Saturday, February 9, the Iroquois Horizons group held their celebration. The group came together to discuss and distribute the community’s strategic plan. The extreme cold hindered attendance, but the evening provided much opportunity to share ideas and visit. Piano and vocal entertainment was provided by music director, Rod Ulrich and middle school student, Phyllis. Cheryl Jacobs, SDSU Extension coordinator, attended our meeting.
An electronic sign will be installed this spring along highway 14. Businesses, groups, and individuals will be able to use this sign to let others know what’s happening in our town. The completion of this project will be possible only through the efforts of the entire community. Fundraisers are being planned in March. The elementary students are currently collecting coins toward this effort. Any business, group, or individual wishing to contribute toward the sign may drop off their donation at the Farmers and Merchants State Bank.
The Iroquois school invites the Senior Citizens to holiday meals at the school three times a year. thirty to thirty five people from the Iroquois area attend these meals. Several classes from the Iroquois School take part in the day. The FACS students set the tables & serve drinks & dessert. The Elementary Students make the nut cups and placemats. Students provide the entertainment. The Easter Meal will be on March 20 at 12:30 PM. All area residents are welcome to partake of the meal for $2.75. If interested call 2426 at the school or Marge Blue at 546-2522. See you there …
The 3rd graders performed their play, “The Old Woodcutter and the Bear” for the elementary students in preschool through 5th grade. They performed on stage with back drops which they had made by cutting and taping together cardboard boxes and painting them. They borrowed play kitchen appliances from the preschool room. The children also helped make their own costumes. They had so much fun, that as soon as the play was over, they had already started talking about doing another one!
I believe our community’s first step toward addressing poverty was to work together to become a Horizon Community. Through this process, we have joined together to establish goals to address poverty.
Being a small town, we lack many resources that larger communities can offer. One resource we lack is opportunity for entertainment. The steps we have taken to address this are creating a sand volleyball pit, and horseshoe pit in the city park, forming walking/exercise groups at the school, establishing a “Town and Country” showcase in the summer to promote local artisans and entrepreneurs, and erecting an electronic sign (to be in place in the near future) along Highway 14, to keep our community informed of upcoming events.
Iroquois Housing has also taken steps to address proverty. They have purchased lots, and have removed old buildings in the community. This has greatly improved the appearance of our town. They have built many new homes, providing affordable housing to current citizens as well as welcoming new ones.
The area Fellowship of Christian Atheletes group is currently holding a fundraiser to help students raise money for their upcoming trip to Tulsa, Oklahoma for this year’s Acquire the Fire event April 11-13. Students are selling candles, lotions, and reed diffusers. Contact the school if you are interested in ordering one of these items. Thanks! 
The Sports Day Planning committee met Monday night at city hall. The upcoming summer celebration will be held July 12 and 13, 2008. Activities discussed were the parade, bed races, mud drags, kids’ movie and scavenger hunt, living history activities at the museum, street dance Saturday night, lawn mower poker run, softball, sand volleyball, and horseshoe tournaments, town & country market, and community church service Sunday morning, and more!
The next meeting will be held jointly with the Iroquois Area Community Club on Monday, April 7, at 7:00 p.m. The meeting will be held in city hall. All interested individuals are invited to attend.
It takes a united effort to accomplish great things! Let’s make Sports Day 2008 an event to remember!
Iroquois Elementary third graders celebrated Laura Ingalls Wilder’s birthday on Thursday, February 7 with an entire day of activities. The children began their day, searching the discoverlaura.org website. Next, they viewed and touched items and photos from the past with history in a trunk. They were given old textbooks and time to read and study from them. They later recited their lessons to their teacher. Mrs. Johnson, R.S.V.P. volunteer, read to the children from By the Shores of Silver Lake, the fifth Wilder book she has read aloud to the third graders this year. After lunch, the students enjoyed listening to one of the student’s grandfathers tell about the old days and how they used an old wooden wash tub, sausage maker, and corn planter, which he had brought into the classroom to show. Sara, Iroquois 8th grader, visited the classroom again and played her violin. The children also learned how to crochet, churn cream into butter, make rope, twist hay into sticks, grind wheat into flour, and make horn books. Several parents and grandparents helped throughout the afternoon. Later, the lunchroom staff use the whole wheat flour ground in the coffee grinder, to make whole wheat bread. The students had this delicious treat topped with their homemade butter.
The Iroquois Community Club met tonight at the High School Library. The Iroquois Community Club and Horizons group agreed to join forces to promote our community and its activities. We have decided to set up a calling tree to remind people of our meetings. Upcoming events include our Horizons Celebration on Saturday, February 9 at 7:00 p.m. in the south gym of the school. We are asking for volunteers to meet on the 9th at 5:00 p.m. to help set up.
Other upcoming community events:
Sports Day Planning Meeting, Monday, February 11, 7:00 p.m. at the city hall.
Community Club Meeting, Monday, March 3, 7:00 p.m. at the city hall. (Please note the change of location)
Easter Egg Hunt, Saturday, March 22, 2-4 p.m. at the school gyms.
