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Outdoors: State park campgrounds getting ready for winter

Another busy camping year in Iowa state parks is coming to an end and staff are preparing for the first freezing temperatures of the fall.

State parks will begin winterizing their facilities this week including shutting off water in the campgrounds and closing shower houses.

Campers can check the status of water availability in a particular park by going to iowadnr.gov/parkclosures. The page is updated regularly by park staff.

Outdoors: Consistent watering essential for new tree plantings

Fall is usually a good time to plant trees with mild temperatures and adequate ground moisture. With drought conditions across Iowa this fall, watering newly planted trees on a regular schedule through the 2025 growing season is essential for a strong start and healthy life. Properly planted and maintained trees will have a better opportunity for a long, healthy life,” said Mark Vitosh, district forester with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

Outdoors: Oh, for the memories

From the time I was a little kid, I lived for the opener of pheasant season. And why not? I lived on a farm several miles south of Redfield in north central South Dakota. A town that was widely acclaimed as the “Pheasant Capital of the World.” As a grade-schooler in the late mid-to-late ‘50s, I could not wait until the South Dakota opener the third Saturday of October.

Outdoors: Targeting those dam fish

A fish was swimming upriver. What did the fish say when it swam into a concrete obstruction in the river? “Dam”!

OK, that was kind of corny, but the dams found on the rivers that intersect North America have a special place in the memories of many anglers. The area directly below dams on rivers of all sizes have provided outstanding fishing for several species of fish for a long time.

Outdoors: Get ready for Iowa’s pheasant opener

In the Hawkeye State, the last weekend in October is definitely a happening. It’s the pheasant opener, and the 2024 season begins a celebration, as it marks the end of the first 100 years of pheasant hunting in the state of Iowa.

To commemorate this, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and Pheasants Forever are partnering to celebrate Iowa’s 100-year tradition of pheasant hunting beginning this fall and running through October of 2025.

DOMINATION ON THE ROAD

STORM LAKE — Spencer made it four straight, improving to 6-2 overall heading into the final week of district play. The Tigers, ranked ninth, will host No. 16 Fort Dodge for the crown and the top seed in the district. The Dodgers, who bested Sioux City West 35-0, will travel to Dale Norton Field.

Spencer swimmers set PRs at Lewis Central

SPENCER — Finishing just behind Sioux City Metro, the Spencer girls swim team made it competitive, falling by 19 point to the champs in the Lewis Central pool. With exception of a single race, the schools shared top honors in 10 of 11 races Saturday.

“We are excited that we had another great meet with many personal best individual times,” said Amie Lawrence, Spencer coach. “We had some great races and are confident that we will be finishing out our season and postseason strong.

Tigers get 1 win in Algona

ALGONA — At Algona, Saturday, the Spencer ladies never found their groove on the volleyball floor.

 

SPENCER AT BULLDOG INVITATIONAL

Saturday, Oct. 19 — Algona

 

Teams 1 2 3 ― T

Tigers 14 9 x — 0

Gaels 21 21 x — 2

 

Spencer ― No information available.

441 in ground game propels Rebels

SIOUX RAPIDS — Too much Kinnick Fahrenkrog. For the second straight week, there was too much Fahrenkrog. And East Sac County had no answer for Fahrenkrog in Sioux Central's 42-26 win. Last week, at home against Pocahontas-Area he had four touchdowns, Friday night he had five TDs and nearly doubled his yardage.

A TWIN LAKES SWEEP

ROCKWELL CITY — Sioux Central swept the Twin Lakes Conference championships on a windy day at Iowa Lakes Community College in Emmetsburg. This marks the first title win for the Sioux Central girls since 2011 and the first time both boys and girls team won the championship in the same year since 2005.

Make it 2 in dual action

ARMSTRONG — Last Tuesday, the Spencer squad put down Lake Conference foes at Spirit Lake 3-1. This Tuesday, the Tigers erased their hosts North Union in three, 26-24, 25-13, 25-22, in Armstrong. Saturday, Spencer will travel to Algona, where they will be a member of a six team field. First serve is scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday, Le Mars will host the Tigers, at 7 p.m., for the first round of 4A play.

 

SPENCER AT SPIRIT LAKE

Girls split at ‘Pink Out’ night at the Y

SPENCER — After meet dominance, with multiple one-two finishes, the Tigers were held without a sweep of the top spots, instead earning three first place and just as many two-three finishes to earn a split Tuesday evening in the home pool at the Spencer Family YMCA. The team would lose to Sioux City West (Metro) by 10 points and demolishing visiting Algona, 72-19.

Morey sisters top Lakes field

SPIRIT LAKE — Peyton and Ava Storey bested the Lakes Conference, finishing one-two to help Spencer edge Cherokee for the loop title, 32-37. Alexandria Palmer and Ava Haldin placed seventh and eighth to round out the scoring.

Even the Tigers nonscoring runners placed in the top 15, with Ana Olsen and Braylee Haldin in 12th and 13th. Less than 1.5 seconds separated the fifth and sixth athletes.

The next closest girls finisher in the standing was Storm Lake with 78 points.

Rebels bring out the broom again

IDA GROVE — Lucos Wernimont had the top finish for Sioux Central, racing to second, as the Rebels swept their way at the Bill Saunders Classic, hosted by Battle Creek-Ida Grove/Odebolt-Arthur.

“We had another great night of running at Ida Grove tonight,” said Kelsey Miller, the Rebel head coach. “The boys and girls varsity teams came away with another win tonight making that six meet wins for the boys — tying the school record for team wins- and five team wins for the girls.”

Laker Report

Lakers finish home stand with third straight win

Bulls Eyes to host sporting clays shoot

This coming Sunday, Oct. 20, the GTRA/Spencer Bulls Eyes trap team will be hosting a 100-target sporting clays shoot. This will be held at the Grange Gun Range south of Ruthven.

The cost will be $25 for SCTP registered youth and $30 for adults. Registration will begin at 9:45 a.m. with the first squad starting at 10 a.m. This will be a walking-only course. The use of a side-by-side will be at the discretion of the host team.

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