Several years ago, a teenager played his very first open stage at a bluegrass fest in Hampton. By the same time the following year, the same teeanger was booked to play as a featured band in the same festival. The Hampton Bluegrass and Country Music Festival kicked off a young man’s career in music, leading him to travel the world. This year, he returned again as a featured artist.

On the warm evening of June 7, people gathered around the bandshell in Hampton to hear South 62 perform. The small country band has been touring around the country for years and has opened for big names like Brad Paisley and Toby Keith. On this evening, though, they stood in front of the community of Hampton as a part of a ten year tradition - Tuesdays on the Town.

The Hampton City Council made preparations for summer events, road work, and building renovations during their regular meeting on Thursday, June 9.

Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig visited Latimer on Thursday, June 9 to see how CAL elementary students are incorporating agriculture learning into their daily lives.
Guided by Farm to School Coordinator Jill Craighton, Naig was given a tour of CAL's brand new learning lab along with the school's science lab, where kids are able to grow their own vegetables in a hydroponic garden.

The 2022 Primary Election took place in Franklin County last week on Tuesday, June 7.

The Franklin County Supervisors received an update on the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline project during their regular meeting on Monday, June 6.
Kaylee Langrell from Summit Carbon Solutions was present at the meeting, along with Mitch Baum and Bill Sullivan, to present information to the supervisors on the current status of the project.

Cloudy skies didn't dampen spirits on Saturday, June 4 as La Luz Centro Cultural hosted their annual Gran Festival event at Band Shell Park.
Running from noon to 10:00 p.m., the festival featured vendors, food trucks, inflatables, and live entertainment for the community in a celebration of Hispanic culture.
"It was an awesome event," said La Luz Associate Director Kyle Whalen.

The potential future of farming was on display last week as Salin247 performed a live demonstration of their automated planting machine.
Running up and down a field outside of Greene, the prototype planter showed how new technology could save both time and money for farmers during the busy planting season.

The ongoing controversy regarding the elimination of the Spanish Interpreter position at Franklin County Public Health continued as the Franklin County Supervisors spoke with a representative from La Luz Centro Cultural during their meeting on Tuesday, May 31.

The Hampton City Council discussed lighting, nuisance properties, and sidewalk policy during their regular workshop on Monday, June 6.
Public Works Director Doug Tarr updated the council on an outdoor lighting upgrade at the Hampton Public Library and suggested that similar upgrades could be made at Harriman Park.

A Hampton native is campaigning to become a state legislator.
Tyler Stewart, son of Dennis and Nancy Stewart and a 2010 H-D graduate now working as a teacher in Newton, is running for the Iowa Senate in District 19. Running unopposed in the upcoming Democratic primary, Stewart will be challenging Republican incumbent Ken Rozenboom in the November election.

The Hampton City Council decided how they will fill the vacant Ward IV seat during their workshop meeting on Monday, May 23.
Steve Birdsall held the Ward IV seat until being appointed as mayor earlier this month. By filling the mayoral vacancy, the appointment created another vacancy to be filled.

The Franklin County Board of Supervisors extended the moratorium on new wind farm construction permits during their regular meeting on Monday, May 23.
With the overhaul on the county's wind farm ordinance still in development, the supervisors agreed to continue the moratorium through July 31, or until the passage of the ordinance.

The H-D/CAL ProStart team returned home last week after a memorable trip to Washington D.C. for the National ProStart Invitational competition.

Friday the 13th wasn't unlucky for Geneva as the tiny community hosted thousands of visitors flocking to the 2022 Spring Geneva Market.
Running on Friday and Saturday with more than 200 spaces filled with vendors, the market offered antiques, crafts, clothes, toys foods, and more 4,500 shoppers browsed the market place looking for specialty goods.