September 2019

I’m always hesitant to latch on to any cultural phenomenon, which probably explains why I’ve never seen any of the “Star Wars” movies and watched about half of the first “Avengers” before realizing I had at least 20 more to catch up on before I could actually consider myself a fan. But there is an undeniable allure to becoming part of a community of folks with likeminded interests, whether it’s fixing Jeeps, playing Fender guitars or knitting sweaters while drinking tea and listening to ambient cat sounds.
           

One of the county’s longest tenured employees announced his impending retirement recently after nearly four decades with the secondary roads department, and the board of supervisors accepted it at Monday morning’s regular meeting.
           
Ivan Groeneveld, the patrol operator out of the Buck Grove shed northeast of Wellsburg, had worked for Grundy County for 37 years. He worked his last day last Wednesday and is using up his vacation days before officially wrapping up his tenure on May 31.
           

As the public art movement continues to gain traction here in town, a new art installment by local artist Grant McMartin was put up in downtown Grundy Center on Monday morning.
 
Located on the east side of the Pizza Hut building, McMartin’s painting depicts a barn on an open field, signifying the agricultural identity of the community and county.