There were plenty of options when it came to Easter egg hunts in Franklin County these last couple of weeks, including a big one that was hosted by the Kiwanis Club of Hampton in Band Shell Park on March 30. 
 

Hampton Public Works employees have once again been removing the city’s infected ash trees, and earlier this week, they removed their 100th ash tree for the winter season.  
 
A wedge of the 100th tree was presented at the end of Hampton City Council’s March 28 meeting. The project is overseen by Hampton City Public Works Director Doug Tarr. 
 

Hampton City Manager Ron Dunt said a community member reached out to him and Mayor Steve Birdsall suggesting the city councilors and mayor receive a pay raise. 
The item was added to the agenda for the council’s March 25 workshop. 
 
Immediately after the item was brought up, city councilor Bill Hodge shot it down, saying he didn’t even want to consider it. 
 

Bridge of Hope North Central Iowa’s 12th game show night was held Saturday at the Church of the Living Word in Hampton. 
 
Doors opened at 6:30 p.m. with a trivia game beginning at 7 p.m. Refreshments were served and funds raised from the event will go toward the organization's mission to help single moms and their children who are homeless or at risk of being homeless. 
 

Britt Lumely, the owner of Britt’s Boutique, celebrated her shop’s one-year anniversary with an open house on Saturday.
Britt’s Boutique offers girls’ and womens’ clothing, shoes and accessories. 
Lumley originally shared the space with another entrepreneur, who eventually left, leaving her with the entire space. She said she’s definitely had ups and downs in the first year, but that she’s grateful for her many customers. 

A handful of locals attended the online security class led by Hampton City Councilor Patrick Palmer on Tuesday evening, March 19, for tips and tricks on how to protect themselves from online scams. 
 
Palmer, who runs a computer repair company, said he’s been in the business since 1996, and that he’s been helping locals dealing with online scammers for the last decade. 
 

After 27 years at the Hampton Public Library, director Kim Manning recently announced that she’ll be retiring on March 29.
 

Hampton Dog Park Efforts Come to an End
 
By Jennifer Burnham
Hampton Chronicle
Three committee members for the Hampton Dog Park met on Thursday night, March 7, at First and Second Vintage Too!, where they decided that they would no longer continue their efforts. At the meeting was Sally Crandall, Ruth Tapp, and Matt Grohe. 

  Nail technician Madison Huffman, 31, celebrated the opening of her storefront for "The Manicure Bar" with a ribbon-cutting ceremony — organized by the Greater Franklin County Chamber of Commerce, which she recently joined. 

Past and present members of the Hampton Rotary Club will celebrate its 100th anniversary from 5 to 6:30 p.m. on March 22 at the Hampton Country Club. 
 
Hampton Rotary Club president Mary Amsbaugh said that this upcoming 100-year anniversary for the rotary club will be catered by the Pro-Start students from Hampton-Dumont High School who recently won in two categories at the Iowa ProStart Invitational in Des Moines. 
 

Hampton-Dumont High School junior Stephanie Terrones was selected for the Washington, DC Youth Trip through the Franklin Rural Electrical Co-operative (REC) on Wednesday, March 6. 
 

Hampton-Dumont PTO’s “Family Fun Night” attracted a steady crowd of students from start to finish Friday night. 
 
Teachers and staff from local schools could be found painting faces, selling tickets, doling out prizes, and overseeing the games in the gym at the Hampton-Dumont Middle School that evening. 
 

The first Greater Franklin County Chamber of Commerce of Chamber Coffee of 2024 was held March 1st at Youth for Christ in Hampton. The Quarterly Coffee event is designed to welcome new members to the organization, new employees to chamber businesses and highlight upcoming events in Franklin County. 
 

Opera singer Mario Arevalo made sure to arrive in Hampton a couple days before his big performance at the “We the Many Concert II” on Saturday, March 2, to work with students in the county. 
 

Community leaders were wined and dined at the Greater Franklin County Chamber of Commerce’s annual appreciation night on Saturday evening, March 2, at the Sheffield Country Club, with food and drinks prepared by Willaby’s owners and employees.