Neighbors make for a month to remember

 There is a great Chinese proverb that reads, “A good neighbor is a priceless treasure,” and boy oh boy, we have a lot of priceless treasures in and around Chickasaw County.This past month proved that when our area was deluged by Mother Nature. When a train of thunderstorms hit the area and dropped up to 7 inches of rain on parts of our area, the waters, in a word, rose.You know it’s bad out there when school is called off in August, but if we learned anything when it came to the recent flood, we learned that we have a bunch of good neighbors, who included a bunch of New Hampton High School students who didn’t crawl back into bed on that day a couple weeks ago but instead, filled and delivered sandbags to those who needed them the most.So before we begin saluting those who make this such a great place to live, work and play, we want to tip our hats to all those “neighbors” who reached out and helped those affected by high water.As for the rest of the past month, we have plenty of folks to thank, so without further ado ...A tip of the hat ...To Nashua Chamber of Commerce for bringing the Culpepper and Merriweather Circus to the area early last month. And hats off to the civic organization that has been revived and is working hard to keep Chickasaw County’s second largest city viable and active.A tip of the hat ...To the Ionia Fun Days organizers for putting on another great small town celebration. We’ve said it before but the time and effort volunteers put into these festivals is almost limitless, and we appreciate all you do.A tip of the hat ...To the Blue Iris, Butch’s and Josie’s for sponsoring not one but two Classic Nights here in New Hampton. When the first one washed out shortly after it began on Aug. 4, the businesses banded together and came up with a don’t-take-no-for-an-answer and did it all over again on Aug. 25, which deservedly so for the sponsors, provided one of the nicest days of the summer.A tip of the hat ...To Chantal Papousek and her Sweet Freedom Gluten Free Bakery for finishing in the top three of the Food Innovation Challenge. It’s been fun watching Papousek and her business grow from an in-home bakery into one that now sells products in dozens of stores in the Upper Midwest.A tip of the hat ...To the Northeast Iowa Antique Engine and Power Show for yet another great year of putting our area’s agriculture history and heritage on display.A tip of the hat ...To the staff of the New Hampton Municipal Pool for a great summer of swimming. We know at times lifeguards have a thankless job, but trust us, we appreciate that you keep us and our children safe at the pool.A tip of the hat ...To New Hampton’s Trevor Ambrose for being named to two all-state baseball teams. It marked the second consecutive year that Ambrose earned all-state honors.A tip of the hat ...To Grace Denner and Brianna White for taking part in the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) Camp this summer. And hats off to New Hampton Rotary Club members Mike Babcock and Lynn Kuethe for serving as volunteer leaders at the camp.A tip of the hat ...To New Hampton Police Officer Chad McGee for taking a unique idea — handing out ice cream to area residents during traffic stops — and running with it. That may just be the coolest “sting” operation we’ve ever had the pleasure to cover.A tip of the hat ...To the Beach Bash to End Alzheimer’s Committee for recently presenting a check for more than $27,000 to the Alzheimer’s Association of Northeast Iowa.A tip of the hat ...... and congratulations to New Hampton High School junior Jordan Holthaus who was recently selected to be the new student representative on the New Hampton School Board.A tip of the hat ...To New Hampton teacher Jason Rude and Turkey Valley teacher Michelle Nystel who were selected to take part in the White House Teacher Institute.A tip of the hat ...To the Chickasaw County chapter of Spay and Neuter All Pets (SNAP) for their continued work in making sure all stray, abandoned and surrendered pets find a “forever home.” SNAP recently held its annual Doggie Swim at the New Hampton Municipal pool, and it’s not only a great event for “man’s best friends” but also a great way for SNAP to get the word out on what it does.A tip of the hat ...To the Lawler Park Committee for all its work in helping bring new playground equipment to the small town.A tip of the hat ...... and best of luck to all of our area’s fall athletes as they take to the football field, volleyball court and cross country courses this year.A tip of the hat ...To the New Hampton Airport Foundation and especially to Dan Scott and Jason Lahmann for the tenacity they have shown in obtaining a grant worth more than $350,000 to rehabilitate the airport’s aging runway.A tip of the hat ...To the Chickasaw County Foundation and First Citizens Bank for providing grants for a new playground at St. Joseph Community School’s preschool playground. And thanks to the volunteers who installed the equipment.