March again shows why this is special place

If one needs to know just what kind of place Chickasaw County is, one only need to see how we handle adversity around here.Take March 19, for example. On a beautiful Sunday afternoon, the word went out that a Fredericksburg resident was missing and hadn’t been seen in almost two days. Scores answered the call, and although the search for 67-year-old Sheila Ludwig ended sadly, we think it says something about our area that 180 people showed up on Sunday and another 120 descended upon Fredericksburg the following day to search for Ludwig.We often in this spot tout the feel-good stories that have happened in the past month, but as we begin our monthly salute to those in and around Chickasaw County who make this a great place to live, work and play, we want to take a moment to tip our hats to those hundreds of volunteers who reminded us that when tragedy strikes, we can be comforted with the fact that friends, and yes, complete strangers will always have our back.A tip of the hat ...To New Hampton Band Directors Jenny and Justin Adam and their musicians for another great Parade of Bands and Jazz Dessert concerts this past month. To see so many of our young people in grades 5-12 perform was truly an awesome sight. There’s little doubt after this past month that New Hampton’s band program is headed in the right direction.A tip of the hat ...To the cities of Ionia, New Hampton and Lawler for being included in the 2017 edition of the Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa, better known of course as RAGBRAI. We know it’s going to take a ton of work and an almost infinite amount of volunteers to host thousands of bicyclists as they make their way from Charles City to Cresco on Thursday, July 27. But we also know that our residents will rise to the challenge.A tip of the hat ...To New Hampton High School senior Carter Stochl, who became the second member of his class to commit to a Division I sports program when he announced he will continue his studies and his golf career at the University of Northern Iowa. Earlier this school year, Keaton Geerts signed a letter of intent to attend and wrestle at UNI.A tip of the hat ...To the New Hampton Lions Club for yet another grand Pancake and French Toast Breakfast, which not only raised thousands of dollars that the Lions will no doubt reinvest in our community but also showed us that you can have a whole lot of fun feeding more than a 1,000 people.A tip of the hat ...To the Carnegie Cultural Center and the New Hampton High School Art Department for partnering on an exhibit at the New Hampton museum that shows off the many talents of young artists in the community.A tip of the hat ...To the Turkey Valley Educational Foundation for not only another great gala event but for all of its work it does to enhance the education for all the students who attend the Jackson Junction school.A tip of the hat ...To New Hampton High School individual speech students Savannah Anderson, Cody Deere, Grace Denner, Sydney Lau, Collen Mahoney, Celena Quirk, Hannah Schwickerath and Will Throndson for receiving coveted Division I ratings at the state contest that was held at Waldorf University in Forest City. And a special tip of the hat to Throndson, the sophomore who earned the highest honor — an All-State Speech Festival nomination — the activity offers.A tip of the hat ...To New Hampton Middle School instructors Carolin Remmen and Jill Cantu and their students for putting on another fun-filled musical. We think it’s great that so many students are willing to “put themselves out there” when it comes to the musical, and we hope they continue exploring the arts when they graduate to high school.A tip of the hat ...... and thank you to Ken Rasing, who retired this past week after serving Chickasaw County for the past 38 1/2 years. Rasing wore many hats — emergency management director, environmental health director, medical examiner and Chickasaw County Rescue director — during his tenure with the county, and we can’t thank him enough for his tireless dedication to the county and its residents.A tip of the hat ...... and congratulations to longtime Turkey Valley wrestling fans Bill and Carole Burke, who recently received a well-deserved sportsmanship award during the recent state girls basketball tournament.A tip of the hat ...To Turkey Valley seniors Shelby Reicks and Morgen Kuennen for being named to the Iowa Newspaper Association’s Class 1A all-state teams. Reicks was a first-team selection for a second consecutive year and Kuennen landed on the second team.A tip of the hat ...To the New Hampton FFA chapter for another successful year that was celebrated during the organization’s annual banquet.A tip of the hat ...To New Hampton Dance Team coach Emma Schwickerath and her dancers for putting on a fun-filled Dance Showcase. And props to the team’s two seniors — Isabel Hoey and Morgan Smith — for the dedication and leadership they provided.A tip of the hat ...... and best of luck to all spring sports athletes. Trapshooting began on Saturday while track athletes and golfers — weather permitting of course — will get started this week and we can’t wait to get out to the range, course and track to see these young student-athletes represent their schools. And while we’re on the subject, Mother Nature, let’s show a little cooperation and give us a healthy dose of spring.