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Editorial

Urban deer hunt to begin in Fort Dodge on private lands

A deer hunting season is about to get underway in Fort Dodge. It will start Saturday, and chances are many people will have no indication that it is happening. The fact that the hunting won’t be obvious to everyone in town is a good thing. We hope it stays that way because that means the ...

Clay County Fair is an Iowa treasure

The season for summer fairs and festivals is nearly at an end. For the countless Iowans and others who love county fairs, however, one big event remains — the Clay County Fair. The fair that opened in Spencer on Saturday and runs through Sunday is not just any fair. It is by far the ...

Fort Dodge needs a plan for crumbling buildings

Considering the sorry state of some buildings in town, Fort Dodge is lucky. It is lucky that no one has been killed by bricks that seem to drop off downtown buildings with alarming frequency lately. And it is lucky that no one has been killed in any of the fires that have ignited in ...

Nestle Purina PetCare plant shows what’s possible

Chances are great that all across the United States today, there are cats enjoying the feline delicacy known as Friskies. The food that those cats chow down on comes from Fort Dodge. Friskies and Fort Dodge have been connected for 50 years. The food is made in the Nestle Purina PetCare ...

Dayton Rodeo fun has started

The roping and riding that make up the 2025 edition of the Dayton Labor Day Rodeo are underway. The small Webster County city will be packed with rodeo fans all weekend. What began more than eight decades ago as the dream of three young cowboys — Allen Porter, Duane Vegors and Vern ...

The Messenger to unveil 68th football publication

Fall in Iowa is the season of harvest, pumpkins, orange-colored leaves and, of course, football. On cool Friday evenings and on Saturday afternoons, people from all across the Fort Dodge area gather every fall to watch their local heroes of the gridiron compete. They’ll scream and cheer for ...