Weekend in Winterset, Apr. 28-30

I hope it’s true that April showers bring May flowers, because it looks like a wet weekend. Here are a few bright spots you can still enjoy.

This event will be held tonight at the Winterset Public Library, and no registration is required.

Also, no registration is required for this Roll & Read event for young children (ages 0 to 5) and their parents or caregivers, and Library Director Jean Bosch says it will happen “rain or shine.” (It might be a little modified if it rains, though, with activities primarily contained inside the library.)

The last Madison County Legislative Forum of 2017 will be held this Saturday morning at 9:00 am at the Jackson Building. It is free and open to the public. Senator Julian Garrett and Representative Stan Gustafson will be there to discuss issues and answer questions as time permits. This event is hosted by the Madison County Chamber of Commerce.

Legislative Forum at the Jackson Building at 9:00 am on Saturday, April 29th.

On Saturday evening, enjoy some warm, dry, indoor musical entertainment at Covered Bridges Winery with the MacLennan Trio from 7:00 to 10:00. Food by Up in Smoke Barbecue will be available from 6:30 to 8:30.

This Sunday, the Friends of the Winterset Library are having an auction to help downsize from the library’s recent renovation. It starts at the Community Building at the Madison County Fairgrounds at 12:30, and lunch will be served.

Here’s an all-ages activity you can do with the family on Sunday, to spread some May Day cheer:

Sunday, April 30th, 4:00 to 6:00 pm, meet Linzee McCray, author and guest curator at the Iowa Quilt Museum. The exhibition Art Quilts of the Midwest showcases 21 works of art that exemplify a region’s influence on the innovative artists who choose this layered, stitched textile as their form of personal expression. The exhibition is based on a book of the same name, and author Linzee Kull McCray will provide a “behind-the-scenes” glimpse into creating both, from her interest in exploring how an artist’s surroundings may influence her art, to jurying the nearly 100 artists who applied to be included in the book, to stories of the sources of inspiration and techniques of the selected artists. McCray’s work appears in American Patchwork and Quilting, Quilt Sampler, on the Etsy blog, in UPPERCASE magazine, in O: The Oprah Magazine, and others. Most recently, she is the author of Feed Sacks: The Colourful History of a Frugal Fabric. Visit http://iowaquiltmuseum.org to purchase tickets.

Linzee Kull McCray

The John Wayne 5K Run/Walk is not this weekend, but the first registration deadline is! If you register by April 30th, the fee is just $25. The run will take place on Saturday, May 27th at 9:00 am. The race begins and ends on the corner of the John Wayne Museum. Registration is from 7:30 to 8:45 am. Register online here, or click to download a race brochure/paper registration form. This event his hosted by the Winterset Rotary Club and benefits C.R.I.S.P., the Rotary Scholarship Fund, and Winterset Skate Park.

bridges

mad-co-healthcare

May 1st is Opening Day for the 2017 season at the Madison County Historical Museum, with open hours Mondays through Saturdays from 11:00 to 4:00, and Sundays from 1:00 to 5:00. They’ll have a new exhibit on display, featuring quilts and World War I memorabilia and local artifacts (sneak peek below).

World War I in Madison County will also be the featured topic on Sunday, May 7 at 1:00 pm at the Historical Museum, just before the annual meeting of the Madison County Historical Society. “Madison County in World War I” by historian Darrek Orwig is free and open to the public. Nearly a century ago, soldiers from Madison County participated in World War I. The Iowa National Guard company based out of Winterset, Company A of the 168th Infantry, would be one of the first American units to arrive “over there” in France as part of the famous 42nd “Rainbow” Division. Learn about their experiences through artifacts, eye-witness accounts, historic images, artwork, and period motion picture footage. Doors will open at 12:30 pm so that the military exhibits throughout the museum will be available for viewing. Speaker Darrek Orwig holds a history degree from Iowa State University and a Master of Arts in historic preservation from the Savannah College of Art and Design. A portion of his research for this book was done in the Madison County Historical Museum.

Here’s a great demonstration being held on May 6th from 4:00 to 6:00 at the Winterset Library, with Jennifer O’Neal of PepperHarrow Farm sharing information about farming, flower-arranging and design, and more.

The Madison County River Alliance is hosting the first Full Moon Float of the season on May 10th at Badger Creek Lake. It is co-hosted by the Badger Creek Lake Watershed Project, and will begin with an informational session on the history of Badger Creek Watershed, the current watershed project, and a tour of conservation practices being implemented to improve water quality in the lake. The program starts at 6:00 pm. Participants are asked to meet at the lower (south) shelter pad on the east side of the lake for the watershed program. They will carpool to sites on the conservation tour, but will also be doing some walking, so appropriate footwear is encouraged. The Madison County River Alliance has a limited number of canoes that may be available for use during the float. If you would like to reserve a canoe in advance, contact the Madison County Conservation Board. Those staying for the campfire are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and beverages. Badger Creek State Recreation Area is located at 120th Lane, Van Meter. Enter 120th Lane from Badger Creek Rd. (south of 105th St. / north of 120th St.) If you have questions, call 515-462-3536 or e-mail naturalist@madisoncountyparks.org.

Tickets are now on sale for the 2017 Winterset Wine Walk, May 13th (Mother’s Day weekend). From 4:00 to 7:30 pm, join the Madison County Chamber of Commerce, downtown Winterset merchants and area wineries for shopping, wine sampling, food pairings, live music, and more. For just $15.00 you can have a limited-edition, logoed wine glass for sampling and a $5.00 coupon towards the purchase of a bottle of wine from one of the featured wineries. Tickets are available at the Chamber of Commerce office at 73 Jefferson Street, or purchase them online right here.

Finally…

Kudos to the WHS Student Council for organizing the Mother-Son Dance held at Winterset High School on March 24th. More than 60 couples attended, and over $1000 was raised to support leadership camps for Student Council.

Jessica Gibbons and Max Booton

Also, congratulations to the Winterset Community Schools for receiving the School of Hope Award from the American Cancer Society. Randy McDonald accepted the award on behalf of the school at a recent track meet. The School of Hope award is given to one school each year in Southeastern Iowa for demonstrating successful practices and innovations in supporting the society’s mission and goals in the area of mission delivery, advocacy, survivor/caregiver engagement and youth involvement.