For those of you attending Midwest Old Threshers, there are so many great things to do. The food is amazing, you can catch a show in the Golden Slipper Salon, and enjoy a cold sarsaparilla in the log village. While you can take your kids to the grounds, you will have to leave your four-legged friends at home.

According to the Midwest Old Threshers Pet Policy, effective January 1, 2020, personal pets are not allowed on the Reunion Show Grounds unless they are ADA Service Animals. On-duty police dogs and trained animals that appear in events will be allowed.

Pets are permitted in the campgrounds and volunteer camping areas, but Old Threshers asks that they be kept on a 4-foot leash or shorter.

Do not leave pets in unattended vehicles regardless of the weather. The authorities will be notified of any animal found in unattended vehicles.

Midwest Electric Railway will run Thursday, August 31^st until Sunday, September 3^rd from 7am each morning until 10:00pm. A round trip ticket is $3 and a pack of 10 trips is $20. Children under 6 ride for free.

The ground trains will operate from 7:30am-11:00pm Thursday through Sunday. On Labor Day, the ground train will stop running at 3:00pm.

If you’d like a ride on the Midwest Central Railroad, you can spend just $4 for adults and children who are 5 or older. Thursday and Friday will allow you to ride the train from 9am until 8pm, and this will be extended by one hour at night on Saturday and Sunday. On Monday, the rails will close at 3 in the afternoon.

If you are shuttling from downtown to the grounds (or vice versa), you can hop on a bus any day at 6am and these will continue transporting reunion goers all the way until 11:30 at night. This bus pickup depot is at the SW corner of the main exhibit grounds. These still operate on Monday but will have reduced hours, starting at 6 in the morning and finishing up for the year at 4:00pm.

Special Ticket Alert! Wednesday Night and Friday Night tickets are extremely low. Both nights are likely to sell out prior to the event and potentially within the next few days or sooner. Attendees are highly encouraged to pre-purchase tickets as soon as possible.

In the case of a sellout, we will offer a limited amount of “General Admission – Standing Room Only” tickets. These tickets will not come with seating in the arena but will allow for access inside the grounds. Ticket holders will be able to enjoy the vendors as well as the big-screen TVs that will show the rodeo inside the Bud Light Stockyard. Once the rodeo is over, we will open the gates to the arena and all ticket holders will be allowed onto the dirt to get in front of the stage for the concerts.

The 75th Tri-State Rodeo kicks off on Saturday, September 2, 2023, with 4 days of pre-rodeo activities that lead to 4 huge nights of rodeo and music inside C.E. Richards Arena.

Pre-Rodeo activities include the Fort Madison YMCA Stockyard Stampede (5K), Pee Wee Barrels, a Chili Supper, Lil’ Spurs Rodeo, Little Miss Rodeo & All-Around Cowboy, a Pancake Breakfast, Pulled Pork Dinner, and the Special Kids Rodeo. Entry to the pre-rodeo activities requires the purchase of a Rodeo Button ($7), which can be purchased at many area businesses, including the rodeo ticket office.

Rodeo activities include 4 Nights of world-class rodeo competition, including the Jim Bair/RAM Chute-Out, Bareback Riding, Steer Wrestling, Team Roping, Saddle Bronc Riding, Tie Down Roping, Barrel Racing, and Bull Riding.

Musical performances on Jack Daniel’s Main Stage include performances by Ian Munsick, Chris Janson, ALABAMA, and Riley Green, as well as after-party shows in the Bud Light Stockyard by The Tank Anthony Band, Bootcut, and Stumptown.  Also, the Tri-State Rodeo Parade (Saturday, Sept 9th) is one of the largest and finest parades in the Tri-State area, with over 1,000 horses and riders!

There will be food and drink vendors, retail vendors, and many interactive activities as well! Tickets are required for each night and include admission to all scheduled events for that day (including both the rodeo and concerts).

Each night of the rodeo will be hosted by 4x Pro Rodeo Announcer of the Year, Boyd Polhamus, and 10-time PRCA Clown of The Year Justin Rumford. Also performing will be Cowboy Kenny’s Steel Rodeo. Cowboy Kenny is a high-flying freestyle motocross rider who has won 10 medals at the X Games and Gravity Games and 7 World Championships, including the Van’s Triple Crown and Dew Tours.!

A full list of activities, a schedule, and more can be found at www.tristaterodeo.org.

Parking is available at the arena, but during the rodeo (September 6 -9th), there will also be shuttle buses running regularly from Connection Bank, Cobblestone Inn & Suites, Baxter Sports Complex, and Quality Inn & Suites. Busses will run 5PM – 12AM on Wednesday & Thursday and 5PM – 2AM on Friday & Saturday. The shuttles and parking at pickup spots are a free service offered through the rodeo.

Attendance is expected to be at record levels this year, so rodeo spectators (concertgoers) are highly encouraged to get to the grounds early to get the best parking locations.

For questions on what is allowed on the grounds, or most anything else, please visit the FAQ page on www.tristaterodeo.org.

The Iowa Department of Education today released new spring 2023 assessment results from the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress for students in grades 3-11. The overall results show little improvement over last year with significant proficiency gaps between certain groups of students.

“Iowa prioritized keeping schools open and students in the classroom throughout the pandemic, and our students experienced minimal COVID-related learning loss compared to the nation. At the same time, statewide assessment results show that overall student proficiency is not significantly different from last year and concerning achievement gaps persist, especially among students who are English learners, students with disabilities and students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch,” said Iowa Department of Education Director McKenzie Snow. “Together with educators and families, we will work to better serve students most in need of support and to accelerate learning so all students can succeed. This crucial data will guide the Department’s development of targeted solutions to improve student achievement statewide.”

State-level results from the 2022-23 Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP) show relatively little to no growth across most grades in English language arts with some grade levels up a percentage point and other grades down a percentage point. Sixth grade results increased the most from last year, going up four percentage points.

Mathematics scores showed some small improvement across all grade levels. Grades 3, 6, 7 and 9 had a three-percentage point increase and grade 4 had a four-percentage point increase in the percent of students scoring proficient or above when compared to last year. Grades 8 and 10 increased five percentage points and grade 5 increased six percentage points. Eleventh grade results increased the most, at 7 percentage points.

The data also show significant proficiency gaps between overall student results and those of certain student subgroups. Students who are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, students with disabilities and students who are English learners performed much lower than their classmates with differences of 15, 41 and 45 percentage points, respectively.

The ISASP is administered each spring and is the general summative accountability assessment in Iowa that meets the requirements of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The assessment reflects what’s being taught in Iowa classrooms and how students are progressing toward grade-level expectations outlined in Iowa’s academic standards. Importantly, the ISASP helps teachers understand where students are succeeding and where they may need more help. Iowa’s state summative assessment participation rate was 99 percent in 2022-23, 98 percent in 2021-22 and 98 percent in 2020-21, ensuring that the results yielded a true picture of student performance.

The spring 2022-23 ISASP results and fact sheet with additional graphs and charts can be found on the Iowa Department of Education website at: https://educateiowa.gov/data-reporting/education-statistics-pk-12#Student_Performance

With the Harvest Day Parade kicking off at 3:30pm today, Mt. Pleasant Courthouse County Offices will be closing at 2:00pm on Wednesday, August 30^th, and will reopen at 8:00am on Thursday.

City offices will be closed Monday, September 4, 2023, in observance of Labor Day. Garbage collection will be one day later that week as well.

The Harvest Day Parade begins at 3:30pm today and will serve to remind residents of the Midwest Old Threshers Reunion. If you are not aware by now, Old Threshers truly encapsulates the brilliance of small-town celebration. Expected to bring in tens of thousands of visitors from all over the country, this 5-day celebration is the perfect opportunity to show others how great our community is. Please be extra careful while behind the wheel, as some visitors are unfamiliar with the streets. Ensure that you are parking in a public parking space or a lawn that is open for parking if you want to stay away from tickets.

KILJ will be on air for the Harvest Day Parade preview show at 3:00pm! We will be getting interviews, speaking with reunion goers, and transporting excitement from the street into your homes through radio.

The Lee County Sheriff’s Department reports the arrest of a Keokuk man on Felony and Misdemeanor charges on Monday August 28^th.

Mathew Wayne Sly, age 30, of Keokuk, is charged with: Enticement of a Minor Under 16 for Sexual Purposes, Class D Felony, and Dissemination of Obscene Material to a Minor, Aggravated Misdemeanor.

The arrest was the result of an investigation where Mathew Sly is alleged to have arranged a meeting with a minor at a local park in Keokuk with the intent to commit a sex act.

Departments involved in the investigation included the Lee County Sheriff’s Department, Des Moines County Sheriff’s Department, the Keokuk Police Department, the Fort Madison Police Department, and the Lee County Attorney’s Office.

The defendant in this case is presumed innocent unless, or until proven guilty.