A standing-room-only crowd filled the Franklin County Law Enforcement Center meeting room Monday afternoon as the Franklin County Board of Adjustment considered conditional use permits for the proposed Wild Rose Wind Energy Project.

What began as an ordinary summer day quickly turned into a nightmare for Kylee and Jessica Janssen as severe storms swept through Hampton last week, bringing destructive winds that left damage across the community.

 
Over its history, Franklin County has been home to many organizations and clubs. A particularly interesting one was the Last Man Standing Club. Here is its story.

By Elian Trevino
Hampton Chronicle
 
HAMPTON – The Franklin County Fair introduced a new tradition Thursday afternoon by crowning its first-ever Fair Prince alongside the 2026 Fair Princess during the Prince and Princess coronation at the Van Wall Tent.

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.