst along with every member of Iowa’s congressional delegation in the House are introducing legislation to rename two Iowa Veterans Affairs facilities in honor of Staff Sgts. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar and William Nathaniel Howard, the Iowa National Guardsmen who were killed by an ISIS terrorist in Syria in December.
Grassley says the Iowa National Guard Heroes Commemoration Act would name a VA clinic in Des Moines as the “Staff Sergeant Edgar Torres-Tovar VA Clinic” and the community-based outpatient clinic of the department in Marshalltown as the ”Staff Sergeant William Nathaniel Howard VA Clinic.”
Grassley says those are the hometowns of the two soldiers.
Senator Ernst issued a statement saying “we owe Staff Sgts. Torres-Tovar and Howard a debt we can never repay”.
++++++++++
