St. Patrick’s Church in Churdan Celebrates 100 Years Today
Everyone is invited to the 100th birthday celebration for St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Churdan today.
Committee member Shari Minnehan says in 1915, William LaBarthe Steele was the architect and designer of the first brick church for St. Patrick’s Parish in Greene County. To honor one of his buildings that’s on the National Register of Historic Places, the celebration will start at 6am with an adoration.
There will be several afternoon activities like an open house from 1 to 3pm and a friendly musical competition of “The Calling,” followed by a mass service at 4pm inside the church.
At 5pm there will be a Church to Church Relay where participants can either bike from Lohrville or run from Churdan, followed by an Irish cash bar from 5 to 11pm. A pioneer meal will be grilled by the Greene County Cattleman’s Association, which will consist of burgers, beans, chips and watermelon from 5:30 to 7:30pm. At 6:30pm will be the introduction of Steele’s grandsons, Craig and Steve, followed by a furnace retirement ceremony and a grant proceeds presentation with The Iowa Bagpiper playing for the tapping of the Irish Keg. The day wraps up with a dance from 7 to 11pm.
Today is the Final Day of the Lincoln Highway Buy-Way Garage Sale
The final day of the Lincoln Highway Buy-Way Garage Sale is today in Greene County.
Greene County Chamber Tourism and Events Coordinator Angie Pedersen says garage sales will be set up along the Lincoln Highway in Scranton, Jefferson and Grand Junction. Plus, a list of about 25 locations are available at the gas stations in Jefferson.
Pedersen reminds everyone to check out the other amenities in each community and shop locally at any chamber member. She points out that it’s a great opportunity to see what each community has to offer.
Hot August Night Brings in Record Number of Vehicles
Record number of vehicles and ideal weather conditions made Hot August Night in Jefferson a success Thursday.
Committee member Chuck Wenthold says 450 cars, trucks, motorcycles and tractors surrounded the downtown square, compared to 356 vehicles last year.
The RPM Club received $200 for having the most entries and they decided to donate the money to the Freedom Flight. The same car club won last year and donated their winnings to the Jefferson Kiwanis Club.
Other awards include Denny Hagen’s 1967 Ford Mustang as the Best Car Exhibitor, Rob Kroupa’s 1939 pickup won Best Truck Exhibitor, a Ford Golden Jubilee owned by Jer Peterson won Best Tractor Exhibitor and Mike Donahe’s 1974 Harley Davidson Sportster Custom won Best Motorcycle Exhibitor. The Spirit Award went to Merlin Schau for his 1956 Chevrolet Belair.
Sponsors for the event include Edward Jones, Ben Franklin, Oly’s Corner, Peoples Trust & Savings Bank, Home State Bank, Doc’s Stadium, Rueter’s Red Power, McAtee Tire & Service Center, McLaughlin International, Unger Insurance, Regency Park Nursing & Rehab Center, Harrison RV, Neese Incorporated and Hy-Vee Incorporated.
EMT Class Offered in Greene County Next Month
In an effort to increase numbers of Emergency Medical Teams (EMT) in rural areas, a training course will be offered starting next month.
Greene County Emergency Management Director Dennis Morlan says an internet-based, interactive EMT training class will be taught by instructors from Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines via the internet. Participants can take the course from their own home, their fire departments or at Greene County Emergency Medical Services building in Jefferson. There are also six Saturday “skills days” required where students will meet Mercy instructors and get hands-on experiences. All Saturday portions will be held in a central location in Greene County.
Once the course is complete and participants pass the National Registry Skills Final on December 12th at Mercy Medical Center, they will be EMT certified.
Morlan states that Iowa law requires at least one licensed EMT must be on-hand to provide patient care with any responding EMS unit. Churdan and Grand Junction are the only cities in the County that have rescue units in addition to Greene County EMS. Churdan and Grand Junction each have four EMTs, but some of those don’t work in the community and more are needed to help handle situations in their fire protection districts. Morlan notes that he also has openings for his EMS unit. He says it’s a commitment to be an EMT, but one that’s needed to serve each community.
The cost for the class is $900. Textbooks are $180, a background check is $90 and uniform shirts are $25. Morlan adds that a grant through the Greene County Board of Supervisors will reimburse an individual once they pass the class.
The class starts on September 1st at 6pm and will be held every Tuesday through November. For more information, contact Morlan at 386-4404.
There’s Still Time to Donate to Relay for Life of Greene County
Relay for Life of Greene County is making one final push for donations for the year.
Organizer Peg Raney says their deadline for last minute donations is by August 21st to count towards their 2015 total. They’ve raised $51,258.14 so far. Since last April’s event, another $350 has been donated by teams and memorials to help fund cancer research with the American Cancer Society. Anyone wishing to donate money can do so at Peoples Trust and Savings Bank with Nikki Uebel.
During April’s event, $12,925 was raised by sponsorships, the silent auction brought in $5,734 and the Color Out Cancer fun run was $4,755. Raney points out that the top team so far is Home State Bank’s Team Towers with $6,073.
Next year’s Relay for Life is scheduled for April 23rd and Raney is looking forward to even more teams and activities. Until next April, Raney invites anyone who wants to be involved to attend their monthly meetingS beginning in September. Contact her at 386-2797.