There's a birthday party on the horizon! Easter will be over in a couple of weeks and then ... a birthday!
Maybe you thought Easter was over already, but the season of Easter is 50 days long, beginning on Easter Sunday and continuing for the next seven Sundays, ending (this year) on the second of June. So what comes next? The birthday of the church (also known as Pentecost) on June 9.
Read the whole column in the May 23 Advance.

S&B Farmstead Distillery's Sir Winston Bourbon earned a bronze medal in the 2019 Great American International Spirits competition in Rochester, N.Y.
More than 300 entries from around the world were judged by master distillers, certified spirits educators, brand ambassadors and spirits industry writers and consultants.
Read the complete story in the May 23 Kossuth County Advance.

Those interested can look at the stars and constellations underneath an inflatable planetarium at the Burt Activity Complex.
The sky lab planetarium will be at the complex Monday, June 10 at 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. Naturalist Billie Willie said a chance to see stars and constellations is for any age, but she encourages those 8 and older to attend because they will be inside in the dark for 45 minutes to an hour.
Read more about it in the May 23 Kossuth County Advance.

A social studies class on World War II prompted Algona High School senior Rorrie Menke to conduct two oral interviews with Kossuth County veterans.
"It really brought everything into perspective," said Menke, "what they had gone through and what each person's role was." The National WWII Museum in New Orleans named Menke a recipient of the 2019 Billy Michal Student Leadership award.
Read the complete story in the May 23 Kossuth County Advance.

What began as a quest to help just one veteran has turned into a full-blown program that now has two warehouses full of supplies to help veterans with nothing.
The impetus behind Moving Veterans Forward came in 2011 when Algona Police Officer John Emswiler met Ron Hernandez, a disabled veteran. Hernandez had been shot twice, blown up and saw fellow soldiers die. Emswiler became Herndez' partner in the project.
Read the entire story in the May 23 Kossuth County Advance.

The clouds parted, and the sun even peeked out for our opening day of the Kossuth County Farmers Market last Saturday. It was a wonderful first day.

Those who are interested in agriculture and what happens on farms received some more information during an Educational Partners: Agriculture and Kids (EPAK) event recently at the Palo Alto County Fairgrounds.
"We want to help youth understand that agriculture impacts their lives whether they live on a farm or not," said Lisa Berkland, 4-H youth development specialist for six counties, including Kossuth County.

The third time is the charm for Bishop Garrigan Schools Pastoral Director Jake Rosenmeyer. This summer he will be in a St. Louis seminary to begin six years of training to become a Catholic priest.
Read the entire story in the May 16 Kossuth County Advance.

One hundred Algona High School seniors are scheduled to graduate during commencement Sunday, May 19.
The ceremony will be in the high school gymnasium beginning at 2 p.m. The public is welcome to attend.
Read more in the May 16 Kossuth County Advance.

Bishop Garrigan graduated 33 students in its class of 2019. The ceremony was held Sunday in the Friedmann Auditorium.
The 59-minute ceremony included recognition for academic honors and scholarships.
Read more in the May 16 Kossuth County Advance.

Several organizations worked together to supply a 2019 Caterpillar CUV-85 utility vehicle and an Alumna trailer. It was all to help the wounded veterans served by the Hunting with Heroes charity.

The fourth annual Mayor's Prayer Breakfast raised $3,000 that was distributed to the Algona Family YMCA Day Care Center on May 8. The money will replace toys, add STEM activities and provide hands-on activities for children, 3 years old to fifth grade.
Read more in the May 16 Kossuth County Advance.

A new business will go into the building that houses The Chocolate Season.
"It is exciting and scary all in the same opportunity," said Nick Graf, owner of The Feed Mill. "Our plan is to keep everything as similar as we can. We will have the exact menu to start with," he said.
Read the whole story in the May 16 Kossuth County Advance.

The first Kossuth County Veterans Honor Dinner will be Saturday, May 25 from 3 to 7 p.m. at Don Tietz' Ranger Station, 400 W. Tietz St.
There are more than 100 people scheduled to attend the event, with more possible.
Get the details in the May 16 Kossuth County Advance.

Riley Rosenmeyer learned a lot in a short period of time at an international Career Development Conference in Orlando, Fla.
"What I got out of it was definitely a lot of public speaking, which is good because you need to be confident," she said.
Read more about the conference in the May 16 Advance.