Euchre will again be starting at Pep’s in Algona on Tuesday, Jan. 7 at 6:45 p.m.

If you need a partner or for more information, call Elaine at 515-320-3719.

Trees are accepted at the Veterans Park compost site, along with brush, leaves, grass clippings and other yard and garden waste.

When disposing of a real tree at the Veterans Park compost site, please follow these steps.

First, undecorate the tree. Remove all ornaments, decorations, tinsel, lights, wires, and/or tree stands from the tree before bringing it to the compost pile.

Only real trees can be composted. Artificial trees are not accepted.

The month of January has been home to many historical events over the years. Here’s a look at some that helped to shape the world in January 1925.

• Christiania, the capital city of Norway, is renamed “Oslo” on January 1.

New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day are a time to both reflect on the past year and to look forward to the excitement the months ahead will bring. There may be confetti, there are probably noisemakers and some bubbly is likely overflowing from champagne flutes.

After the rush of the holiday season has largely ended, and the excess of the season starts to weigh on celebrants’ minds, it is customary for many people to start thinking about the changes they want to implement in the new year. According to a Pew Research Center survey of United States adults conducted in January 2024, 30 percent of people reported making at least one resolution, with half of this group making more than one.

Each New Year’s Eve, thousands of revelers gather at the intersection of Seventh Avenue, Broadway and 42nd Street in the heart of New York City’s “Times Square” to count down the final moments of the year. Millions more watch the festivities on television. This annual tradition is something people look forward to each December, with many making pilgrimages from far and wide to stand outside for hours just to be at the crossroads of the world.

“Auld Lang Syne” is a Scottish poem that was written by Robert Burns in 1788. Burns claimed when he wrote the words down and put them to music, and later sent them the poem to the Scots Musical Museum, that “Auld Lang Syne” was an ancient song, but he had been the first to record it on paper.

Winter weather is welcomed by some and loathed by others. Some want to hibernate until the mercury rises and the warm sun returns, while others relish in the crisp air, fluffy snow and the absence of insects.

A retirement party was held for outgoing Algona Area Chamber of Commerce Director Vicki Mallory on Saturday, Dec. 14 at the River Road Golf Course.

For more than 32 years Mallory served the Algona Community and was the driving force behind many community activities, fundraisers and events.

Photos below in order:

Part of the crowd at Mallory’s retirement party.

There are 26 businesses participating in the drawing, with each business offering a prize valued for at least $400. The Chamber pays for $250 of each weekly prize and the business chosen each week pays the remainder. A business can only be chosen one time.Avery Pedersen photo.

CLIVE — A northern Iowa woman has won a $50,000 lottery prize.

Cynthia “Thia” Allum of Algona won the second top prize in the Iowa Lottery’s “Cyclone™” scratch game. She purchased her winning ticket at Akron Stop, 107 U.S. Highway 18 in Algona, and claimed her prize Friday at the lottery’s Mason City regional office.

By Molly Montag, News Correspondent

The city of Algona’s annual budgeting process will begin next month.

Officials expect to begin working on the fiscal year 2025-26 budget during the Jan. 6 Algona City Council meeting. The process includes reviewing revenues, property taxes and department budgets. There are two public hearings and two special council meetings planned. It will end with a budget hearing and adoption on April 21.

An open house was held at the Fenton Public Library to honor Director Lori Peterson, at left in red, who is retiring from her position at the library. The new director will be Karin Walmer.

Also at the Fenton Public Library, visitors at the were able to decorate Gingerbread houses the first week of December.

Submitted photos.

The Oliver’s Light Foundation has established an endowment fund with the Kossuth County Community Foundation to ensure its mission of assisting animal rescue groups continues for generations to come. This fund will provide a secure way for donors to support the organization’s efforts to bring shelter, care and hope to animals in need.

By Molly Montag, News Correspondent

Two children were checked out at a local hospital after a crash west of Algona.

The Kossuth County Sheriff’s Office says the two juveniles were in a 2005 GMC Canyon pick-up that hit a patch of glare ice and went off  210th Street, known locally as the McGregor blacktop, at about 4:05 p.m., Dec. 17.