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Sioux County Fair Starts Saturday

Fair LogoSioux Center, Iowa — The Sioux County Youth Fair is the first fair in our four-county area, and it’s starting this weekend.

Starting on Saturday, July 9th, the fair will be at the fairgrounds on Sioux Center’s east side. We talked to Craig De Haan, the president of the fair board, and he highlights Saturday’s activities.


Of course there are plenty of 4-H and open shows in livestock, poultry, dogs, rabbits, static exhibits, and more throughout the fair, and De Haan encourages everyone to attend.

On Sunday, they’ll have the Queen and Little Miss Coronation at 5:30.

De Haan says Monday night’s activities include something new.


He says Tuesday is Kids Day.


The entertainment for Wednesday night is the sprint car race.


Thursday wraps up the week with several 4-H shows including the showmanship contest and the ribbon auction.

There will be a fair board breakfast fundraiser Monday through Thursday as well.

You can find the full schedule here.

Speaking of county fairs, Osceola’s is Wednesday, July 13th through Saturday, July 16th. Lyon’s is Monday, July 18 through Thursday the 21st. O’Brien’s is Saturday July 23rd through Thursday the 28th.

Arraignment Set In Boyden City Clerk Case

Orange City, Iowa — An arraignment date has been set in the case involving the former Boyden City Clerk.
Sioux County Courthouse Justice Statue
According to court records, 53-year old Beth Sipma faces charges of 1st Degree Theft following an investigation into improper money disbursements that allegedly took place in Boyden while she was City Clerk.

Online court records say the arraignment will be Monday, July 25th. Court records say that the court will also set conditions of release on that day.

The charges stem from an investigation that began with the Iowa State Auditor’s Office, following a request from Boyden City officials as a result of concerns regarding payments, made by Sipma, from a City bank account.  The results of that investigation were then turned over to law enforcement, whose further investigation reportedly led to the charges against Sipma.

Theft in the 1st Degree is a Class C Felony.

Lottery Fever Sets In With $500-Million Jackpot For Friday Drawing

moneybagNorthwest Iowa — You could be more than $500-million richer by the time Saturday rolls around.  Many northwest Iowans are joining a multitude of other folks in experiencing Lottery Fever, since Friday (July 8th) night’s Mega-Millions Jackpot has grown to more than a half-billion dollars.

Iowa Lottery spokesperson Mary Neubauer says the big jackpots bring in a lot of new people.

She says most of the questions involve how to play the game.

Neubauer says the $508-million estimated jackpot started growing in March.

The jackpot is based on picking the right numbers for your ticket. Neubauer says there are some other numbers involved that make this jackpot interesting.

Friday night’s Mega-Millions jackpot is the largest since 2013, when it rose to $648-million.

Good luck!!

Plentiful Weed Causes Painful Burns

Northwest Iowa — A poisonous weed that has been with us for a long time — is plentiful in Iowa this year, and it could be hard to avoid in grassy areas such as pastures, hiking areas, and ditches.

wild parsnip_extension
wild parsnip

Experts tell us that wild parsnip is not a plant with which you would want to come into contact. The Iowa DNR says the wild parsnip plant has lacy, yellow-green heads. If its oil touches the skin and then is exposed to sunlight, painful blisters will develop. Iowa State University Extension’s Joel De Jong tells us about it.


He tells us what to do if you think you have encountered wild parsnip.

wild parsnip burn_extension
wild parsnip burn


Experts tell us that it doesn’t matter if the plant is flowering or not – you should avoid contact with it at all times.

Iowa DNR experts also say you should avoid using a lawn string trimmer to remove it, as you’ll get splattered with broken parsnip tissue and have a high exposure to its toxin.

As with exposure to poison ivy, it is suggested that you wash off as soon as possible after exposure. The DNR says prevention is also key here – wear long sleeves and pants, and avoid contact with the plant.

Area Dodges Severe Thunderstorm Bullet

National Weather Service NWS logoSheldon, Iowa — A system of thunderstorms rumbled through the area Wednesday night, and early Thursday, prompting the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls to issue a flurry of Severe Thunderstorm Warnings from south central  and southeast South Dakota through northwest Iowa and southwest Minnesota, before the system moved out of the area.

The first Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued by the Sioux Falls Weather Station came at 8:45 pm, and was for counties in south central South Dakota.  At 9:09, they issued a warning for counties in southeast South Dakota.

The first Severe Thunderstorm Warning for northwest Iowa came at 11:52 pm, and was for O’Brien, Cherokee, Clay, and Buena Vista counties, warning of the potential for 70 mile-per-hour winds.  The last warning from NWS Sioux Falls came at 12:08 am, and was issued for Woodbury County.

The system passed through the Sheldon area shortly after midnight Thursday morning, bringing with it wind gusts of up to 30-miles-per-hour, significantly lower than the 70 mph wind velocity the NWS had predicted.

Sheldon experienced some heavy rainfall as the system passed through, with 67-hundredths of an inch of rain measured at the KIWA Studios.  The system also caused a 7-degree temperature drop within a 40-minute time span, with temperatures recorded at the Sheldon Regional Airport of 73-degrees at 11:55 pm, dropping to 66-degrees by 12:35 am.

The National Weather Service says we have another chance of thunderstorms this afternoon and tonight, with sunshine returning to the area tomorrow, and into the weekend.

Dutch Bakery To Open Sheldon Location

Dutch Bakery LogoSheldon, Iowa — Renovation is underway on the building that will house an Orange City business that will be opening a Sheldon location.

Sheldon Community Development Director Curt Strouth says Orange City’s Dutch Bakery will be opening a Sheldon location in retail space that was recently vacated by the closing of the Prairie Queen Bakery.

The Dutch Bakery, which is owned and operated by Loren & Kathy Mulder, will provide high quality baked goods on site as well as for events such as family gatherings, corporate meetings, and individual celebrations.  The bakery will also provide a meeting room for groups as well as seating for coffee breaks and customers to enjoy.  Bakery breads and buns will also be available locally 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at the Sheldon Hy-Vee.

The Mulders say they’re excited for this great opportunity to expand and serve the City of Sheldon.  They are anticipating a grand opening in late August, with an official date to be announced soon.