The Buffalo Center Volunteer Fire Department lit up the sky on the Fourth of July with a fireworks display to celebrate America’s 250th birthday last Saturday evening. The weather held off for the show, but then Mother Nature put on another light show shortly afterward, as a thunderstorm rolled down from Minnesota. (Photos by Andrew Shaw)

Lake Mills will offer three days of fun for people of all ages this weekend, July 10-12, during the annual July Jubilee celebration.

The community of Scarville will celebrate America’s big 250th birthday this Saturday, July 4, with a day full of activities.

The morning begins with a pancake breakfast at 7 a.m. at Scarville Lutheran School, located at 411 Logan Street. The meal runs from 7-10 a.m. and features pancakes, sausage patties, scrambled eggs, orange juice, and coffee for a freewill donation.

An exciting weekend is in store July 10-12 in Lake Mills, during the annual July Jubilee celebration.

A new monthly feature is providing a boost to the Buffalo Center Farmers Market. Visitors to the market enjoyed the first of three free monthly meals last Tuesday, June 23, and many vendors came out to take advantage of all the foot traffic.

Amy Walk helped to get the meal started, along with the help of fellow volunteers.

As America celebrates its 250th birthday this summer, the Winnebago County Fair will honor the men and women who have fought to secure our enduring freedom. All military veterans and active-duty members of the military are invited to be recognized as grand marshals for the 2026 Winnebago County Fair Parade on Sunday, July 19.

The Buffalo Center Volunteer Fire Department will put on their annual fireworks show for the 4th of July this Saturday evening at Bison Field in Buffalo Center. Festivities begin at dusk, around 9:30 p.m., with a short ceremony preceding the fireworks display. The rain date is Sunday, July 5. The show is made possible thanks to donations at the annual Buffalo Center Pancake Day.

The Forest City YMCA will soon be home to a new physical therapy clinic, as Molencamp Physical Therapy is set to open this July. This will be the first location outside of Clear Lake for the business, which Tim Molencamp, DPT, started in 2021.

A miniature national landmark doesn’t just help sell fireworks in Forest City – it also memorializes a local veteran.

The Statue of Liberty at Pyro Pete’s Fireworks bears two plaques at its base honoring Wayne Hopkins, a Vietnam War veteran who originally brought the statue to Forest City four decades ago.

It began with a note.

The North Iowa Athletic Complex is getting some upgrades this summer. The North Iowa School Board previously approved a resurfacing project for the track, and at its June 15 meeting, the board approved a new, larger pad for the high jump.

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig made a stop in Winnebago County on Tuesday, Jun. 16, when he spoke to the Forest City Rotary Club during their weekly meeting at Salveson Hall at Waldorf University.

“I so appreciate the opportunity to serve in this role,” said Naig. “No two days are alike, it seems.”

Clark Park in Forest City has a fresh splash of color, thanks to a new mural commissioned by the Forest City Rotary Club as part of their 100th anniversary celebration. The prairie-themed mural covers the previously gray north wall of the Cooper Building, which is located on the south end of the park and is owned by the Forest City Community School District.

Bridge is a game that can take a lifetime to master, and for the Thursday bridge group at the Forest City Senior Center, the game is bringing multiple generations together.

A group of five ladies meets each Thursday afternoon to play a few games of bridge while enjoying snacks and conversation, and they recently realized they were all born in different decades.

Correction: The Forest City Farmers Market runs weekly on Wednesdays.