News

The "Scouting for Food" collection was held this last Saturday and benefitted the Vinton Food Pantry. As of September, the food pantry has been able to help feed 3,406 people!The local scouts who are shown with the collection included from left to right:Josh JonesElliott DownsWill GiegerVinnie BowenCarter Smith

Corral your credit card, capture your crochet hooks, and k-nab your k-nitting needles—Friends of the Center Point Library needs winter hats, mittens, and scarves for the Library Giving Tree. ‘Winter warmers,’ purchased new or newly handmade by you, may be put on the tree in November and December to be donated to those who need them, baby to grandparent size.

The Palace Theatre might have a bone to pick with you. With all of the fun and giggles that the scarecrows have added to the community, there is always someone that will ruin a bit of the fun. If anyone knows who made off with the third skeleton at the Vinton Palace Theater, please tell that bag of bones to return the skeleton. The two remaining skeletons are missing him.

Who knew that Scarecrows on every corner would make Vinton more enjoyable to drive through? Vinton Parks and Recreation did!Below is a list of all of the businesses competing in the Scarecrow contest. Some scarecrows are located inside of the businesses and some outside. There is a link at the bottom to view photos of some of the Scarecrows. If you are a business owners, you are more than welcome to snap a photo and zap it to my phone at 319-202-4125 and I'll add it to the album!Thanks everyone for participating and giving the rest of us something to smile about!Contestants:1.

The family of Nathan Hesson partnered with Vinton Parks and Recreation Department on Saturday night to organize a Glow Fun Run on Nathan's Miles Glow Trail. Several activities took place including music, yard games, and of course, lots of things that glowed. Opal & Hazel Pizza & the Lions trailer were on hand to feed the crowd as well.Most in the community remember Hesson for his smile, thus Nathan's Mile Glow Trail was given to the trail.

The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) helps qualifying low-income Iowa homeowners and renters pay for a portion of their primary heating costs for the winter heating season. The assistance is based on household income, household size, type of fuel, and type of housing.The program is now accepting applications for households who have a member that is at least 60 years of age, or disabled, or where disconnection is imminent.

Back when Jimmy Carter was president a man joined the Benton County Secondary Roads Department. Larry Christianson joined the Benton County crew in June of 1978 driving one of those big rigs known as a maintainer. He finally parked his machine for the last time in September of 2021.Larry has a son and daughter and is the husband of Deb. Previously he did a stint in the United States Army, worked on a farm and later at Collins Radio in Cedar Rapids.

By: Co-Reporter, Grace Schminke On Saturday October 9th, the Vinton-Shellsburg FFA Chapter gave meals to farmers at the Shellsburg Elevator. The chapter gathered in Shellsburg at 10 A.M. on Saturday to begin preparing the meals. The meals included a pulled pork sandwich donated by the Benton County Pork Producers, a cookie, a bag of chips, and their choice of a drink.

Angel Tree is once again looking for a building to host in. It needs to be one level. If you know of a building please let LaNette or Sarah Parker know. Any suggestions or ideas are welcome at this point. Also, beginning November 1st, you can sign your kids up for the Angel Tree program, if you need assistance. We anticipate helping a lot of families this year so don't delay signing up.

By: Isabel Mullinex, Co-ReporterOn Monday, October 4th, the Vinton-Shellsburg FFA hosted their annual Local Greenhand Fire Up Event. This event is specifically for the new members of our chapter, but all members are encouraged to help plan the event so they can influence the future of the chapter. Eight first-year members participated, while the officer team and other members of the Personal Growth Committee joined.