Skip to main content

Panora welcomes RAGBRAI riders

By Cheryl Castile | Times Vedette

A steady stream of bicyclists made their way to Panora Tuesday morning after the overnight stay in Guthrie Center. Many local organizations welcomed them with a variety of offerings.

Kile Jackson performs music for cyclists and guests at the Panora gazebo.

Panorama class of 2027 and their sponsors were selling items as a fundraiser for their senior trip.

Terry Tausz and Dave Ryan were offering Tootsie Rolls to those in attendance on behalf of the Knights of Columbus Council 11242.

RAGBRAI cyclists filled Main Street in Panora on Tuesday morning.

A RAGBRAI view from the air

Photos by Willis Sheeder | Special to the Times Vedette

Local photographer Willis Sheeder used his drone camera to capture these aerial images of RAGBRAI participants. Warm weather was a challenge, and an evening thunderstorm created even more difficulties for the cyclists and their crews. 

The ACGC High School and grounds, with the exception of the fields, were filled with tents and campers on Monday.

RAGBRAI tents were lined up in near perfect order at the Guthrie County Fairgrounds on July 20.

RVs and support vehicles were parked throughout the Guthrie County Fairgrounds for RAGBRAI participants on Monday.

State Street was taking shape on Monday afternoon in preparation of the evening activities for RAGBRI, including the concerts.

 

Guthrie County to seek private auditing options

By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette

During the July 21 meeting of the Guthrie County Board of Supervisors, County Auditor Dani Fink discussed the option of contracting with a private auditing firm (rather than the State) to fulfill the requirement for the county to have an annual financial audit.

Fink said she was contacted by a firm that is used by Ringgold and several other counties. She also said she will check into the audit requirements before making any contractual efforts but asked the supervisors’ directions on whether to put out an RFP (Request for Proposals) from private firms available to perform Guthrie County’s annual audit.

“As expensive as the State is getting now, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t look at this now,” Supervisor Mike Dickson said. He added his suggestion to make sure any private firm that may be selected would be prompt and responsive in communications.

Supervisor Brian Johnson voiced his support for Fink’s idea.

“If we look at an outside auditor, I’d rather write an RFP that could be put out there for anybody to respond to, including these folks,” Johnson said.

Fink noted that currently, the county is not under a contract for an audit, so this would be a convenient time to seek options. The next audit will be performed in 2027. She added that relatively few firms are offering to take on auditing for governmental bodies, but she will check into the requirements and begin the process of creating an RFP.

Supervisor Steve Smith noted that RAGBRAI’s visit to Guthrie County seems to have gone fairly smoothly so far.

No citizens addressed the supervisors during the Public Comments portion of the meeting.

The supervisors meet regularly on Tuesdays at 9 a.m. The public is welcome to attend in person at the courthouse or via remote technology. To join remotely, call 323-792-6123, then use meeting code 547029216#

Watch baseball and softball state tournaments

While it won’t be as much fun without the Chargers or Panthers playing, the IHSAA baseball and IGHSAU softball state championships have officially begun. The games started on July 20 and run through July 24. Baseball is being played in Carroll for 1A and 2A and in Cedar Rapids for 3A and 4A. A stream of the games can be watched HERE. As for softball, all games will be played in Fort Dodge, also from July 20-24. Those games can be watched HERE.

Outdoor mass at Lake Panorama’s Boulder Beach on Sunday draws crowd of 267

By Shane Goodman | Times Vedette

The Catholic parishes of St. Mary’s (Guthrie Center), St. Patrick’s (Bayard) and St. Cecilia’s (Panora) held an outdoor mass at Boulder Beach at Lake Panorama starting at 9:30 a.m. on Sundy. A lunch, hosted by the Panora Knight of Columbus, was held after the service. A crowd of 267 was counted. This was the fourth year of the outdoor mass celebration. 

A total of 267 people were counted at the outdoor mass at Boulder Beach at Lake Panorama on Sunday, July 19.

The choir performed songs during the service.

Father Ray Higgins led the mass.

Father Ray Higgins blesses the host while Deacon Dennis Patrick helps to prepare the communion service.

Father Ray Higgins serves communion to those in attendance at Boulder Beach on Sunday.