08/13/20: Community Calendar

HFD to hold water fights tonight

The Hartley Fire Department will host community water fights on Thursday, Aug. 13 on Central Avenue. Hotdogs will be served starting at 6 p.m., and the water fights will begin at approximately 6:30 p.m.

Everyone is welcome to attend. Hotdogs will be served until they’re gone. All free will donations will benefit the Hartley New Pool Project.

Virtual meetings offer couples strategies to cope with COVID-19

ISU Extension and Outreach will offer a series of short virtual meetings over eight weeks with information and suggestions to help couples thrive in the new reality of the COVID-19 pandemic. The information presented will be based on ELEVATE, a relationship education curriculum developed by the National Extension Relationship and Marriage Education Network.

Human sciences specialists and staff will be leading a series of short virtual meetings every Wednesday, beginning on Aug. 19 and continuing to Oct. 7, from 12:30-1 p.m. CDT. During each of the eight Wednesdays, specialists will review a different tool that couples can immediately use to improve their relationship during this challenging time. Each 30-minute training will be offered through Zoom.

To register, select a date listed in the Upcoming Events section at https://www.extension.iastate.edu/humansciences/elevate. Information about access to a unique Zoom room will be emailed to registered participants prior to each program.

Walk for mental health awareness is Sept. 12

Walk for Mental Health Awareness, a free family-friendly event to recognize the importance of mental health and to share resources on where to seek help, will be held on Saturday, Sept. 12. Maurice Reformed Church and Seasons Center for Behavioral Health in Spencer are hosting the event.

Registrations are now being accepted for the walk by visiting https://seasonscenter.org/events.php. Those who register before Aug. 28 will receive a complimentary event T-shirt. The walk begins with registration from 9 a.m.-9:45 a.m. at Children’s Park in Sioux Center. Resource tables from local community partners will be available, as well as resource bags provided by Seasons.

Additional safety precautions will be implemented at the event. Attendees are encouraged to practice social distancing and to stay with the group they arrived with. Organizers will encourage masks and proper hand sanitizing, and Seasons will be providing these items to each attendee in their resource bag.

Proceeds of the Walk for Mental Health Awareness will benefit Camp Autumn by providing scholarships for children to attend the unique therapeutic camp located in rural Sutherland. Camp Autumn continues to serve children in summer 2020 amidst the pandemic with additional safety precautions in place.

Free virtual COVID ag updates available weekly

COVID Recovery Iowa, in collaboration with Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach, will host COVID Ag Updates: Focus on Resilience, a 60-minute weekly update with agricultural specialists to be held Mondays from 7:30-8:30 p.m. through Sept. 28.

The first 15 to 20 minutes of each Monday session will be informational, with the remaining time spent on answering questions from the virtual participants.

To register to participate in the virtual sessions go to the “upcoming events” section at https://www.extension.iastate.edu/humansciences/farm-ranch-wellbeing. After registering, a Zoom program link will be e-mailed to participants prior to the program.

COVID Recovery Iowa offers a variety of services to anyone affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Virtual counselors provide counseling, activities, referral information and help find resources for any Iowan seeking personal support. Iowans of all ages may join groups online for activities and learn creative strategies for coping with the effects of the pandemic.

To request support, go to https://www.COVIDrecoveryiowa.org, or contact the Iowa Concern Hotline at (515) 447-1985 or the Iowa Warm Line at (855) 775-9276.

Children’s reading program at Royal library

Children of all ages are welcome to participate in Royal Public Library’s reading program which continues through Aug. 15.

Books may be checked out when the library is open or children can read books they have at home. Make a list of books read, put your name and address on the list and put it in the drop box at the library by Aug. 15. Prizes will be awarded.

Food pantry at Hope Lutheran

The food pantry at Hope Lutheran Church in Everly is still open. Temporary hours are Mondays, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., and Wednesdays, 1-5 p.m. Please knock on the church door and food will be brought out to you.

Book club to discuss ‘The Island of Sea Women’

Members of the Between the Covers Book Club will be meeting at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 25, at the Hartley Public Library. Social distancing will be practiced and masks are not required but appreciated.

The club will be discussing “The Island of Sea Women” by Lisa See, which was scheduled for the June 30 discussion but was cancelled. This novel, released in 2019, revolves around a collective of female divers from the Korean island of JeJu. This matrifocal culture centers on real women providing for their families by diving for seafood they can sell in an ancient tradition called the haenyeo.

The story tells of Mi-ja and Young-sook, best friends from different backgrounds over the period of 80 years beginning in the 1930’s through the era of wet suits for women divers. Like other books by See, this book focuses on female friendship and the bonds that tie them together and shape their lives.

Food distribution Aug. 19 at Trinity UCC

The Food Bank of Iowa’s mobile pantry program will be conducted on Wednesday, Aug. 19, from 4-6 p.m. at Trinity United Church of Christ in Hartley. The program is available free of charge and geared toward individuals who are in need of food assistance.

Participants are asked to stay in their vehicles and line up on the east side of the parking lot. The food will be brought to you as you drive under the canopy.