1-133rd Battalion of the Iowa National Guard trains before deployment

Several local soldiers are deployed with the 1-133rd Battalion of the Iowa National Guard. Art Ricker photos Perhaps readers of the Gazette will recall an appreciation event held at the Eagle Ridge Resort in April of 2008 to honor the return of the 1-133rd Battalion of the Iowa National Guard from their 725-day deployment in Iraq. It was the vehicle that Tom Janzs, with the help of local residents, used to recognize and thank the warriors for the sacrifices they and their families had made in the war on terror. At that time there were many rumors about the guard being redeployed to Afghanistan, which has now become a reality. On Aug. 3, Alpha Company of the 1-133 Infantry Battalion, headquartered in Dubuque, along with 3200 other Iowa Guard, Air Force and volunteers from other states became part of the biggest troop deployment since World War II. (1 comments) Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Tri-State Tourism trip discusses possible film festival for Galena

Bob Warren and Dave Decker listen as actor Darren Burrows and movie theater owner Jeremy Patnaude talk. On July 14, members of the Tri-State Tourism Council boarded a Fried Green Tomatoes bus on a mission to expand their outreach to the smaller communities in the tri-state region. The Tri-State Tourism Council, TSTC, is a partnership between local businesses, organizations and communities that promote tourism and travel in the Tri-State area of Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin. In his job as the president of the TSTC, Dave Decker said he gets to visit small towns in the region and experience their unique qualities. Something he wanted to share with his members. "I want all our members to go to these small towns and experience the cool little things they have," Decker said. Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Celebrate the 90th Elizabeth Fair this weekend!

Leagan Schoenhaar, then 4, of Hanover, competes in the Kiddie Tractor Pull at the Elizabeth Fair last summer. ELIZABETH-The year is 1921. Warren G. Harding has just been elected the twenty-nineth president of the United States, the Chicago White Sox stand accused of throwing the World Series, and the small village of Elizabeth, holds is first community fair. This year the Elizabeth Fair is planned for July 15-18. According to Scott Sadler, the first fair was organized to help area farmers raise better livestock and to show the fruits of their labor including crafts, home-canned goods, homemade pies, vegetables from the garden and crops from the field. There was greased pig, catch the chicken and pie eating contest. Back then, tractor pulls were still one of the biggest events. Local farmers prepared tractors for the pull by unhooking the implements, washing their tractors up and adding weights. The pull-sled was a sheet of steel attached to the tractor drawbar and as the sled was pulled down the track. Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Luck is on her side

DARLINGTON, Wis.-Most people probably wouldn't consider a bout of severe headaches a blessing in life. For 17-year-old Kerri McArthur, though, crippling headaches in late November led to the discovery of a malformation of blood vessels in her brain, a condition that may otherwise have continued undetected. The blessings for Kerri just keep coming. When doctors at UW Hospital in Madison decided weeks later an angioplasty procedure to shrink the mass was too risky, Kerri, the daughter of Doug and Kathy McArthur, landed an appointment with experts at the world renowned Mayo Clinic. And now she's beginning the radiation process, undergoing treatment to reduce in size the 5-centimeter mass, known as an arterial venus malformation (AVM). It seems luck is on her side. Tuesday, March 06, 2007

Coates to retire from library

GALENA-On Maren Coates' desk are artifacts of the time she's spent here. One in particular is a librarian action figure. You press the button on the back, and the arm moves. The librarian's pointer finger lifts to her lips, making a stereotypical "shhh"-ing motion. But Coates has hardly been a stereotypical librarian. She's served as director of the Galena Public Library since 1985, taking the position a year after she was hired. She retires the end of March. An open house is planned at the library in her honor, Sunday, March 25, from 2 to 4 p.m. Tuesday, March 06, 2007

Walter helps area youth with 4-H

When Elaine Walter went to college, she wanted to get a job teaching kids and giving them opportunities to learn. Walter thought she was going to be a teacher. Things change, and Walter found her place as Youth Program Coordinator for the area 4-H program. "People sometime ask me if I miss not being in a classroom," Walter said. "I really like what I do. I still get to plan events and watch kids learn and grow. I don't think I could ask for more than that." Tuesday, February 27, 2007

30 years of service

Diane Rosenthal has worked at the Jo Daviess County Courthouse, in a variety of offices. This year she celebrates 30 years. She was kind enough to talk to the Gazette over email about her experiences: Where are you from, where did you grow up and go to school? I have lived in Galena my entire life (other than living in California in 1969-1971 for about 18 months while my husband was in the service). I attended St. Mary's grade school and Galena High School. Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Bette Koser: Cooking up memories

If you didn't know the name Bette Koser, you would surely recognize her, especially if you were a regular at any of the several Galena restaurants where she has worked. Bette, her sister Linda and brother Charles moved to Galena with their parents Ralph and Lauretta LaBore in 1941. She was 10 years old. (3 comments) Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Healthy living

GALENA-A huge former Chicago Bear towered over. . .well, pretty much everybody there. There were free massages on one side of the building. Wednesday, February 07, 2007

More than a decade of delivery

By the time you read this, Carol Siemen will have shed her two heavy coats and one hooded sweatshirt, normal apparel for a late-January day. She'll be on a motor home, already a few days into a well-deserved retirement to someplace warm and sunny. Many people in Galena will realize her absence immediately; they've been used to seeing her just about every day. She's worked for more than 10 years, delivering the mail in Galena. Her last day was Wednesday, Jan. 31. Tuesday, February 06, 2007