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It’s time to splash down at Rosedale Rapids

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 aquatic center at 10th Avenue North and 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 in. Its features include: • Multiple ...

It’s time to honor our fathers

Father’s Day is upon us once again. The annual tribute to America’s dads is Sunday. That’s good news for the greeting card vendors. In recent years, they have sold upwards of 100 million cards to Americans intent on paying tribute to good old dad. About half of those cards are purchased by dutiful sons and daughters. Wives honoring a man they love account for most of the rest. Other merchants also rejoice in the arrival of Father’s Day each June because gift purchases keep cash registers humming. The commercial side of Father’s Day, while good for the economy, is not all ...

Juneteenth celebrates end of slavery

Juneteenth is a national holiday to be observed Friday that commemorates June 19, 1865. That is the date when 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— a nation in which ...

FD Farmers Market offers fresh food

Produce doesn’t get much fresher than when it is picked from a garden, put in a box or basket and driven a short distance to a nearby market. That is the recipe for success for the Fort Dodge Area Farmers Market. This is the 42nd year for the market. This year’s version will debut on Wednesday. It will then be held every Wednesday and Saturday through Oct.17. The market will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesdays and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays. On both Wednesdays and Saturdays, the Farmers Market will be held in the parking lot of Graham Collision, 11 N. 25th St. The ...

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 ...

Trail will lead kids into magical world of books

Children walking in some woods in John F. Kennedy Memorial Park may come face-to-face with The Lorax or The Bar-ba-loot. That’s nothing to be concerned about, however. Both critters are completely harmless. In fact, they are not even alive. The creatures from a Dr. Seuss tale have been recreated as wooden sculptures as a part of a newer feature in the Children’s Forest at the park north of Fort Dodge. All of the character sculptures were created by chainsaw artist Gary Keenan. They were set up to create a kind of literary attraction called the Story Walk Trail. It is a ...