The Hampton City Council held their regular meeting on Thursday, August 26. Attending the meeting in person were council members Bill Hodge, Barry Lamos (who was also present at the Monday workshop, though was accidentally omitted from last week's story), Steve Birdsall, and Patrick Palmer. Council member Dick Lukensmeyer and Mayor Russell Wood attended via virtual conference.

A total of 122 classic cars lined the streets around Band Shell Park on Sunday, August 29 for the annual classic car show.
"We've got everything from motorcycles to Corvettes to original 1930 roadsters," said Jeff Spear, who organizes the show along with his wife, Tracy.

On Thursday, August 12, when Kevin Costner and members of the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox walked out of a cornfield near Dyersville, Iowa, almost six million people were watching on TV. Most of us probably got chills to see the iconic scene from the 1989 movie “Field of Dreams” re-created in real-life. For those lucky few at the baseball game, the scene was even more powerful.

Lots of people can say they've been all around Franklin County, but very few have ever done so to the extent that Joshua Einspahr has.
An avid runner, Einspahr has spent the last year running on every stretch of road in the county. From the highways to the gravel roads to every street in every town, Einspahr has treaded 1,142 miles of Franklin County roads since last July.

With two council members absent, the Hampton City Council managed a quorum for their workshop on Monday, August 23 with members Steve Birdsall, Patrick Palmer, and Bill Hodge present while Dick Lukensmeyer and Mayor Russell Wood participated virtually.

Hampton was a little bit more musical on Monday, August 16 as the River City Chorus gathered in town for an evening of song.
"We're getting out and finally starting to get moving again," said Stan Zinnell, one of the group's members.

A new attraction in downtown Latimer is keeping the past alive.
The Latimer Development Committee has turned an unused patch of land on Main Street into a small park where people can enjoy a look at the community's history.
From the vintage point of the newly installed bench, visitors can enjoy a small gallery of historic photos presented on the exterior wall of the Farm Bureau Office building.

The Latimer City Council met on Wednesday, August 11 for their regular meeting at the Latimer Community Center.
At the meeting, it was noted that election papers will soon need to be filed for the upcoming election. Mayor Mark Johansen and council members Catherine Crooks and Eric Bruns will be up for re-election this year.

The Hampton-Dumont community school board discussed mask policy, alternative school locations, weight room use, and open enrollment transportation during their regular meeting on Monday, August 16.
With the school year approaching, the board held a brief discussion about mask policy on school busses as COVID-19 continues to be a concern.

The Hampton City Council awarded Ryan and Kelsey Card with the August 2021 Image of Pride award during their regular meeting on Thursday, August 12.
The Cards are the owners of God Fuel, a new café located at 703 Central Ave. W. Starting up the new shop involved repurposing an old auto service station into a café.

As the Olympic games come to a close in Tokyo, Franklin County has their own champion among them.
Charlee Morton returned home victorious last week after competing in the United States Track and Field Junior Olympics in Jacksonville, Florida, winning the 13-14 year-old girls shot put contest.
"I was pretty excited," said Morton.

The Hampton City Council continued their ongoing discussion about potential dog park locations during their workshop meeting on Monday, August 9.
Beginning with public comments, Carolee Philpott returned to the council to again state that she opposes utilizing Memorial Park as a dog park and asked that the council forever remove the park from consideration as a potential site for a dog park.

Cover crops were the topic of the day out at Plagge Farms in Latimer on Friday, August 6.
The Plagge Family, working in conjunction with Practical Farmers of Iowa, hosted a party of area farmers and agricultural enthusiasts for a group tour of their farm to explain the methods and tools they use to implement their cover crop system.

The Hampton City Council moved forward with more licensing updates and continued discussion on dog parks during their regular meeting on Thursday, July 22.
At the meeting, the council recognized Compro Casas and Belen Krabbe as July's Image of Pride Award winner, specifically acknowledging her property at 402 3rd Ave SW as a standout rental in the community.

The Franklin County Fair was back in full swing this year.
After the COVID-19 pandemic cut down the summertime event last year, the 2021 fair returned with a score of new activities and attractions.
"Everything on the grounds went really smooth," said Franklin County Fair Board President Jon Baltes. "Everybody is in really good spirits.