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It’s time to splash down at Rosedale Rapids

The past weekend was a scorcher, and it’s a sure bet that we have not seen the last of hot weather this summer. So when the days become smoldering hot, it is good to remember that there is a safe place to cool off right here in Fort Dodge. We are referring, of course, to the Rosedale Rapids aquatics center at 10th Avenue North and North 32nd Street. In 2007, voters approved a bond issue enabling the city government to borrow the millions necessary to build the aquatics center. The center opened in 2010, and it provides much more than just a rectangular pool to splash around ...

New Gowrie trail awaits walkers, runners, bicyclists

The residents of Gowrie and the surrounding area now have nearly two miles of new trail that they can use for walking, running, bicycling or skating. It’s called the Freedom Trail, an appropriate name for a path in a town known for its spectacular Independence Day celebrations. Like all trails, this one took years of planning. But its origin also has a moving story behind it. Some 20 years ago, Andrea Kuhn was helping to care for her sister, who was suffering through the ravages of Lou Gehrig’s disease. Kuhn was not alone in her efforts. She had support from friends and ...

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 ...