Let us introduce ourselves…
Hi! It’s so nice to meet you. We’re just thrilled to be here with you. Allow us to tell you a little bit about ourselves, Megan Barrett and Meisha Sible. Together we make up the team of Vivente (Italian for living).
Megan, her husband Jon, and their two children Bella & Graham, have lived in Winterset for twelve years (well, the kids not quite as long). Megan began her career as the choir teacher at Winterset High School, transferred to Winterset Elementary in 2012 after Graham was born, and left the schools in 2016 to launch a new adventure. She works part-time as the director of the Iowa Quilt Museum and, through Vivente and various volunteer opportunities, is involved in several other projects around the community as well like The Winterset Stage and the Winterset Music Club.
Meisha lives on the outskirts of Winterset with her husband Mike, their dog, Echo, and their cat, Pippi. Meisha’s two children, Alex & Jane, both graduated from WHS, and now attend UNI. Prior to forming Vivente, the most recent leg of her career journey was as a CPA with Schuring, Uitermarkt, Sims, McCleish & VerMeer P.C. in Urbandale. Meisha also works part time as the secretary at St. Paul Lutheran Church.
We’ve both been admirers of The Winterset Citizen for quite a while. Julie Feirer is a fabulous person with a razor-sharp mind and in The Winterset Citizen she created something of real value. We’re grateful for the opportunity to pick up where Julie’s journey has left off and keep bringing you The Winterset Citizen!
This Weekend
Tonight marks the opening of the 69th Annual Winterset Lions Show. Held in the Henry C. Miller Auditorium at Winterset High School, the Lions Show is a cultural institution in the Winterset community. There are two shows with a different lineup of talent each night. Shows are Tonight, April 5th and Friday, April 6th at 7:00 pm. This community variety show features performers with all manner of talents—music, dance, drama, comedy. Tickets are just $6 for adults and $4 for kids 8th grade and younger. There are a number of locations where you can purchase advance tickets and they are also available at the door. If you decide to attend Thursday’s show, we’ll see you there!
Covered Bridges Winery has two fun events planned for this weekend. The first is Friday, April 6th from 6:30 – 8:30 pm. Janice Gutknecht will lead a yoga/pilates class followed by a wine and cheese pairing! $35 per person. Purchase tickets in advance and bring your own mat.
On Saturday, April 7th, the winery will host musicians Tim & Jana West – Freedom Project from 7:00 – 10:00 pm. This performance that will include original music as well as easy-listening selections for 70’s and 80’s radio playlists. There is a $5.00 cover charge and food by Up in Smoke/Hy-Vee will be available from 6:30 to 8:30 pm.
Saturday, April 7th, 8:00 – 9:00 am, the Madison County Conservation will be leading nature lovers in some Waterfowl Watching. If you’re a bird lover, take advantage of the abundant waterfowl resting at Jensen Marsh right now during the migration to their summer homes. Local birding enthusiast, Sharon Bauer will lead a birding group along the old railroad bed at Jensen Marsh. This is a great outing for people of all ages and birding skill levels. Bring your binoculars for the best bird viewing. With an abundance of frogs and muskrats playing along the water’s edge, the marsh is the perfect place for wildlife photography.
One of the best selling items in the gift show at the Iowa Quilt Museum are the tiny, hand-quilted jewelry pendants made by Julie Letvin of Lockridge, Iowa. This Saturday, April 7th from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, Julie will be sharing a Trunk Show and Jewelry Making Demonstration of her hand made, miniature, paper pieced quilt jewelry. Her designs range in size from 3/4 of an inch to 1 1/2 inches and are encased in glass and made into pins, pendants, scissor fobs, charms and earring. (When I imagine her working on them, I see a giant magnifying lens.) This special event is included with the price of admission to the Iowa Quilt Museum ($6) on Saturday, April 7th, and free for IQM Members. Sponsorship funding is being provided by Deb Borwig of Covered Bridge Realty and Cobblestone Inn & Suites.
The two of us took a calligraphy class at the Winterset Art Center a few weeks ago and had a wonderful time. The art center always offers so much variety and this weekend’s class is something very different from calligraphy. Saturday, April 7th from 10:00 – 12:00, you can create your own fairy garden and learn about the care of miniature plants while designing a beautiful space for fairies at the Fairy Garden Extravaganza. Use your imagination to incorporate found objects and plants within a terra cotta planter. All ages are invited, but children younger than 10 will need assistance. Additional hand made specialty items will be available for purchase. Class fee is $25 for art center members and $30 for non-members. Please email wintersetart2016@gmail.com or call Angela Newman at 804-380-8079 to reserve your spot. If you can’t make it this week, the class will be held again on Sunday, April 15th from 6:00 – 8:00 pm.
There are a lot of opportunities to create this weekend! Piece Works Quilt Shop is offering a class on this quilt project titled Sprinkles on April 7th. This is a great beginner project—participants need to know how to operate their sewing machine, but will not need prior knowledge of quilting in order to take this class. Class cost is $25 and is from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Contact Tony Jacobsen today to save your spot in class at 515-493-1121, or tony@pieceworksquiltshop.com.
The Winterset Stage is hosting a new type of event this weekend—a ScripTease! On Sunday, April 8th at 6:00 pm, anyone who thinks they may be interested in auditioning for the June production of Neil Simon’s Plaza Suite is invited to come read through parts of the script. This informal gathering will take place Upstairs at the Heartland (west side of the square above Heartland Fiber) and snacks and drinks will be served. Auditions for Plaza Suite will be held on April 21st and 22nd.
A Wrinkle in Time (PG) continues its run at The Iowa this weekend. The Barrett family went last weekend and loved it! The next Way Back Wednesday flick keeps on with the child-centered science fantasy adventure theme: The Never Ending Story. Coming soon to The Iowa, I Can Only Imagine and live music by Elizabeth Moen on April 15th. More on that in next week’s post.
On April 10th, Madhaüs Gallery will begin a new three-session Beginning Glassblowing Class. This is an introduction to glassblowing class structured to give participants a basic knowledge of the glassblowing studio, safety, and processes used to make beginner level projects (paperweights, ornaments, small vessels). The class will meet April 10th, 17th and 24th from 6:00 – 9:00 pm for a total of nine hours over three weeks. To reserve your spot, contact Robin Paul at 515.707.4309. Cost is $375.
Coming Soon
Here’s as quick teaser of some things happening next weekend. We’ll tell you more about all of these in our next post but if they interest you, get your calendars marked!
Thursday, April 12th – Intro to Geocaching with the Madison County Conservation, 6:00 pm
Saturday, April 14th – American Legion Fundraising Breakfast, 7:00 – 11:00 am
Saturday, April 14th – The first Central Iowa Auto Club Show & Shine of this year, 4:00 – 7:00 pm on the Winterset town square
Sunday, April 15th – Paint Party with Art Love Studio, Winterset Art Center, 2:00 – 4:00 pm
Sunday, April 15th – Elizabeth Moen at The Iowa, 5:00 pm
Monday, April 16th, 7:00 – 8:00 pm – National History Day Open House at the Madison County Historical Society
Each year, Winterset’s seventh grade Social Studies teacher Jim Heithoff leads his students in National History Day competition activities. This year, 13 students or groups choose to create projects and participate in the Regional competition. Four of those have been chosen to move onto the State competition to be held April 30th. Madison County Historical Complex‘s Director Jared McDonald and Board member Linda Griffith Smith offered their assistance to Heithoff’s students to give feedback on their projects. To honor the dedication of this year’s 13 participating students or groups, their projects will be featured at a free open house on Monday, April 16, 2018. It will be held from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm at the Madison County Historical Museum, 815 S 2nd Avenue, Winterset, Iowa. Refreshments will be served.
Winterset High School prom is just a couple of weeks away on April 21st. If you’ve got someone in your family headed for prom this year, The Finishing Touch is offering a chance for you to order corsages, boutonnieres and tuxedos right here in Winterset—no trip to Des Moines needed! The store is open Noon – 5:00 pm Tuesday through Friday or by appointment, 515-462-4480.
WATCH D.O.G.S. (Dads Of Great Students) is an innovative father involvement, educational initiative of the National Center For Fathering. There are two primary goals of the WATCH D.O.G.S. program:
1) To provide positive male role models for the students, demonstrating by their presence that education is important and,
2) To provide extra sets of eyes and ears to enhance school security and reduce bullying.
WATCH D.O.G.S. is one of the nation’s largest and most respected school-based, family, and community engagement, organizations in the country. Since the program’s creation in 1998, more than 6,450 schools across the country have launched a WATCH D.O.G.S. program of their own. Each school year hundreds of thousands of fathers and father-figures make a positive impact on millions of children by volunteering millions of hours in their local schools through this amazing one-of-a-kind program.
Who Are WATCH D.O.G.S?
WATCH D.O.G.S are fathers, grandfathers, uncles, and other father-figures who volunteer for at least one day each year at an official WATCH D.O.G.S school. During the day, WATCH D.O.G.S may read and work on flash cards with students, play at recess, eat lunch with students, watch the school entrances and hallways, assist with traffic flow and any other assigned activities where they actively engage with not only their own students, but other students as well. Many school principals have reported that the mere presence of a WATCH D.O.G.S dramatically reduces reports of bullying. On the day of their participation, WATCH D.O.G.S are given a brief review of their involvement and they wear an official WATCH D.O.G.S. t-shirt.
How WATCH D.O.G.S. Works
Individuals sign up in the office or by calling 515-462-1551 at any time throughout the school year. The program is overseen by a “Top Dog” volunteer who partners with the school administrator to coordinate scheduling and identify opportunities for WATCH D.O.G.S to provide assistance at the school. WATCH D.O.G.S volunteers perform a variety of tasks during their volunteer day including monitoring the school entrance, assisting with bus duty, monitoring the lunch room, or helping in the classroom with a teacher’s guidance by working with small groups of students on homework, flashcards, or spelling.
Program Benefits
* Schools gain an extra set of eyes and ears. The presence of WATCH D.O.G.S can increase the sense of security at the building for students and staff, and helps enhance an environment that is conducive to learning.
* Students gain a positive male role model. Some students do not have a father-figure present in their home and the number of male teachers has been steadily declining in recent years. More positive male role models are needed in the school setting.
* Fathers and father-figures can spend meaningful time with their students in the school setting and gain a greater awareness of the positive impact they can have on their student’s life, just by being a “dad.’
* When WATCH D.O.G.S invest a day at school, they can learn how to better partner with the school to meet the educational goals of students.
To sign up to volunteer at school for a day please contact a Building Secretary at the Winterset Elementary 515-462-1551. For additional information email rvaughn@winterset.k12.ia.us. Thanks for your consideration in volunteering!
Some Special Recognition…
The Winterset High School Dance Team recently earned the title of Grand National Champion in the small school division at the dance team Nationals competition in Texas. The team took first place in three events and runner-up in a fourth event. What an awesome representation of Winterset talent! You can catch the dance team’s award-winning routine Friday at the Lions Show.
Madison County Memorial Hospital was recently named one of the Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals in the United States by The Chartis Center for Rural Health. “This achievement is very gratifying and validates our daily commitment to providing the best healthcare possible to our community, while maintaining an efficient and effective facility,” said Marcia Hendricks, CEO of Madison County Health Care System.
Madison County Memorial Hospital scored in the top 100 of Critical Access Hospitals on iVantage Health Analytics’ Hospital Strength INDEX®. The INDEX is the industry’s most comprehensive and objective assessment of rural provider performance and its results are the basis for many of rural healthcare’s most prominent awards, advocacy efforts and legislative initiatives. The list of the Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals can be found at www.ivantageindex.com/top-performing-hospitals.
The Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals play a key role in providing a safety net to communities across America – and the INDEX measures these facilities across eight pillars of hospital strength: Inpatient Share Ranking, Outpatient Share Ranking, Cost, Charge, Quality, Outcomes, Patient Perspective, and Financial Stability.
“The Hospital Strength INDEX provides a true benchmark for helping rural providers to better understand performance levels and identify areas of improvement. When we look across the spectrum of rural-relevant INDEX indicators, the Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals are establishing a new standard for how to deliver higher quality care to their communities despite an unpredictable healthcare environment,” said Michael Topchik, National Leader of The Chartis Center for Rural Health.
Finally…
The Winterset Tree Commission would like to inform the public of an opportunity to receive a free tree for your property. The tree commission has ordered 55 desirable trees that will be distributed on a first come, first served basis to residents of Winterset in May. Residents can receive one tree for their property if they are one of the first to sign up for the program. Stop by the Winterset City Hall to request a tree and to learn more. You may also want to note that it’s possible to have the tree planted for you by WHS seniors during the annual Husky Help Day.
Thank you for reading The Winterset Citizen. All community announcements are provided at no charge, courtesy of the following sponsors:
American State Bank
Anchored Walls
Angel Wings & CT
Ben Franklin
Blanchard Family Dentistry
Bridges Financial Associates
Covered Bridge Realty
Farmers & Merchants State Bank
Farm Bureau FS, Scot Clark
Groth’s Gardens & Greenhouses
Homefront Real Estate
The Iowa Theater
Johnson Insurance
Lowe Chiropractic Clinic
Madhaus Gallery
Madison County Health Care System
Madison County Historical Society
Madison County ISU Extension & Outreach
McDonald Tree Service
McGowen, Hurst, Clark & Smith, P.C.
Medicap Pharmacy
Midwest Heritage Bank
Montross Pharmacy
Pine Creek Ltd.
re:home
Rusty Stars Alpacas
State Farm, Charlotte Speer
Union State Bank
Village Bootery
White Lions Bed & Breakfast
Winterset Ballet & Dance Studio
Winterset Optimist Club
Winterset Parks & Recreation Department
Subscribe to The Winterset Citizen
