Mt. Auburn celebrated its 150th Birthday with a city-wide celebration on Saturday. Kicking off the party was a parade that began at 10. The day was packed with events through the day and into the evening. The Fire Department served lunch, vendors and crafts were on display, and various exhibits were set up on main street for folks to enjoy. The day wrapped up with live music and a street dance.

THANK YOU! Thank you to our community for the overwhelming support of the Drive Thru this year. Thanks to all of our "regulars" for coming every single week. Thanks to all of the new faces we saw each week. Thanks to all of you, we were able to raise over $6500 to be used to purchase fun life enhancements for our residents and tenants.Stay tuned for information about our Drive Thru Ice Cream Social coming up on August 19th.

Lutheran Services in Iowa (LSI) was recently awarded $5,000 from the Benton County Community Foundation to support Healthy Families America programming in Benton County. LSI Early Childhood Services are an affiliate of Healthy Families America (HFA), the nationally-recognized, evidence-based home visiting program of Prevent Child Abuse America.HFA focuses on building nurturing, safe, and secure relationships between parents and children to maximize opportunities for all children - and parents - to reach their full potential.

Brady Smith is enjoying one of the many ears of corn that are available throughout the county during sweetcorn season. This ear was just one of the food treats enjoyed at the Garrison Farmers Market on Monday night. 

The Vinton Parks and Recreation Department welcomed a new staff member (although not new to many in town), Kristie Boyle as the departments first ever Recreation Coordinator. This new position was created through a restructuring of VPRD. Current Assistant Director Ryan Anderson will be moving over to a new role as Parks and Recreation Superintendent.

By JIM SCHIPPER Iowa Student Loan Board MemberMany traditional students who use private education loans need cosigners to qualify or to receive better rates. Parents are often the natural choice to cosign. Some parents also consider taking loans out in their own names to help fund their children's education. If you are thinking about either, we at ISL Education Lending encourage you to remember these six points.

By: Co-Reporter, Isabel Mullinex The Vinton-Shellsburg FFA chapter always strives to stay active during the summer and get members excited for the upcoming year. That's why the FFA chapter was excited to try a new recreation activity and took 11 members to the Lost Island Water Park in Waterloo! After holding an open sign up online, on Monday, July 12th, members spent the day at the water park on all the fun and fast rides, enjoying some snacks, and lounging in the Lazy River and Wave Pool.

By: Co-Reporter, Grace Schminke From June 23 rd to June 27th Benton County held its annual fair in Vinton. Every year the Vinton-Shellsburg, La Porte-Dysart, and Benton Community FFA chapters hold different activities for fair-goers in the FFA Barn. There are also members that participate in different shows as well. This year the three chapters did several activities for younger children each day including A-Maizing Corn, Butter Making, Water Bottle Lava Lamps, Ice Cream in a Bag, Plant Pot Decorating, Sock Chia Pets, and then Tie-Dye Totes to finish it off on Saturday.

The Benton County phone system will be getting an upgrade during the week of August 9th at the Courthouse, Secondary Roads, Social Services, and in the Veterans Affairs Department. There may be some interruption of service for a few minutes, it is expected to only last 15-20 minutes.If you happen to call during this time, just give it a few minutes and try your call again.

Van Horne Family Medical Clinic was honored by Van Horne Lions Club with a Warren Coleman award. The award is given for service to the community. Rita Taylor-Stewart along with her staff were commended for their community response to the pandemic and for exceptional care over the years.