Diane Nall was born on Dec. 24, 1946 and will be celebrating her 70th birthday this year.
Her family, including her husband, Dave Nall, and their children, Wade Nall, Kayla Walker and Mark Nall, along with five grandchildren, are encouraging family and friends to shower her with cards to help her celebrate.
Cards and well wishes will reach her at 206 Linn Street, Corwith, IA 50430.

Jeff and Pam (Price) Morris were married on December 18, 1976, in Toddville.
The couple will be celebrating their 40th anniversary this year. The couple resides in rural Wesley and both remain self-employed farmers. 
The couple has four children, including J.D and Heidi Morris of Algona, Autumn and Dan Canny of Batavia, Dale and Melissa Morris of Aurora, Colo., and Kellie and Aaron Siefken of Algona. The couple has also been blessed with 10 grandchildren. 

The first snowstorm of the season did not materialize to what was predicted in Kossuth County. However, 4-5 inches did hit the area, but it wasn’t the almost 8 inches of snow that was expected in other areas of the state.
“It kind of fizzled from what they were expecting,” said Algona Public Works Director Ron Covert. “Late Saturday night, we were forecasted to have another 4-5 inches. It never materialized.”

ALGONA — A plant-based food diet has helped Bishop Garrigan High School teacher Marty Wadle lose 20 pounds, as well as lower his cholesterol levels. He is now feeling much better about his health.
“I am more self-confident about my health change,” Wadle said. “Catching this now is going to make huge changes for the future.”

ALGONA — Fifty boys and girls received special gifts during a Christmas ‘Truck and Doll for Kids” celebration at Trinity Lutheran Church on Thursday, Dec. 8.
“This is a true act of love,” said Barb Bitterman, a member of the
TLC Quilters of Trinity Lutheran Church that helped organize the event.

Dick Oppenheimer was born on Dec. 25, 1926 and will be celebrating his 90th birthday this year. Family and friends are encouraged to shower him with cards to help him celebrate. An open house is being held in his honor from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 17, at the Burlington Senior Center, 501 Jefferson Street, in Burlington. A card shower is also being held in his honor. Cards and well wishes will reach him at 2501 Mt. Pleasant Street #51, Burlington, IA 52601. 

Art Kahler will be celebrating his 75th birthday this year and his family is honoring him with a surprise birthday open house. 
Family and friends are encouraged to surprise him on Saturday, Dec. 17, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Burt Community Center. 
It is requested that no gifts are brought to the surprise open house.

Hadlee Jean Schindler

ALGONA — State Street was busy with people walking and stopping to hear Christmas solos and peeking into windows to see various activities during the 26th annual Live Greeting Card Windows.

ALGONA — Each year the tour of a Christmas house on the corner of McGregor and Finn streets provides those leaving a taste for the Christmas season.
“I’m amazed at what people say,” said Henry Ricke. “It reminds them of fond memories. There are a lot of people saying, ‘I am going to go home and get started.’ They get more into the spirit, the whole fascination of Christmas.”

ALGONA — The reason that people flock to The Algona Nativity Scene during the Christmas season is the story. 
“It has become a family tradition,” said Marvin Chickering, who has been a mainstay at the Algona Nativity Scene for many years. “This is heartwarming in itself. There are so many people who come to our town clueless of the story.”

ALGONA — Each year the Tacos for Tots seems to get larger. And its creator — Noe Villarreal — wouldn’t have it any other way.
“We have to help those little kids, because they don’t understand what’s going on,” he said in between dishing out his tacos on Monday, Nov. 28, at the United Methodist Church. “They know Santa Claus is coming to their house.  If they don’t get a present, they won’t be able to understand why. They’ll ask themselves now what did I do wrong?”

Piper Grace Latch
Steve and Christa Latch of Manley are the proud parents of a baby girl, Piper Grace, born Monday, Nov. 21, at Mercy Medical Center in Mason City. 
She weighed 7 pounds 7 ounces and was 19.5 inches long at birth. Maternal grandparents are Dave and Shelly Harms of Burt. Great grandparents are Dale and Bertha Helmers of Titonka. 
Steve and Christa are both employed at Kraft Foods in Mason City.
 
Daisy Ave Luella Smith

High School dance teams in Kossuth County are making final preparations for this week’s state dance competition.
Algona High School, Bishop Garrigan High School, North Union High School and West Bend-Mallard High School will all have dance teams competing in Des Moines, Dec. 1-2. Over the two-day period, there will be more than 550 routines. Each team is entered by dance category.
 
For more on this story, read the Dec. 1 issue of the Algona Upper Des Moines.

ALGONA — Making history was something Courtney Noonan had thought about since she won her first individual dance competition as a ninth-grader.
Three years later, the Bishop Garrigan High School senior joined elite company when she became a 3-time state dance champion at the Iowa State Dance Solo championships earlier this month.
“This year I was so excited to finish it out my last year winning,” Noonan said. “It was my best performance ever.”