Selected news briefs edited from


Odebolt ~ Early ~ Wall Lake
Official Sac County Newspaper, Established 1877
Jerry & Becky Wiseman, Publishers

The below contains news items of interest  to Odebolt residents. The Chronicle also contains news from Wall Lake,
Early, Nemaha, Schaller and Sac County.  Individual issues are on sale at The Chronicle office or by subscription. 

The Chronicle, Vol. 113, No. 35
August 26, 2004

The Mayor Sez:
    Last week the southwest corner of one of Odebolt’s oldest building came crumbling down.  Luckily, no one was walking or driving by.  The mentioned building is located at 2nd and Maple St.  At this writing the owner is being contacted and there has been no decision as what will be done.  Also, the downtown building that had been occupied by “Rumors” is without an owner.  The City is going to board-up the front to keep glass off of the sidewalk.  Sad, but true, many of our downtown buildings, due to their age, will soon be gone!  Heard on the street, “We need to find a developer to build a downtown mini mall!”
     From the 'bolt,
     R.J. Rex, Mayor

Lightning Strikes, Building Crumbles - During early morning thunderstorms on Monday, August 16th, lightning struck the Sunset Appliance building at 132 W. 2nd Street, Odebolt.  The building is owned by Alice and the late Bob Lindquist.  The building to the east, owned by Carol Olson, formerly the Odebolt Bakery, received considerable damage as well due to the falling bricks from the Lindquist building.
     Contents of the building were immediately evacuated and the east half of the street remains fenced off for safety issues.  The City of Odebolt along with the owner are in the process of hiring someone to push the walls in until funds are available to remove the entire building.  The building was built in 1881 making it 123 years old.

School Election Voter Registration & Absentee Vote Reminders - School Elections will be Tuesday, September 14, 2004. 
     The deadline for registering to vote for the upcoming School Elections is Friday, September 3, 2004.  The Auditor's Office in Sac City will be open until 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 3 for your convenience.
     Any registered voter wishing to vote absentee in the School Elections, may do so at the Auditor's Office in Sac City or make a request in writing.
      Please contact Jim Dowling, Sac County Auditor and Commissioner of Elections at 662-7310 for more information.

Iowa Lottery - Cynthia Olson of Odebolt was the Iowa Lottery's latest and biggest instant-scratch game winner in Sac County during the first six months of 2004, winning $3000 in the Golden Riches game.  Terry's Pump'N Pak in Odebolt was Sac County's hottest Iowa Lottery retailer from Jan. 1 - June 30, for selling the ticket.
     The Iowa Lottery wants to find winners of more than $671 that have gone unclaimed in Sac County.  Winning lotto numbers may be checked by visiting the lottery web site at www.ialottery.com or going to a lottery retail outlet.  They may also be checked by calling the winning numbers hotline at (515) 323-4633.

Students to Country School - The Ida County Historical Society is sponsoring Old-Fashioned Country School Days Sept.10 through Sept. 30, at Grant Center School in Moorehead Park, Ida Grove, Iowa.  Odebolt Arthur 4th graders will attend on September 22 and 23 with their teachers.

Golden Anniversary - Ron and Elaine Rex of Odebolt recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary at Flathead Lake, Montana.  They were married on August 1, 1954 at the Methodist Church in Lake View. 
     The couple's 4 daughters and their families, grandchildren, and relatives on both the Sinning and Rex sides helped Ron and Elaine celebrate during the week of July 26 to August 2, 2004 in Montana.  Horseback riding in the Mission Mountains, whitewater rafting in Glacier National Park, boating, waterskiing, and tubing on Flathead Lake, and golf at the Polson Country Club were enjoyed by all.  Saturday evening, July 31, was the "official" dinner and dance for Ron and Elaine.  Live music and a catered dinner at their daughter's on the shore of beautiful Flathead Lake brought in a special 50th anniversary celebration with lots of laughter and fun.

Obituary: Arleen Hanson, 92, of Odebolt died Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2004, at Horn Memorial Hospital in Ida Grove, Iowa.
  Services were Monday at United Methodist Church in Odebolt, with the Rev. Kathy Spracklin officiating. Burial was in Odebolt Cemetery with Christensen-Huffman Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.
     Born May 8, 1912, on a farm south of Storm Lake, Iowa, Arleen was the daughter of Robert Cyrus and Edith (Burton) Fulton. She rode a horse-drawn school bus to attend Hays Consolidated Grade School south of Storm Lake, then lived with her grandparents in Storm Lake to attend junior high school. She graduated in 1930 from Spencer High School. During the Great Depression, Arleen went to Iowa State Teacher's College in Cedar Falls, Iowa, graduating in 1934 with a bachelor of arts degree in physical education. Her first job was teaching the seventh and eighth grades at Highview Consolidated School west of Rembrandt, Iowa, for one year at $55 per month. Her favorite position was teaching physical education at Odebolt Public School from 1935-37.
     On May 22, 1937, Arleen married Warren Lowell Hanson in Sioux City. Arleen became a farm wife and mother of four children. She was a constant help to Warren with livestock chores, delivering bottled milk to Odebolt homes and driving tractors, all in addition to her daily household duties. At that time, married women were not allowed to teach school but, in later years, Arleen did substitute teach in area schools.
     She was a member of Odebolt United Methodist Church, where she was active in the church choir, the women's circle and sang duets with George Hilburn for funerals from 1951-76. She enjoyed giving adult swimming lessons at the Odebolt Pool as well as at their winter home trailer park in Mesa, Ariz. Arleen was a loving wife and devoted mother and will be remembered as an energetic person by all that knew her.
     Survivors include her husband of 67 years, Warren; four children and their spouses, Richard and Susan Hanson of Bloomington, Ill., Jean and Ron Lee of Livermore, Calif., Betty and Terry Collins of Eldora, Iowa and Robert and Zava Hanson of Hays, Kan.; eight grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and three sisters, Dorothy "Doad" Rice of Frontenac, Minn., Phyllis Ketchum of Ames, Iowa and Lois Crampton of St. Louis, Mo.
     She was preceded in death by her parents; and two brothers, Robert and Richard Fulton.

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Death:  Dolores Veit (Mrs. Paul Veit), age 76, of Odebolt, Iowa, passed away Saturday, August 28, 2004, at her home in Odebolt. Funeral services were held Tues., August 31st, 10:30 am, at the St. Martin’s Catholic Church in Odebolt with Father John McGuirk officiating.  Interment was at the St. Martin’s Catholic Cemetery in Odebolt . 

**See photos of the first week of school, & the marching band from Odebolt-Arthur's web site!**

Bob Hardin sent in the 1901 photo to the left.  He had received it from Elaine's sister in California, who saw it at an auction web site.  It shows Bowman Lumber (now Odebolt Lumber) in the background, and appears to be looking about straight east.  If anyone has information about the buildings in the foreground, please contact us at .  Click on the photo to enlarge it.  Thanks Bob!

The Mayor Sez:
     I seldom respond to “letters” to the newspaper, however, last week’s article on “quoting the law” on motor scooters and etc., is too good to pass up.  My only suggestion to the author would be to have a get-together with our City Atty. and County Atty. and review your interpretation of the law on motor scooters with them. I am sure the interpretation of the Iowa Code will become quite clear.
     School starts next week so let us all keep a sharp eye out for our kids coming and going to and from school.
From the 'bolt,
R.J. Rex, Mayor

Outdoor Worship August 22 - The Odebolt United Methodist Church will be holding their August 22nd worship service at Prairie Pedlar at 10 a.m., weather permitting.  The public is invited to attend.

 ODEBOLT CHAMBER MINUTES - Our August meeting of the Odebolt Chamber of Commerce was held at The Odebolt Community Center on August 12, 2004.  In attendance were Vicki, Shelly, Tammie, Roxie, Melissa and Traci.
     Financial report was given & approved.
There was no meeting in June so we had no minutes to review.
     Our Annual Pancake Brunch will be held Sunday October 17, 2004. Menu will be the same. We will be serving pancakes, sausage, and eggs. We will be cutting down on our advertising this year. Watch for fliers to be sent out and to be placed in your windows for advertising purposes. There will also be a work schedule coming out in the very near future. If your business is assigned to work, it is your responsibility to have your workers there or find a replacement.
     July Yard of the Month went to Don & Doreen Schimdtke. Congratulations to them!! They received an Odebolt flag and the Yard of the Month sign for the month of July. If you get a chance drive by their yard-it looks great!!
     We will again this year be sponsoring an event at the school during Homecoming. The winning class will receive a pizza party as their award. Watch for details!!
     We will be taking down the flags around downtown sometime after Labor Day. If anyone wants to help let a Director know. We also will be looking at replacing some of the flags. Some have become torn and tattered, some brackets have broken and they just need to be updated. We will be looking through catalogs very soon!!

Blue Knights Meet in Odebolt - The Iowa IV Chapter of the Blue Knights Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club held its monthly meeting at the Odebolt City Park on July 31st with 17 members attending.  A barbeque lunch was served by members Bruce Henderson, Jack Bensley, and Ken McClure.  After lunch and a meeting, the group took a short motorcycle ride around the area. 
     The Blue Knights is an international motorcycle organization which helps raise funds for charitable organizations.

Beckman Motors Raises Money for Legion - Larry Beckman Motors helped raise and donated $855 for American Legion Foundation through Chrysler's popular charity golf program, the Art of Driving Charity Golf Benefit (formerly Drive for the Chrysler).  The tournament was held at Sac County Golf & Country Club on July 24, 2004.  Chrysler offered a beautiful Chrysler 300 as the hole-in-one prize car and provided additional tournament awards.
     Exciting vehicles form the Chrysler Group, including the Chrysler 300, were available for golfers and guests to test drive throughout the day.  For every test drive completed, Chrysler made a $5 donation to the American Legion Foundation.  A gift of golf balls was given to each driver as Chrysler's way of saying "Thank you" to participants.
     Larry Beckman Motors, local sponsor of the event, supplied the vehicles, and dealership personnel volunteered their time to assist with the fundraising test drives.

Gundersons advance in Talent Search - Chase Gunderson, 14, of Odebolt has advanced to the preliminary rounds of Bill Riley's 45th Annual Iowa State Fair Talent Search, senior division, and will present a tap duet performance during competition at the 2005 Iowa State Fair, August 12-22.
     Karleigh Gunderson, 11, of Odebolt has advanced to the preliminary round as well, competing in the sprout division, and will present a gymnastics solo performance.
     The talent-packed championship is set for Sunday, August 22 at 1:30 p.m. on the Riley Stage.

Farm Leasing Workshop - The annual Sac & Ida County ISU Extension Farm Leasing Workshop will be held in Arthur, Iowa on August 23 from 9:30-11:30 a.m. at the Arthur Community Building.
     Farmers and landlords are invited to review current farmland information including the new cash rent and land value surveys.  A 100-page notebook containing the latest issues of pertinent ISU Extension Farm Management publications is provided with the program as well as forms that may be copied, including lease forms.
    Tom Olsen, ISU Ag Business Specialist will present the program.  Contact the Sac County Extension office at 712-662-7131 for information.

School Starts - The Odebolt-Arthur Community School District will begin classes Monday, August 23 with a full day of classes scheduled.

Additional Volunteers for United Fund Drive for Odebolt and Wheeler Townships include Joan Turin, Mary Gustafson, Kris Scott, Kris Schroeder, Sherri Blair, Ruby Friedrichsen, and Barb Gronau.  (See last week's news United Funds Kick-Off article).

Moonlight Garden Party at Prairie Pedlar will be held Sunday, August 29th, a change from the original date of September 5th.  Special guest speaker will be Debra Landwhr Engle, of Winterset, IA.  She is the author of Grace From the Garden: Changing The World One Garden At a Time.
     Highlights of her program will include inspirational stories of people involved in volunteerism and humanitarian efforts related to gardening.  She will also be available for a Book Signing before and after the program.
     Attend the Moonlight Garden Party, meet an extraordinary author, and get an autographed copy of her book . . . all in one evening!  Bring a friend and double the fun!!
     Enjoy hors d`oeuvres prior to the program that will begin at twilight (approximately 8:30).  See the country gardens aglow with thousands of white lights and candles!
     Prairie Pedlar Gardens and Gift Shop Open at 7:00 PM.  The program will conclude with door prizes.
     Group Size is Limited, so don't delay making your reservations!  $10.00 Admission; Reservations Required;  Prairie Pedlar is located north of Odebolt at 1609 - 270th Street,  Odebolt, IA 51458;  phone:
712-668-4840

Obituary: Robert E. Lindquist, age 69, of Odebolt, Iowa, died Monday, August 9, 2004, at his home.
     Funeral services were held at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, August 12, 2004, at Faith Lutheran Church in Odebolt, Iowa, under the direction of Christensen-Huffman Funeral Homes. The Reverend Trish Underberg  officiated the service, with burial in the Odebolt Cemetery. Military honors were conducted by Roose Post No. 313 of the American Legion.
     Born June 13, 1935, in Odebolt, Iowa, Robert Earl Lindquist was the son of Earl Joseph and Bessie (Blount) Lindquist. He received his education in Odebolt, then served in the United States Navy during the Korean Conflict. Following his tour of duty, Robert returned to Iowa and, on January 23, 1955, was united in marriage to Alice R. Pearson in Storm Lake, Iowa. In 1989, he opened Sunset Upholstery and also sold furniture and appliances. Robert semi-retired in 2000. He was a member of Faith Lutheran Church and enjoyed camping and fishing.
     Robert is survived by his wife, Alice; four children, Mary (Kevin) Brett of Huntsville, UT, Sheri Ketelsen of Mitchell, SD, Cindy Knight and special friend Lance Campbell of Audubon, and Bobbi (Keith) Lohr of Odebolt; seven grandchildren; one great-grandchild; two sisters, Laura Lee (Jim) Carpenter of Syracuse, UT, and Marilyn Banta and friend Lynn of Hurricane, UT; as well as many other extended family members and friends.
     He was preceded in death by his parents; a grandson, Brandon Ketelsen; a brother, John Lindquist; and a sister, Jean Rohlk.

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8/20 Building Collapse - Chuck Hanson, sent in the following shots of Lindquist's Sunset Upholstery building on the corner of 2nd and Maple Streets in Odebolt.  The building has partially collapsed. The back of the roof has fallen in and consequently, part of the upper walls both southeast & southwest have fallen. The unit has been declared unsafe for occupation. 
     The building was built in 1881.  The upper story once served as an opera house for Odebolt.  See a brief history in a 1938 article taken from The Odebolt Chronicle, posted at the Odebolt History Pages.
     Thanks to odebolt.net's Volunteer Photographer, Chuck Hanson!

Click on each photo to enlarge.

Death: Arleen Hanson (Mrs. Warren Hanson) age 92, passed away on Wednesday, August 18.  Funeral services were Monday, August 23 at 10:30 a.m. at United Methodist Church in Odebolt, with burial in Odebolt Cemetery.

8/18  Rainbow! Judy Johnson of Spencer, Iowa sent in this photo of a rainbow taken about 7 a.m. this morning, north of 175 & east of Sac City.  She said that it was a double rainbow for quite some time.   Thanks for sharing, Judy!

Click on the picture to enlarge it.

The Mayor Sez:
Sad, but true, one of our oldest bridges must be closed. The “Richland” bridge has been ordered to be replaced by our engineering firm that does our bridge inspections. Replacement cost will be in the neighborhood of $100,000.00 and due to the lack of funding at this time the City Council had no choice other than to close the bridge.
     Another item that you need to be aware of is that some break-ins are occurring around town and we are pretty sure it is local talent. If you see or hear anything of a suspicious nature around your property call 668-2221 and we will have law enforcement check it out
    From the 'bolt,
    R.J. Rex, Mayor

Odebolt Swimming Pool - will be closing for the season on Sunday, August 22, 2004 at 9 p.m.

New Pastor at UMC - Pastor Kathryn "Kathy" Spracklin officially began her duties as pastor of the United Methodist Church in Odebolt on July 1, 2004.
    A graduate of Simpson College in 1970 and Candler School of Theology in 1975, Pastor Sprackling said when she first started college she was studying for a degree in sociology and Spanish with the intention of becoming a bilingual social worker.  Spacklin commented, "I changed my focus and decided to go on to seminary and become a pastor even though I had never met or even seen a woman pastor."
     Prior to coming to Odebolt, Pastor Spracklin served as pastor and chaplain in various communities.
     Spracklin's husband Gerald is a retired truck driver and the father of three grown children, Gerry Jr. and Scot of Omaha, NE, and Susie of Tennessee.
     Pastor Spracklin commented, "We have received a warm welcome to the community.  Everyone has been very friendly and receptive.  I am looking forward to ministering in the Odebolt area."

UBI Winner - Sydney Harm, of Odebolt, was the winner of the electric scooter drawing held by United Bank of Iowa, Odebolt, during July 2004.  Sydney is the daughter of Linda and Lee Boysen of Odebolt and Barry Harm of Kiron.

Join the O-A Booster Club! - The OA Booster Club is its 23rd year of supporting all Odebolt-Arthur student athletes and teams.  The club serves as a valuable financial aid for the athletic department by making an annual contribution from the funds it raises from various fund-raisers and activities.  This past spring $16,000 was donated.  This financial assistance allows the OA administration to use funds for educational purposes that might otherwise be needed for athletic supplies or equipment.
     The club is open to parents, relatives and friends of OA-s student athletes or anyone else interested in supporting them.
     Membership cost is $5.00/person ($1.00 college student if their parents are members).  Every member received THE CLUB's exclusive monthly newsletter "The Sportsbacker" which keeps you up-to-date on the OA sports scene.
     To join, simply fill out the form in this week's paper and return it, purchase a membership at the required all-sports meeting on Thursday, August 26, at 7 p.m., or at the annual Fall Sport Night, Friday, August 27th starting at 5 p.m. with the volleyball VIP night followed by the football soap scrimmage.

United Funds Kick-Off - The United Funds of Odebolt and Wheeler Township held their annual meeting July 14, 2004 at Joan Godbersen's. Present were Chairperson Joan Godbersen; Co-Chairperson Malinda Bengford; Sec'y/Treas., Deb Reinhart; and board members Margie Loger, Florence Bye, Lois Story, Shirley Sykes, and Nancy Hugeback.  Not able to attend was Chairperson of Wheeler Township, Mary Gustafson.
     The purpose of the meeting was to elect officers and it was decided the board will stay the same as last year.
     The annual drive will begin with a kick-off coffee on August 16 at 9 a.m. at Caroll's Kitchen.  All helpers will pick up their materials at this meeting.  This year's goal is $3,500.
     For information or questions, contact 668-4185 or 668-4474.

Bengford Cousins Reunion held - The 2004 Joe Bengford cousin reunion was held on July 31st at the Odebolt Community Center.  This tri-annual event is hosted by the Odebolt cousins.  There were approximately 94 cousins present and approximately 125 cousins and family that weren't able to attend.  From a distance came the Dorothy and Jim Barkley families from the Chicago and Davenport area; and the Leonard and JoAnn Bengford family, Marg and Steve Alles of the Juanita and Don Ahrenholtz family, all from Ft. Collins, Colorado.

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8/16 Hattie Grace Boarding House - Our first Breakfast was a success!  We were pleased at the response to the Biscuits & Gravy Breakfast on Sunday morning, August 15, 2004.  We had four seatings and served 48 diners.  The breakfast went so well that we have decided to make it a monthly event, to be held on the 2nd Sunday of the month.   We hope you can join us on September 12, which is also Grandparent's Day!  Call 712 668-2265 for reservations! Seating times at 9:00, 10:00, 11:00 and Noon.
 - Sherry Gritten

8/15 - Added 3 new photos to the 2004 Creek Days slide show from B. Ekse.  Click here

Death:  Robert E. Lindquist, 69, of Odebolt, passed away Monday, August 9, 2004 at his home.  Funeral services were held at 10:30 a.m. Thurs., August 12 at the Faith Lutheran Church with burial following at Odebolt Cemetery.  OBITUARY from Ida County Courier

TRAVELER'S HOME - TO RESERVE call 712-668-4184 or 712-668-2895.   Two one-bedroom apartments are available by the day or by the week at the Meyer Apartment building, 200 West Second Street in Odebolt.  Up to four people can be accommodated with a queen size bed and a hide-a-bed sofa in each unit.  Guests can also take advantage of the fully equipped kitchen.

The Mayor Sez:
I wonder how many of us read Bob Harden's letter to the editor a few weeks ago about the Odebolt Ambulance situation?  It is as simple as this - if we don't get some new volunteers to step up, there will be times, numerous times, when we will just wait until an ambulance from another town shows up.  We owe a great big thanks to our Odebolt Ambulance crew.  Be thankful for these people volunteering their time to a very worthy cause.  Call City Hall today and we will forward your name.
    From the 'bolt,
     R.J. Rex, Mayor

Aug 2nd City Council Meeting Minutes
 - Girls & Boys Major/Minor Softball
 - legality of motorized scooters
 - fixing railroad tracks?
 - Richland Ave. bridge
 - Swimming pool donations
 - More

• Drivers must have high school diploma or equivalent, a valid drivers license, an acceptable driving record, & be 18 years of age or older. 

• EMTs must complete a course and pass state written and practical exams.