Van Horne Newsletter – April/May 2012

Van Horne Community Newsletter April 2012

Greetings Van Horne area residents!

Looks like we are back to a more normal weather pattern with colder nights and fluctuating daytime temps. The corn planters are starting to emerge and by the time you get this I am sure there will be a lot of them in the field planting corn. This is also my busiest time of year so now as with basically all the time you are better off to contact Linda at city hall rather than me with your city concerns to start the process, you will probably get faster results.

The community room, library, city hall project is moving along. The volunteer fund-raising group has been meeting for several weeks now, they now have the brochures for the project and will be starting to contact area residents for campaign donations. Keep in mind this is a project for not only your existing families but also for generations to come. This project is not only for city residents, rural residents will also get a lot of use out of these facilities.

There is talk of a workday at the rec fields to spruce up and clean up, date and time to be determined. If you think this is something you would like to be involved with contact Linda at city hall so we can contact you when plans are set. Dates to keep in mind, Saturday, May 5 garage sales in Van Horne and Monday, May 7, cleanup day sponsored by the Businessmen’s group and the Lions.

Thought for the month – The only thing you can change is yourself, but sometime that changes everything.

Thanks for your time and have a great spring.

Your Mayor, Marty

Dates on Deck

April 18 – Movie at 1:30 p.m. @ the library

April 22 – Lions Pancake Breakfast from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.@ the emergency response station

April 24 – Senior citizens luncheon at noon @ the emergency response station

May 2 – Movie at 1:30 p.m. @ the library

May 4 – Preschool Story Time at 10 a.m. @ the library

May 5 – Town-wide garage sales 8 a.m. – noon

May 5 – Lions garage sale, baked goods, and lunch at city park, 8 a.m. – noon

May 7 – Citywide cleanup

May 7 – Library board meeting at 5:30 pm @ the library

May 11 – Book Club at 3:30 p.m. @ the library

May 14 – Van Horne City Council meeting at 6:30 p.m. @ city hall

May 16 – Movie at 1:30 p.m. @ the library

June 1 – Relay For Life @ Vinton-Shellsburg High School Track beginning 6 p.m.

June 9 – Van Horne Music Fest

 

Citywide Cleanup

Cleanup Day is Monday, May 7. As in previous years this is a cooperative effort between the City of Van Horne, Van Horne Businessmen, the Van Horne Lions and Umbarger Recycling. We ask that you have items at the curb (no alleys) by 8 a.m. on Monday, May 7. Please separate metal items, Umbarger Recycling will pick up all metal, including ranges and air conditioners. All other items will be picked up and transported to the landfill. HAZARDOUS MATERIALS WILL NOT BE PICKED UP. No charges for this service except landfill fees. The charges are listed below. If you have an item to discard for which there is a charge, we ask you to prepay. You may send or drop off your payment to city hall, please make checks payable to Van Horne Lions. If you have special circumstances or questions contact Linda at City Hall, 319-228-8238.

a. Appliances (including microwaves) $10

b. Tires (per tire) No truck or tractor tires

Car or pickup off rim $5

Car or pickup on rim $10

Truck tires off rim $8

Truck tires on rim $13

c. LP tanks from grills $10

d. Computer monitor or tower $10

e. Printers  $ 6

f. Televisions

Under 19 inch $10.00

Over 19 inch $20.00

Console $25.00

Pet registrations are past due: Remember to register all pets over six months of age. After March 1 registration is $25 per pet and increases each month. The intent of the registration is to help identify lost or at large animals and offset the expense of dealing with at large animals. In the past three years the system has worked very well and many lost pets were returned to their owners with very little hassle. We have noticed a substantial reduction of the number of pets registered. Remember if your pet is not registered and is found it will be sent to the shelter, and to retrieve them cost more and can be a hassle, why not just obey the law and register them?

Rec board openings: Have you ever wanted to get involved in the City’s Rec Department? Do you have any new and fresh ideas for fundraising or activities? Now is the perfect opportunity. We are in dire need of individuals whom wish to assist the city in continuing to provide safe, and fun activities for our youth. Please contact city hall if you would be willing to serve on this board.

Garage sales: It’s that time of year again. Citywide garage sales have been scheduled for Saturday, May 5. So it’s time to start cleaning out those closets and drawers. Sign up sheets will once again be available at the phone company or the bank, sign up fee is $3 to cover the cost of the advertising. If you have questions you can contact Stacey Gorkow.

Benton County American Cancer Relay For Life: The Relay For Life will be held on Friday evening, June 1, at the Vinton-Shellsburg track, Vinton. Flag-raising and opening ceremonies will begin at 6 p.m., Survivor’s Lap at 7 p.m. (Team members may begin registering at 5 p.m.). Caregivers’ and sponsors’ laps are being planned also. Names of loved ones dealing with cancer or lost to the disease will be read during the relay, as well as all the relay sponsors, team sponsors and individual teams. The lighting of the luminaries will begin at dusk. If you have questions, interested in having a team, or need luminary forms contact local volunteers: Sally Donald (228-8148), Pam Claassen (228-8685) or Ev Wiebke (228-8348).

 

LIONS NEWS

Pancake Breakfast: Sunday, April 22 the Lions will host a pancake breakfast at the Van Horne Emergency Response Station. Proceeds from the breakfast will support Van Horne Future Green. Breakfast will be served from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Thanks for your support of our events and the community.

Garage Sales: On Saturday, May 5, the Lions will hold a garage sale in the city park. Proceeds from this event will support the new Van Horne library, city hall and community center Buildings project. In addition to garage sale items, a lunch concession will also be available at the park. Donations of your items will be accepted prior to the date of the event. Please contact Sally Donald at 228-8148 for item donation.

 

LIBRARY NEWS

Her Own Story – The library has a DVD of “Her Own Story: A Montage of Oral Histories of Benton County Women” available for checkout. It is a 35-minute slide/tape program from 36 hours of interviews with 10 Benton County women describing their lives from 1900 to 1985. Allegra Bush (Grady) Schueler is one of the women featured.

Monthly Story time – We will have our monthly story time at 10 a.m. on the first Thursday of every month. Join us for stories, craft, and snacks for young children. Next month we will meet on May 4.

CHECK IT OUT!

DVDs –Hop, Alvin and the Chipmunks-Chipwrecked, Muppets, Happy Feet 2, 50/50, War Horses, We Bought a Zoo, Zookeeper, Iron Lady, Sherlock Holmes

Children’s Titles – The Berenstain Bears: We Love our Mom by Jan Berenstain, Lucy Rescued by Harriet Ziefert, The Duckling Gets a Cookie by Mo Willems, Annie and Snowball and the Surprise Day by Cynthia Rylant, Stink and the Midnight Zombie Walk by Megan McDonald, Alphabet series and Number series by Jane Belk Moncure

Adult fiction – The Shadow of Your Smile by Susan May Warren, Beauty for Ashes by Dorothy Love, The Shoemaker’s Wife by Adrianna Trigiani, The Lost Years by Mary Higgins Clark, Gypped by Carol Higgins Clark, The Big Cat Nap by Rita Mae Brown, Distant Hours by Kate Morton, Guilty Wives by James Patterson, Betrayal by Danielle Steel, Loving by Karen Kingsbury, Letter from a Stranger by Barbara Taylor Bradford, Stay Close by Harlan Coben

Adult non-fiction – The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore, A Piece of Cake by Cupcake Brown