Rodeo Schedule and Entertainment Celebrating 75 Years

By Theresa Rose · Friday, April 7th, 2023 at 6:33 pm CDT

Fort Madison, IA (April 7, 2023): The Tri-State Rodeo Operating Committee is proud to announce the schedule for the 75th Annual Tri-State Rodeo, which will take place in Fort Madison, Iowa September 6 – 9, 2023!

In addition to the world-class national entertainment acts, the Tri-State Rodeo has been named as one of the nation’s top five large outdoor rodeos since 2000! The TSR Chute Out brings the top rodeo athletes from around the WORLD!

With this being the rodeo’s 75th anniversary, they have pulled out all the stops! The entertainment this year will undoubtedly make this the largest year that the Fort Madison, Iowa area has experienced! In addition to four great nights of rodeo, the Tri-State Rodeo will be continuing the new tradition of four nights of national entertainment on the Jack Daniel’s stage!

Headlining Wednesday, September 6, 2023, is an artist stemming from Wyoming, who will be releasing his second album in April, has already amassed over 400 Million streams, and has been added to countless, “Ones to Watch” lists – Ian Munsick will be kicking off the Jack Daniel’s stage at the 75th Tri-State Rodeo!

On Thursday, September 7, 2023, Chris Janson, who with songs like, “Buy Me a Boat,” “Done,” “Fix a Drink,” “Good Vibes,” and “Drunk Girl” has amassed 4 #1’s, and many top 5 hits. Janson is known for his high energy shows and will be bringing that energy to the rodeo this September!

Friday, September 8, 2023, is a night that has the makings of a sell-out! A band, who broke through in 1980 with their first Top 20 Hit, “My Home’s In Alabama,” and has since sold over 80 million albums. They have charted 43 #1 singles including 21 #1 singles in a row, a record that will likely never be surpassed in any genre. They have won over 178 CMA Awards, Grammy Awards, ACM Awards and counting. They’ve earned 21 Gold, Platinum and Multi-Platinum albums and were named the RIAA’s Country Group of the Century. They are members of the Country Music Hall of Fame and have a start on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The Legendary country music band, ALABAMA, will be coming to Fort Madison, Iowa on Friday, September 8, 2023!

Saturday, September 9, 2023, is headlined by an artist who has 2 #1 singles, along with multiple chart-topping hits. Rolling Stone hailed his musical perspective as “Drinks-in-the-air Nineties Country at an Alabama vs.

Auburn tailgate,” and that is just the type of energy fans have come to expect from Riley Green.

Along with these great bands each night will highlight multiple rodeo events, hosted by our long time rodeo announcer, Boyd Polhamus, the multi-award winning Barrelman, Justin Rumford, and Bullfighters, Dusty Tuckness & Nathan Harp. The announced specialty act this year is Cowboy Kenny Steel Rodeo Freestyle Motocross.

Three Iowa favorite party bands will be performing in the Bud Light Stockyard following the main stage concert each night: Wednesday Night is The Tank Anthony Band, Thursday is the return of a rodeo favorite – NATU Band and Stumptown will be The Bud Light Stockyard band on Friday and Saturday nights.

Tickets for the Tri-State Rodeo will go on-sale Friday, April 14, 2023, at 8 AM and will be available at www.tristaterodeo.org or by calling the Tri-State Rodeo Box Office at (319) 372-2550. Tickets include entry into the rodeo, the concert, and the after-party.

Marcella A. “Sally” Mansheim

By Theresa Rose · Friday, April 7th, 2023 at 6:21 pm CDT

Marcella A. “Sally” Mansheim, 89, of Fort Madison, IA, passed away at 8:25 p.m. on Thursday, April 6, 2023 at her sister’s home in Houghton, IA.  She was born on January 13, 1934 in Fort Madison, IA to Louis & Catherine Schumaker Mansheim.  She retired from the Sheaffer Pen Company in Fort Madison with 45 years of service.  She was a member of Sacred Heart Church and the Altar & Rosary Society of the church.  She loved being outside and going on walks.  Her family was the most important thing to her.

Sally was a sister, aunt, and friend, but also a mentor, companion, and confidant. She had a special way of putting everyone else first. Her siblings felt her love daily either by phone, text, or osmosis. She held a special place in the hearts of her nieces and nephews (and great nieces and nephews). She had a way of making each of them feel special and that they were each her “favorite”. For many, she was also a moral compass, teaching us by example how to treat each other, and how to quietly love each other.  And in the words of the children, “Sally was fun”!

Sally is survived by: 3-sisters: Marie Overberg of Salem, IA, Shirley Hunold of Houghton, IA & Cathy (Wayne) Schwartz of Houghton, IA; 1-brother: Louis (Fran) Mansheim of Fort Madison, IA; numerous nieces, nephews, great nieces, great nephews and many friends.  She was preceded in death by: her parents, 2-sisters: Dorothy Cross & Irene Mansheim & 1-brother: Jerry Mansheim.

Cremation has been entrusted to the care of King-Lynk Funeral Home & Crematory.  A visitation will be held from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, April 12, 2023 at King-Lynk Funeral Home & Crematory.  A memorial service will immediately follow the visitation at 11:00 a.m. at King-Lynk Funeral Home & Crematory with Rev. John Stack officiating.  Burial will be held at Sacred Heart Cemetery.  A memorial has been established for Holy Family Parish or Lee County Hospice.  Online condolences may be left at the King-Lynk Funeral Home & Crematory website: www.kinglynk.com.

David Hennessee (final arrangements)

By Theresa Rose · Friday, April 7th, 2023 at 9:47 am CDT

David Michael Henessee, age 85, of Mount Pleasant, died Wednesday, April 5, 2023, at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City.

Dave was born January 14, 1938, in New London, Iowa, to Michael “Pearl” and Stella (McDorman) Henessee. He grew up in the Mount Pleasant area and graduated from Mount Pleasant High School in 1957. He was married to Verla Coburn for about 20 years. Dave worked at the Amana Colonies and Blue Bird early on, later becoming a machinist at Heatilator for 25 plus years until his retirement. He served as a Supply Sergeant in the 224th Engineer Batallion of the Iowa National Guard for 20 years. Dave was an active member of the First Baptist Church where he taught Sunday School, led youth groups, participated in Bible studies, and drove the church bus.

Dave enjoyed roller skating and ice skating with family and friends in his youth. He spent many hours playing with his kids and his nieces and nephews. When snowfall allowed, Dave was known to break out the ladder to build the tallest snowman possible. A huge sports fan, especially of the Hawkeyes and the Burlington Bees, Dave also played a mean game of Hearts.

Dave was known for his kindness, generosity, calm demeanor, and a love for making fun.

Survivors include two daughters: Valerie Henessee of Mount Pleasant and Kristy (Eric) Kruse of Tipton; two grandsons: Jake Kruse and Nick Kruse and four sisters: Mary Hunting of Osceola, Indiana, Ruth Fobes of Melbourne, Florida, Lois Schmidt of Grantsburg, Wisconsin and Linda Perry of North Branch, Minnesota. He was preceded in death by his parents.

Funeral service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, April 21, 2023, at First Baptist Church in Mount Pleasant, with Pastor Steve English officiating. Burial will be at Forest Home Cemetery in Mount Pleasant. There will be no visitation.

A memorial fund has been established for First Baptist Church. Olson-Powell Memorial Chapel in Mount Pleasant is caring for Dave and his family.

 

Sports, April 7th

By Slaten Swords · Friday, April 7th, 2023 at 6:17 am CDT

High School Track and Field

Mt. Pleasant competed in the Demon Relays yesterday and here’s how the boys fared at the meet. Gabe Feldmann picked up five points in the 400 meter dash with a time of 53.8 seconds. Ben Carthey grabbed four points in the 800 meter run. Will Davidson won the 110-meter hurdles and the 400 meter hurdles. The team of Feldmann, Ben Carthey, Jacob Richtman, and Mason Sloat finished in 3rd for the 4×400 meter relay. The Panthers finished in 2nd place in the distance medley (Garrett Cook , Payson Coleman, Mason Sloat, and Gabe Feldmann) and the 4×110 meter shuttle hurdle (Gavin Kerr, Avin Truong, Jacob Richtman, and Will Davidson). Isaac Jerrel threw the shot 49 feet 9 inches to claim second place. The boys team finished in 4th place with 94 points. Prairie won the meet with 163 points.

The Mt. Pleasant girls team finished in 3rd place with 109.5 points on the day with Mid-Prairie winning the meet with 130 points. Andi Scott picked up a third place finish in both the 100 meter and 200 meter dash. With a time of 1 minute 5 seconds, Elsie Lange took second in the 400 meter dash and 3rd in the long jump. Rellana Van Deuren won the 400 meter hurdles with a time of 1 minute 14 seconds. The team of Bailey Jalas, Tristan Shull, Courtney Raub, and Andi Scott took second in the 800 sprint medley. Ella Ensminger won the shot put with a throw of 36 feet 5.5 inches. In discus, Savannah Slobodnik took first place with a heave of 99 feet 8 inches.

WACO competed at the Demon Relays with the girls team finishing with 9.5 points and the boys taking 8th out of 9 teams. Zoey Dennler took third place in the 400 meter hurdles and the 4×100 meter shuttle hurdle team scored 3.5 points with a time of 1 minute 20 seconds (Ally Rinner, Paige Shull, Morgan Leichty, and Dennler). Simeon Reichenbach took 3rd in the 110 meter hurdles and Mason Miller claimed 3rd place in the high jump.

WACO will be traveling to Lone Tree to compete in a meet on April 10th.

The boys teams of Danville and Winfield-Mt Union will travel to Wapello to compete in a meet on April 11th.

The girls teams of Danville, Winfield-Mt. Union, New London, Mt. Pleasant, and Central Lee will be competing in the Timm Lamb Pen City Relays on April 11th.

The Central Lee boys will be competing at the Fairfield Meet on April 11th.

High School Soccer

The Mt. Pleasant girls had their second overtime game of the season go to penalty kicks as Washington got the edge to win the match 3-2. Charice Auwerda scored a goal on a Tori Wilson assist. Wilson would then find the back of the goal herself after an Aurora Hummell assist in the first half. Eli Heaton collected 5 saves on the night. The Panthers will be at home on April 10th against Keokuk.

The Mt. Pleasant boys team fell to 1-1 on the season as Washington scored early and did not let their foot off the pedal winning 5-0. Rudy Ruiz Motta had 7 saves in the game and Moroni Sanchez led the team on shots on goal with two. The Panthers will face off against Keokuk on April 10th on the road.

The WACO boy soccer team celebrated their first win on the season in a 1-0 final against Highland last night. The Warriors will host Wapello on April 10th.

The Central Lee boys’ soccer team will take on Mediapolis on April 11th.

High School Golf

Winfield-Mt. Union’s next competition will be on April 13th against Wapello.

The New London boys and girls team will face off against Wapello on April 11th.

The Mt. Pleasant boys team traveled to Fort Madison to compete in a meet with their top golfer being Nate Dismang with a round of 42. Nick Matheney shot a 46, followed by Reece Coffman with a round of 47. After two rounds, Washington holds the conference lead, while Mt. Pleasant sits behind Fort Madison in 4th place.

The Mt. Pleasant girls team will travel to face off in the Fort Madison golf meet on April 10th with the boys going to Keokuk for a conference meet the same day.

The Central Lee boys team will compete in the Van Buren County Meet on April 11th.

High School Tennis

The Mt. Pleasant girls team fell to Fort Madison 8-1 yesterday. Audrey Richmond won her first varsity match after taking down Madelyn Gobble 8 to 4. Bethany Drury was involved in two close matches, one in singles the other in doubles, and came up just short in both 9 to 7. The Panthers will take on Fairfield on April 10th at home.

The Mt. Pleasant boys team moved to 3-0 on the season after sweeping Fort Madison yesterday. Every singles match had at least one set that resulted in a shutout. Every singles player for the Panthers remains undefeated on the season. They’ll travel to face off against Fairfield on April 10th.

Iowa Wesleyan Athletics

The Tiger softball team took both games of their doubleheader against Waldorf University yesterday. In game one, it was the pitching of Aspyn Harriosn that led the way as she went all 7 innings allowing only one run on four hits and striking out six, including five in the last three innings. Nicole Shirrell, Alexis Davis, Jordan Lantz, and Karoline Stratton all picked up RBIs in the contest. In game two, the Tigers found themselves down 3 to 1 in the bottom of the third inning, when Lantz hit an RBI double to cut it to a one run lead, followed by Gracie Jevyak collecting two RBIs on her own double. Jordan Morthland picked up the win as she struck out two in six innings of work. The Tigers will travel to face off against William Penn on April 11th with game one at 4 pm.

The Tiger baseball team will face off against Crowley’s Ridge College this afternoon.

The Tiger golf team’s next event will be the SCC Invitational on April 10th.

The outdoor track and field teams are scheduled to compete at the Rittgers Invitational today.

This Day in Sports History

1943 – NFL adopts free substitution rule; helmets made mandatory and 10-game schedule for all teams approved.

1979 – Houston Astro Ken Forsch no-hits Atlanta Braves, 6-0, becoming with his brother Bob Forsch the only MLB siblings to accomplish the feat.

2018 – Vegas Golden Knights suffer a 7-1 end of regular season defeat at Calgary but finish with an NHL expansion team record 51 victories; previous record 33 by Anaheim Ducks & Florida Panthers 1993-94.

Sigma Acquired Food Production Facility in Mount Pleasant

By Theresa Rose · Thursday, April 6th, 2023 at 6:11 pm CDT

This press release on the Sigma website does not specifically say the acquisition is West Liberty Foods. However, the local facility that announced in October of 2022 that it was closing, is the only company in Mount Pleasant that fits the specs of a food production plant. This release also does not say how many jobs will be available, however there have been some indications that it may be 150.

San Pedro Garza Garcia, N.L. Mexico, March 30, 2023 – Sigma Alimentos, S.A. de C.V. (“Sigma”), a company
dedicated to the production, marketing, and distribution of quality branded foods, announces the
acquisition of a food production plant in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa for US $12.4 Million. The plant will produce
lunchmeats from the Bar-S and FUD brands which will be distributed nation-wide.
“This investment is part of our ongoing efforts to expand capacity in the region to better serve customers and
consumers, as well as to continue delivering value to all stakeholders. We look forward to creating strong ties
with the local community through our first facility in Iowa”, said Jesus Lobo, Sigma US CEO.
About Sigma
Sigma is a leading multinational food company operating in 18 countries throughout North and South America and Europe. With 65 plants
and 183 distribution centers, the company produces, commercializes, and distributes quality branded foods, including packaged meats,
cheese, yogurts, plant-based and other refrigerated and frozen foods. Sigma’s diversified portfolio includes over 100 brands spanning
across different categories and market segments, such as FUD, Campofrio, Bar-S, San Rafael, Aoste, La Villita, Fiorucci, Chimex, Navidul,
Justin Bridou, and Sosua, to name a few.

Water Summary Update: March 2023 – First below normal precipitation month of 2023

By Theresa Rose · Thursday, April 6th, 2023 at 5:00 pm CDT

Water Summary Update: March 2023 – First below normal precipitation month of 2023

DES MOINES — After four months in a row of above normal precipitation, totals for March came in lower than normal.  Precipitation for March was 1.49 inches, 0.5 inches below normal.  As a result, streamflows have been impacted, and the western part of the state is now in “Drought Watch” as defined by Iowa’s new Drought Plan. While precipitation was below normal for most of the state, over the past 90 days precipitation has been above normal, thanks to wetter than normal conditions from November through February. It should be noted that “Drought Watch” is the least severe of the IDP designations, and should serve as a reminder for Iowans to be attentive to conditions. Normal April rainfall should be adequate to restore these two drought regions to normal conditions.

“While we have liked to see a continuation of the wetter than normal months we’ve seen lately, conditions are still relatively good.  March was only 0.5 inches below normal, and that deficit can be made up over the spring months,” said Tim Hall, Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ coordinator of hydrology resources. “The Iowa Drought Plan has designated western Iowa, Drought Regions 1 and 4, as areas of ‘Drought Watch.’”

For a thorough review of Iowa’s water resource trends, go to www.iowadnr.gov/watersummaryupdate.

The report is prepared by technical staff from Iowa DNR, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, IIHR—Hydroscience and Engineering, and the U.S. Geological Survey, in collaboration with Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Department.

Mount Pleasant Street Project Update

By Theresa Rose · Thursday, April 6th, 2023 at 4:57 pm CDT

Kinney & Sons has finished installation of the drainage structures and piping crossing Aldrin Drive. Aldrin will remain closed to through traffic over this weekend April 8th & April 9th. It is accessible to the mid-point of the street from the South off Vine St. and off Armstrong Court for the North half. It was decided to wait until after Easter weekend to start removing the pavement.

All residents should be able to access their driveways until Monday April 10th. The street will be closed to all traffic from Vine Street to Armstrong Court at approximately 7:30 A.M. The City will be picking up garbage first thing that morning. The plan is to get all concrete removed, street graded, subdrain installed and subbase material placed by Friday April 14th. Then the street would be reopened to local traffic for homeowners to access their driveways. This will continue until Jones Contracting starts setting up to trim the subbase rock for paving.

High School Girls’ Soccer: Week 2 of Season Rankings

By Slaten Swords · Thursday, April 6th, 2023 at 4:18 pm CDT

Prep Girls Soccer- The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union released their second week of soccer rankings and only one team dropped out of the top 15 in all three classes combined, but there was movement throughout.

The top four teams in Class 1A stayed locked in their preseason rankings with Des Moines Christian holding on to their top spot. Underwood climbed the rankings from 10th all the way to 5th as they took down previously ranked 7th Bishop Heelan 3 to 1 last week. The Crusaders are now ranked 10th. Gilbert fell from 5th to 7th after starting the year 1-2. There was no movement from 11th to 15th in the rankings as Denver rounds out the top 15.

Dallas Center-Grimes will not have back-to-back undefeated seasons after losing to Skutt Catholic High School in Nebraska 1 to 0 last week. Nevertheless, the Mustangs are still the top team in Class 2A. North Scott and North Polk are still ranked 2nd and 3rd, respectively. Norwalk had a tough week after losing to two opponents in Bondurant-Farrar (ranked 6th) and ADM (ranked 11th) and knocking them down from their ranking of 4th to 12th. Le Mars is the only new team entering the top 15 in any of the Classes after starting their season 4-0, they take over for Atlantic in the 15th slot.

Class 3A had the least amount of movement as the top 6 spots remained constant with Ankeny Centennial and Ankeny holding the top two spots, respectively. Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln almost tumbled out of the top 15 as they went from 7th to 15th after starting the season 1-3. The Lynx started with an incredibly tough schedule having to face off against Ankeny, Ankeny Centennial, and Bishop Heelan in the span of less than a week. Muscatine jumped up four spots from 12th to 8th and Urbandale climbed up to 12th from 15th. No teams were dropped from the top 15.