Sports, Saturday, October 31st

By: Nathan Bloechl — sports@kilj.com 

All Trick, No Treat: New London Axed by Janesville

Carson Pariseau totaled seven scores — four rushing, two receiving and one on a punt return — as the unranked Janesville Wildcats bludgeoned New London last night 66-22 in an 8-Player Round of 16 matchup at Janesville High School last night.

Pariseau scored the first points of the game on Janesville’s opening possession, a 43-yard score that opened the floodgates — the Wildcats never trailed.

From there, Janesville suffocated Blaise Porter and the high-powered New London offense.

The Tigers broke through in the mid-stages of the second quarter after sophomore tailback Boden Pickle broke loose for a 47-yard rushing score to cut the Janesville advantage down to 22-6.

However the Wildcats would punch back.

Janesville scored the games next 22 points to take a 44-6 lead into the early parts of the third quarter — with running clock enforced, New London was out of answers.

New London ends their season with a record of 7-2, while Janesville improved to 9-1.

The Wildcats will take on No. 1 Don Bosco next Friday in the Round of 8.

Other 8-Man scores from last night:

  • Remsen St. Mary’s 53, Harris-Lake Park 13
  • Audubon 28, Newell-Fonda 6
  • CAM 62, Lamoni 6
  • Easton Valley 55, Gladbrook-Reinbeck 0
  • Montezuma 56, BGM-Brooklyn 14

In 1A, Mediapolis saw their season come to a close with a 32-20 loss at Waterloo Columbus Catholic.

The Bulldogs pulled within 26-20 in the 3rd Quarter, but the Sailors pulled away with the games final tally.

Mediapolis ends their season 7-3.

Other 1A finals from last night:

  • OABCIG 41, Western Christian 14
  • West Sioux 36, Emmetsburg 15
  • Southeast Valley 34, Denver 7
  • Van Meter 49, Pella Christian 23
  • Sigourney-Keota 35, Beckman Catholic 14
    • S-K advances to take on Waterloo Columbus Catholic

Blint Races Well in 2020 3A State Meet:

Mount Pleasant junior Abby Blint, making her first every trip to the State Cross Country Meet finished 43rd in the Girls’ 3A Race Friday afternoon.

Congrats to Abby and her head coach Lyle Murray on a great season.

Class 1 and 2A will run today at Lakeside Municipal Golf Course in Fort Dodge.

The Danville-New London boys’ are Class 2A’s top-ranked program heading to race day, while the Bears’ Addison Parrott is one of 2A Girls’ premier runners.

Cyclones Prep for Kansas

(Via Associated Press)

Iowa State learned in an opening home loss to Louisiana-Lafayette that you can’t overlook anybody in college football.

Especially in such a bizarre season as this one.

Maybe that’s why Cyclones coach Matt Campbell made winless Kansas sound like the best of Clemson and Alabama rolled into one this week.

No. 23 Iowa State may be a massive favorite as it heads to Lawrence to take on the bumbling Jayhawks, but Campbell isn’t about to let his players — or anyone else — believe that it will be a walk-over in Memorial Stadium.

While the Cyclones (3-2, 3-1 Big 12)) bounced back from that opening loss to reel off three straight wins, including one over Oklahoma, before a competitive loss to sixth-ranked Oklahoma State last weekend, the Jayhawks (0-5, 0-4) have struggled to find anything to feel good about in a season that began with a loss to Coastal Carolina and hasn’t gotten much better.

It hasn’t helped that the Jayhawks have been missing several players to injuries and COVID-19 diagnoses; they were down to their third-string punter last weekend.

It also was their first game since All-Big 12 running back Pooka Williams decided to opt out of the remainder of the season to spend time with ailing family in Louisiana.

This morning’s game will begin at 11:00 a.m. on KILJ-AM — with pre-game coverage beginning at 9:00 a.m.

Hawks Look to Rebound:

(Via Associated Press)

Kirk Ferentz’s best Iowa teams tend to improve by the week, which means the Hawkeyes better get going if they want to be a factor in the Big Ten West.

The timetable is accelerated this season because of the conference’s shortened schedule. Ferentz is looking for his team to make a big jump at home against Northwestern on Saturday after its season-opening loss at Purdue.

Northwestern comes to Iowa City off a 43-3 win over Maryland and looking much improved following a three-win season in 2019. The Wildcats’ offense has a polished quarterback in Peyton Ramsey and a rushing attack that generated 325 yards in the season opener against the Terrapins.

The Wildcats’ defense surrendered just 74 yards over nine series after Maryland finished its first possession with a field goal.

Newly minted Iowa quarterback Spencer Petras  was mostly solid in his first career start, overcoming a slow start against Purdue to throw for 265 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions.

He’ll need to better against Northwestern to come away with a victory this afternoon.

This afternoon’s game will kick at 2:30 p.m., coverage on KILJ-FM will begin at 12:30 p.m.

Shirley Swanson

Shirley Swanson, 87, of Mt. Pleasant, passed away on Monday, October 26, 2020, at the Henry County Health Center in Mt. Pleasant. Visitation will be held on Monday, November 2, 2020, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at the Swedesburg Evangelical Lutheran Church with memorial services to follow at at 11:00 a.m. with Rev. Mark Youngquist officiating.  Burial will be in the Swedesburg Church Cemetery.  Family request all that attend to please wear a mask due to Covid19.  Memorials may be directed to the Church Quilting Organization in memory of Shirley.  Sympathy notes may be left for the family at www.sandhfuneralservice.com.  The Snyder and Hollenbaugh Funeral and Cremation Services of Winfield is caring for Shirley’s family and arrangements.

Shirley Anderson was born on February 3, 1933, in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa the daughter of Boyd and Bessie (Owens) Anderson.  She was a graduate of Mt. Pleasant High School and then attended Mt. Mercy College of Nursing.  On August 31, 1952, Shirley was united in marriage to Roger Julius Swanson in Swedesburg.  She worked for the Olds School System as a secretary and later was the office manager of Packers Sanitation in Mt. Pleasant.  Shirley was a member of the Swedesburg Evangelical Lutheran Church, WACO Women’s Club and the church Quilting Club.  She enjoyed quilting, sewing, shopping, driving over the speed limit, going to her grandchildren’s school events, and spending time with friends.

Shirley will be deeply missed by her children, Douglas Swanson of Olds, David (Lisa) Swanson of Hillsboro, Scott (Jenni) Swanson of Ollie and Kathy Swanson of Swedesburg; ten grandchildren and many great grandchildren.

Shirley was preceded in death by her parents, husband, and two sisters, Darlene Herrington and Wanda Keeley.

Sports, Friday, October 30th

By: Nathan Bloechl — sports@kilj.com 

New London, Mediapolis Ready for Round of 16 Action:

Tonight will mark the Round of 16 in all classes as the Iowa High School Football Playoffs roll on, statewide.

Two area programs are left standing as Mediapolis will travel to Waterloo Columbus Catholic while New London will head north to battle Janesville.

Our featured matchup on KILJ-FM will be New London-Janesville, the first ever meeting between the two schools.

The Tigers, 7-1 this year, are playing some of their best football over the last five weeks, going 5-0 averaging a robust 51.2 points per game during that span.

More impressive however, has been the New London defense.

Over that same stretch of games, the defense is yielding just 12.6 points per game and they’ll need to be just as sharp against a Janesville team that has scored 70-plus in three of the last four games.

Defensively, sophomore Blaise Porter has been just as good as he has been on the offensive side of the football — Porter leads 8-man with nine interceptions.

Head Coach Mark McSorely calls Porter his “ball-hawk” in the Tiger secondary.

The lot of Janesville’s offensive production is led by senior tailback Carson Pariseau.

Pariseau has rushed for over 1400 yards and has 30 touchdowns under his belt.

As a team the Wildcats are average north of 8.5 yards per rush.

They’re coming off a 62-26 win over Kee last Friday, a game in which Pariseau rushed 20 times for 244 yards and five touchdowns.

The aforementioned Blaise Porter was equally up to the task for New London against English Valleys, rushing for 211 yards, totaline five touchdowns.

Tonight’s game will kick from Janesville High School at 7:00 p.m., we’ll have coverage beginning at 6:30 p.m. on KILJ-FM 105.5.

Nathan Bloechl and Ben Fry will have the call this evening.

Meanwhile in 1A, the 7-2 Mediapolis Bulldogs will meet up with the Sailors of Waterloo Columbus Catholic — who enter tonight’s Round of 16 with a record of 7-1.

Similar to New London-Janesville, this will be the first ever meeting between the Sailors and Bulldogs; and the stakes could not be higher.

The emergence of sophomore bell-cow Anthony Isley has been critical to Mediapolis’ late season surge.

Isley ran for 285 yards and two touchdowns in the Bulldogs 20-13 win over West Branch last week.

Since taking over around the mid-season mark, Isley has totaled over 1,000 scrimmage yards and 12 touchdowns — he’s got a chance to be a very special player when it’s all said and done.

Senior quarterback Regan Thornburg wasn’t asked to make a ton of plays against West Branch but he’s been good when asked to deliver the ball downfield this season, tossing 17 scores, passing for just under 1,000 yards on the season.

On the other side, Columbus Catholic was tested — yet ultimately prevailed — over a very game Osage team, 42-35 last week.

A balanced rushing attack is spearheaded by senior Joe Dunlay, who is one of three Sailors rushing for over 400 yards this season.

Quarterback Carter Callagher is second on the team with 433 yards and eight scores, while Josh Heine has found paydirt five times while rushing for 416 yards.

Callagher has hurled 11 passing strikes this season while being picked off just twice.

Tonight’s game at Columbus Catholic will kick at 7:00 p.m.

Blint Readies for 2020 State XC Meet:

Mount Pleasant junior is all set to make her debut at the 2020 State Cross Country Meet.

The junior qualified by finishing Top-15 at last week’s State Qualifying race in Monticello.

It’s the fifth straight year where a Panther girl will race at Lakeside Municipal Golf Course, in Fort Dodge.

Mount Pleasant sent Abby Ryon, a 7th place finisher in Class 3A last year, each of the last four years — she now runs at the University of Iowa.

Head Coach Lyle Murray said the expectations for Blint remain the same as they have been all season, run your best, set a new personal time and don’t worry about where you finish in the field.

She’s seeded about 60th, he surmised.

The girls’ race will begin at 3:30 p.m. today, while the 3A boys’ will run at approximately 4:00 p.m.

Class 1A and 2A will run on Saturday, where Addison Parrott and the Danville-New London boys’ have their sights set on dominating the Class 2A girls and boys’ fields respectively.

Former Mediapolis’ Standout Massner Named to SLIAC All-Decade Team:

Former Mediapolis Bullette standout Darby Massner has been named to the SLIAC All-Decade Team after competing at Iowa Wesleyan, the conference has announced.

Massner competed for the Tigers from 2015-2019.

Over those four seasons, she racked up 1,223 total points, made 205 three-pointers, and averaged 13.74 points per game.

She tied a long-standing record for three-pointers in a game in 2016 by draining ten during her freshman season.

Massner is number eight on the women’s individual career scoring list for Iowa Wesleyan.

During her time at Iowa Wesleyan, Massner also earned CoSIDA Academic All-American, All-District, USCAA All-American, and 2x USCAA Honorable Mention All-American, SLIAC 1st, 2nd and 3rd-Team All-Conference, All-Sportsmanship, 1st-Team Google Cloud Academic All-American, SLIAC All-Academic honors.

Iowa State Men’s Hoops Tabbed 7th:

Iowa State is picked 8th in the Big 12 preseason men’s basketball poll.

The Cyclones received 19 points and are only slated ahead of TCU and Kansas State, which are picked 9th and 10th, respectively.

Baylor is the preseason favorite with seven first-place votes and 79 points while Kansas has three and 73 in second.

West Virginia, Texas and Texas Tech are the rest of the top five.

Friday, October 30 News

On October 7, the Henry County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call reporting a motor vehicle accident in the 400 block of South Main Street in Salem.

Upon arrival at the scene it was found that a single-vehicle crash occurred with an injured driver.  The driver was identified as Lucas Blint, 39, Mt. Pleasant.  Blint was transported to the Henry County Health Center Emergency Room for treatment. Now, as a result of an ongoing investigation the Henry County Sheriff’s Office has charged Blint with OWI, having an open container, no valid license, failure to main control and failure to provide proof of accident insurance.

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On October 22nd, 2020, at 5:23PM, the Henry County Sheriff’s Office was notified of an animal incident in the 3300-grid of Quincy Avenue in rural Lowell, Iowa

Upon arrival at the scene it was determined that a dog had attacked a second dog. One of the dogs involved was destroyed by the property owner.  As a result of the investigation Alexander Hoppe, of New London was charged with Rabies Vaccination violation.

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A woman wanted out of Washington County for assault after dragging a police officer when trying to flee this summer was arrested in Texas on Tuesday. According to the Washington County Communications Office, the Texas State Patrol arrested 42-year-old Mary Bella Brooks of Des Moines. She was wanted on a local warrant for assault on persons in certain occupations with use or display of a weapon, assault while participating in a felony, interference with official acts with a dangerous weapon, theft in the second degree, interference with official acts inflicting bodily injury, and leaving the scene of an accident with an injury. On August 2nd, a Washington Police Officer stopped a vehicle Brooks driving asking her to step out because the car was reported stolen. She refused and drove away, dragging the officer with the vehicle.

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Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller issued the following advisory on legal questions related to safe voting on Election Day. He said Voter intimidation is a felony and will not be tolerated in Iowa. No one can destroy, deliver, or handle an application for a ballot or an absentee ballot with the intent of interfering with the voter’s right to vote.  No one can interfere with the validity of an election. No one can file a challenge to your right to vote by using false information. No one can post signs, congregate, solicit votes or loiter within 300 feet of the door to a polling place. No one can interrupt, hinder or oppose a voter while in or approaching the polling place or when marking the ballot. Any precinct election official shall order the arrest of any person who behaves in a noisy, riotous, tumultuous or disorderly manner at or about the polls. Multiple state and federal laws protect your rights and address disruptions and unrest on Election Day and after. If you see problems at polling sites, you are encouraged to report them to precinct election officials and local law enforcement.   The polls in Henry County are open on Election Day from 7 am to 9 pm.

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A full moon, Halloween and the end of Daylight Savings Time….all happening this weekend. It’s interesting to note that the full moon is occurring on Halloween in all the United States time zones and according to the Farmer’s Almanac the last time this happened was in 1944 and it won’t happen again until 2039.

Clocks will “fall” back an hour at 2 a.m. Sunday. Daylight Savings Time runs each year from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November. In addition to adjusting your clocks, remember to check and change out the batteries in smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors.

Charles Conner

Charles Conner, 90, of Mt. Pleasant, died Thursday, October 29, 2020 at Henry County Health Center. Services are pending at the Olson-Powell Memorial Chapel.

Arlen E. “Red” McDowell

Arlen E. “Red” McDowell, 88, of Ottumwa, died Tuesday, October 27, 2020 at Mercy Hospital in Des Moines.

A private family visitation will be held. The graveside funeral service for Mr. McDowell will be 1:30 PM on Friday, October 30 at the St. Alphonsus Cemetery in Mt. Pleasant, where interment will take place. Military Honors will be conducted by the Henry County Honor Guard.

Those considering an expression of sympathy may direct memorials to the family. On line condolences may be left at www.kimzeyfuneralhome.com.

Arlen Eugene “Red” McDowell was born December 16, 1931 in Lowell, Henry County, Iowa. He was the son of Deryl Devere and Elsie Lavonne (Thornburg) McDowell. As a youth, he moved with his family to Fairfield. He graduated from Fairfield High School. On December 27, 1956 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Fairfield, Red was united in marriage to Nancy Cecelia Wick. They would have celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary this year.

Mr. McDowell was inducted into the United States Marine Corps on February 12, 1952 in Des Moines, IA. He was stationed in Japan and honorably discharged on February 4, 1954 in San Francisco, CA to the Reserves. He was discharged from the Marine Corps reserves on February 11, 1960.

Red began his working career as a salesman for the Goodyear Store in Ottumwa. For 12 years, Red was a mechanic in the garage of the Lowenburg Bakery, maintaining the fleet of delivery trucks. He then became a truck driver of the Swartz Metal Company. He retired in 1994.

Red enjoyed traveling and camping, especially to those places where he could fish for trout. He was a great storyteller. His family was very dear to him, and he loved the time he could spend with them. In his quite moments, Red liked to read about nature and history.

Those thankful for sharing in Red’s life include his wife Nancy of Ottumwa; 3 children and their spouses – Theresa & Mike Wallace of Blue Grass, IA, Kim & Tim Thornbrugh of Cedar, IA, and Kevin Joseph & Connie McDowell of Ottumwa; a brother and his wife, Randy & Patty McDowell of Fairfield; a sister – Patricia Coffin of Fairfield; a sister-in-law – Amy McDowell; 7 grandchildren – Amy (Jeff) Scott, Sharon Wallace, Lisa (James) Sullivan, Joshua Thornbrugh (Shannon Ash), Jessica (Chris) Stuckey, J.D. (Heather) Copple and Levi (Raelyn) McDowell,; 16 great grandchildren, 1 great-great granddaughter and many nieces, nephews and friends.

His parents, brother Doug McDowell, sister Wilda Nelson and great granddaughter Kensley precede Red in death.

Sports, Thursday, October 29th

By: Nathan Bloechl — sports@kilj.com 

No Trick, All Treat: Nikes Roll to State Tournament

Notre Dame started fast and finished faster as the No. 14 Nikes swept their way to the Class 1A State Volleyball Tournament, with a 3-0 win over WACO last night.

The win earmarked Notre Dame for their first ever trip to the Alliant Energy Power House in Cedar Rapids.

Notre Dame started fast behind set one attacks from outside hitter Katy Stephens, who was in full command all night long for the Nikes.

Stephens led the Nikes with 17 kills, while junior Josie Bentz finished with 12.

Her twin sister Jenna Bentz provided sublime service all night finishing with 31 assists, a game-high.

Notre Dame, who took set one 25-22 and set 25-18, found themselves in a hole in set three with WACO leading by as much as 8-5.

After that, the Nikes went cascading on an 11-0 run to grab a 16-8 lead.

The turnaround was sparked by libero Karli Artman, who was a menace at the service line during the Nike run.

For the second consecutive contest sophomore middle hitter Gabby Deery was outstanding defensively, provide five blocks while Maisey Belger added four.

The combination of the Bentz twins, Stephens, Deery and the rest of the Notre Dame supporting cast has them believing some magic could occur at the State Tournament, this year.

WACO was led by senior hitter Morgan Graber who finished with a team-high 13 kills.

Sophomore setter Grace Coble ended with 25 assists, while First Team All-SEISC South Division libero Aubrey Garsney paced the WACO defense with a game-high 19 digs.

Notre Dame improved to 17-5, while WACO ended their season 26-8.

We’ll set the State Tournament matchups shortly.

How About Those Tigers? New London Headed Back to Cedar Rapids

For the first time in six years Maureen Heath and her New London Tiger volleyball team is heading back to the Class 1A State Volleyball Tournament.

The No. 11 Tigers rolled to 25-18, 25-22 and 26-24 wins over No. 5 Southeast Warren at Ottumwa Middle School to punch their ticket to the Alliant Energy Power House.

New London welcomed back terrific senior Sofie Reighard, who sat out during a brief quarantine — just par for the course in this bizarre 2020 — but the do-it-all star finished with seven kills, four blocks and six digs.

Her return added just another chess piece for New London’s balanced, albeit well-oiled offensive attack.

Reighard, Marah Hartrick, Natalie Burden and Keaura Williams all finished with seven kills while Sophie Malott ended with six.

Elly Manning and Aliyah Christensen both went double-figures on assists with 14 and 13 respectively, while Kyra Linkin provided her usual production in the back row leading the way with 19 digs.

With the win in tow, Heath has now taken eight programs to state in her 20-year coaching career in New London, cementing herself among, not only the top coaches in Class 1A, but all classes statewide.

The win improved New London to 22-7.

Southeast Warren, the undefeated champion of the Pride of Iowa Conference, ends their season with a tally of 25-1.

IGHSAU Releases Class 1A/2A State Volleyball Pairings:

The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union has released their 2020 Class 1A and 2A State Volleyball pairings:

Class 1A:

No. 1 Janesville vs. No. 8 Council Bluffs St. Albert — Tuesday, November 3rd (5:30 p.m.)

No. 4 Gladbrook-Reinbeck vs. No. 5 Springville — Tuesday, November 3rd (8:00 p.m.)

No. 2 Wapsie Valley vs. No. 7 Burlington Notre Dame — Tuesday, November 3rd (5:30 p.m.)

No. 3 Gehlen Catholic vs. No. 6 New London — Tuesday, November 3rd (8:00 p.m.)

Class 2A:

No. 1 Western Christian vs. No. 8 South Hardin — Tuesday, November 3rd (12:30 p.m.)

No. 4 Boyden-Hull vs. No. 5 Denver — Tuesday, November 3rd (3:00 p.m.)

No. 2 Wilton vs. No. 7 Van Meter — Tuesday November 3rd (12:30 p.m.)

No. 3 Dike-New Hartford vs. No. 6 Sumner-Fredericksburg (3:00 p.m.)

Notre Dame and New London games can be heard on KILJ-FM 105.5 and online at kilj.com.

Wisconsin-Nebraska Banged This Weekend, B1G Scrambling

The Wisconsin football team is pausing activities due to an elevated number of COVID-19 cases and as a result their game at Nebraska on Saturday has been canceled and is being listed as a “no contest”

Quarterback Graham Mertz, who fired five touchdowns against Illinois, reportedly tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this week and reports surfaced yesterday that an outbreak on the team might lead to a cancellation of the game.

A positivity rate above 5% in a program over a seven-day period would require a shutdown under Big Ten restrictions.

Nebraska is next scheduled to play Northwestern on Saturday, November 7th at 11:00 AM.

It’s unknown when Wisconsin can next take the gridiron.

So far so good for the Hawkeyes, who will host Northwestern this Saturday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. at Kinnick Stadium.

HCHC revises visitation policy

 

Henry County Health Center has announced a revision to its visitation policy. Effective Thursday, October 29, Henry County Health Center will allow limited visitation in the Inpatient Services Department. Visitor restrictions have been in place in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

All visitors are required to do the following to enter the health center:

  • Pass temperature check and COVID-19 screening.
  • Be at least 18 years old.
  • Wear a mask at all times while in the health center.
  • Stay in the patient’s room or designated visitor area.
  • Visitors may not leave and return in the same day.
  • No one under the age of 18 is allowed in the health center unless the child is the patient with an appointment.

 

Following is department-specific information regarding visitation:

  • Park Place Elder Living – Visitor approval through Park Place administration.
  • Inpatient Services – One visitor per day during visiting hours only (10 am-4 pm). Visitors may not leave and return in the same day, and must stay in the patient’s room during their visit. No visitors for patients who are COVID-19 positive or patients considered under investigation for COVID-19. Support for these patients will be provided via telephone or video visits.
  • Emergency Department – One visitor, who must remain in patient’s room for entire visit. May allow additional visitors based on clinical patient situation.
  • End of life when death is imminent – Patients may have one visitor.
  • Patients who are minors under age of 18 – one visitor, parent or guardian.
  • Patients having surgery or procedures – One visitor on the day of surgery or the procedure day.
  • Outpatient Services – One visitor.
  • Patients requiring special assistance – One visitor or guardian.

 

 

–more–

 

 

 

Visitation exceptions that require approval by the provider or administration include:

  • Patients with disruptive behavior, where a family member is key to their care.
  • Patients who have altered mental status or developmental delays (where caregiver provides safety).

 

Screening Process

All potential visitors and outpatients are screened before entering the health center through these locations. All other entrances are closed.

 

  • Main Lobby entrance: 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.
  • Rehabilitation Services entrance: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday. Entrance open only for patients receiving services in the following departments: Rehabilitation, Cardiac Rehab, Infusion-Chemotherapy, Audiology.
  • Emergency Department entrance: 24 hours a day for Emergency Department patients and visitors. After 5 p.m. Monday-Friday. All day Saturday-Sunday.