The Winterset Citizen

As this program has grown over the years in dollars available and public awareness of its existence, the number of worthy applicants has increased, and the decisions have become harder to make. In 2017, the GMCCF was asked to help complete more than $4,000,000 in nonprofit projects over 50 grant requests. From that amazing pool, 15 applications were either fully or partially funded. This year’s recipients are:

• The Iowa Theater, for rehabilitation (particularly the concession stand area, which will help it become self-sustaining), $26,500
• The Bricker-Price Block in Earlham, for restoration of a historic property into a multi-use community center, $25,000
• The Madison County Chamber of Commerce, for renovation of the county’s Welcome Center, $16,000
• The St. Charles Fire Department for replacement of turnout gear, $10,000
• The Old Settlers Park Coalition in St. Charles for the Old Settlers Park Performance Shelter, $6,430
• Community Efforts of Macksburg for electrical upgrade in Macksburg City Park, $4,500
• The Orient-Macksburg Fire District for personal protective equipment, $4,232
• The Winterset Art Center for building exterior repair and improvements, $3,144
• The Madison County Scenic Byway Art Selection Committee, for the Scenic Byway Art Project, $3,000
• St. Charles Public Library for tech knowledge upgrades, $3,000
• MATURA Head Start for upgrades to the Little Huskies North Preschool/Head Start playground, $2,585
• The town of Truro for sidewalk replacement in City Park, $2,000
• The Truro Fire Station for remodeling, $2,000
• The Ohio Future Feeders 4-H Club for their Madison County Fairgrounds Pergola Project, $1,584
• Earlham’s Partner in Education (PIE) group for classroom library books, $1,225

Winterset citizens have likely seen the Iowa Theater and Madison County Chamber Welcome Center projects for themselves, but many not have seen the other top grant recipient in the county, the Bricker-Price Block. Here’s a taste of what that project will bring to Earlham — a revitalized community center and multi-use space. Restoration there is now underway.

All grant recipients must be either a 501(c)(3) or a 170(b) organization, OR have an organization that is willing to serve as fiscal agent who is either of the aforementioned. As long as they make a positive, lasting impact to the local public, grant funds can be requested for all sorts of projects in areas such as the arts, culture, humanities, health, human services, education, the environment, public benefit, and more. (A “project” should be something over and above the normal course of business for an organization, not a basic operating expense or regular maintenance.) If your organization has a project in mind, watch for the next application period to open in February of 2018, and visit www.madisoncountyfoundation.org for more information.

This Weekend

It’s going to be a hot weekend in Winterset (highs in the 90s!), and there’s a lot going on. Re:home is open this weekend, today through Saturday, and will be open next weekend also.

This afternoon at 2:00 pm, magician Rick Eugene will be at the Winterset Library to delight and amaze you with his magic and optical illusions. This is a fun and interactive event for all ages. No registration is required; just show up at 2:00 and enjoy.

Registration ends this Friday for the “Playground in the Park” program offered by the Winterset Parks & Recreation Department. Open to boys and girls from ages 3 to 8, 10:00 am to Noon, the program includes crafts, stories, hikes, games, snacks and playground time. The last day features a group hike to Clark Tower (sack lunch needed that day). Parents can sign up for one of three sessions: June 26-29, July 17-20, or August 7-11. The fee for the four-day program is $30. Register online for activities here, or contact the WPRD at  515-462-3258.

Here’s a glimpse of upcoming movies at The Iowa Theater, as well as an opportunity for a free tour this evening at 6:00 pm. If you haven’t seen the renovation yet, this is your chance! Doors open for all movies 30 minutes before showtime, and tickets are $6.00 for adults and $5.00 for kids 12 and under, adults 62 and older, and all matinees before 5:00 pm.

The annual recital for students of Winterset Ballet & Dance will be held Friday, June 9th at 6:00 pm and Saturday, June 10th at 3:00 pm in the WHS Auditorium. They will be performing Alice in Wonderland for the ballet, and the theme for the jazz, hip-hop and modern part of the recital is “Moms,” because all the moms are dancing in each of these dances! Tickets are available at the door, or you can get tickets online in advance until Friday at 9:00 am, $5.00 each.

Friday, June 9th is Ladies Night Out on the Winterset square! Pre-register here to receive a gift bag with coupons, samples and goodies, and be sure to stop by the Chamber office to pick it up before you head out around the square.

Members of Madison County Cycle Club (MCCC) look forward to welcoming cycling enthusiasts to the community on Saturday, June 10, as hosts of BRAMCO (Bike Ride Around Madison County). This year’s event—the club’s twenty-first annual—begins and ends as usual at the Winterset City Park. In addition to the usual two paved route choices, this year’s BRAMCO will (for the second year) include a separate gravel ride titled “BRAMCO on the Rocks.” Many participants have already registered, but pre-registration is not required. On-site registration begins at 8 a.m. at City Park’s North Shelter. Riders head out as a group at 9 a.m. The cost of the ride is $35, which includes a commemorative patch; morning coffee, fruit, and muffins; sports drinks, water, fruit and cookies at the rest stops, and lunch served back at the park until 4 p.m. Proceeds from this year’s BRAMCO will be donated to the Cedar Lake Trail project. For more information about Madison County Cycle Club, visit madisoncountycycleclub.org.

The Madison County Farmers Market is now held every Saturday morning from 8:00 am to Noon, through early October, on the Winterset courthouse square.

Central Iowa Auto Club will hold a Classic Car Show & Shine on the square in Winterset from 4:00 to 7:00 pm this Saturday evening, June 10th. Entry is free, and the public is welcome. They’ll have door prizes for car entrants. Come and listen to the oldies music and look at the classics from the surrounding area. After that from 7:00 to 10:00 pm, it’s Nostalgic Scoop the Loop Cruise Night also hosted by Central Iowa Auto. Scoop the loop like the old days, up and down John Wayne Drive, but no burnouts! There will be a police presence. Listen for the oldies music and watch for prizes throughout the night. Montross Cafe is getting in on the fun too, offering car-hop service from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. Just park in front of Montross to order, and enjoy $5.00 burgers, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, and chicken strips, $6.00 tenderloin sandwiches, and a variety of sundaes, floats, and malts.

The MCLI Class of 2017 is hosting a fundraiser at the Winterset Cidery on Saturday night from 5:00 to 9:00, featuring music by Brick Imerman and food by Up in Smoke Barbeque:

Covered Bridges Winery has increased its summer Tasting Room Hours for the season, and is now open Wednesdays and Thursdays from Noon to 6:00 pm, Fridays from Noon to 7:00 pm, Saturdays from Noon to 6:00 (or until 10:00 pm for Music at the Winery events), and Sundays from Noon to 5:00. This Saturday, June 10th they will feature live music by Keifer Brandt and Scott Larsen from 7:00 to 10:00 and food by Roadside Tacos from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. Nearly a decade into their partnership, Brandt and Larsen are happy to play music anywhere, anytime and for any occasion. Dynamic and diverse, the set list is comprised of covers and originals spanning decades of musical genres. Weather permitting, music will be held outside. Bring a lawn chair and enjoy!

Coming Soon

Below, there are two new classes coming up on Monday at the Winterset Art Center. Also, the Art Center is hosting a series of three Day Camps for kids of all ages starting on June 13th. Pre-registration is required. To register, contact Angela Newman at 804-380-8079 or wintersetart2016@gmail.com. Click to download a printable pdf.

The Winterset Library will start its new Absolute Science program on Wednesday, June 14th from 11:00 to Noon. On Wednesday, June 14, 11:00 am to Noon. This is designed to be an educational and fun hands-on program for all ages. Watch and take part in experiments using static electricity, dry ice, and foam while learning about the science behind them. The event is free and open to the public.

Tickets are now on sale for “Some Enchanted Evening” by The Winterset Stage, at 7:00 pm on June 23rd, 24th, 30th and July 1st. This will be their inaugural performance in their new home at The Iowa Theater! The show is a musical review of the songs of Rodgers & Hammerstein, and is performed by Jon and Megan Barrett, Elizabeth Hoenig, Rich Joens, Meredith McKay, David Negley, and Meisha Sible, with choreography by Nicole Eckles and direction by Scott Smith. All seats are $15.00 with general admssion seating. Doors will open at 6:30 pm. Tickets can be purchased online in advance here.

On July 14th and 15th, Madison County Conservation is Partnering with the National Wild Turkey Federation to present the 2nd Annual Women in the Outdoors Weekend at Pammel State Park. The weekend will feature hands-on learning sessions on valuable outdoor skills including archery, shotgun and handgun safety and firing, canoeing, wilderness first aid, fly tying, hiking and more. Participants may choose which activities they would like to try during the breakout sessions. The registration fee for the weekend is $95, which includes a Friday night meal by the Madison County Cattlemen, and Friday night presentations by an ISU Wildlife Specialist and the Madison County Historical society, breakfast, lunch, and a “Learn Dutch Oven” meal on Saturday. The fee also includes all breakout instructional sessions and a one year membership to NWTF. To register, complete a registration form which can be found on the NWTF website at www.ianwtf.org. Women ages 14+ of all skill levels are welcome at this event. It’s a great networking opportunity for women interested in outdoor activities.

Madison County ISU Extension and Outreach is offering Summer Day Camps throughout the county in St. Charles, Earlham and Winterset. These camps fill up fast, but there may still be space available. In June, upcoming 4^th through 7^th grade youth will have the opportunity to learn about computer science and coding in Blockly using tablets and robots. They will learn about debugging, algorithms, and order of operations. Participants will explore coding using Dash and Dot and practice communication and collaboration by working with peers toward a common goal. You can check out what Dash and Dot are all about on Monday June 19^th in Winterset, Wednesday June 21^st in St. Charles, and Friday, June 23^rd in Earlham. Workshops will run from 8am-4:00 pm. Registration is $20 ($15 for additional registrations). Seats are limited to the first 16 registrants in each location, so again, don’t delay!

At the end of summer, upcoming 5^th through 8^th grade youth will have the opportunity to solve real-life engineering challenges by constructing bridges, boats, and towers while practicing collaboration with their peers. Kids will be shown how to build, test, revise, and retest prototypes. Join them for a fun day of building on Monday, July 31st in Winterset, Wednesday, August 2nd in St. Charles and Friday, August 4th in Earlham. This day camp will start at 8 am and end at 4 pm. Registration is $25, and for this camp, additional registrations will be just $20.

Trained educators provide practical, hands-on experience and ideas. Youth are asked to bring a sack lunch. Madison County Extension will provide snacks, all equipment and materials needed.

For more information on, call 515-462-1001 or email us at xmadison@iastate.edu.

That’s all for now. Thank you for reading The Winterset Citizen! All community announcements are provided at no charge, courtesy of the following sponsors: