Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
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• Sept. 9, 1948 Five members of the Rock Rapids Squadron, Civil Air Patrol, landed at the Hartley airport. They were met by Forrest Newcomer, who was also an officer of the Rock Rapids Civil Air Patrol squadron. The group of pilots was served a “flying breakfast” at the Newcomer home. A good neighbor deed was carried out on Labor Day at the Glen Recher farm, which was northeast of Hartley. Recher, age 27, was in a Sioux City hospital for treatment of polio. Thirty-seven neighbors and relatives gathered to plow and dig rock from 60 acres, cut a...
Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn's football team showed flashes of improvement during its Class A District 1 opener against Alta-Aurelia. But the Hawks did not play with enough consistency to avoid a 9-0 loss on Sept. 1 at Aurelia. Hawk coach Jay Eilers felt the signs of improvement evident in the game were a result of what was accomplished on the practice field. "I thought it happened during the week of preparation. A hundred percent," he said. A fumble by H-M-S and an interception by Aidan Espeland in...
Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn was unable to take advantage of early momentum against Gehlen Catholic during a 3-0 loss on Aug. 29. The visiting Jays won the War Eagle Conference match by scores of 25-18, 25-17 and 25-14. The Hawks built a seven-point lead in the opening set before Gehlen Catholic tied the score and eventually pulled ahead. H-M-S stayed close before faltering down the stretch. "One of our goals this year is to come out strong in each match," said Hawk coach Cheryl Kroese. "I was proud...
Times for Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn cross country runners at the Okoboji Invitational were generally faster than they were at the same venue a year ago. Runners from 18 area schools competed on Aug. 31 at the Emerald Hills Golf Club. All of the Hawk boys who competed there a year ago ran faster times in 2023. Leading the way was George Vargas, who finished 15th with a time of 18:20. He was followed by Ryan Grotluschen, 30th, 19:47; Aiden Bush, 34th, 20:20; Damian Dodge, 43rd, 21:19; and Blaine...
Increased involvement in activities was stressed as Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn High School students returned to the classroom last week. The emphasis began during the orientation night for freshmen and their parents. Principal Blake Wendt presented data during the Aug. 21 school board meeting showing how academic success is tied to students' involvement in activities. "I found that our students who did not participate in any extracurricular activities had an average GPA of 2.61. Those in four-plus...
• Sept. 2, 1948 St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church at May City was observing the 60th anniversary of its organization. Five special services were planned to commemorate the milestone. Two former pastors, Rev. B.O. Richter and Rev. Carl G. Winter, were participants in the first special service. With a few latecomers yet to register, enrollment at the Hartley Public School would probably reach an all-time high. A senior class of 52 represented the largest graduating class in school history. Of the 49 freshmen registered, 25 were from the rura...
If an athletic field is an extension of the classroom, then the opening game of the 2023 football season could be a valuable learning experience for Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn. H-M-S came out on the short end of a 51-7 score at West Sioux on Aug. 25. However, Hawk coach Jay Eilers said what was learned could be a building block for the season. "I think it starts with confidence, and I think that confidence comes from experience," he said. "We had quite a few young men raise their hand, 'Hey, this...
Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn split its pool matches and lost the battle for fifth place during the Spencer volleyball tournament on Aug. 22. The tournament was played at Okoboji High School, as the Spencer Fieldhouse is not air-conditioned. The Hawks played close sets with Manson Northwest Webster in their opening pool match. The Cougars held slim leads in both sets and were eventually able to earn a 21-19, 21-18 win. H-M-S tasted victory for the first time in 2023 with a 2-1 win over Spencer. The Haw...
Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn runners battled the heat at Cherokee on Aug. 24 to earn two third-place team finishes at the Deb Hankens Cross Country Meet. Two Hawks placed in the Top 10 during the girls' varsity race. Lexi Croatt finished ninth in a time of 25:35.95 and Gracie Knobloch was right behind to place 10th in 25:35.98. Other varsity competitors were Clara Funk, 18th, 29:15.66; Kamryn Ebel, 19th, 29:16.79; and Jocelyn Abonce, 25th, 32:05.42. Kamrynn Visser finished 20th in the JV race with a...
The 2023 high school football season officially kicks off Friday night when Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn travels to Hawarden to take on West Sioux. The opening opponent is a formidable one. The Falcons defeated the Hawks last year, 38-18, and were runners-up in the Class 1A state finals the past two seasons. Hawk coach Jay Eilers has a good idea of what to expect from West Sioux. "They do what they do. They're going to be coached extremely well," he said.. "They're going to run screens. Another thing...
Hinton and Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn gave fans an early taste of high school football last Friday night when they scrimmaged at Peterson Field in Hartley. The format included two quarters of the varsity teams playing each other, followed by a quarter in which the JV players scrimmaged. The varsity teams then played an overtime period, and the varsity and JV offenses attempted to gain a first down in three plays, starting from their 1-yard line. Neither H-M-S squad scored. Hinton scored touchdowns...
• Aug. 26, 1948 Some of the hottest weather of the year was experienced in the Hartley area as temperatures soared over the 100 degree mark. There was some concern that continued heat without rain would cause damage to a very promising looking corn crop. With the street resurfacing crew completing several blocks daily, the work of resurfacing Hartley’s streets was progressing nicely. The hot weather, so undesirable in other respects, was ideal for that type of work. Miss Luella Specht, the primary supervisor for O’Brien County, was making plans...
It was close, but the paving project at Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn High School was substantially completed as classes were about to begin. Engineer John Hight, of Beck Engineering, told the school board on Monday that barricades would be taken down and the parking lot would be open for use. Striping for parking spaces is scheduled to be done later this week. The area of the circle drive in front of the high school that was torn up has also been cleared for use. Testing of the concrete indicates the...
Transfer of the operation and maintenance of the City of Royal's water utility to Iowa Lakes Regional Water was finalized on July 21, when water meters were read for the final time by the city. City Clerk Barb Fletcher informed the city council on Aug. 8 that the last water bills due to the city were sent. Future billings to Royal residents will come from ILRW. Fletcher was authorized to issue refunds to eligible water customers. The council approved the final reading of the ordinance...
• Aug. 19, 1948 William Bolt, former coach at the Paullina and Arlington public schools, was selected to fill the position of principal at the Hartley Public School. He succeeded Earl Legler, who resigned to become high school principal at Algona. The new principal had just completed his Master’s degree at Greeley, Colo. A capacity crowd gathered the first night of the O’Brien County 4-H and Livestock Show to enjoy the free entertainment. Herb Plambeck, WHO farm editor, gave the address of the evening. A barbershop chorus from Spencer quick...
Coupled with the start of the 2023-24 school year at Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn are the first high school competitions for fall sports teams. Fans can enjoy a preview of the Hawk football team during a scrimmage with Hinton on Friday, Aug. 18. The scrimmage begins at 7 p.m. at Peterson Field. Donations of sports drinks will be accepted. The volleyball schedule opens with a junior varsity tournament at George-Little Rock on Monday, Aug. 21. The JV and varsity squads will compete in a tournament at...
• Aug. 12, 1948 The executive committee of the American Legion voted to donate the use of the main floor of the Legion Hall to the Hartley Recreation Association. The space was used weekly as a youth center. Approximately 15 area farmers were participating in the Iowa Master Soybean Contest. Measuring of the plots had started. The Hartley Chamber of Commerce was sponsoring the contest, and R.B. Mann, V.R. Jacobson and C.K. Ostrom were the committee in charge. Preparation was being made for the opening of about 38 rural schools in O’Brien Cou...
• Aug. 5, 1948 At an impressive ceremony before a large crowd, the official cornerstone laying of the new St. Paul’s Lutheran Church on Central Avenue was held. Construction had begun on May 5, and walls were approximately eight feet high at the time of the ceremony. Clarence Busche, local superintendent for Peoples Natural Gas, was awarded a pin and certificate for 10 years of service with the company. Over 80 employees from the Midwest were honored. Carl Rahn, local foods store owner, purchased the Coon Grocery Store at Lake Park. Lyle Storey...
Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn softball player Gracie Knobloch has received postseason recognition from the Iowa Girls Coaches Association. Knobloch was named to the Class 2A Northwest all-district team for the second consecutive year, and was also named to the all-state third team. She was second team all-state as a freshman. Several other players from War Eagle Conference schools were recognized by the IGCA. Named to the 2A Northwest all-district team were Ashlyn Kovarna and Ashley Kramer, of Hinton;...
en completed at Clay Central/Everly Elementary, but there have been delays in getting other work done in the Royal building. According to reports presented at Monday's board meeting, Site Services completed asbestos abatement in the steam tunnels, but the district is waiting for SwiftAir to begin piping replacement. Installation of the window wraps is done, as is electrical work in the calm down room. Carpeting remains to be installed on the music room stage and the bus barn still needs to be...
• July 29, 1948 Plans for the 1948 O’Brien County Fair and Future Farmers Livestock Show were virtually complete. The festivities were to last two days instead of three, but organizers promised they would be two days filled with attractions for the many visitors to Hartley. Local baseball teams lost close games on the diamond. The junior Legion team lost to Primghar, 5-4, and to Melvin, 1-0. Hartley’s town team, the Red Caps, battled Rossie on even terms for 11 innings, but Rossie picked up four runs in the 12th frame to take a 7-3 decis...
The construction project at Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn High School has resumed after a three-week delay due to the level of arsenic in soil at the site. During a project update at Monday's board meeting, engineer John Hight said test results indicated higher-than-allowable levels of arsenic in soil that was removed and piled at the site. After reporting the results to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, work was suspended due to potential groundwater issues. Graves Construction was given two...
A second estimate of what it will cost to repave Main Street in Royal confirms what the first one indicated – it will be expensive. Several months ago a paving contractor estimated that to completely rebuild Main Street from Huberg Trucking to the fire station, as well as three intersections, could cost approximately $900,000. Brian Schmidt, an engineer with Kruse, Cate & Nelson, P.C., recently offered a similar estimate. According to discussion at the July 12 council meeting, Schmidt also e...
• July 22, 1948 Power spraying equipment again made the rounds of the Hartley business section, spraying backs and fronts of the buildings for continued protection against disease-carrying flies. Heat followed by heavy rains tended to destroy the potency of the DDT spray. A damaging hail and windstorm swept in from the northwest. Most extensive damage in the immediate area was reported south of Melvin where crops were virtually wiped out, a number of buildings blown down, trees uprooted and some poultry and hogs were killed. Out of the hail a...
One benefit of finishing with a better record in War Eagle Conference play is that a team has more players earn all-conference recognition. That is the case for the 2023 Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn softball team, which landed five players on all-conference teams due to a fourth-place finish. Gracie Knobloch was named to the all-WEC first team for the second straight year. The sophomore led the Hawks in nearly every offensive category, as well as starting 17 of their 23 games in the pitcher's circle....
