Plans to bring a speculative building into the south part of town were given the go-ahead from the city on Monday. The Spencer City Council agreed to financially support a spec building in the South Technical Park in a 5-1 vote.

Celebrate survivors, honor loved ones who have lost their breast cancer battle, support those who are currently undergoing cancer care and join in helping bring attention to the importance of increasing awareness of breast cancer screenings and treatment by participating in the 2023 Breast Cancer Awareness Walk on Sunday, Oct. 1, at 4 p.m., at Spencer Hospital.

Clay County is considering how it might bring economic development to the area. During its regular Tuesday meeting, the Clay County Board of Supervisors had a conversation about how the county can support economic growth in the future.

Spencer’s Romanzo A. Coates Questers Club recently recognized and honored Lenix Thiesen, an eighth grade student at Spencer Middle School, with the 4-H Preservation and Restoration Award during the 2023 Clay County Fair. The award is similar to an existing Quester’s state-level award presented during the Iowa State Fair each year.

Autumn is quickly approaching and Spirit of Harmony Chorus is preparing for its Fall Show, “Chasing Our Dream,” Saturday, Sept. 30, at 2 p.m., in the Lauridsen Theatre at the Pearson Lakes Art Center in Okoboji.

The Festival of Lessons and Carols will be held in Spencer on Sunday, Dec. 3, beginning at 3 p.m., at Grace United Methodist Church. The community is invited to this annual program of music and the Christmas story. All singers in the community are invited to join the choir with rehearsals being held on Sunday nights. Rehearsals are on Nov. 5, 12 and 19 at 7 p.m at Grace United Methodist church. For more information visit “Spencer Messiah” on Facebook.

CALL CENTER REPORT

MONDAY, SEPT. 19

(Above) The Ambassadors visited Stay in Home in Royal on Tuesday, Sept. 19, to celebrate their 13-year anniversary. Stay in Home Care & Medical Staffing is an in-home service provider that assists individuals and families in the northwest Iowa region.

After Thursday night’s extended performances by country legends Diamond Rio and JoDee Messina (below) before a large Clay County Fair crowd; a family emergency forced Saturday’s headliner Dylan Scott to depart for home. As the saying goes, “the show must go on.” Scott’s opening act, Ingrid Andreas (above) found herself stepping into the spotlight and she delivered before she was forced to depart the stage to fulfill previous engagements.

• Marshall Bormann shows off his 4-H project of UV bracelets.
• Cindy McGranahan walks the catwalk in the fair’s first Apron Fashion Show.
• Families gather to see a bald eagle up close.
• Kids take a ride on the midway’s merry-go-round.
• A cappella group Minor Mischief performs their medley.
• Kids try out gadgets and experiments during the fair’s “Science Saturday.”
• S

Presidential candidate Ryan Binkley came to the Clay County Fair on Friday to discuss his campaign with voters. Like his fellow Republican candidates, the Texan has spent the last few weeks in Iowa, making stops along the campaign trail.

On its last day open, the Clay County Fair received a visit from presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. The Republican toured the fairgrounds and spoke to constituents Sunday afternoon, eager to connect with potential voters.

“When we meet people here, there’s no social media algorithms in the air between us — it’s a two-way personal connection running very deep,” Ramaswamy said. “It’s authentic and it gives me hope.”

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson was one of several Republican presidential candidates at the Clay County Fair at the end of the week. Hutchinson stopped by the GOP booth to speak with constituents on Friday and continued his conversations during a stroll along the fairgrounds.

Hutchinson has enjoyed his campaign in Iowa throughout the past few weeks. As he spoke to Iowans, the former governor was pleased to see how many of them cared about politics.

The Clay County Fair received a visit from Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird on Friday. The attorney general had lots of Clay County constituents speak to her at the GOP booth as well as come up to her as she walked along the fairgrounds.

Avera@Home of Spencer Hospital received notification this week that its services are being recognized by Strategic Healthcare Programs as a “Premier Performer” for achieving an overall caregiver and family satisfaction score that ranked in the top 5% of all eligible SHP clients for the 2022 calendar year.