With suicide rates in farmers increasing in recent years, local entities are working together to help make sure area producers have resources in place in times of need.

Clouds and rain cleared out of the area just in time for picture perfect day for the Harriman-Nielsen Historic Farm Fall Festival Sunday.

Increased accessibility and a little splash of fun create a kid-friendly environment in the recently refreshed CAL lunchroom.
The lunchroom over the summer underwent a facelift to improve the traffic flow of students as they enter the cafeteria and increase its aesthetic appeal. The room received new tile floors, new paint and the drop ceiling was removed to expose original ceiling windows.

The past came to life this weekend at the Windsor Theatre as the Franklin County Arts Council and Windsor Theatre Development Corporation presented the ninth annual "An Evening Like It Used To Be" on Saturday, Oct. 5.
Putting on a night of entertainment as it would have been 90 years ago, the variety show featured live music, a vaudeville show, a sing-along, and a silent movie accompanied by the Windsor Orchestra.

A fourth grade class at South Side Elementary got to see the world without leaving school.
The students last Thursday had the opportunity to use new ClassVR Goggles, which feature a mix of virtual reality (VR), a computer-generated simulation or recreation of an environment, and augmented reality (AR), a live environment with layers of generated features placed on top.

A long-time family love of baking put Jeffrey Dellinger on the path towards a new business venture.
Dellinger, of Hampton, has started baking and selling pies and other goods out of the kitchen of his home. To start, Dellinger will offer a fall-centered selection of a caramel apple pie, a two-crust apple pie and a pumpkin pie along with an apple pie “wrapper,” small and large apple crisps and a variety of cookies.

This year’s meal packing event to benefit Meals from the Heartland had a different setting but the same community heart behind it.
The annual event, which challenges community members to package meals for the hungry throughout the world, was held at the Hampton-Dumont High School gymnasium this year. In year’s past, the event took place at Church of the Living Word.

The initial Bulldog Hall of Fame Class was recognized on Friday, Sept. 27 before the homecoming contest against Clear Lake.
Among those honored were:
• The 1926 Hampton Bulldog girls’ basketball team, which won the state championship with a 27-0 record. They out-scored their opponents 1,235-334 during the season.

Iowa Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg last Monday visited Buresh Building Systems in Hampton to see the company’s operation and talk workforce and business operation in Iowa.

Students last Thursday had a chance to see area law enforcement and emergency responders equipment and vehicles up-close and personal.

The Harriman-Nielsen Historic Farm was the perfect setting for a celebration of area food and culture.
Last Thursday, Healthy Harvest of North Iowa, Greater Franklin County Chamber of Commerce, Hampton-Dumont-CAL ProStart, La Chozita, Rustic Brew and Townsend Winery teamed up to present a Farm to Table dinner at Harriman-Nielsen.

The Dumont Community Library last Friday played home to history and a little humor.
Iowa-based authors Gail Kittleson and Lyn Vandebrake visited the library to sign and chat about their newest works.

Two weeks ago, the Hamp-ton-Dumont-CAL High School Volleyball team played in front of a live tele-vision audience for the first time in school history.

Another big step was taken over the past couple of weeks in terms of making the 17-mile bicycle trail from Hampton to Coulter more attractive and an important part of area recreational activities.
Franklin County Conservation Department Naturalist Ned Parker said the cooperation of several individuals and businesses helped to make the project successful.

Possible rezoning of a lot in Hampton stirred up a lengthy debate at the Hampton City Council’s regular meeting last Thursday.