As America celebrates its 250th birthday this summer, the Winnebago County Fair will honor the men and women who have fought to secure our enduring freedom. All military veterans and active-duty members of the military are invited to be recognized as grand marshals for the 2026 Winnebago County Fair Parade on Sunday, July 19.

The Buffalo Center Volunteer Fire Department will put on their annual fireworks show for the 4th of July this Saturday evening at Bison Field in Buffalo Center. Festivities begin at dusk, around 9:30 p.m., with a short ceremony preceding the fireworks display. The rain date is Sunday, July 5. The show is made possible thanks to donations at the annual Buffalo Center Pancake Day.

The Forest City YMCA will soon be home to a new physical therapy clinic, as Molencamp Physical Therapy is set to open this July. This will be the first location outside of Clear Lake for the business, which Tim Molencamp, DPT, started in 2021.

A miniature national landmark doesn’t just help sell fireworks in Forest City – it also memorializes a local veteran.

The Statue of Liberty at Pyro Pete’s Fireworks bears two plaques at its base honoring Wayne Hopkins, a Vietnam War veteran who originally brought the statue to Forest City four decades ago.

It began with a note.

The North Iowa Athletic Complex is getting some upgrades this summer. The North Iowa School Board previously approved a resurfacing project for the track, and at its June 15 meeting, the board approved a new, larger pad for the high jump.

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig made a stop in Winnebago County on Tuesday, Jun. 16, when he spoke to the Forest City Rotary Club during their weekly meeting at Salveson Hall at Waldorf University.

“I so appreciate the opportunity to serve in this role,” said Naig. “No two days are alike, it seems.”

Clark Park in Forest City has a fresh splash of color, thanks to a new mural commissioned by the Forest City Rotary Club as part of their 100th anniversary celebration. The prairie-themed mural covers the previously gray north wall of the Cooper Building, which is located on the south end of the park and is owned by the Forest City Community School District.

Bridge is a game that can take a lifetime to master, and for the Thursday bridge group at the Forest City Senior Center, the game is bringing multiple generations together.

A group of five ladies meets each Thursday afternoon to play a few games of bridge while enjoying snacks and conversation, and they recently realized they were all born in different decades.

Correction: The Forest City Farmers Market runs weekly on Wednesdays.

The first Lake Mills Farmers Market of the season opened Monday, June 15, under perfect conditions – sunny skies and a comfortable 77 degrees. The lot west of City Hall filled with the kind of homegrown hustle and bustle that signals summer has arrived. From 4 to 6 p.m. at 200 N. 1st Ave.

North Iowa Betterment is looking for ways to incorporate America’s 250th birthday celebration with Bison Days this July. Mariel Wolsing, Executive Director at NIB, spoke to the Buffalo Center City Council at their June 8 meeting about an idea for a new patriotic mural that could adorn a public building.

What started as a yard sale has grown into a year-round source of support for local charities.

Pauline Eggers of Forest City was looking to help her dad clean out some things from his house back in 2021, so she decided on a whim to put on a yard sale. A friend of hers from A.B.A.T.E. of Iowa, District 7, was also planning a “Can You See Me Now” food drive, so they teamed up.

Surrounded by staff and members of the Forest City Chamber of Commerce, Shooterz Sports Bar & Grill owner Leah Determan celebrated two years of ownership with a ribbon cutting on June 1, along with her partner, Thomas Mason, who was unable to attend the event.

Pastor Janelle Jacobsen is headed back to her native Minnesota, after serving for the past three years as pastor at United Methodist Church in Buffalo Center.