News

  We are now well over a week into the Party In The Park 20th Anniversary Medallion Hunt. We've had a number of people who have been tenaciously hunting down the treasure but those few individuals who were successful in uncovering the medallions 6 through 10 are as follows:   Medallion 6: Kaylee Roster discovered the medallion by in a flower pot underneath the VPRD sign   Medallion 7: Phil Schaefer discovered the medallion by the helicopter landing pad at Virginia Gay Hospital   Medallion 8: Alecia Engledow discovered the medallion by the IMCA sign   Medallion 9: Krisite Davis discovered the medallion at the train depot by the train caboose   Medallion 10: Maria Davis discovered the medallion at underneath the Ervin Motors sign There are 10 more medallions to be found before Party In The Park so stay tuned for clues on the location of each day's medallion! To view the clues.

     Two years and 364 days after the heroic effort to save the Benton County Law Enforcement Center from flooding failed, the same people who watched the Flood of 2008 consume the old LEC gathered at the spot to celebrate the completion of the new one. A ribbon cutting took place at the end of a short ceremony Saturday morning, followed by a few hours of self-guided tours.

        The third anniversary of the flood that destroyed the old LEC and dozens of homes along the Cedar River in Vinton marks the opening of the new Benton County Law Enforcement Center and will feature mostly local leaders.      The ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. this Saturday, June 11. Speakers will include Benton County Supervisor Ron Buch, Vinton Mayor John Watson, Sheriff Randy Forsyth and EMA Board Member Steve Meyer.

     Several months after the Vinton Parks and Recreation Board proposed a change in the housing and compensation package for Parks and Rec  Director Duane Randall, the Vinton Council has agreed to set up a new committee to recommend future changes.      Last fall, the P & R Board proposed allowing Randall to move out of the city-owned house where he has lived since coming to Vinton in 1986 and replacing the housing benefit with a $1,040 per month stipend.

        The Cooling Dance Center students performed their spring recital this past weekend. Jan Andreesen took many photos, and shared these with Vinton Today. The performers pictured with this story include: "Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile"    l to r  Lauren Price, Elly Gloede, Make

  City Street Notices:   1.      The City of Vinton will soon begin a project on East 4th Street between 8th and 9th Avenue, including the intersections. The project may begin as early as the week of June 13th. Please be prepared to take an alternate route through this area. The work should only last one month, weather permitting.

  In celebration of 100 years of the Butter Cow, the Iowa State Fair is hosting the 2011 Battle of the Butter. The contest will give participants the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to try one of the Iowa State Fair's oldest art forms: butter sculpting. The Battle of the Butter will be held daily at 4 p.m. on the Fair's Anne and Bill Riley Stage.

     One of the first people I met in Vinton was Keith Mossman. Not long after I arrived in Vinton, Keith had the opportunity to see something that most men just dream of: Having his grandson join him in his work.     I wrote a story about Keith, Mark and John Mossman when John returned to Vinton to join the Mossman law firm.

Click to view CLUES

     A drawing was held at the June 7th meeting of the 2020 Vision for Vinton Committee to determine the winner of the George Foreman Family Indoor Grill. The entry for Bill and Mary Hawk, 1505 C Avenue, was drawn by ECICOG representative Chad Sands. The entry was pulled from numerous entries received from Vinton residents who returned their community surveys along with an entry form.