2021 Year in Review
January
Amanda and Knute Severson, owner-operators of Grand View Beef, a Wright County grass-fed beef operation, were named as finalists for the Iowa Farm Bureau Grow Your Future Award.
Karl Helgevold and Rick Rasmussen were sworn in as county supervisors after winning reelection.
New Clarion Chamber Director Lydia Schroeder began work.
Iowa Specialty Hospital (ISH) honored Dr. Dan Gabrielson with the Innovators Award and Dr. Michael McLoughlin with the Helmsman Award.
Nathan Stuck and Tessa Warnke were named Winterfest King and Queen at Clarion-Goldfield-Dows High School.
February
Vaccination clinics for people 65 and older began in Wright County. County Public Health held clinics in various towns throughout the county on a weekly basis.
CGD schools were cancelled on a Friday in early February to allow staff to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Over 100 people got vaccinated at a clinic held at the school.
Paul Hansch was formally hired as CGD High School Principal. Hansch had previously been acting as the interim principal.
The CGD School District announced that they would receive over $775,000 in COVID relief money.
Three CGD Cowboys made the podium at the State Wrestling Meet. Garrett Seaba took fourth place, Reed Abbas came in fifth and Kain Nelson took home eighth place honors.
Wright County Family Dental office opened its doors on the west side of Clarion. The business is helmed by Dr. Heather Anderson.
March
Major demolition took place at Gold-Eagle Cooperative on the northwest side of town just off County K. Several structures were brought down. This was part of Gold-Eagles larger plans of adding a new elevator location north of town.
Booming numbers of yellow bass in Lake Cornelia led the DNR to begin a multi-year plan to reconstruct the fishery to improve the fish population and lake quality. The plan includes yellow bass removal and predator stocking over the course of the next several years.
Wright County Economic Development Director Cindy Litwiller died due to COVID complications.
The Wright County ISU Extension office moved to a new location on the south side of town in the building that was formerly Illinois Foundation Seeds.
Four CGD students competed at State Speech Contest, Kara Legleiter, Nicole Lorenzo, Jaidyn Lockwood and Ashley Fennel. The team took six programs to state and came home with five division I rankings.
April
Katie Stecher was name Clarion AAUW’s Woman of the Year.
Kaleb King was awarded a 1st Gold for his FFA Supervised Agricultural Experience project. This project involved his work at Hanson & Sons Tire in Clarion.
Organizers of the Iowa’s Ride bike ride that was slated to stop overnight in Clarion during the summer announced that the ride would be scaled back to a weekend event in Eldora.
District 4 U.S. House Representative Randy Feenstra made his first official visit to Wright County after taking office in January. He visited Gold-Eagle Cooperative in Goldfield.
A one vehicle accident on Madison Ave in Clarion occurred near T & S Sanitation between 3rd and 4th Ave NW when the driver experienced a health emergency and lost control. The vehicle then struck an aboveground gas regulator, causing a significant gas leak. The road was closed for several hours.
Iowa Specialty Hospital presented two nurses with the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses. Award recipients were Samantha Sandvig, OB nurse, and Jennifer Mewes, OB Nurse Leader.
Emerald ash borer was confirmed in Wright County for the first time. This invasive insect has now been found in 80 of Iowa’s 99 counties. Insect samples were collected from ash trees in rural Dows.
May
Snack Village closed in Clarion after 40 years in business. Owner Barb Tanner said she was looking forward to some relaxation. The property was acquired by the Heartland Museum. (photo of Snack Village counter, pg 2, wk 19)
CGD Middle School teacher Jenny Smith was honored with the Golden Apple Award and teachers David Ackerman, Denise Ulven, and Pat O’Brien retired after a combined total of nearly 100 years teaching service.
CGD High School graduated 66 students.
Matea Conlon took 3rd place in the 100-meter final at the State Track meet.
The CGD High School Chorus earned a Division 1 Superior Rating at Large Group State Contest.
The CGD Elementary Talented and Gifted Program collected over 700 boxes of cereal for First Lutheran Food Pantry in Clarion. To make the donation extra fun, the students lined the boxes up throughout the halls of the school and made a giant domino game.
June
After a year off due to COVID, Clarion held the annual Festival in the Park. The event was complete with the parade and many vendors in Gazebo Park.
Roger A. Ewing was honored for 50 years of dedication to funeral service during the 141st Annual Iowa Funeral Directors Association Convention.
The clock and bell at the top of the Wright County Courthouse were restarted after being off for more than a year. The motor of the clock had broken down.
The CGD Board of Ed passed a resolution for the sale of approximately $6.324 million in school infrastructure sales, services and use tax revenue bonds to be used for the construction of the new baseball/softball complex and middle school gym.
Iowa River Players Theater in Rowan performed the fun show, “Robin Hood & the Babes in the Woods.”
Governor Kim Reynolds stopped in Clarion as part of her 99 County Tour. She visited Kids Korner Daycare in an effort to gather information and ideas about how to improve the state’s childcare crisis.
The CGD school district used COVID relief money for summer learning. Over 200 students from elementary to high school took classes in Clarion, Goldfield or Dows during the summer to make up for COVID-related learning loss.
July
The Wright County Fair was back in full force. Karla and Larry Pals were named Parade Grand Marshals. Brian and Joni Worden were Wright County’s 4-H Hall of Fame nominees. Alecia Anderson was crowned Fair Queen. Gabby Hackley was named Princess.
Bids for the CGD baseball/softball complex came in significantly over the estimates. The school board decided to rebid the project, leaving out the concession stand/press box building as that was a costly item. They accepted the bid for the middle school gym.
Wright County officially became a member of the Central Iowa Community Services mental health region. The move to this region was made after the county had been cut off geographically from its previous region.
The 4th Annual Pride in the Heartland Truck Show was a success with approximately $25,000 raised for the Clarion Fire Department.
Jim Williams resigned his Clarion City Council seat after moving out of town. Larry Harrah was appointed to serve the remainder of Williams term through the end of 2021.
RAGBRAI snuck through Wright County as riders could choose an optional gravel route that traveled briefly through the southeast part of the county. (photo guys on bikes, top left, pg 1, wk 31)
August
Wright County Public Health Director Sandy McGrath was named to the State Board of Health. She was appointed by the governor to the board that helps make health recommendations to policy makers.
CGD Board of Ed accepted a bid for the baseball/softball complex. Sande Construction was awarded the bid at around $4 million.
Wright County received $2.4 million in COVID relief funds. They received half the funds last summer.
Darrel Steven Carlyle, former Belmond City Manager, was named Wright County Economic Development Director. He took over the position formerly held by Cindy Litwiller.
Wright County surpassed 2,000 COVID cases since early 2020.
The county supervisors received a letter from Summit Carbon Solutions about a possible pipeline that is planned to go through Wright County. The pipeline is part of a carbon sequestration project that would cross five states.
September
According to the results of the 2020 census that were released after a long wait, the county’s official population is 12,943, a decrease of 286 residents from 13,229 in 2010. Among individual communities, most Wright County cities saw a decrease in population. Clarion had a 1.4% population decline with the numbers going from 2,850 in 2010 to 2,810 in 2020.
Duane Asbe was honored at the state fair as 4-H Alum of the Day. Asbe’s 4-H roots date back to the 1960s when he was a member of the Norway Ramblers 4-H Club in Wright County.
Stuart Swanson of Wright County received the Environmental Leader Award at the State Fair. His was one of 89 farm families recognized for their environmental stewardship during the fair.
Seniors Danny Chavez and Nikki Kapka were named the 2021 Homecoming King and Queen at CGD. This year’s theme was “Wild West Fest.”
A contingent from the country Kosovo including the Minister of Ag visited Wright County as Clarion worked to explore a sister city partnership with them. The officials visited Hagie Manufacturing and Stuart Swanson’s farm in rural Galt.
Site work officially began for the Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Baseball and Softball complex being built east of the high school. The complex is set to be completed in May of 2022.
The City of Clarion hired a code enforcement officer to conduct rental inspections and handle nuisance complaints.
October
National 4-H week in Wright County was celebrated with a Fall Festival held at Gazebo Park in Clarion. 4-Hers, community members, and families enjoyed games, crafts, and lots of other activities.
Representatives from AARP stopped by Clarion to present funds for the Pocket Park being built on the 100 block of Central Avenue where the Duran Building was demolished. The city was granted $15,000 for the project.
A public information meeting about the Midwest Carbon Pipeline Express was held in Wright County. The meeting which drew around 200 people was conducted by the Iowa Utility Board and Summit Carbon Solutions, the company responsible for the pipeline.
ISH finished renovations to their new in-house pharmacy and delivered their 400th baby.
The Clarion City Council approved a resolution to pursue a sister city relationship with Kosovo. The council was joined by various officials who presented on the partnership, including Chief Mission at the Kosovo Consulate in Des Moines and a former NATO advisor to Kosovo.
Prairie Energy Cooperative announced they are taking ownership of the Speculative Building at 225 Nelson Ave in Clarion. They will be consolidating their two Clarion locations.
November
It was announced that Wright County will be split into two different State House districts. The line dividing districts 55 and 56 will go through the southeast corner of the county.
A business plan for First Steps Early Learning Center was unveiled. The center will take over from Kids Korner Daycare and eventually move out of the elementary school.
A delegation of Kosovo political figures visited Clarion as part of a tour of their sister state. The group included the Minister of Local Government Administration, a General Secretary and the Deputy Director for Inter Municipal and Cross-Border Cooperation. The group visited the hospital and school
A new mayor was elected in Clarion. Rod Heiden won the position over Shayne Hennigar. Dan Hennigar was re-elected to city council. Nick McOllough and Dave Flurer also won open council seats.
Iowa Select Farms unveiled the Clarion Little Free Pantry in Fireman’s Park. The weather proof box serves as a miniature food pantry where people can drop off or take non-perishable food and household items as needed.
ISH celebrated CEO Steve Simonin’s 25th anniversary with the organization. When Simonin started in 1996, they had 130 employees as opposed to almost 700 now.
The Wright County Supervisors approved a settlement with Riley Construction for overdue completion at the agribusiness park. Riley surrendered $42,500 of their retainer fee.
December
After a one-year hiatus due to COVID, the Holmes Christmas Club auction returned. The event raised record funds to help those in need throughout the county.
A Temporary Redistricting Committee explored new supervisors districts based on census results. The commission eventually approved using the county’s current plan for the three districts. The supervisors also elected to retain the county’s current voting precincts.
Duane Asbe conducted his final Clarion City Council Meeting as mayor. Asbe has been mayor for four years and was on the council for eight years before that. Council Member Dave Maxheimer was also honored at his final meeting. He had spent two terms and eight years on the council.
New CGD Board Member Kelly Kirstein was sworn in. She took over the seat held by Beth Jackson.
A tornado and severe thunderstorm ripped through Wright County on December 15. The county saw widespread damage, especially in the path of the tornado. The county supervisors subsequently issued a disaster proclamation due to the impacts of the storm.
