ONLY 39 TODAY, BUT SUNNY AND NO WIND.
TOMORROW, 42 FOR THE HIGH.
OUR NORMAL HIGH FOR THIS TIME OF THE YEAR SHOULD BE IN LOW 50'S.

AT A MEETING YESTERDAY AFTERNOON AT THE HURSTVILLE INTERPRETIVE
CENTER, THE IOWA DNR TOLD ABOUT 60 IN ATTENDANCE THAT THEY
WILL AGAIN THIS YEAR, NOT ALLOW THE CAVES TO BE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
AT THE MAQUOKETA CAVES STATE PARK. THE REASON IS THAT THERE IS FEAR
OF A SPREADING FUNGUS THAT KILLS BATS, AND THAT COULD BE CARRIED TO THE
BATS IN THE LOCAL CAVES. THE FUNGUS HASN'T BEEN FOUND IN IOWA YET,
BUT IT IS AS CLOSE AS MISSOURI. THE PARK WILL BE OPEN AGAIN THIS YEAR FOR CAMPING, HIKING, PICNICS, ETC. TROUBLE IS....IT IS THE CAVES THAT BRING IN THE BIG NUMBERS. ATTENDANCE AT THE PARK LAST YEAR WAS WAY, WAY DOWN. MOST PEOPLE HATE BATS. BUT, THEY HAVE A JOB IN LIFE, SO MUST
BE SPARED. MY GUESS IS....THE FUNGUS WILL GET INTO IOWA SOME DAY REGARDLESS.....MAYBE SEVERAL YEARS FROM NOW. MEANWHILE, WE LOOSE
OUR #1 TOURIST ATTRACTION.

THE MAQUOKETA SCHOOL BOARD MEETS TONIGHT AND THE CITY COUNCIL
ALSO HAS A SPECIAL MEETING TONIGHT.

A VERY GOOD FISH FRY IS GETTING CLOSE. THE DELMAR UNITED METHODIST
CHURCH FISH FRY IS FRIDAY, APRIL 15TH AT GROSSMAN HALL IN DELMAR.
PUT IT ON YOUR CALENDAR. JERRY NELSON IS THEIR FISH FRY SPECIALIST.

THE MAQUOKETA HIGH SCHOOL BOYS GOLF TEAM HAS 6 OF 7 OF THE TOP 7
GOLFERS RETURNING THIS SEASON. THEY ARE: ALEX BECK, KYLE CLARK,
CONNER TAYLOR, MATT HANSEN, TY THEDE AND BLAISE WALLER.
LOTS OF VARSITY EXPERIENCE. TERI TAYLOR AGAIN WILL COACH THE TEAM
THIS YEAR. SHOULD BE A GOOD YEAR FOR BOY'S GOLF.
THE MAQUOKETA COUNTRY CLUB GOLF COURSE IS OPEN. HAVE NOT HEARD
IF PRAIRIE CREEK IS.

IN THE 1878 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY, IT SAYS MAQUOKETA HAD
5 NEWSPAPERS, 11 BLACKSMITH SHOPS, 3 BARBER SHOPS AND 12 SALOONS.
WE HAVE TAVERNS NOW....ABOUT 3 OR 4. ANOTHER HALF DOZEN OR
SO PLACES WHERE YOU CAN BUY A BEER, BUT THEY ARE NOT CONSIDERED A TAVERN.

HAVE A GOOD WEEK.

DENNIS

HERE IS BOB LARKEY (LEFT) OF MAQUOKETA!
EVERYONE IN AGRICULTURE KNOWS BOB,
IN JACKSON, CLINTON AND JONES COUNTIES...
AND BEYOND. IN THIS PHOTO, JASON KURT,
PRESIDENT OF THE JONES COUNTY CATTLMEN'S BOARD, PRESENTED BOB A PLAQUE AFTER BEING INDUCTED INTO THE JONES COUNTY CATTLEMEN'S HALL OF FAME.
HE WAS PRESENTED THE AWARD RECENTLY AT
THEIR BANQUET ATTENDED BY ABOUT 500 PEOPLE. BOB, AGE 66, WAS BORN ON A JONES
COUNTY FARM. BOB AND HIS WIFE MYRNA PURCHASED MAQUOKETA LIVESTOCK SALES
31 YEARS AGO AND HE STILL HAS SALES ON A FAIRLY REGULAR SCHEDULE AFTER ALREADY SELLING OVER 2 MILLION HEAD OF CATTLE AT HIS SALE BARN AT THE SOUTH PART OF MAQUOKETA. HE IS AN AUCTIONEER AND
FOR MANY YEARS, HIS HOBBY WAS HARNESS
HORSE RACING. HE IS ALWAYS HELPING TO
PROMOTE AGRICULTURE AND SUPPORTS 4-H,
FFA AND OTHER AG ORGANIZATIONS. I SAW
BOB AND MYRNA AT THE DAIRY BANQUET
SATURDAY NIGHT. CONGRATULATIONS BOB!
THIS PHOTO CAME FROM THE MIDLAND TIMES NEWSPAPER IN WYOMING, ONE OF
SEVERAL SMALL TOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPERS IN THE AREA. THE OTHERS ARE IN PRESTON, CLARENCE AND LOWDEN. THEY ALL DO A GOOD JOB AND THE TOWNS
ARE LUCKY TO HAVE THEM. MY THEATRE MOVIES ARE ADVERTISED IN THEM WEEKLY.
CLICK-ON THE PHOTO AND IT WILL ENLARGE A LITTLE. CLICK-ON IT A SECOND TIME AND IT WILL GET EVEN LARGER.
DENNIS VOY

NANCY AND I ATTENDED THE
CLINTON-JACKSON 23RD
ANNUAL DAIRY BANQUET SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE
FAIRGROUNDS. NICE DINNER,
FOLLOWED BY BUSINESS
MEETING. SHOWN AT LEFT,
NICOLE TRENKAMP OF
PRESTON, WHO WILL REIGN
FOR 2ND YEAR AS DAIRY PRINCESS. LITTLE SIR
DAIRY MAN AUSTIN HOLDGRAFER
OF BELLEVUE WILL SERVE A
SECOND YEAR ALSO AND
THE NEW 2011 DAIRY AMBASSADOR
IN BLUE SHIRT IS SHAWN BANOWETZ OF CHARLOTTE. THE LITTLE MISS DIARY MAID IS DELANEY BARBER OF DEWITT BUT WAS NOT IN ATTENDANCE SATURDAY NIGHT. DWAIN KILBURG, DAIRY FARMER BETWEEN SPRINGBROOK AND BELLEVUE IS PRESIDENT OF THE ORGAINIZATION AND SERVED AS EMCEE AND HIS WIFE BARB WAS AGAIN CHAIRMAN OF THE EVENT. GOOD JOB BY THE KILBURGS AS USUAL. DWAIN AND SON DAVE ALSO GOT AN AWARD FROM THE DHIA FOR THEIR MILK PRODUCTION THE PAST YEAR. ATTENDANCE DOWN A BIT, BUT STILL A GOOD TURNOUT. TWO MORE
PHOTOS BELOW.

MANY AG BUSINESS PLACES IN
CLINTON AND JACKSON COUNTY
CONTRIBUTE TO THE ANNUAL
DAIRY BANQUET AND ALSO
ATTEND THE EVENT.
GOT THIS PHOTO OF BOB AND
JACKIE MITCHELL RIGHT AFTER JACKIE WON THE GIFT IN FRONT
OF HER. THEY ARE OWNERS
OF MAQUOKETA FEEDS-MITCHELL MASKREY FEED AND
SEED IN MAQUOKETA.
CLICK-ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE IT.

NEIL HEWITT OF NEVADA, IOWA,
AND A SENIOR AT IOWA STATE
UNIVERSITY, WAS THE
ENTERTAINER (WITH HIS BAND)
AT DAIRY BANQUET SATURDAY
NIGHT. HE RECORDED A CD IN
NASHVILLE AND HAS A GOOD
COUNTRY SOUND.