Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, May 28, 1981

Ringgold county residents were continuing the cleanup process this week after a storm front spawned tornadoes that did hundred of thousands of dollars worth of damage across the county Saturday evening. The storm traveled across the county in a northeasterly direction hitting first around Benton, doing extensive damage to the Jerry WIMER farm northwest of Mount Ayr, destroying trailers and cabins at Loch Ayr north of Mount Ayr and continuing on through the rural area between Beaconsfield and Ellston. A combine is no match for the winds of a tornado as the Jerry WIMER'S machine proved Saturday night. The machine was picked up, taken across the road and wrapped around a pole.

Some damage was done to buildings in the Benton area, with the worst damage to the Clarence BARKER farm, a mile west of Benton. Clarence BARKER was in the steel building machine shed there when the tornado collapsed the building, totally demolishing it and causing some damage to farm machinery inside. Trees in the area were also twisted. BARKER escaped with only a minor injury and the homes near the building were not damaged beyond some glass breakage.

Cynde HICKMAN was named valedictorian and Valerie KLEJCH was named salutatorian when awards and scholarships were announced at the senior awards day at Mount Ayr Community high school May 22. HICKMAN is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Dwight HICKMAN of Mount Ayr and KLEJCH is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Norman KLEJCH of rural Diagonal.

A health and exercise center will open in Mount Ayr early in June, according to Rick STULL and Lynn RINEHART. Sport Life is the name of the new center which will be located in the remodeled building at 303 East Monroe. According to current plans, the building will include exercise equipment and machines such as stationary bicycles, treadmills, vibrating belts and rowing machines, weight lifting equipment and a portable sauna. Shower, dressing room and rest room facilities are also included. Plans call for the facility to be open six days a week with designated hours for women and men. Exercise classes are planned in the future.

Kendall COLEMAN and Tom SICKELS were named as Iowa Farmers at the state FFA convention held in Sioux City April 23-25. COLEMAN is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Bill COLEMAN and SICKELS, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Gene SICKELS. All are from Kellerton.

May 20, a son to Mr. and Mrs. James SHANNON, Shannon City

OBITUARIES in Nay 28, 1981 Mount Ayr Record-News:

Judson Ivan VANDERPOOL   Irolene Marie BASS ROBERTS

Transciption by Sharon R. Becker, September of 2012

To submit your Ringgold County items, contact the County Coordinator.
Please include the word "Ringgold" in the subject line. Thank you.

 

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