Amid the flurry of promotion for last weekend’s Covered Bridge Festival and the many wonderful events surrounding it, I didn’t get a chance to highlight this fantastic announcement: Winterset’s 7th grade history teacher, Mr. Jim Heithoff, has been named as the Iowa History Teacher of the Year.
Since 2004, the Gilder Lehrman Iowa History Teacher of the Year Award, co-sponsored by the Iowa Department of Education, has recognized outstanding American history teachers who possess a strong commitment to teaching American history and exhibit creativity and imagination in the classroom. Those who know Jim Heithoff know that this describes him well. “His enthusiasm is a catalyst for connecting local historians with his students to inspire their appreciation of Madison County’s rich history,” said Linda Smith of the Madison County Historical Society. She and other Historical Society volunteers collaborated with a group of Mr. Heithoff’s students on a project for National History Day, researching Madison County’s ties to the Underground Railroad. Mr. Heithoff will be honored for his service during an annual luncheon in November, hosted by the Iowa Department of Education and sponsored by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, the National Science Foundation, and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
The Winterset Dog Park Project invites you to attend their 2nd Annual Soup Supper at the American Legion Hall on Friday, October 14th from 5:00 to 8:00 pm. Tickets are $10 each or two for $15. All proceeds go to the fence fund for the dog park.
Give ISU Extension Specialist Mary Krisco an hour of your time, and she’ll save you more hours than that per week in the kitchen. Healthy Meals in a Hurry will be held on Saturday, October 15 from 10:00 am to 11:00 am at St. Paul Lutheran church in Winterset. This food prep class for busy lifestyles will teach guests not only how to save time in the kitchen, but also money, by learning to make up to 14 main dishes in one day and freezing them for later serving. Sometimes freezer meals, depending on how they are prepared and reheated, can cause illness in those who eat them. Krisco will address how to serve make-ahead meals safely. Each participant will receive the “Healthy Meals in a Hurry” recipes and prep guide and make their own healthy, money-saving mixes for cream soup casserole base, taco seasoning and onion soup during class. The cost to attend is $3 per person. Please register by Friday: contact the ISU Extension office in Madison County at kboldman@iastate.edu or (515) 462-1001.
The Pumpkin Ranch is open this weekend and has a fun lineup of special events planned, including free horse rides on Saturday from 1:00 to 5:00, live music on the lawn by One Hundred Mondays from 4:00 to 6:00 pm on Saturday (with wine tasting by Covered Bridges Winery), a Free Family Photo Day on Sunday from 1:00 to 3:00 pm, and Magic Shows by Michael Oz on Sunday from 1:00 to 4:00. They’ll also have free face painting on Sunday from 3:00 to 5:00, and support all weekend long for Heart Friends, a support group for families who have children receiving care for congenital heart disease at University of Iowa Children’s Hospital. Everything that goes in the donation box this weekend will be matched by The Pumpkin Ranch and another family. The Pumpkin Ranch is located at 2425 Hiatt Apple Trail in Winterset, just off the St. Charles Highway.
Covered Bridges Winery will be busy this weekend, because in addition to wine tasting at The Pumpkin Ranch on Saturday afternoon, they have Ron Burchett coming for Music at the Winery on Saturday evening from 7:00 to 10:00 pm. This is in their new location at Hwy. 169 and 170th Trail.
Coming Soon
The Iowa Quilt Museum extends a special invitation to participate in their first Guild Week, October 17-23. Come see their new display, “Stargazing: American Star Quilts,” and see unique presentations and talks each day.Here’s what’s being planned:
The Winterset Art Center is offering two new classes this fall: Art Adventures for Preschoolers on Wednesdays from October 19th through November 9th, and a Wood Carving Workshop on Tuesdays from October 18th through November 15th, with award-winning and nationally known wood carver Randy Hansen. Class sizes are limited, so check out all the details at wintersetartcenter.net/classes or email them at wintersetart2016@gmail.com.
Boys and girls in grades 2-6, register by October 21st to participate in Youth Basketball sessions offered by the Winterset Park & Recreation Department. The program is designed to teach youth proper basketball fundamentals, have fun with friends and to play four games. Parent volunteer coaches guide the teams at practices and games. The program involves ten one hour sessions. Four practice sessions are on Saturdays (October 29 and Nov. 5, 12 and 19) and three evening practices on Tuesday or Thursday evenings in December. Four game sessions will be held on Saturdays, December 3, 10, 17 and 31. The fee is $20.00. Click here to register, or call 515-462-1963 for more information. (e-mail davisr@cwmu.net)
The public is invited to attend the 6th Annual Bras for the Cause gala event on Saturday, October 22nd at the Jackson Building from 6:30-11:00 pm. This fun evening of dinner, live and silent auction and music is just $20 in advance or $25 at the door, and all proceeds remain in Madison County to help women pay for breast and cervical cancer screenings. For more information, and to see photos of the great auction items they’ve received as donations, visit their Facebook page.
Winterset Educational Foundation Fall Fling fundraiser will be held on October 27th at the Jackson Building. Without the support of local donors and support, many of the “extra or special” projects, events or activities for our students could not occur. Tickets for the meals are available in each school’s office, the WCSD administration building, and the Madison County Abstract Office. They would prefer to have tickets sold by October 21st. Thank you for supporting Winterset Schools!
Union State Bank invites you to join them for a tailgate party on October 29 in Ames:
Halloween Hikes are an annual fall-favorite activity at Pammel Park, hosted by the Madison County Conservation Board. Contact naturalist@madisoncountyparks.org to sign up for a time on October 29th:
Trick or Treat night in Winterset will be October 31st. More information on that coming soon! Have a great weekend in Winterset, and thank you for reading The Winterset Citizen.
