By Elian Trevino
Hampton Chronicle
 
HAMPTON – The North Central Iowa Model Railroad Club has spent nearly 15 years creating a destination that delights fairgoers of all ages. This year, the Franklin County Fair Board recognized those efforts by naming the club the 2026 Franklin County Fair Grand Marshals.

By Elian Trevino
Hampton Chronicle
HAMPTON — What began as a leap of faith turned into a championship for Refugio Contreras and Ringneck Barbecue Co. after taking first place in the Franklin County Farm Bureau Cookout Contest during the Franklin County Fair.

By Elian Trevino
Hampton Chronicle
HAMPTON — A new tradition made its debut during this year's Franklin County Fair as veterans, motorcycle enthusiasts and community members took to the road for the inaugural 250 Freedom Ride.

HAMPTON – Carli Lyon, 18, of Ackley was crowned the 2026 Franklin County Fair Queen Thursday evening, during the annual coronation at the Van Wall Tent.
Lyon is the daughter of Brandon and Lori Hardman and Steve and Annie Lyon. She was crowned by outgoing 2025 Franklin County Fair Queen Abby Schoning, who reflected on her year of service before announcing Lyon as the new queen. 

Veteran Dennis Cassman went on an honor flight to Washington, D.C. on May 26, saying it's an experience he'll never forget.

Born and raised in Hampton, Cassman enlisted in the Navy in 1967, serving on a communications team for several years, which he thoroughly enjoyed.

Franklin General Hospital Quality/Process Excellence Director Megan Mollenbeck was recently honored with the Circle of Excellence Award at a healthcare conference in Des Moines.
Megan started her journey at FGH in Hampton in 2020, as a radiology technologist, before working her way up to quality coordinator in 2021 and then transitioning into her current role in 2022.

Kylie Tizzano was named this year's Miss Dumont on Saturday evening, June 13, during Dumont Sandbaggin’ Day. 
Kylie, who is going into her freshman year at the University of Iowa in the fall, has spent the last two years of her high school career at H-D-CAL as a sideline cheerleader during football and basketball season. She said she enjoyed it as it allowed her to “spread positivity.” 

Hampton residents Ruth and Wally Tapp were named the recipients of the June 2026 Image of Pride Award during the June 11 city council meeting for their property at 320 9th PL NE.

They were nominated for the award by City Councilor Jim Davies, who applauded them for their landscaping work, among other home projects, saying it reflected their "exceptional care and pride of ownership."

Hampton Public Library Director Suzy Knipfel gave her quarterly report to the council during their June 11 meeting, reminding them that the library recently cut back on their Saturday hours, as a result of the loss of the levy funding. 
 

The Friends of the Hampton Public Library held their annual book sale at the library on Saturday, June 6. 
 
As in years past, community members stopped by for great deals on great used books. The sale ran from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and they were joined by the Funky Pepperoni food truck from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. All proceeds from the book sale will go towards upcoming programming and other needs at the library. 

Keith Miller of Hampton is a car guy, and he has been since he was very little. He gets that from his dad, he said.
“My dad was a mechanic here in Franklin County, a very good one,” said Keith. “So I followed him around everywhere when I was little, learning about cars, and when I was in my late adolescence, early teens, I started building model cars. Still do. They got me into everything I do now.” 

A wave of generosity has wiped out outstanding student meal debt in the Hampton-Dumont Community School District, ensuring families are protected from third-party collections.

Hampton Mayor Steve Birdsall recently stopped by OnTheGoMedia to speak about the latest with the chicken ordinance and more. 
 

 
The Iowa Agricultural Aviation Association held their annual aviation spraying analysis testing clinic at the Hampton Municipal Airport on Tuesday, June 2, ahead of spraying season.
Doug Pralle, who serves as the President of the Association, said they had around 50 pilots stop by throughout the day to test the spraying abilities of their planes, with help from the National Agricultural Aviation Association.