Record-setting win: Anderson’s 21 under par sets record for tournament

SPENCER — After a rainy Saturday and Sunday last year, players were questioning if they would be able to finish the 2022 Northwest Amateur tournament without getting drenched in rain. The final pairing of the championship flight, featuring the guys in the mix for the win, got started at 3:30 p.m.

The Spencer Golf and Country Club is hosting its 101st Annual Northwest Amateur Tournament this weekend, with opportunities for sweet treats along the way.

The Jespersen family has made monster cookies and lemonade for tournament participants and attendees for over 40 years. This year, the Jespersen grandchildren — Naomi, Bethany, Andy and Ben — are back to carry on the generational tradition.

UPCOMING CLAY COUNTY FAIR SPEEDWAY RACES

• Monday, Aug. 7 — Iowa Speed Week.

• Tuesday, Sept. 12 — The Battle of the Blue Ribbon.

• Wednesday, Sept. 13 — IMCA Blue Ribbon Showdown.

July 26 — Clay County Fair Speedway

IMCA HOBBY STOCK BY ARNOLD MOTOR SUPPLY — A FEATURE 1

Finish Start No. Competitor Hometown

1 2 22X Mike Smith Lake City

2 5 T8 Brandon Nielsen Spencer

The Iowa Lakes Community College athletics department announced Chris Witzke as the new head baseball coach. Witzke has been promoted this offseason after successfully serving as the assistant baseball coach.

"It's a great honor to be named head coach at Iowa Lakes,” Witzke said. “I can't thank our athletic director Troy Larson, President Scott Stokes and the rest of our administration for this opportunity enough.

LAKE PARK — Dugout Creek-Yager Slough wildlife areas south of Lake Park, in western Dickinson County, is home to an array of marshes plus two unique and rare habitat types in the state — one of the largest and highest quality wetland fen complexes in Iowa and high-quality remnant prairie.

Pheasant hunters in the northern half of Iowa had an excellent season last year, and many are looking forward to what 2023 has in store. The fall forecast will be based on the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ annual roadside pheasant counts, that begins Aug. 1.

The summer months can provide very good fishing, and when the fall months arrive, fishing can be even better. In the warm water of summer, fish eat often. The cooling water in the fall is Mother Nature’s way of telling the fish they need to fatten up for winter, so they eat often then also. Fish that are eating are easier to catch.

I visited with fisheries biologist Mike Hawkins last week, and he said he has been getting lots of calls about really bad looking water on Big Spirit, East Okoboji and Lake Minnewashta along with some of the other area lakes. Often called blue-green algae, the correct name for this organism is cyanobacteria. Cyanobacteria gets its common name from the vivid cyan, blue-green colors it turns when it dies.

AMES — Spencer native Laurie Sorrell, 75, broke the world powerlifting record for all federations when she bench-pressed 143.3 pounds in the over 148-pound division. The effort came during the Iowa Games in Ames on July 15.

“I beat the records of the current top three lifters from Germany, Russia and Norway,” she said.

“I competed against the records of 16 world federations and over 300 federations in the world, against both drug-tested and non-tested lifters at this.”

The Spencer Community School District has received $10,000 in contributions from the Spencer Community School Foundation and the Chuck and Pat Schmidt Foundation to fund activity passes for all students in grades 9-12 during the 2023-24 school year.

The activity passes will grant students access to all home athletic and fine art events.

The Pink Ribbon Golf Tournament was conducted July 11, at Spencer Golf and Country Club. There were 144 participants and the event raised $19,000 for the Spencer Hospital Women's Health Center. Sara Taylor, foundation director and KC Kidd, women's health coordinator, accepted the check for the Women's Health Center. Next year's event will be held July 9, 2024. (Photos submitted)

EMMESTBURG — Samantha Nelson joins the Iowa Lakes Community College athletic department as the new head swimming and diving coach.

With 15 years of swimming experience and four years of club and collegiate swim coaching experience, Nelson brings a strong passion for the sport, the determination to succeed, and the love of supporting student-athletes to achieve their academic, athletic and life goals.

A summer of family fun is just a short drive and a fishing pole away. Plan a day trip or bring along fishing gear on your next weekend or camping trip.

The best fishing is early in the morning or later in the evening and after dark. Avoid the brightest, hottest part of the day. Like anglers, fish adjust to the heat.

MILFORD — The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is in the early planning stages of a renovation plan at Gull Point State Park to repave park roads, upgrade the campground, install a new flush bathroom and improve accessibility.

The project is expected to begin in spring 2024 and be completed by spring 2025.

The bite is on! The summer months are when most people go fishing, and the action can be fast. Most fish are constantly looking for something to eat at this time of year, and they’ll look for that something to eat in a variety of places. Their prey can be in deep water, shallow water, or suspended somewhere between the surface and the bottom. Places that an angler can count on to hold fish are weedlines and weedbeds.