Akron Hometowner serving Akron, IA, Westfield, IA and Hawarden, IA with Local News, Sports and What's Happening in the community.
Summer’s over, school’s back in session
Akron-Westfield students returned to school August 19 during a heat wave. Above, students were asked to “Imagine, Imagine, Imagine!” as Dennis Hultgren of Hoschler Post No. 186 of The American Legion gave a welcoming speech. “Sometimes we imagine things that may happen to us. Sometimes we think of things that we worry may happen, and sometimes we think of things that we hope will happen to us. We look with anticipation for the beginning of a new school year here at Akron-Westfield. We are mostly happy to be back with our friends and teachers. We are very fortunate for this wonderful opportunity,” Hultgren said.
Joy Hollow Camp’s fate is being assessed ‘Save Camp’
Rally set for Sunday in Sioux City by Julie Ann Madden The 360-acre Joy Hollow Girl Scout Camp near Westfield has served thousands of Girl Scout troops and area families for many years. However, for the past several months an internal Property Task Force has been reviewing the camp’s continued viability. Three years ago, the Sioux Trails Girl Scouts Council, based in Sioux City, was merged into the Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa (GSGI) with headquarters in Des Moines with regional Leadership Centers in Fort Dodge, Sioux City, Council Bluffs and Mason City. All activities are planned in Des Moines. On Monday evening, Task Force Chairperson Laura Lindstrom told more than 100 people present the camp needed $425,000 in improvements and her group was considering entering a partnership with a consortium consisting of the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, Plymouth County Conservation Board, Nature Conservancy and Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Before the environmental groups would consider a partnership, they required an appraisal be done, and the Task Force had approved allowing the consortium to do so at that groups’ expense. Past and present area Girl Scout leaders, volunteers and troop members made allegations of financial mismanagement, incompetent headquarter staff, and inadequate services at camp since the merger. Lindstrom nor GSGI’s CEO Karen Grode could provide answers to the concerns. Grode and Lindstrom denied the intent of Task Force was to sell the camp and to end Girl Scout camping at Joy Hollow; however, they also said they had not defined “partnership” nor discussed any terms of the partnership with the consortium. It was noted their only goal was to form a partnership for the camp. They had not done any fund-raising, set up a Capital Campaign or asked the local Girl Scout supporters to raise funds to save the camp. Grode agreed to set another meeting in six weeks with concerned public and to lift GSGI’s and the Task Force’s veil of secrecy regarding the camp and this Girl Scout region as well as solve communication issues with local members and the public. The former Sioux Trail Girl Scout region includes about 2,000 girls in eight counties: Plymouth, Woodbury, Sioux, Monona, Ida and Cherokee and parts of Dakota County, Neb., and Vermillion and Elk Point in Clay and Union Counties, South Dakota. The Akron-Westfield School District has approximately 60 Girl Scouts members and the West Sioux School District has 24. Joy Hollow Camp, which is located in the heart of Plymouth County’s Loess Hills, includes both primitive (tent) camping in an undeveloped area and camping in buildings on stilts called “tree houses.” There are six tree houses, five of which sleep eight and one that sleeps six. The camp has a large lodge for gatherings, a swimming pool and outdoor shelter house. The property also includes the camp ranger’s house, and Danny Dean of Westfield is the current camp ranger. No date was set for the next public meeting.
Joy Hollow-Girl Scout supporters ban together to save camp
by Julie Ann Madden Joy Hollow Camp is not the first Girl Scout Camp in Iowa or the nation to face the selling block. Recently in Iowa, Camp Lakota in Fort Dodge was sold, and Camp Neyati, located 14 miles south of Council Bluffs, is in the process of being sold. In addition to Joy Hollow Camp, there are still three other Iowa camps: Camp Tanglefoot near Mason City; Camp Juliette near Marshalltown; and Camp Sacajawea at Boone, which is the next closest camp to this area. With the closing and sale of the Council Bluffs camp, Joy Hollow Camp now serves approximately 4,000 Girl Scouts in western Iowa, including 2,000 in the Siouxland region. “We don’t want to lose our Girl Scout camp,” said Girl Scout volunteer Janelle Perrin. “There would be 4,000 girls that would go without anything.” The Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa Task Force has been negotiating the sale of Joy Hollow Camp for months, said Perrin, who had been employed at the Sioux City Girl Scout Office until she disagreed with this goal. “They’ve been doing it quietly,” she said. “They didn’t want any opposition. With other camp closings and sales, the people didn’t know about it until it was over.” “We don’t want it that way here,” said Perrin, who has organized a Save Joy Hollow Rally for Sunday. It will be held from 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. at the Tyson Event Center in Sioux City. All supporters of Girl Scouts are encouraged to attend. This past weekend, Save Joy Hollow organizers were at Sioux City Hy-Vee stores where they gathered over 700 signatures on a petition and collected more than $1,700 to save Joy Hollow Camp. “We’re raising funds to fix whatever they say is wrong at Joy Hollow,” said Perrin, adding a fund is being set up at Security National Bank and an organization, “Save Joy Hollow” has been created. According to Perrin, Girl Scouts has been known for its cookies, camps and crafts but now at the organization’s national level, the focus is on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). “That’s fine,” said Perrin, adding the local troops participate in STEM activities, “but they need not brand all of us because one size doesn’t fit us all.” “They do research in New York and big cities,” she said. “They don’t consider what rural girls want. They aren’t taking everything into consideration.” “Our efforts are to prevent the sale of Joy Hollow Camp,” said Perrin, who hopes that with enough support from the public that Girl Scouts officials in Des Moines will not sell the local camp. Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa CEO Karen Grode told the public at a meeting Monday that all donations marked “For Joy Hollow Camp” must be spent on the camp. For more information on saving the camp, contact Perrin at 712-490-5696.
A-W football: hungry for more success by Steve Peterson
Being hungry for more football success is one ingredient that every one of
the 2010 Akron- Westerners has in common as the new season debuts. Third
year A-W Head Coach Graham Lundt includes himself in that group. “They’re
all very passionate about football,” Lundt said. “They worked hard in the
off-season, and love to play football.” The Westerners, Class A, have a
great opportunity in the season opener to play ranked 1A Hinton to renew a
rivalry on a big stage, the CNOS Foundation Classic, at 4:30 p.m. Aug. 28.
“Everyone in the state can come to see us play. It’s a tribute to the
teams we have had here in the past, and an opportunity for this year’s
team,” Lundt said of the game at Morningside College’s turf. The most
recent A-W team went 8-3 last year. The squad beat Algona-Bishop Garrigan
41-0 in the substate round, only to fall 28-14 in a well-played game at
Southern Cal in the first round. Familiar names, Christopher Carlson (902
yards and 17 touchdowns), QB Eric Eskra (1.264 yards passing and 10
touchdowns) and Derek Appley, Grant DeRocher (named all-Class A with
Carlson by Iowa Newspaper Association) and other leaders are gone, but new
heroes are waiting their turn in the Friday night spotlight. “The seniors
are all great leaders. One example, and there are many I could tell you
for hours, is that the senior offensive linemen were giving tips to the
freshmen offensive line,” Lundt said. Senior leaders, designated as such
on the roster, are: running back Tanner Bundy, 5-10, 190, who rushed for
381 yards and six touchdowns last fall and who also is slated at a
linebacker; one of the leading area punters is Ben Wolthuizen, 6-1, 205,
also a running back linebacker; Evan Meinen, 6-0, 165, wide receiver,
linebacker; lineman Andrew Thompson, 5-8, 255; lineman Nick Milbrod
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