Ringgold county residents will jump from the Fourth of July celebration into the Ringgold County Fair as the annual exhibition gets underway beginning Wednesday, July 7, at the county fairgrounds north of Mount Ayr.

The fair will run from the first judging and entertainment on Wednesday, July 7, through the fair sale that closes out the week on Sunday, July, 11.

An overview of the fair with a schedule of events and details about changes at the fairgrounds and events such as the queen and princess contests in included in today’s Mount Ayr Record-News.

Here’s a rundown on the events for the Ringgold County Fair on a day-by-day basis.

Wednesday, July 7

The opening day of the fair sees the entering of the open classes exhibits from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The 4-H exhibit building project judging will be held beginning at 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Check in for dogs, pets, poulty and rabbits will be held at 5 p.m. The animals do not need to be present.

At 5:30 p.m. 4-H and FFA families are invited to a supper provided by Great Western Bank.

From 6:30 to 8 p.m. the 4-H exhibit building will be closed for state fair selection.

At 6:30 p.m. the annual Ringgold county fair queen and princess contest will be held followed by a concert by the Rumley Brothers Band. There is a charge for the events of the evening.

Thursday, July 8

Activity Thursday will begin at 8 a.m. with the weigh-in and stalling of swine entries and the weigh in and stalling of sheep and goat entries at 9:30 a.m. Beef and horses are to be stalled beginning at 10 a.m. and poultry and rabbit entries will be in place at 10:30 a.m. The weigh-in for beef projects begins at 10:30 a.m.

At 12 noon the communications presentations will be judged -- educational presentations, working exhibits and share the fun entries.

The 4-H and FFA poultry show will be judged at 1 p.m., followed by the rabbit show at 2:30 p.m.

The county council has scheduled a water balloon fight at 3 p.m. and from 5 to 8 p.m. the Crooked Creek 4-H Club is sponsoring a new event at the fair -- the chili cook off.

There is a $10 entry fee for contestants with entry fees to be awarded back in prizes. People can pay a fee to sample the chili entries in a chili feed as part of the event.

Pictures of the outstanding junior, considered for state fair and state fair winning entries will be held at 5:30 p.m. The cowgirl queen and princess contest will begin at 5:30 p.m., followed by the rodeo at 7:30 p.m. Mutton bustin’ for the kids will be held during the rodeo and an entry form is included on the sports pages of today’s Mount Ayr Record-News.

Friday, July 9

Activity gets underway Friday morning with the swine judging at 8 a.m. There will be games for senior citizens at 10 a.m. at the commercial building.

At 12 noon the goat show gets underway, followed by the sheep show at 1 p.m. Also at 1 p.m. the conference judging of the bucket calf and bucket calf plus one divisions will take place.

At 2 p.m. there will be games for Special Olympians at the commercial building.

The 4-H pet show judging begins at 2:30 p.m. At 3 p.m. there will be a mud volleyball tournament sponsored by the 4-H County Council and at the same time a pedal tractor pull will be held.

At 3:30 p.m. the 4-H and FFA dog show will be held.

Evening entertainment includes the Bill Riley Talent Show at 6 p.m. and the ATV races at 6:30 p.m.

At 7 p.m. the 4-H and FFA horse show performance classes will be judged.

Saturday, July 10

The 4-H County Council pancake breakfast will be held from 6 to 9 a.m. to open the day’s activities Saturday, July 10. This is a fund-raiser for the group.

Feeder calf show entries must be on the grounds at 7 a.m. Saturday.

The 4-H and FFA feeder calf show judging gets underway at 8:30 a.m. and baby contest registration for the 10 a.m. show begins at 9 a.m.

The 4-H and FFA breeding beef show judging starts at 9 a.m. as well. Check in for the 4-H and FFA Challenge Recipe contest starts at 9 a.m. for the judging at 10 a.m.

The 4-H bucket calf and bucket calf plus one show will be held at 11:30 a.m, followed by the pee wee wrangler show where youngsters get their first opportunity to show a calf at noon.

The fire safety house has tentatively been scheduled to be at the fair from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday.

The 4-H and FFA market beef show judging begins at 1 p.m. There will be kids and adult games at 2 p.m. Saturday afternoon and the open class feeder calf show begins at 3 p.m.

At 6:30 p.m. there will be a Midwest Pullers Association pickup pull and a garden tractor pull for the evening entertainment.

At 7 p.m. Bill Hollard and the Poor Boys and the Atkins Family Three will be appearing in a free concert at the upper arena as well. This new event was scheduled too late for the events list in the special section.

A balloon artist and clown will also be on the grounds during the day Saturday

Sunday, July 11

Activity gets underway at 9 a.m Sunday morning with the 4-H and FFA horse halter show. 

A mud run will be held at 12 noon and the future 4-Her pet show sponsored by the 4-H County Council will be held at 12:30 p.m.

Animals that will not be sold at the sale will be released along with all 4-H exhibit building exhibits at 1 p.m. The exhibits need to be removed by 5 p.m.

At 2 p.m. the youth pie baking entries will be due at the 4-H office. There will be a fair sale supper beginning at 5 p.m., followed by the 4-H pie sale and livestock auction beginning at 6 p.m.

  Several area celebrations are planned for the Fourth of July when the Sunday holiday comes around.

Annual celebrations are set at Kellerton and Clearfield and Benton and Sun Valley Lake also will have fireworks display over the weekend.

Kellerton celebration

Schedule of events for the Kellerton Fourth of July celebration -- to be held Sunday, July 4, at the Kellerton City Park -- has been announced.

Activities will begin with a parade at 1 p.m. followed by games and contests for the whole family in the park beginning at 2 p.m.

The kid’s tractor pull will also begin at 2 p.m. and D. J. Billy Hightshoe will be playing music from 2 to 10 p.m.

Water fights are planned at 3:30 p.m. and there will be snacks and drinks for sale all afternoon.

A barbecue supper with all the fixings will be served at 5 p.m. for a freewill offering.

Drawings for kids and adults raffles will be held at 6:30 p.m. and fireworks will close out the evening at 10 p.m.

An advertisement in today’s Mount Ayr Record-News gives more details.

Clearfield celebration

The 57th annual Clearfield Lions Club Fourth of July celebration will be held Sunday, July 4, but will begin with a truck and tractor pull on Friday, July 2 at 7 p.m.

On Sunday, July 4, there will be church services in the city park at 9 a.m. Other morning activities include a sandlot volleyball tournament and a pie contest.

In the afternoon there will be a baby contest, kids games, a flea market and a pet show.

At 6:30 p.m. the parade will be held with the theme “Heroes In Our Hearts.”  Antique tractors are being sought to help carry state flags in the parade this year.

There will be a pedal pull, dance, kids rides, food stands and ice cream and cake in the evening until the fireworks at 10:15 p.m.

Coon Ridge Country Band will be playing for the dance.

Benton fireworks

A celebration is planned in Benton Saturday, July 3.

There will be a potluck dinner in the park beginning at 6 p.m., followed by fireworks at dark.

People are asked to bring their own lawnchairs.

Sun Valley Lake fireworks

At Sun Valley Lake near Ellston, there will be a fireworks display Saturday, July 3, at dark.

A team of exceptional athletes, many of whom are wounded Iraq and Afghanistan veterans representing all military branches, left from the Golden Gate Bridge  in San Francisco, CA, on Saturday, May 22.

On Monday, June 28, they will arrive in Mount Ayr as part of  World T.E.A.M. Sports’ inaugural bike trek across America called the State Farm Sea to Shining Sea.

The goal of the ride is to honor the courage of service men and women, recognize the strength of the American spirit and challenge perceptions of how the nation views athletes. The ride will conclude in Virginia Beach on July 24.

Mount Ayr is planning a big welcome for the team of riders who will be riding across Highway 2 from Shenandoah that day. They will spend the night at the Mount Ayr Inn and will be be served supper at the Mount Ayr American Legion Monday night as part of a freewill meal open to the public.

The riders are expected to arrive in Mount Ayr between 4 and 5 p.m. and the Mount Ayr American Legion is inviting the public to line Highway 2 to help welcome the riders. Welcome banners will be placed at Great Western Bank and the lot across Highway 2 and 169 south of Lynn’s Sinclair.

Veterans groups from around the area have been invited to come help welcome the riders after their 66.5 mile day of riding. After spending the night in Mount Ayr, the riders will head to Centerville on Tuesday, June 29.

A beef and noodles dinner with all the trimmings will be served at the Mount Ayr American Legion from 5 to 7 p.m. to which the public is invited. Freewill donations will be accepted.

Spanning 63 days and 4,000 miles, the cyclists will test their physical limits and inspire people, disabled or not, to live active and enriched lives. 

The group will cycle through deserts, mountain passes and historical landmarks providing dramatic proof that disabled Americans can lead productive lives and accomplish feats most people only dream about. 

 The entertainment schedule for the Ringgold County Fair has been released this week with the publication of the annual fair book. The books are available at the Mount Ayr Record-News or Ringogld County ISU Extension office.

The first night of entertainment will be Wednesday, July 7, with the Ringgold County Fair queen and princess crowning held at 6:30 p.m. There is no charge for this event.

Thursday, July 9, the cowgirl queen and princess contest will be held at 5:30 p.m. for no charge and the rodeo will then begin at 7 p.m. for the first entertainment for which there is a charge.

Friday, July 9, the Bill Riley Talent Show will be held at 6 p.m. for no charge. ATV Races will be held at 6:30 p.m. that night.

Saturday, July 10, will be the Midwest Pullers Association pickup pull beginning at 6:30 p.m.

The final entertainment event will be the mud run set for noon on Sunday, July 11.

Ringgold county recorded its first traffic fatality of the year over the weekend when David Richard Brooks, 59, of Blockton was killed in a motorcycle accident.

Brooks was southbound on Highway 169 at 7:53 p.m. Friday, June 18, riding his 2006 Honda motorcycle, according to investigators.

He failed to make the curve on Highway 169 at the intersection with P33, entered the ditch on the south side of the highway on Jackson curve, and struck a group of trees in the ditch.

Injuries from the accident resulted in his death. He was taken to Ringgold County Hospital by ambulance.

The accident is still under investigation by the Ringgold County Sheriff’s Office.

    As well as manufacturing wind turbines, Heartland Energy Solutions LLC in Mount Ayr will now be remanufacturing turbines for other companies as an additional business venture.
    The Mount Ayr firm signed an agreement with Earthlinked Wind Solutions LLC, a Story City based company, to remanufacture wind turbines from the existing California wind turbine farms.
    Nate Ante and Jeff Royal, officers of the Earthlinked Wind Solutions, said they were very excited to find another Iowa-based company to remanufacture the trubines that they have purchased from California.
    “Heartland Energy Solutions has all the right components to make our venture possible,” Nate Ante said.
    Paul Ramsey, founder of Heartland Energy Solutions, said he was proud that his company was selected for the remanufacturing work.
    “This is a great thing for Iowa and Mount Ayr,” Ramsey said. “We need to create jobs and help the Iowa economy.”
    There are many existing wind turbines in the United States that if purchased and refurbished will enable small farms and businesses to purchase turbines that would otherwise be discarded and never used again.
Own turbines coming soon
    In addition to Heartland Energy Solutions LLC manufacuring a 100 KW turbine and blades, the remanufacturing of existing turbines will add more benefits to the staff and employees of Heartland, according to company officials.
    It is estimated that Earthlinked Energy Solutions LLC and Heartland Energy Solutions LLLC will be able to purchase, remanufacture and resell 40 to 50 turbines per year, providing another renewable energy business segment in Iowa.
    The remanufacturing program will begin immediately at the Mount Ayr facility.

    Working to find a solution to how to finance the building of the new jail for Ringgold county was the focus of meetings of the Ringgold county board of supervisors this past week.
    It looks like financing the project though a lease-purchase agreement has fallen through with the firm working on the project not able to meet all the specifications of Bob Josten, attorney for the financing of the project that the board has been using.
    That leaves going back to financing the project with general revenue bonds which would still be paid for from the proceeds of the one-cent sales tax voters approved for the project by over a 70 percent majority three years ago.
    Using the bond method, however, will mean that the project will need to go back to be bid on in an open bidding process and the board has been working with Joe Murphy and Kelly Richards, who they had given the nod to move ahead with plans for a lease-purchase project, to get the details worked out on changing the financing.
    Meanwhile a group of county residents have brought a petition seeking another vote on whether to move forward with the jail project.
    Bob Josten from Dorsey and Whitney in Des Moines had an answer for the petition that has been turned in to the supervisors seeking another vote on the issue. He also was on a telephone conference call during the board meetings Thursday, June 10 and Tuesday, June 15.
    “I have reviewed the form of petition that was filed with the county auditor, and I want to assure the board and everyone else that there is no basis in state law for this petition and it has no legal effect on any of the current discussions,” Josten wrote to the board.
    In July 2007 the board published a notice of hearing on its intent to issue general obligation local option sales tax bonds and the notice included language that notified voters that they had the right to file a petition requesting a referendum, he wrote. No petition was filed in the statutory time limit.
    Then in August 2008 the board published a notice of hearing on its intent to enter into a lease-purchase agreement, payable from the county’s general fund including the local option sales tax revenues. Again no petition was filed within the statutory limit.
    “Therefore it is our opinion as bond counsel to the county that the board has legal authority to incur debt for the jail project by either issuing General Obligation local option sales tax bonds or by entering into a general fund lease-purchase agreement, using local option tax revenues as a source of payment, without publishing any other notices,” he wrote. “The result is that there is no context within which a valid petition may be filed requesting action by the board.”
    In the last two board meetings, the board has worked to try to determine the steps in changing the financing back to the general obligation bonds.
    The plan is for the supervisors to purchase the current plans for the project from Murphy and then to go to bid on the construction costs for getting the jail built.

  The stage is set for the general election in September after voters went to the polls in Ringgold county and across the state Tuesday.

Ringgold county voters mirrored the state in choices for candidates in all cases, but did not support Terry Branstad at the level of state voters, for example.

A total of 230 Democrats and 643 Republicans went to the polls for the primary election. This is 20 percent of the registered Democrats and 53 percent of the registered Republicans.

As of May, Republicans had a slight edge in registrations in the county with 1,221 active Republicans and 1,170 active Democrats registered out of the 3,266 total registered voters.

Almost three times the number of Republicans were attracted to vote in the primary election than Democrats, though Democrats have the registration edge in the state.

In federal races, Democrat Roxanne Conlin will be facing Republican incumbent Charles Grassley in the U.S. Senate race.

In Fifth Disrtict U.S. House race, Democrat Matthew Campbell will challenge Republican incumbent Seve King for this seat.

On the state level, Republican Terry Branstad, who is a former governor, will be facing incumbent Democrat Chet Culver in the governor’s race.

In the secretary of state’s race, Republican Matt Schultz will go up against incumbent Democrat Michael A. Mauro.

Meanwhile Republican auditor of state David Vaudt will be running unopposed in the election.

The state treasurer’s race will be Republican challenger David Jamison facing Democrat incumbent Michael Fitzgerald.

Democrat secretary of agriculture candidate Francis Thicke will be taking on Republican incumbent Bill Northey.

Republican attorney general candidate Brenna Findley will be facing Democrat incumbent Tom Miller in the election.

Republican state representative Cecil Dolecheck from Mount Ayr will be running unopposed for the district 96 seat.

On the county level, David Inloes won the three-way election to be the Republican party candidate for the Ringgold county board of supervisors. He will be facing Democrat incumbent Larry Ford in the election in November.

Other county officials will not have races in the elction this year.

These include Democrat county recorder Karen Schaefer, Republican county treasurer Debra A. Cannon and Republican county attorney Clinton L. Spurrier.

Election numbers

In the race for U. S. Senate, Democrat Roxanne Conlin led the way in Ringgold county with 164 votes. Bob Krause had 39 votes and Thomas Fiegen had 14 votes. Across the state, Conlin had a little higher percentage with 78 percent of the vote. Krause had 13 percent and Fiegen had nine percent.

Republican Charles Grassley received 566 votes in the Republican  primary in Ringgold county.  Grassley was running unopposed in the primary..

Democrats in Ringgold county favored Matthew Campbell over Mike Denklau in the race for the Fifth District congressional nod. Campbell received 152 votes to 47 votes for Denklau. Across the district, Campbell received 76  percent of the votes to 24 percent for Denklau, almost the exact percentage as in Ringgold county.

Meanwhile Republican Steve King received 551 votes running unopposed om Ringgold county.

In the governor’s race, Terry Branstad received 311 votes in the county to 256 votes for Bob Vander Plaats and 71 votes for Rod Roberts.

Branstad had 40 percent of the vote in Ringgold county but was able to gain just over 50 percent of the vote for the state as a whole. Vander Plaats had 41 percent and Roberts nine percent statewide.

Meanwhile governor Chet Culver received 158 votes in Ringgold county in his unopposed run for the Democrat nomination. Matt Schultz won the three-way battle for the Republican nomination for secretary of state in Ringgold county with 306 votes. Chris Sanger had 112 votes while George Eichhorn had 69 votes.
Across the state, Schultz received 47 percent, Sanger received 27 percent and Eichhorn received 26 percent.

Democrat secretary of state Michael Mauro received 182 votes from county Democrat voters in this race in his unopposed race.

Auditor of state David Vaudt, a Republican, received 483 votes in the primary here and was unopposed across the state.

Of the two Republicans running for treasurer of state, David Jamison came out on top with 340 votes in Ringgold county. James Heavens received 139 votes. Statewide Jamison received 65 percent of the votes to 35 percent for Heavens.

Democrat treasurer of state Michael Fitzgerald received 203 votes in the election in Ringgold county as part of his unopposed race.

Democrat Francis Thicke received 166 votes for secretary of agriculture from area voters and was unopposed statewide.

Republican secretary of agriculture Bill Northey received 520 votes in Ringgold county and was another candidate without Republican opposition.

Republican attorney general candidate Brenna Findley  received 483 votes in Ringgold county and did not have primary opposition.

Meanwhile Democrat incumbent Tom Miller received 208 votes in Ringgold county as part of his bid for renomination across the state.

On the county level, David Inloes won the Republican nomination for board of supervisors with 441 or 74 percent of the votes. Jowett Bastow received 89 votes and Gary Van Buskirk received 64 votes.

Democrat Larry Ford received 170 votes in the local primary to be renamed the Democrat candidate.

County treasurer Debra A. Cannon received 585 votes to get the Republican party nod to run unopposed and was the most popular Republican on the ticket.

Democrat county recorder Karen Schaefer received 214 votes in the Democrat primary to remain uncontested on the November ballot.

County attorney Clinton L. Spurrier received 525 votes Tuesday. He will run unopposed in the fall.

  McDonald’s, the official sponsor and official restaurant of the 2010 FIFA World Cup  South Africa, is giving a lucky child from Clearfield the chance of a lifetime with a trip for two to the 2010 FIFA World Cup soccer matches in South Africa. 

Eight-year-old Brynn Nickle’s mother, Stasia Nickle entered McDonald’s Player Escort Program Sweepstakes on her daughter’s behalf earlier this spring and is one of only two U.S. winners.

The McDonald’s Player Escort  program began in 2002 and provides children from around the world the opportunity to attend the FIFA World Cup  South Africa and walk hand-in-hand onto the field with their soccer heroes. 

Through this exclusive sponsorship program, 1,408 children, ages 6-10, will experience the 2010 FIFA World Cup  first-hand, cultivate new friendships and explore the culture of South Africa with children from around the world. Nickle will escort a U.S. men’s national team player onto the field prior to the highly anticipated USA vs. England match on Saturday, June 12.

“I still can’t believe I will be heading more than 8,000 miles away to another continent!” said Nickle. “This is so cool and I can’t wait to meet some of the players and other kids from around the world in South Africa.”

After winning the McDonald’s sweepstakes on U.S. Soccer’s official website, Brynn and mother will be departing for South Africa the second week in June for a five- day action-packed experience. 

In addition to escorting a U.S. men’s national team player onto the field prior to their match, she’ll have the ability to participate in local cultural tours and activities and meet other McDonald’s winners from 47 countries.

“On behalf of McDonald’s, we are delighted that Brynn will be representing central Iowa and McDonald’s in South Africa at the 2010 FIFA World Cup ,” said Creston and Osceola, IA McDonald’s owner/operator Mike Kouri. “We wish her a great trip and rewarding experience she can share and remember for years to come.”

  Brandi Shay was chosen as a school board member and secondary principal Ken Harrison’s contract was set for a two-year term in a special meeting of the Mount Ayr Community school board Friday, May 28.

The 7 a.m. session also included a closed session to “discuss strategy in matter relating to employment conditions of employees of the governmental body who are not covered by a collective bargaining agreement under Chapter 20.” Technology director Kurtis Christensen was present for the closed meeting.

School board member

Four people expressed interest in being appointed to fill the unexpired term of Larry Giles on the Mount Ayr Community school board. The at-large position was to be filled by the board until the September 2011 school elections.

Letters were received from Morgan Weeda, Martha Ricker, Brandi Shay and Carroll Taylor expressing interest in the board seat. In addition, board members reported receiving several letters and other communication in support of various of the candidates.

“I appreciate the level of interest we had in filling the position,” board member P. J. Munyon noted. “We had some great letters of application and strong letters of support for the candidates.”

“With the good candidates we have to consider, this will be a hard decision,” board member Duane Schafer noted.

Jim Uhlenkamp said some of the criteria he was looking for was someone who had shown a commitment to the district, someone who was familiar with how the district operates and someone with some accounting expertise, which would also be helpful.

It was noted that with the four board members, a majority of three would have to support one candidate to be able to make the decision.

Board member Jim Uhlenkamp noted that the board did have the option of holding a special election, but the expense and delay of that process was not what board members would support.

After some discussion, P. J. Munyon moved to name Brandi Shay to the position and Jim Uhlenkamp seconded the motion. The motion passed on a 3-1 vote with Duane Schafer voting against the motion.

He noted that all the candidates were good, but he was leaning toward Morgan Weeda as his choice from the candidates.

Munyon noted that the strong list of volunteers would suggest that there are people who may want to be involved on the board in the future and encouraged the involvement.

Two-year contract for pricipal

The second matter for discussion was the recommendation by superintendent Russ Reiter that secondary principal Ken Harrison be given a two-year contract, the same as elementary principal Lynne Wallace.

The board had approved freezing the salaries of administrators for a second year at its last meeting but had not dealt with the length of contract.

“I have no qualms in recommending a two-year contract for Ken,” superintendent Reiter noted.

The board approved the term of the contract on a 4-0 vote.

The board then went into closed session with technology director Kurtis Christensen to discuss terms of his contract under an exemption in Chapter 21.9 of the Code of Iowa.

Following the closed session, the board took no action in open session.

 BY ALAN SMITH

It only took an instant to change the landscape on a Ringgold county farm Tuesday afternoon.

A tornado touched down briefly seven miles north of Mount Ayr along U. S. Highway 169 and completely wiped out the large cattle feeding operation owned by Garry Bjustrom on the west side of the road, skipped over some property and then caused a great deal more damage at the property of Terry Weeda on the west side of the road three quarters of a mile on north along the highway.

That was it for the funnel that soon dissipated, but not before it has done damage estimated in the millions of dollars in just a short period.

The destruction could have been worse. Three cows were the only casualties of the storm and the movement on the storm was on track so that the town of Tingley could easily have been right in its sights had the funnel not gone away.

National Weather Service investigators were scheduled to arrive Wednesday afternoon to look over the damage, assess what category of tornado the storm was and try to determine how property like that owned by Charles Long that was right in the line between the two damaged properties escaped unscathed.

It was approximately 5:15 p.m. Tuesday afternoon when the tornado hit.

Brandon Bjustrom was one of two people on site at the Bjustrom when the storm hit.

A 60 foot by 400 foot cattle shed was picked up first as the storm hit and the two took cover in the home on the property when they saw what was happening.

When he came back out, all the buildings used in the cattle operation were destroyed, Harvestores were sucked in and twisted, equipment was tossed about -- the farm looked like a war zone.

Preliminary estimates of damage were in the three to four million dollar range, but knowing how to put an estimate on having a complete operation destroyed was going to take time.

Neighbor Jim McCreary was out at his mailbox and looking north at the storm when he saw the tornado cloud appear and touch down, sending a cloud of debris into the air.

A number of other people were headed back to homes from work in Mount Ayr about that time and saw the funnel cloud. There were a host of storm chasers in the area too -- the vehicles that chase along when conditions are right for tornadoes to take readings and get pictures of the storm.

After creating the havoc at the Bjustrom farm, the funnel cloud also touched down on the Terry Weeda property.

Limbs where blown through windows, roofing blown away and there was possible major structural damage to the house there. Outbuildings were also destroyed by the storm there.

The Weedas were out of town when the storm hit and had their first look at the damage Wednesday morning. Other family members had helped get the cleanup started and the roof covered there.

A crew was working on resurfacing of Highway 169 in about the same area as the tornado came through and some of the flag crew members were shaken by what they heard and saw as the storm came through.

It didn’t take but a few minutes before neighbors and friends were gathering at the two damage sites to lend a hand with clean up.

Teresa Jackson, Emergency Management director, noted that there were more than 150 volunteers on site working to help with the clean up and to get roofs covered to keep water out.

The efforts with tarps was just in time because by 8:30 p.m. another storm was roaring across the county with a severe thunderstorm warning and people had to stop the efforts.

“We are trained in emergency management situations to make a perimeter and secure the area in situations like this, but that’s just not Ringgold county,” Jackson said. 

“People came from all around and soon found something they could do to help,” Jackson said. “That’s just the way people are in Ringgold county.”

The Citizens Corp volunteers were soon working to feed the volunteers and will continue to help as cleanup continues as the week progressed, Jackson noted.

Power was knocked out along Highway 169 from Wishard Chapel to Tingley after lines were blown down across from the Bjustrom farm.

A dozen or so people were without electricity until Southern Iowa Rural Electric Cooperative crews got new line restrung.

Jackson is continuing to help coordinate the relief efforts with the Red Cross and other agencies as the efforts to assess the extent of the damage goes forward.

The storm that did the tornado damage north of Mount Ayr also brought some heavy rain and golf ball sized hail was reported in the Clearfield area as the storm moved through.

 A tornado touched down seven miles north of Mount Ayr along Highway 169 at about 5:15 p.m. Tuesday, June 1, doing major damage to two properties there before lifting back into the clouds.

The tornado destroyed most of the farm buildings on the Garry Bjustrom farm on the west side of the highway, including doing major damage to Harvestores on the farm with damage in the millions of dollars there. The funnel then did major damage to the Weeda home and outbuildings on the east side of the road about three quarters of a mile north.

A short video of the storm taken by Jenifer Johnson of Tingley is included on the web page. More pictures and coverage of the storm will be included in Wednesday's Mount Ayr Record-News and in a picture gallery that will be up on the web Wednesday afternoon.