Et Cetera

By: Noel McQueen Maple 8 is serving with the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy in Michigan until August 26. When they first arrived, the team received a warm welcome from the community and the staff of the conservancy. Maple 8 starts work every day at 8:30 a.m. where they tread through “Mosquito Valley” to begin their long strenuous day of service work.

Wind, wind, and more wind greeted Maple 4 of NCCC at the beginning of their third round project.  The storm on June 30 brought damaging winds forcing the team off the road on orientation day and altered the course of their first week’s service. Serving with the Blackhawk County Conservation Board,  the team has already seen many challenges and triumphs, the first being the removal of downed trees and limbs from the storm in McFarlane Park near La Porte City, Iowa.

By Brad Anderson American Legion Post 57 It was just last month that the remains of Iowan Robert E Howard were buried with full military honors in Moulton, IA. Staff Sergeant Howard was killed when his B26-B bomber was shot down over Germany during WWII. The American Legion does not take, nor deserves, any credit for the repatriation of Staff Sergeants Howard's remains but the POW/MIA issue is of paramount importance to the American Legion.

By Andrew Johnson AmeriCorps NCCC team Maple 3 is serving at Camp Albrecht Acres, a camp for people with special needs in Sherrill, Iowa. The team is acting as camp counselors, assisting in executing the various camp programs as well as personal care for the camp attendees. Maple 3 arrived in Sherrill, Iowa at the end of June to assist staff until the end of the camp’s summer programming.

Fairgoers and judges saw lookalikes and copycats at the annual Twins, Triplets and More contest judged Thursday on the Anne and Bill Riley Stage at the 2014 Iowa State Fair. Complete results below: Under 1, Most Alike 1) Avril and Becca Shahan, Jefferson 2) Quinn and Kylie McKillip, Ankeny 3) Hannah and Henry Althoff, Indianola Under1, Least Alike 1) Abel and Tessah Hayes, Keota 2) Holden and Breck Noah, North Liberty 3) Kinsley, Hadley and Landon Meyer, Newton 4) Elly and Gage Branson, Melcher-Dallas Age 1, Most Alike 1) Tell and Ethan Saylor, Cambridge 2) Rachel and Veronika Rathjen, Urbandale 3) Landon and Logan Tibken, Wiota 4) Gabriella and Sophia Coleman, Des Moines 5) Isabella and Ellaina Thornton, West Des Moines Age 1, Least Alike 1) Cameron and Trinity Newton, Grimes 2) Lydon and Sawyer Stephenson, Des Moines 3) Jameson and Eden Ortner, Slater 4) Sidney and Stella Wickett, Newton Age 2, Most Alike 1) Ashlyn and Jillian Whitehead, Nevada 2) Emma and Audrey Nielsen, Des Moines 3) Alyssa and Abigail Bos, Montezuma 4) Brooke and Katie DeVries, Monroe 5) Carys and Harper Hayes, Martensdale Age 2, Least Alike 1) Lincoln and Jordyn Schnell, Sully 2) Rayni and Rylan Lynch, Cumming 3) Riley and Reece Goodrich, Urbandale 4) Alex and Eva Koerner, Fair Oaks Ranch, Texas 5) Kennahriah and Abrianna Hardin, Des Moines Age 3, Most Alike 1) Bradie and Brenna Bruck, Boone 2) Madeline and Reagan Monsma, Des Moines Age 3, Least Alike 1) Kylen and Kyler Williams, Chariton 2) Mason and Jackson Carter, Eldridge 3) Jacob and Jaiden Briggs, Des Moines 4) Krystol and Brooklon Clarke, Des Moines 5) Julianne and Jocelyn Waters, Collins Age 4, Most Alike 1) Avery and Aubry Fisher, Humboldt 2) Ada and Evie Roberts, Urbandale 3) Violet and Lily Tedder, West Des Moines 4) Jenna and Nora Grovert, Shellsburg 5) Ainslee and Kylee Doty, Danbury Age 4, Least Alike 1) Zachary and Isaac Thorpe, Ames 2) Lexton and Brycen Markin-Weber, Des Moines 3) Reece, Riley and Regan Russell, Bondurant 4) Peyton and Kalli Watters, Des Moines Ages 5 and 6, Most Alike 1) Jackson and Joel Waters, Collins 2) Brodie and Bryce Aiken, Des Moines 3) Kyleigh and Kennedey Ozmun, Ogden 4) Zach and Nick Chance, Norwalk 5) Zoey and Bella Boots, Des Moines Ages 5 and 6, Least Alike 1) Anna and Logan Vandell, Waverly 2) Hayden and Harper Janssen, Urbandale 3) Logan and Lucas McNeeley, West Des Moines 4) Livia and Savanna Davenport, Rhodes 5) Claire and Luke Erselius, Montezuma Ages 7 and 8, Most Alike 1) Maxx and Jett Tyler, Des Moines 2) Ethan and Evan Tollari, Altoona 3) Addi and Alexis Zaehringer, Davenport 4) Sidney and Addison Swartzendorber, Cedar Rapids 5) Autumn and Gracie Glosser, Ottumwa Ages 7 and 8, Least Alike 1) Luke and Alyssa Bartlett, Pleasant Hill 2) Quinn and Heath Leone, Ankeny 3) McClain and Carson Crigger, West Des Moines 4) Kerrigan and Jamesyn Guthrie, Altoona 5) Emerald and Cloud Abbott, Clive Ages 9 to 11, Most Alike 1) Bailey and Bella Buerger, Mitchellville 2) Georgia and Jasmine Padget, Keosauqua 3) Ella and Grace Sundstrom, Des Moines 4) Antonía and Bernadette Venturi, Carroll 5) Natalie and Karlyn Parkins, Indianola Ages 9 to 11, Least Alike 1) Jillian and Tessa Kniep, Mount Ayr 2) Tommy and Torin Chinery, Ames 3) Jack and Sarah Wicker, Windsor Heights 4) Ben and William Iboshi, Portland, Ore.

Greg and Diane Walston of Vinton announce the engagement of their daughter, Sara, to Benjamin Feldkamp, son of Joel and Juli Feldkamp of Woodbury, Minnesota. Ms. Walston is a graduate of Luther College, Decorah, and is Lead Toddler/Discovery Preschool Teacher at Knowledge Beginnings Child Development Center in Woodbury. Ben is also a graduate of Luther College and is an EMT studying to be a paramedic.

Ashely Dickenson, from Columbus , Ohio is serving on team Oak 5 in AmeriCorps NCCC Class 20. She arrived in Vinton on February 11 to start her 10-month service term. Oak 5  is made up of seven people from across the country who will serve together around the Midwest. Ashely says “This program sounded like a good way to gain experience and meet new people.

By: Sarah Williams Ryan Van Winckle , from Queens, New York is a corps member for Maple 8 in AmeriCorps NCCC Class 20. He arrived in Vinton on February 11 to start his 10-month service term working with a team of people between the ages of 18 and 24. Maple 8 is made up of seven people from across the country and they will serve together around the Midwest.

For Memorial Day the American Legion places flags on the graves of our Veterans, unfortunately we miss many because we are unaware the grave is that of a Veteran. In an effort to correct this the Vinton American Legion is working with the Benton County VA Director, Toni Parzek, to get grave markers for those Veterans whose head stone does not reference their service in our armed forces but first we need to get an idea of how many we will need.

Operation Comfort Warriors (OCW) is an American Legion program that provides comfort items to those recovering in military hospitals and transition units throughout the U.S. and overseas. Items like television sets, stereos, long distance calling cards, pool tables, sporting equipment and other items  You can get additional information here: http://www.