Saturday, August 1, 2009

Celebrate Your Senses

The first ever Celebrate your Senses street festival is today in downtown Washington. Craig Swift is president of the Main Street Washington Board. He says it's an homage to a multi day art festival that used to be held in Washington. Kids activities start at 10 this morning Battle of the Bands gets underway at 5:30. The street dance featuring Bob Dorr and the Blue Band runs from 9 to midnight. There will also be a variety of vendors providing food.

Lt. Governor in Kalona

Lt. Governor Patty Judge will be visiting many towns in southeast Iowa and one of which will be Kalona. The Lt. Governor will be stopping by the Kalona Historical Village on Tuesday to encourage Iowans to stay close to home this vacation season. Judge says touring local attractions will give a boost to local economies and keep business running. Judge will be visiting ten cities in all over a two-day period, and will also be stopping in Mt. Pleasant.

Childhood Education

A state lawmaker wants to see a greater emphasis on early childhood development. Fairfield Senator Becky Schmitz says through her own experiences as a school social worker she has seen the benefits of early childhood development. She says things like the volunteer pre-school program is a perfect example of the ways in which Iowa is working on childhood education. She says this program creates a good relationship between the states K-12 program and local pre-school systems. Schmitz says in this way, the two institutions work together to help educate youth and prepare them for later years.

I-SMILE

A new state law requires incoming freshmen and kindergarteners to have a dental screening before school starts this year. Shelia Temple is the I-SMILE Coordinator for the Washington County Health Department. She says kids need to have their first dentist visit by the time they turn one. She also says children usually lack the dexterity to adequately clean their teeth until about age eight, so parents need to check and make sure kids are brushing properly. For more information contact the Washington County Health Department.

Back to School

August is here and that means schools will be starting up soon. Columbus Schools lead the pack in this area. They start classes August 15. Iowa Mennonite begins on the 17th. Lone Tree, WACO and Winfield Mount Union start on the 24th. Classes start at Highland on August 25th. Washington, Mid Prairie and Saint James all start the 26th, and Sigourney and Keota begin on the 27th. For a complete listing of school start dates head to KCII Radio Dot Com.

ISU Scholarship

A 4-H'er from Keota is getting a $1000 scholarship from Orschlen Farm and Home Supply. Sara Sieren has been involved in 4-H for nine years. She's the daughter of Tim and Ethel Sieren. Her projects include market beef, swine and photography. Sieren recently graduated from Keota High School. She plans to attend Iowa State University and study animal science.

Ola Babcock Miller

The origins of the Iowa State Patrol are rooted in Washington County. Ola Babcock Miller was the first woman to serve as Secretary of State, and was from Washington County. She started the highway patrol in the 1930's. Rosemary Harris is an actress who portrays famous women from Iowa. She performed as Ola Babcock Miller during this week's Thursday Night Live in Downtown Washington.

4-H Scholarship

A Riverside 4-Her will be getting a gift from Pioneer Hi-Bred Inc. in the form of a $500 scholarship. Cody Schneider is the son of Dan Schneider and Stephanie Leur and was awarded the Pioneer Community College scholarship for his involvement in market beef, swine, sheep, and photography. Schneider says 4-H has given him the qualities needed to become a positive role model in society. Schneider will be attending Kirkwood Community College this fall.