A look back at 2022 in Crawford County

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February Fire

February 25: Multiple fire departments responded to a house fire at 402 Somerset in Vail Thursday morning (February 24). The scanner call reported that the back deck was on fire. After firefighters arrived, they requested the tower unit from the Denison department.

Gordon Wolf

March Truck

March 11: A semi-tractor trailer that was stuck across the Union Pacific Railroad crossing at South Main Avenue in Denison was struck by an eastbound train at about 1:30 p.m. Thursday (March 10). The collision caused a number of train cars to derail. The semi was from Verzani Farms, of Ponca, Nebraska, according to the signage on the vehicle. Two members of the train crew and the truck driver were transported to Crawford County Memorial Hospital.

Gordon Wolf

March Goode

March 25: For 27 years, Duane Goode made a positive influence on students at Schleswig High School, helping to point them in the right direction and make good decisions. Nearly 12 years after his passing, Goode’s influence came back home to Schleswig in a tangible way, in the form of the school commons dedicated to his memory. Taking center stage across the north wall in the commons is a statement Goode frequently made: “Remember who you are and where you came from.” Goode’s son, Greg, and Greg’s wife, Barb, stand in front of the wall that bears the motto.

Gordon Wolf

March Gracewell

March 29: Members of the board of directors of Eventide, Eventide staff and representatives from the Chamber & Development Council of Crawford County gathered for a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Gracewell open house on Friday afternoon (March 25). Members of the board of directors are Coleen Bruhn, Mark Gray, Mark Spiegel, Rachel Desy, Deryl Hennings, Tonya Eller and Danyel Jepsen. Amy Schultz, the Gracewell administrator, gave a welcome at the ceremony, and Mindi Baker, Eventide campus CEO, concluded the ceremony with a celebratory toast. Mark Gray, president of the Eventide Board, gave the dedication, and Pastor Joshua Keinath from Zion Lutheran Church gave the opening prayer.

Gordon Wolf

June 28 Immigrant

June 28: The inaugural Immigrant Heritage Festival took place on Saturday (June 25) at Washington Park in Denison. The Denison chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) created the event. LULAC Denison President Alma Puga estimated that about 1,000 people attended during the course of the afternoon and evening. The event was designed to be a celebration of all immigrants and all cultures. The festival began with a parade that made its way from uptown Denison to Washington Park. Pictured, drummers with the African Cultural Connection from Omaha set the rhythm for dancers.

Gordon Wolf

July Fair Queen

July 19: Royalty for the 2022 Crawford County Fair were selected during a coronation ceremony Sunday evening at the Broadway Elementary auditorium in Denison. Maci Kaub was selected as the queen, and Ella Anders was selected as Little Miss Princess. They, along with other members of the royalty court, attended events at the fair. Kaub represented Crawford County in the Iowa State Fair Queen Contest in August.

Gordon Wolf

July Bacon

July 26: People filled the bleachers at the Crawford County Fair show ring on Saturday (July 23), to watch Bacon Buddies, a first-of-its kind event for the county fair. During the pig show, individuals served by WESCO Industries drove hogs around the ring with help of mentors who were 4-H or FFA members. The WESCO individuals were the “Buddies,” and the bacon was obviously the pigs. The Bacon Buddies pig show is a program of the Iowa Pork Producers Association. It takes place at the Iowa State Fair and was brought to the Crawford County Fair through the planning of Payton Henningsen and her mother, Steph. Payton participated in Bacon Buddies at the Iowa State Fair in 2021.

Gordon Wolf

August Dog

August 23: Students in Jay Petersen’s special education classroom at Denison High School (DHS) were welcomed in a unique way when returning to classes on Tuesday (August 23). They were greeted by a new addition to the school staff – Violet, a one-year-old Labradoodle. She is at the center of the school’s new therapy dog program. The program received unanimous support from the Denison School Board when Petersen and Violet made a presentation on August 15. Therapy dogs in school programs have been adopted by a number of other schools.

Gordon Wolf

August Farm

August 30: Vernon Voss Road, 253rd Street and the Kevin and Diane Fineran farmstead were kept busy with visitors to Market at the Farm, organized by their son, Grant, who is also the organizer of Market at the Park at Washington Park in Denison. The event featured 40 vendors, music, food and bounce houses. Grant Fineran estimated 1,000 to 1,200 people had visited with a couple hours remaining in the event. Above is a view through one of the vendor booths and the Kevin and Diane Fineran's refurbished barn.

Gordon Wolf

September Fest

September 20: Evan Blakley, Chamber & Development Council of Crawford County executive director, estimated peak attendance at the Tri City BBQ Fest on September 16 at 5,000, with maybe 6,500 to 7,000 total for the night, and peak attendance of 6,000 for September 17, and maybe 9,000 to 10,000 for the day in total. Previous peak attendance records were around 4,000 for a Friday and 5,000 for a Saturday.

Gordon Wolf

September Zion

September 27: Rev. Kurt Kaiser, pastor emeritus at Zion Lutheran Church in Denison, delivered the message for the church’s 150th anniversary celebration on Sunday (September 25). The stained glass windows in the sanctuary took a part in the sermon text. In the sermon, entitled “Jesus our Haven, Now and in Heaven,” Kaiser spoke about something that many were not aware of – the faces hidden in the blues and grays at the tops of the stained glass windows – faces of those who are peeping in, he said, wanting to learn about the mysteries of God.

Gordon Wolf

October Brownfields

October 4: It started with a cold call to Denison City Hall in the early part of 2021, made by Steve Prideaux, Brownfields land use planner with HR Green, an engineering and consulting firm. It resulted in a $400,000 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Brownfields grant to be used to assess selected properties in the city so that they can be expanded, redeveloped or reused, and leverage further investment in the community. On Friday (September 30) at Washington Park, EPA Region 7 Administrator Meg McCollister presented a ceremonial check for the grant amount to Denison Mayor Pam Soseman and Denison City Manager Bradley Hanson. Terry Crawford, the former city manager/city engineer, and Carlos Castillo, who purchased one of the targeted properties, also took part in the check presentation. Others participating were Ed Tormey, administrator, Environmental Services Division, Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR); and Mel Pins, executive officer of the Solid Waste and Contaminated Sites Section with the Iowa DNR.

Gordon Wolf

October Homecoming

October 11: Marion Thomas, age 104, was the oldest participant in the Denison-Schleswig Homecoming parade in Uptown Denison on Friday afternoon. Thomas is a 1936 Denison High School graduate. She is a resident of Gracewell Nursing Facility in Denison and was riding on the Eventide entry in the parade.

Todd Danner

October St Rose

October 11: Seven priests took part in the 150th anniversary Mass of St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Denison on Sunday, October 9. In front, Fr. Michael J. Cronin (2021-present), faces Fr. Shinoj Jose (parochial vicar, 2021-present), Fr. Andrew W. Hoffmann (1991-1999), Fr. Allen Reicks (parochial vicar 1979-1984), Fr. Paul J. Kelly (2006-2018), Fr. Randy L. Schon (2018-2021), and Fr. Timothy Friedrichsen (parochial vicar 2007-2013).

Gordon Wolf

October Mural

October 18: From left, Chelsey Phipps, Jayne Lyons, LULAC Denison member Nadya Cortez, Eileen Peterson (in back), Dean Kollasch, artist Isabel Gutierrez, LULAC Denison President Alma Puga, LULAC Denison Treasurer Robert Lyons, and LULAC Denison member Maria Valdez participate in the ribbon cutting for the “Immigration is Beautiful” mural at Washington Park on Saturday morning (October 15).

Dan Mundt

November Fire

November 4: A major field fire to the south and west of Ricketts on Wednesday (November 2) caused the town to be evacuated as firefighters from around western Iowa battled the fire. Burning cornstalk bales on the back of a trailer sparked the fire. Every county fire department responded, along with units from other cities around western Iowa. The fire was reported at 11:46 a.m. The wind and the low humidity pushed the fire rapidly to the north. Pictured, firefighters spray water on rows of burning corn stalk bales while to the west and north other firefighters, with the assistance of farmers and a number of public agencies, battle fires in fields that had been harvested.

Gordon Wolf

November beauty

November 8: The Beast turned human again (Wyatt Randeris) dances with Belle (Chloe Koch) in the final scene to Beauty and the Beast. The Denison High School musical extravaganza was performed on Friday, Saturday and Sunday (November 4-6) at the Denison High School Fine Arts Center.

Gordon Wolf

November Veterans

November 15: On Friday (November 11) the gym at Denison Elementary School was filled with 700 students who were cheering for the military veterans and active military members who visited for the annual Veterans Day celebration. Students sang songs and, as pictured, enthusiastically waved flags.

Gordon Wolf

December Santa

December 6: Contestants in the Santa Race at the Winter Snowcial in Denison on Saturday (December 3) take off for a jaunt around a couple blocks.

Gordon Wolf

December County

December 30: Crawford County Board of Supervisors Chairman Kyle Schultz, at left, presented outgoing county officials with awards commemorating their years of service to the county during the Tuesday (December 27) supervisors meeting. From left are Supervisor Jeri Vogt (48 years), Supervisor Eric Skoog (12 years), and Recorder Denise Meeves (35 years).

Dan Mundt

Note: The dates listed are the publication dates for the Denison Bulletin and Review.