OKOBOJI — It was all day, all free and all about clean water in the Iowa Great Lakes and a model for the entire state of Iowa.

On a day when the temperatures were in the 70s with a northwest breeze, the green space at Preservation Plaza along the shores of West Lake Okoboji was the centerpiece for the premiere clean water event in the state of Iowa.

Co-organizer Julie Peterson was ecstatic about the day.

The opening of Clay County Heritage’s temporary exhibit "Marion Helland: Nine Decades of Civil Rights Service" will take place Tuesday at the Heritage Center at 6 p.m. The exhibit tells the life story of civil rights activist Marion Helland, who settled in Spencer with her husband, David, for the last year of their lives.

• Timothy Allen Steinbeck, 46, of Royal, was charged with violation of a no contact order — domestic and an arrest warrant at 7:40 p.m., Aug. 8.
• Charles John Rabel, 65, of Spencer, was charged with OWI — first offense at 10:22 p.m., Aug. 8.
• Paul Newell Hoadley, 45, of Ayrshire, was charged with possession of a controlled substance — marijuana first and possession of drug paraphernalia at 10:43 p.m., Aug.

n initiative to have most of the Spencer youth reading proficiently by third grade will kick off with its first event on the first Tuesday of September. The Together We Read activity, created by the Spencer Reads Committee, will encourage everyone in the community to take 15 minutes to read on Sept. 6 at 10 a.m.

Liberty Diversified International of New Hope, Minnesota, gifted the Spencer Rotary Club a $500 donation as part of their Employee Directed Giving Empowerment program. Every year LDI employees are invited to nominate eligible organizations to receive a grant, and this year the Spencer Rotary Club was selected for the donation. (Photo courtesy of Spencer Rotary Club)

Several families visited the Clay County Fairgrounds on Saturday so their kids could “Touch-a-Truck.” The event gave families the opportunity to take a peak inside a variety of different service vehicles, and the children had a blast checking out vehicles like school buses, police cars, firetrucks, ambulances and delivery trucks. (Photos by Celia Brocker)

Arts on Grand had a large turnout for its second installment of Voices on Grand last Saturday. Arla Kintigh, Arts on Grand board member and event organizer, was pleased with the number of attendees and participants during the storytelling panel.

STORM LAKE — The Iowa Department of Natural Resources confirmed the Koi Herpes Virus (KHV) killed thousands of young common carp at Storm Lake. It’s the first time the virus has been detected in Iowa. Outbreaks have previously been identified in Minnesota and Wisconsin. There have been no instances of the virus infecting humans or other fish species.

SPIRIT LAKE — The Iowa Department of Natural Resources confirmed Eurasian watermilfoil is growing at multiple locations in East Okoboji Lake, Upper Gar Lake, Lake Minnewashta and Lower Gar Lake in Dickinson County.

The Iowa DNR Aquatic Plant Management team monitors 153 sites at the Iowa Great Lakes each year. Each site is visited twice each year to detect invasive plants in early stages of growth and allow the DNR to quickly develop management plans to control the plants.

It’s hard to believe that Iowa has now had a dove season for 11 years. In addition to the mourning dove, there is also the Eurasian collard-dove, which is similar in appearance but has a distinctive mark or “collar” on their neck, and are a little larger than the mourning dove. They can be legally bagged. Dove season is Sept. 1 to Nov. 29, with a daily bag limit of 15 doves, and possession limit of 45.

Spencer Hy-Noon Kiwanis member John Rahn was nominated for the Mark Homer Layperson Award for NE-IA Kiwanis District at the organization’s recent convention. He is very active in Grace United Methodist Church. (Photo submitted)

Rescheduled from last weekend due to weather conditions, this year’s Relay for Life celebration was held at the Clay County Fairgrounds Wednesday. Approximately 200 cancer survivors, caretakers and other supporters gathered to rejoice in battles won against the disease and honor those who have passed. Survivors and their caretakers were recognized during the annual survivor ceremony, and loved one who have passed on were commemorated with decorated luminaries.

The Spencer Community School District is collaborating with the city of Spencer’s law enforcement and emergency services to conduct training and drills ahead of the 2022-23 school year.

The training will take place at Spencer High School on Monday from 4:30-6:30 p.m. The school building and facilities will be closed during this time so that officials can conduct an emergency response drill.

Arts on Grand’s second installment of its Voices on Grand series will take place on Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Arla Kintigh, Arts on Grand board member and event organizer, said the panel’s theme will be “Roles and Relationships,” with participating local creators sharing their stories through different storytelling mediums.

Spencer Public Library hosted an educational lecture about the Holocaust Monday night, with guest speaker Lori Vicker teaching patrons about the various memorials to the tragedy. After giving an overview of events leading up to Hitler’s reign in Germany, Vicker shared information about several Holocaust memorials, including the Paper Clip Project, a memorial project led by students in Whitwell, Tennessee.