Our Yesterdays

Pekin 6-12 Principal Tim Hadley and Pekin Talented and Gifted Coordinator Lori Eads took a group of their TAG high school students to the Blessings Soup Kitchen in Ottumwa last Thursday, Jan. 29, to volunteer. The students helped cook up the meal and prepare for their lunchtime crowd. Blessings Soup Kitchen is owned and operated by Sheri Locke and Gary Smith. The Kitchen serves lunch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. every weekday. The meals are free, and donations are accepted.

Providing the evening meal of Jan. 28 at the home of Winifred Fritz were her children Jane and Virgil Symmonds, and Mary and Joel Boatright, all of Fairfield; and Tony Fritz of Brighton with friend Lynn of North Liberty. Also present were Mary’s children J.D. Hollingsworth of Packwood with fiance Becky of Fairfield, and Bridget Hollingsworth, also of Fairfield.

The Pekin wrestling squad traveled to Sigourney for a meet. The Panthers were beat 39-28. Getting wins for the Panthers were Clayton McKim at 106 with a fall in :30; Clayton Greiner at 120 with a 10-2 major decision; Drake Harbison at 126 with a fall in 1:32; and Keaton Baayen at 138 with a fall in 1:37. Last Thursday, Jan. 29, Pekin held senior night as they hosted Mediapolis and Lone in a triangular. Pekin came out on top against Lone Tree 42-23, but lost to Mediapolis 70-12. In the dual against Mediapolis Kaden Baker at 145 and Clayton McKim at 106 each got a fall in their match, Baker’s coming at 5:41 and McKim’s at 1:01. In the matchup against Lone Tree, Keaton Baayen at 132 won with a fall at 2:43, Michael Hadley got a fall in 1:11 at 285, and Clayton McKim got a fall in :35 at 106. Saturday, Jan. 31, Pekin placed 8th of 14 teams in the Southeast Iowa Superconference tournament at Wapello. Getting fourth place finishes for the Panthers was Clayton Greiner at 120 and Chance Scearcy at 138.

The Panther girls’ basketball team faced Iowa Mennonite School last Friday night where they came away with their 15th win of the season. Leading Pekin in scoring was Beth Atwood with 16 points. Atwood also had seven rebounds in the game. Freshman Maci Gambell scored 13 points for the Panthers and pulled down three rebounds. Madelyn Baker, Gwynne Wright, and McKenna Gambell each added four points; while Baker had four rebounds, Gambell had three rebounds, and Wright had three assists and three steals. Sloan Reighard added a point. “Our girls played very hard and kept their focus throughout the entire game,” stated coach Davis Eidahl.

Gretchen Greiner is the featured Keokuk County 4-H senior this week. She is the daughter of Ann Lyle and Elmer Greiner Jr., and has one brother, Garrett. Gretchen is a senior at Pekin High School and is a member of the Lafayette Feeders 4-H Club. Her 4-H projects and activities over the years have included showing swine at the Keokuk County Expo and serving as a member of the Keokuk County 4-H Council. Some of her favorite 4-H memories include the countless water fights in the barns during the fair. While in high school Gretchen has been a wrestling manager. She is also employed at the Keokuk County Health Center.

Wayne Parsons of Richland will be celebrating his 90th birthday on February 26. Wayne has been married to Iola Parsons for 67 years. They have three children, Rita (and Dennis) Eastman of Packwood, Tim (and Nancy) Parsons of Richland, and Mary Beth (and Ron) Porch of Bradenton, Florida. They have 10 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.

Gordon Reynolds, formerly of Ollie, will be celebrating his 85th birthday on February 25. His family would like to honor him with a card shower to help him celebrate.

Hedrick native Torie Hollingsworth performed in Central’s modernized production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s comedic opera “Trial by Jury” Feb. 12, 13, and 15. This funny and outrageous operetta outlines the trial of two celebrities going through a very public breakup. It is complete with a hilariously arrogant Learned Judge, a diva of a Plaintiff, a hunky Defendant girls swoon over, and a jury full of crazy characters who order pizza during the trial and continuously switch sides until the Judge takes matters into his own hands and marries the Plaintiff himself!

Alexandra Jae Wyatt and Jonathon Lee Martin are proud to announce their engagement and upcoming marriage. The bride-elect is the daughter of Jay and Amy Wyatt of LeGrand, IA. She is a 2011 graduate of East Marshall High School, a 2013 graduate of Marshalltown Community College, and will graduate from Buena Vista University in the spring of 2016 with a major in Elementary Education. She is currently employed at MICA Head Start in Marshalltown. The groom-elect is the son of Nick and Joyce Martin of Packwood, IA. Jon is a 2013 Graduate of Pekin High School and is a farmhand at Cooks Farms near Hubbard, IA. A May 2, 2015 wedding is planned at Pine Lake near Eldora, IA.

Lucy Dietzman, with Malcolm and Branden of Keosauqua brought the noon meal of Feb. 8 to her mother, Winifred Fritz. Providing the evening meal on Feb. 8 were her daughters Mary and Joel Boatright, and Jane and Virgil Symmonds of Fairfield. Also present were Mary’s children J.D. Hollingsworth of Packwood and Bridget Hollingsworth of Fairfield. On Feb. 10 Winifred received a phone call from her cousin Jim Arndt of Texarkana, Texas.

Ed Drzycimiski, Dan Mottet, and Gerald Pacha attended the Wayland Antique Tractor Club meeting last Monday evening. A tractor pulling video was part of the program. The tractor club meets the second Monday of each month. If anyone is interested in attending, just call one of these guys.

The St. Joseph/Cabrini Altar and Rosary met last Tuesday afternoon for their monthly meeting. Plans were made for the annual soup supper to be held at Cabrini Hall in Rich-land on Sunday evening, March 1 from 5:00 to 7 p.m. Chili, chicken noodle, and vegetable soup will be served along with a variety of pies. There will be a country store. A free will offering will be taken. Ash Wednesday services were held at 6 p.m. on Feb. 18 at St. Joseph Catholic Church. Lenten services will continue each Wednesday evening during the Lenten season with soup and fellowship following the Stations of the Cross.

Gerald and Rosemary Pacha just returned from a three-week vacation in Mission, Texas with his brothers and sisters, Maurice and Kathryn Pacha of Washington, Don and Edna Sieren of Keota, and Mel and Geri Scheller of Emporia, Kansas. Gerald and his twin sister, Geri celebrated their birthday, Jan. 28 while there. They visited Brownsville, Tex-as and South Padre Island. One morning, they met Larry and Sarah Robison and Jim and Dorothy Miller at their RV Park. They attended several jam sessions and dances and played lots of cards and pool. Rosemary even got to see a quilt show in Mission.

Mary Boatright with Bridget Hollingsworth of Fairfield visited her mother, Winifred Fritz on February 14. On Feb. 17, Winifred was visited by her sons Joe and Tony, both of Brighton.

Pat Remington met her sister Kathy Babberl of Chariton in Ottumwa on February13. They enjoyed shopping and dining at the Sirloin Stockade.

Angela Garmoe of Mount Pleasant visited her mother Pat Remington the evening of February 13. They dined at Loriann’s in Richland.

A Valentine’s Day banquet was served at the First Church of God in Brighton. Eighteen youth members and 13 adults were present for a memorable occasion.