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Juneteenth celebrates end of slavery

Juneteenth is a national holiday commemorating June 19, 1865, which is the day that Union troops entered Galveston, Texas, and declared that all the slaves in that state were at last free. That date is often considered the final end of slavery in the United States, although it took a constitutional amendment ratified later that year to truly eliminate it. Clearly, Black Americans have the most emotional connection to Juneteenth, but people of every race are invited to join in celebrating a day which helped to create a modern United States in which no one thinks twice about things like ...

You can get away from it all close to home

Summer is the time for vacations and the all-American roadtrip. Big cities full of attractions and spectacular natural wonders like the Grand Canyon await. But area residents actually don’t have to go far to enjoy tranquillity in the great outdoors. Webster County is home to two big state parks: Brushy Creek State Recreation Area and Dolliver Memorial State Park. Brushy Creek State Recreation Area, on the eastern side of the county, features a 690-acre lake for fishing, swimming and kayaking. It also has three campgrounds, miles of trails and features for people who bring their ...

‘Spotlight 2.0’ offers heart-warming glance at area people

One man’s love for his hometown and its people has yielded a remarkable volume detailing wonderful memories and stories. The author is Paul Stevens and the book is “Spotlight 2.0.” Inside its covers are about 100 of the monthly Spotlight columns Stevens has written over the last decade or so. The columns appeared separately in The Messenger. But in the book, each column is like a short chapter. People can read as many of them as they want to in one sitting. And because they are all together, there will never be a need for a dedicated Spotlight reader to wish that they had saved ...

Summer fun beckons for all

Science tells us that summer technically starts June 20, but many people feel like we are already in the middle of that much anticipated season. School has been out for a couple of weeks now and long days all but beg to be filled with fun activities.That is especially true for younger folks. The kids are, hopefully, out and about. But kids being kids, they are more focused on what they are doing and less likely to be paying attention to things around them, even things that could hurt them. The situation is magnified by the fact that so many of them will have their eyes and minds ...

Summer fun is here in the Fort Dodge area

The long days of summer are upon us, with seemingly endless hours of daylight to be enjoyed. In fact, at least on weekends, you might as well call them the long, lazy days of summer. Locally, there will be plenty of things to do on those on summer weekends. For example, Lehigh River Days will be back from June 20 to June 22. It will include some traditional staples of years past, such as the log rolling contest. That consists of people standing on a log in a four foot deep pool of water and trying to keep the log spinning without falling off. It will include live music, mud ...

Frontier Days 2025 to kick off summer

This weekend there will be a sure sign that the summer season is truly at hand. What is that sign? Frontier Days 2025, of course. Frontier Days is the annual Fort Dodge event that draws thousands to the downtown parade and the Fort Museum and Frontier Village. The three-day festival continues a Fort Dodge tradition that is returning with a theme this year of “Hats Off to Those Who Came Before Us.” Not content to rest on applause for past glories, organizers have labored hard to produce a truly exceptional event. Frontier Days 2025 will have familiar features, but there will be ...