News

Vinton Unlimited is pleased to announce applications are now being accepted for the HOT Grant Award (Hotel Occupancy Tax). This grant fund is made possible through the collection of the hotel/motel tax within the City of Vinton. Groups that hold community events, work to promote the City of Vinton or encourage people to visit Vinton are encouraged to apply.

The Benton County Salvation Army Red Kettle Bell ringing campaign will kick off on Monday, November 22nd this year and run through December 24th. It will be at our usual location: Vinton's Fareway Grocery Store. Please call Julie Hansen 319-329-7119 to sign up for a time to ring the bell, whether groups or individuals. Due to COVID-19, all volunteers, masks, hand sanitizer, and rubber gloves will be available on site.

Anthony Church and students presented a program on Strength Training and Speed Work available to 6th, 7th and 8th-grade students in the Vinton Shellsburg School District. Anthony Church is a PE teacher and Home School Assistance Facilitator at the Shellsburg School. The Strength Training program began 5 years ago with about 10 children attending.

 Vinton Lions Club 100th Celebration activities included upgrades and improvements to Lions Field. Fifty years ago this year Vinton Lions built and opened the community’s slow-pitch softball field. The upgrades and improvements will provide an improved experience for current players/spectators as well as prospective users. Lions Club members Larry Druschel, Mike Barron, Dean Schminke, and several others over the past year have replaced the dugouts installing new concrete, upgraded benches, upgraded fencing and roof, and provided storage for bats, balls and gloves.

Tomorrow I will be working as an election worker which means, today's email includes a mega list of everything you need to know about the election. Usually, my phone rings on election day with questions about where to vote, who's running in whatever precinct, etc. All of that information is in this article. I have republished all of the information about the candidates as well, and they should appear in your email.

The traditional Vinton Parks and Recreation downtown Halloween event took place Saturday, as hundreds of children dressed in creative costumes and played games on the courthouse lawn followed by a parade through the downtown to visit area businesses. Nearly 400 children along with their parents and grandparents participated.To see pictures of the parade, click here.

Steve Woodruff, of the Iowa Iowa River Wildlife Unit branch of the DNR,and wildlife management biologist for our area, spoke to the Vinton Kiwanis Club on Tuesday. The public wildlife areas that he covers are in the counties of Linn, Benton, Iowa, Cedar, Johnson, Tama, Marshall, and some of Poweshiek.Woodruff manages two crews. One is the Hawkeye Wildlife Unit, which is in the Otter Creek Marsh, also covering the outlying areas there, and the other covers Dudgeon Lake and the Red Fox area.

The Benton County Volunteer Program has quietly operated in Benton County since 1974. Originally the group was known as RSVP, Retired Seniors Volunteer Program. In 2001 the group reorganized with the help of the Benton County Supervisors. The group assists members in the community that cannot drive but are in need of transportation to get to doctors' appointments.

A second theft occurred this week from one of the area businesses. An area thief thought that it was okay to steal the hat off of the scarecrow at Michael & Dowd. Sure, it's "just" a hat, but it was not YOUR hat. The business decided to also take the duck decoys down before they too disappeared, then they figured that they would just take the whole display down.

Vinton Lions Club donated $3,000 to the Vinton-Shellsburg Boosters. During the high school football season, Vinton Lions Club sets up the food trailer at the VS Karr Athletic Complex providing hand-cut tenderloins, funnel cakes, potato bites and sno-cones. This season was a great success with beautiful weather and bountiful crowds of people enjoying the football season.