Home Selling

Wolf to reveal design elements through flower arranging course (02/11/10)
Dennis Wolf has been arranging flowers for over 30 years. As a master level judge for flower arrangements, he used his skills to examine the flower arrangements during the Plymouth County Fair last summer. Wolf's time spent at that fair made him realize there was a need for basic flower arrangement training...

Online photo sales (02/02/10)
If you scroll down the left side of the home page you will find a very full gallery of many photo albums to purchase pictures from.

Main Street gives downtown Le Mars renovation boost (12/09/09)
As a Main Street community, Le Mars businesses located in the Main Street designated area have the opportunity to improve their visual appearance. Main Street director Mary Reynolds explained the Main Street design aspect allows those qualifying businesses to improve their facades or new signage, with the local Main Street organization providing grant funds...

Family brings new life to former church (11/25/09)
The former St. Catherine Church in Westfield has a new calling -- to become a family's home. In September, Chris and Joni Vondrak purchased the former Catholic church and along with their children Emily, 14, Joe, 10, Frankie, 9, and Molly, 6, are working to make it into a home...

There's a glow in the west (11/23/09)
Now as an adult, Scheitler has decorated on the grounds of his acreage just one mile from that farm for the past 14 years, each year adding a bit more. Make that a lot more. "We call it 'Christmas Acres,'" Scheitler said. He estimates there are 60,000 lights on 55 trees and 60 bushes, with 17 inflatable decorations in the yard. ...

Halloween loaded with fun for kids (10/29/09)
Halloween fun starts early Saturday afternoon in downtown Le Mars. Children are invited to come in costume to the Le Mars Public Library for the pumpkin decorating contest judging at 12:45 p.m., followed by the line-up for the Halloween Parade, which begins at 1 p.m...

Then and now: Remodeled building showcases 4-H projects (07/28/09)
Plymouth County 4-H members entering their 4-H projects got a good look at the new 4-H Display Building on the Plymouth County Fairgrounds Monday afternoon. Formerly the Hall of '84, the building has been remodeled to house all the 4-H static entries, from food and clothing, to mechanical arts and visual arts, and consumer management to home improvement...

Flower show gets new home at Plymouth County Fair (07/24/09)
"A Musical Tour Through Iowa" is the theme for the flower show sponsored by the Floyd Valley Federated Garden Club at the 2009 Plymouth County Fair. The flower show ,which for more than 20 years been staged in the "Round Barn" at the Pioneer Village, is moving to a new location...

Schafer Park group seeks volunteer gardeners (05/26/09)
A drive past Schafer Park in southern Le Mars reveals a labor of love. A path winds through rows of bushes and flowering plants. Arrangements of pruned shrubs and flowers catch the sunlight. And all of this from the hands of a few generous volunteers...

Tour highlights new life for two historic buildings (05/08/09)
(Fourth and final in a series) Two buildings, a former church and a former high school, have been converted to new uses while still maintaining their historical significance in the community. A church building at 401 First St. S.W. is now a residence for Eric Wong, who purchased it from the Assembly of God Church...

Historic tour offers look at pink granite Victorian home (05/07/09)
(Third in a series) Pink granite from quarries around Sioux Falls, S.D., and a location on the curve of Highway 3 West make the Victorian style home at 11 Sixth Ave. S.W. stand out. The house, now owned by Randy and Berdene Barta and home to Berdene's, a reservation-only dining establishment and the Bartas, is one of five stops on the 2009 Historic Tour of Homes and Churches this Saturday...

St. George's Episcopal Church a stop on historic tour (05/06/09)
(Second in a series) A church building, erected at a cost of $3,200 in 1881, is one of five stops on the Historic Tour of Homes and Churches Saturday, May 9. St. George' Episcopal Church at 400 First Ave. S.E. was built in response to the need for an Anglican church in Le Mars for the young British men who were being sent to this area to learn farming. In the next 10 years, an estimated 1,000 English colonists would use the building as a worship and social center...

The grass is greener... Are you brutalizing your lawn? Here's how not to (05/05/09)
Lawn care with the best intention can still leave a yard looking abused. That's according to lawn experts Nicholas Peters and Al Vonnahme, of Le Mars. Both own lawn care and landscaping businesses. To grow a green, lush-looking lawn means getting to know your grass, Peters explained...

Historic tour takes look at cottage home (05/05/09)
(First in a series) A church, two houses, a church converted into a home and sections of the Plymouth County Historical Museum will be spotlighted in the Historic Homes and Churches in Le Mars tour this Saturday, May 9. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with all tours starting at the Plymouth County Historical Museum. The last tour will leave at 4 p.m...

Historic homes tour set for May 9 (05/01/09)
The Le Mars Historic Preservation commission and the Plymouth County Historical Museum will host this year's Tour of Historic Homes and Churches Saturday, May 9. The tour gives participants an opportunity to see inside homes in Le Mars that have unique features come with a little bit of local history...

St. Joseph rectory needs new home (05/01/09)
It looks like any other home for sale, although maybe a bit larger. There's a kitchen, a dining room, a living room and more. But the two-story brick house is the St. Joseph rectory, a fixture near St. Joseph Catholic Church since 1970 and home to priests serving the parish and will need to be moved...

Rooted in the future: Club plants tree (04/27/09)
A new tree greets people at the south entrance of Le Mars Community School thanks to a local garden club which celebrated Arbor Day last Friday. The Floyd Valley Federated Garden Club planted an ornamental flowering tree near the new entrance to the addition on the south end of LCS...

Expert to introduce aronia berry crop to area (04/14/09)
Aronia berries and high tunnel gardening are the wave of the future in Iowa, one expert says. Dr. Eldon Everhart, horticulture specialist with Iowa State University (ISU), will lead an educational program on those topics Saturday, April 25. The event, sponsored by ISU Extension and Floyd Valley Hospital, will be from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m...

Le Mars woman keeps gardening tradition growing (03/31/09)
Lynn Bohnenkamp has gardening in her blood. "Grandpa taught me seed planting," the Le Mars woman said. "Mother always planted. We were always in the garden." Bohnenkamp's grandfather used to grow seeds using a lighting apparatus. "There would be like four levels of lights and trays," Bohnenkamp said. "He would plant his seeds in the washroom and I was always fascinated with that."...

Requests for county LOST grants reach nearly half a million (03/16/09)
Twenty-two Plymouth County groups are putting their name in for money from the $180,000 Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) revenue grant pool. Asking for a total of $431,261, the 21 groups' applications range from buying a Wii exercise DVD -- a kind of interactive video game -- for special needs people to renovation of the Akron Opera House...

Sheriff sales spike in recent years (02/11/09)
In the past two years, more than 50 homes and properties have gone up for auction as sheriff sales. That's a lot for Plymouth County, according to Elizabeth Brent, the county sheriff's assistant. Foreclosures are on the rise in the area. "When I first started (in 2001) we didn't have 10 in one year," Brent said...

4-H'ers get creative to help Children's Miracle Network (01/12/09)
They can't drive a car. They don't have full-time jobs. But this group of 11 kids refused to believe that because of their age, they couldn't make a difference. The Plymouth Pros 4-H Club raised more than $500 for the Children's Miracle Network by selling paper snowmen for a donation and using those snowmen to decorate a tree at the Pioneer Village Christmas this year...

Sale of Pride 1 down the tubes, Pride Group will rent (01/09/09)
Pride 1 group home will remain in the hands of the county. The Plymouth County Supervisors Tuesday withdrew their offer to sell the property to Pride Group for $300,000, after the company declined its terms. The supervisors' initial offer was to sell the group home, 200 12th Ave. S.E., in Le Mars, for $300,000 at a 5 percent interest rate paid throughout 15 years with no down payment...

Winter heating costs on the rise? Officials say no (12/16/08)
Local energy suppliers say residents will not see an increase in cost to heat their homes this winter. Gasoline and diesel along with propane and natural gas prices have fallen considerably in the last couple of months. "For natural gas customers we are projecting the same heating costs as last winter," said Mark Reinders, MidAmerican Energy, communications manager...

County makes offer to sell group home to Pride Group (11/28/08)
An offer to sell Pride 1 to Pride Group Inc. is on the table. The Plymouth County Supervisors Tuesday approved a $300,000 offer, which would be paid over 15 years, with a 5 percent interest rate and no down payment. The supervisors approved the offer 4-1 with Supervisor C. Gordon Green voting no...

14th Hometown Christmas celebration at Kingsley (11/28/08)
The Kingsley Chamber of Commerce Hometown Christmas Committee announces plans for this year's 14th Anniversary Celebration. The Hometown Christmas events begin today (Friday) when Kingsley businesses will feature Christmas specials for shoppers. The K-P Dance attack will be sponsoring a Santa's Workshop from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Knights of Columbus Hall, in Kingsley, for children ages 4-12. Kids will be able to choose two Christmas crafts, decorate a cookie, and have their photo taken with Santa...

Chamber offers shoppers 'Parade of Trees' promotion (11/26/08)
Thanksgiving weekend shoppers in Le Mars will see stores sparkling and twinkling in holiday decor as they find the perfect gift for under the Christmas tree. Twenty-six Le Mars businesses will take part in the "Parade of Trees" promotion Wednesday through Saturday, Nov. 26-30...

Pride Group presents plans to buy group home property (11/24/08)
Pride Group Inc. would like to buy Pride 1, a group home it now uses, from Plymouth County. Pride Group is considering transitioning that existing group home into a residential care facility. The Plymouth County Supervisors, Mike Porter, CEO of Pride Group, and Sharon Nieman, the county's central point coordinator for human services talked about that possibility Tuesday...

Open house set for LCS additions, renovation (09/30/08)
An open house at the Le Mars Community Middle and High Schools will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 2. The open house provides the public an opportunity to tour the new middle school gymnasium, the three new technology enhanced classrooms at the high school, and the renovations that were completed in the high school following the move of the superintendent's office...

Users need to protect computers against security threats (08/29/08)
Experts say there are no foolproof methods to keep home or corporate computers safe from security breaches, but taking precautions helps deter attackers. "The best practice is to keep everything up to date, anti-virus and anti-Spyware programs, and use it (computer) responsibly," said Jerry Christiansen, owner of Computer Crossing. "That's not a hundred percent guarantee that it won't get hit with something, but it does decrease the odds."...

Dave Grosenheider is fair's 2008 Hall of Fame inductee (07/31/08)
The Plymouth County Fair's 2008 Hall of Fame award recipient wasn't listening as fair board president Terry Reuter began his presentation on the opening night of the fair. He soon perked up as Reuter mentioned KLEM in his talk. Dave Grosenheider, director of sales for Powell Broadcasting, was presented with the Hall of Fame award at Century Hall, preceding the royalty coronation which he was preparing to emcee. Radio station KLEM in Le Mars is a part of the Powell group...

Locals find garden oddities (07/30/08)
There's always a little mystery in gardening -- watching black earth give way to thriving vines and leafy rows of vegetables. But some gardens have a little more of the unusual to offer. Take Angela Von Hagel, for example. When the Brunsville woman went out to her garden last month and checked on her potatoes, she had a surprise waiting for her...

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