News : July 2010: A time of new faces, but also of tragedy

Gretta Geiken threw out the first pitch during Vinton night -- and her 80th birthday

The Blank Park Zoo alligator came to the Vinton library for the Summer Reading Program in July.

July brought the annual Vinton Cruise for its 26th year.

The historic Lion and Lamb B & B closed at the end of July.

Dr. Maggie Mangold joined VGH staff.

July began in Vinton with residents watching the building of the LEC building. The foundation was poured in June; July saw the building of the actual facility as workers began laying thousands of concrete blocks. (Project Manager Jerry Petermeier said it would be very difficult to estimate how many thousands of blocks required to form the walls of the building.)

The second week of July began with a celebration and ended in tragedy.

July 10 was Vinton Night at Veterans Stadium. Each summer, Vinton residents have their special night with the Cedar Rapids Kernels. The VPRD works with the Kernels each year on the promotion. Gretta Geiken, a long-time VPRD office employee, celebrated her 80th birthday by throwing out the first pitch. Dozens of her relatives, wearing green T-shirts in honor of Gretta, attended the game with her.

But on July 11, Vinton lost one of its own in a car crash caused by an impaired driver. Lynn Fraker was killed in Missouri. The driver of the other vehicle was arrested on several drug charges after the accident. Lynn was memorialized throughout the year, including at the Virginia Gay Hospital Tree of Lights campaign; she had been a hospital board member for many years.

Missing time capsule

The Vinton Masonic Lodge was damaged in the Flood of 2008. The Masons sold the building. In July of 2010, they returned there to see the time capsule that had been left there 40 years ago.

But they could not find it. “The surprise was on us,” Tom Boeckmann told his Mason colleagues. The group is still studying the history of the building to see if there was, indeed, a time capsule placed there, and if so, where.

Bike and Build tragedy

The national Bike and Build organization passed through Benton County on July 12. Paige Hicks and a couple dozen other riders rode through the Van Horne area, and along Highway 218 south of Vinton. Along the cross-country route, the planned to stop in several cities, helping to build Habitat for Humanity houses. But another tragedy interrupted the effort: Paige Hicks was killed in a traffic accident in South Dakota a few days after passing through Benton County. After pausing for a memorial service for several days, the Bike and Build participants decided to honor Paige by continuing their mission.

New medical professionals welcomed

In the summer of 2010, three new medical professionals began serving patients in Vinton. Dr. Maggie Mangold joined the VGH staff. Scott Barron began practicing with Matt Betterton. And Sara Stuefen replaced retiring Alan Woodhouse at his dentistry practice. A reception for all three was held July 23.

Another defibrillator save for VPD

In July of 2010, Vinton Today included this story from the Vinton Police Department:

The Vinton Police Department had it's third confirmed defibrillator "save" on Sunday, July 11th, shortly before 7 p.m.

North Benton Ambulance was dispatched to the sidewalk in front of the Piz za Ranch restaurant in Vinton for a report of a man who had collapsed. When Vinton Police arrived, it was immediately determined the 52 year old Palo man was in cardiac arrest. Vinton Police officers delivered one shock to the patient's heart and a viable pulse was restored. The patient was transported to Virginia Gay Hospital by North Benton Ambulance, and later transferred to St. Lukes Hospital in Cedar Rapids, and is expected to make a full recovery.

"We started this program, in conjunction with North Benton Ambulance, in May of 2001" Jeff Tilson, Vinton Police Chief said today. "In that period of time, we now have three people from the Vinton area who are literally still alive and with us today, only because of these devices."

Automatic External Defibrillators are small electronic devices that, when applied to a cardiac arrest patient, can immediately diagnose a life-threatening heart rhythm, and if appropriate, deliver a shock to the victim's heart to restore a life sustaining cardiac rhythm to the patient. Vinton Police officers all took the training to use these devices on their own time, Tilson added.

Lion and Lamb closing

Vinton lost an iconic business in the end of July. The Lion and the Lamb bed and breakfast closed when managers Rick and Rachel Waterbury moved to Arizona. The business had hosted murder mysteries for nearly 15 years in the Victorian house.