Mitchell County, IA

In 2020, the Independence Day parade did not pass through the streets of Osage. The Fourth of July was silent. For members of the Chamber of Commerce and its executive director, Kati Henry, it was hard to watch what did not happen. This year, the chamber plans to make up for what was missed, and continue to form the connections that hold the community together. The goal is vibrancy.

“This is a little different, but it’s good to get everybody back together. It’s good to celebrate agriculture at any time.”. Those were the words spoken Thursday by Darla Olson, director of Mitchell County Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach, to open the Mitchell County Ag Breakfast. The resumption...

OSAGE, Iowa – A Mitchell County woman is pleading not guilty in a collision that injured both drivers. Dorothy J. Werner, 66 of Osage, is charged with serious injury by vehicle. The Iowa State Patrol says Werner was driving on Highway 218 around 11:40 am on March 24 when he had a head-on crash with another vehicle near mile marker 256.

The Foundation for the Enhancement of Mitchell County (FEMC) has announced its upcoming 2021 grant cycle. Over the last 16 years, the FEMC Board of Directors has awarded more than $1.1 million in grant funding to over 360 Mitchell County projects and/or non-profit organizations. Information about the amount of funding...

Mitchell County Extension will be holding several fun and educational day camps this summer. • Fun with Bots will run from 9 a.m. to noon on July 8. It is open to youth kindergarten through third grade (must have completed kindergarten in May of 2021). Students will learn through play while coding, building their own robots, and navigating a robot through an obstacle course. Registration will be available on June 15.

At the June 15 Board of Supervisors meeting, Mitchell County Engineer Rich Brumm indicated that having an Americans with Disabilities Act coordinator, a representative contact for the county, is a requirement. He said the position will make sure everything is compliant with the ADA. The supervisors voted to name Brumm...

The public is invited to explore the beauty of Mitchell County's rivers with Mitchell County Conservation Board’s Andy Taets. The next event will run from 6-8 p.m. on June 24, with subsequent dates of July 13, Aug. 10 and Sept. 2. All equipment is provided, along with some basic paddling...

The Mitchell County Fair is looking for Little Miss and Little Mister Mitchell County contestants. The contest is limited to the first 20 girls and first 20 boys. Deadline to enter is July 3. Mail the following details to register:. • Contestant's full name. • Parents’ names. • Boy or...

Organizers with the Osage Chamber of Commerce have announced the grand marshals of the annual Independence Day Parade. This year, the organization has dedicated the honor to Mitchell County Health Care Workers. “After the last year, I think we all understand just how important our health care workers are to...

Mitchell County ruled the Riceville weekend tournament on Saturday. St. Ansgar, Osage and the Wildcats all were at the Wildcat Softball Classic at Riceville High School with the hosts notching the best record of the day amongst the area schools with a 2-1 record. They defeated the Green Devils head-to-head...

AMES — A self-driven tour led by forestry specialists with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach in Floyd and Mitchell counties will show Iowans some of the ways healthy forests can improve water quality and the value of land. “From the Stream to the Forest: Conservation Practices for Producers and...

Mitchell County will soon become a Broadway of sorts. After a year off due to COVID-19, Cedar Summerstock Theater is back. The cast ranges from local kindergartners to college students from New York City. It is all because Nancy Lee – founder of CST and a classically trained musician –...

You can’t say that Cedar Summerstock Theater doesn’t adapt. After canceling its 2020 season due to the pandemic, there was no way Cedar Summerstock founder and artistic director Nancy Lee and crew was going to let the 2021 summer pass by without live musical theater. And so it will be...

The Mitchell County Cattlemen’s Board is seeking the 2021 Beef Queen. The queen will be going into her junior or senior year of high school at a school in Mitchell County. Expectations for the queen would be handing out ribbons at the county fair during the cattle show, attending multiple grilling events, and participating in potential beef promotion events.

The Mitchell County Historic Preservation Association will host the 11th Summer Solstice Garland poetry reading at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 20. The event will take place on the front lawn of Hamlin Garland’s boyhood home at 3907 Noble Avenue, northeast of Osage. According to a release, featured poems were...

At the June 8 Mitchell County Board of Supervisors meeting, the use of the American Rescue Plan Act to help fund the county maintenance garage was approved. ARPA was signed into law earlier this year, providing monetary relief for those impacted by COVID-19. Auditor Rachel Foster said the garage could be used as a drive-through clinic and as storage for Public Health.

Mitchell County Conservation will be holding a sustainable living class called Canning 101 from 9 a.m.-noon on June 19. Naturalist Chelsea Ewen Rowcliffe will be teaching this installment of the "Living Wild” series. It is an introductory class on safe home canning. Interest in home canning and food preservation has surged over the past year, according to the press release.

OSAGE, Iowa – A Minnesota man pleads not guilty in Mitchell County over a car stolen in Mason City. Alec Gordon Woods, 10 of Austin, MN, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree theft. He was arrested on May 15 after a Mitchell County sheriff’s deputy responded to a report of a car spinning circles in a farm field in the 3700 block of Primrose Avenue.

A southern Minnesota 19-year-old has pleaded not guilty to stealing a car in Mason City and then joyriding through a farm field in Mitchell County. Alec Gordon Woods of Austin was arrested on May 15th after a Mitchell County Sheriff’s deputy responded to a report of a car spinning circles in a farm field in the 3700 block of Primrose Avenue east of Osage. A vehicle matching the same description was then seen speeding on Highway 218 and was pulled over. Woods was identified as the driver and he admitted to stealing the car from a hotel parking lot in Mason City on May 12.