Lake Panorama road embargo ends March 30
Special to the Times Vedette
The five-ton vehicle weight limit on Lake Panorama roads that began Monday, March 9 will end Monday, March 30.
Still time to donate candy for Panora Easter at the Square celebration
Special to the Times Vedette
The Panora Chamber of Commerce is currently collecting individually wrapped candy and goodies to help fill approximately 3,000 eggs for this year’s Panora Easter at the Square celebration on Saturday, April 4.
Activities will begin inside the Vets Gym from 9-10 a.m. with crafts, games, cookie decorating, coloring tables and live bunnies from a local 4H club. The Egg Hunt will begin at 10 a.m. on the town square with scooter sign-ups organized by age groups.
If you have been planning to donate, there’s still time to join in. The chamber is accepting candy and small items to stuff in Easter eggs through Friday, March 27. The drop-off location is at Panora Fiber, 114 E. Main St. in Panora.
WSO Home Tour features 5 locations
By Susan Thompson | Times Vedette
The Women’s Service Organization (WSO) annual fundraising home tour for 2026 is Friday, June 5. Five Lake Panorama homes will be featured, with three on the west side of the lake and two on the east side.
Tickets are $30 and include both the tour and lunch at The Captain’s Pick at Lake Panorama National Resort, 5071 Clover Ridge Road. Tickets will be available beginning May 1 and can be reserved by calling or texting Toni Wright at 641-757-0886 or Sue Merryman at 641-751-5956. There will be a maximum of 260 tickets available, and organizers say they expect to sell out quickly.
WSO was formed in 1972 when women who worked together to help pass a school bond issue decided they could benefit the local community as a formal organization.
The first WSO home tour was in 1974, and is the organization’s major fundraiser. The first tour group leaves the Lake Panorama National clubhouse at 9 a.m., with three additional groups leaving on the half-hour through 10:30 a.m. Each group will tour the three homes on the west side of the lake before returning to LPN for lunch, followed by tours of the two homes on the east side.
Participants are asked to arrive at the LPN clubhouse 20 minutes ahead of their tour time, so they can join the vehicle lineup and receive instructions and description sheets. Several vendors will be at the clubhouse so tour guests can browse and shop during their lunch break.
WSO committees work in advance to gather information for a one-page description sheet, and determine the best order and route. The route isn’t always the most direct, but is designed for safety and to accommodate the parking of many vehicles at each home.
Money raised by this tour funds a renewable scholarship awarded to a graduating Panorama student each year, making four scholarships paid annually. Additional WSO donations go to the Panora Library, Food Pantry, Panora Garden Club, Guthrie County Historical Village, Heritage Park, Tori’s Angels, Relay for Life, Panorama prom and yearbook. Other contributions are considered as projects become apparent.
A good night’s sleep
For many of us, a good night’s sleep isn’t as easy to come by as it was when we were younger. Back then, if I slept late, my kind father would just smile at me and say, “You must have needed it.”
At this point, I would like to formally announce: I still need it. I’m just no longer eligible to receive it.
We all seemingly need more sleep. So what actually helps you drift off? And what keeps you wide awake at 2:17 a.m., replaying a conversation from 2008 like it is breaking news?
At our house, the nightly standoff is the ceiling fan. I want it on. My wife wants it off. I like a cool breeze, a little white noise, the feeling that I’m sleeping inside a wind tunnel. She prefers a calm, silent environment where objects aren’t moving. We compromise by doing it her way. And then we discuss it again the next night
Temperature is another issue. I sleep best when the room feels like a refrigerated warehouse. Jolene sleeps best when it feels like a lightly toasted bakery item. She wears wool socks to bed in July. Not “it’s a little chilly” socks — full commitment, winter-in-Canada socks. I’m one blanket away from seeing my breath; she’s considering a space heater.
When we had a dog, we didn’t need an alarm clock — and we definitely didn’t sleep in. He was up at 5:30 a.m. every day, ready to eat, start the day and ensure no one in the house achieved their full sleep potential. He also adjusted instantly to daylight saving time, which feels like a personal attack. The rest of us are wandering around the house three days later like time travelers who didn’t stick the landing. The dog? Right on schedule. Every time. Show-off.
Then there are the birds. Mourning doves are named appropriately because they wake you up and immediately give you something to mourn. Every. Single. Morning.
And if you have Canada geese nearby, you already know they are not birds; they are organized noise. Their morning honks don’t say “good morning” — they say, “This is our neighborhood now, and we have opinions.”
Of course, your phone can wake you up, too. Alerts, notifications, mysterious dings at all hours. If this e-newsletter is what gets you out of bed at noon, then you clearly don’t have a sleep problem. And I am relieved to know that we rank somewhere below “angry goose” on your annoyance scale.
Have a fantastic Friday, and thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital newsletter
shane@gctimesnews.com
641-332-2707
Pate named ACGC High School principal
By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette
The Pate family includes Makencie (24), Johannah (13), Rhys, Sarah, Jase (19), and Kayla (22).
His wife, Sarah, worked for 21 years at Valley as a special education associate and is currently taking time off to care for her family. Daughter Makencie works in marketing for 515 Decorative Concrete Supply and has developed a strong passion for utilizing her digital expertise. Daughter Kayla has worked in childcare since the age of 16 and is currently a nanny for a family with four children. Son Jase graduated last year and is now employed at Crunch Fitness, where he is working toward certification as a personal trainer, building on his passion for fitness developed during his time as a high school wrestler. Johannah (Jojo) is a seventh-grade student who is involved in school activities, including volleyball, basketball, wrestling, track and chorus.
Pate enjoys watching his children grow and pursue their passions. In his free time, he enjoys working out, golfing, collecting baseball cards, and, most importantly, spending time with his family.
Pate replaces Cody Matthewson, who resigned from his principal position earlier this year.