Photos

Le Mars Fire-Rescue and Emergency Services were called to a house explosion at Third Street and Fourth Avenue Southwest around 6:35 a.m., Wednesday. Crews are on scene and more details surrounding...

Three days of laughter, smiles and oh yeah, ice cream, led up to one magical experience for attendees of this year’s Ice Cream Days Festival in Le Mars. The event, which was shortened to three days...

The 27th annual Ice Cream Days Festival officially kicked off Thursday, June 16. The three days of activities began with the Le Mars Area Chamber of Commerce coffee at the Wells Visitor Center....

Former Plymouth County Sheriff’s Deputy Aaron Leusink hugs his wife April before returning to the Le Mars Jail. Leusink was sentenced to 40 years in prison for his involvement in a string of...

The 57th annual Avenue of Flags in Le Mars was held on Memorial Day, Monday, May 30, at the Plymouth County Courthouse. Hundreds of veterans and community members came together to remember those who...

(Sentinel Photos by Kim Fickett) A send off was held for the 37 missioners from Gehlen, Remsen St. Mary’s, and the community on Tuesday afternoon. Staff member Dan O’Brien served as speaker. A...

(Sentinel Photos by Beverly Van Buskirk) Gehlen Catholic Schools welcomed back students for the first day of classes on Wednesday, Aug. 25. Cheerleaders, students, teachers and Father Travis Crotty...

Le Mars Fire-Rescue/Emergency Services held an oath of office/badge pinning ceremony for its new Battalion Fire Chiefs and new firefighter/EMS providers on Tuesday morning at city hall. Mayor Dick...

Attendees of the Plymouth County Fair could see just why it touts itself as “The Best 5 Days of Summer.” With activities for everyone’s liking, fairgoers enjoyed entertainment, agriculture and of...

(Sentinel Photos by Kim Fickett and Joshua Krause) Following a year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ice Cream Days was once again celebrated in Le Mars. Thousands of spectators lined Central...

The annual Ice Cream Days fun continued into Thursday and Friday with plenty of family-friendly activities for everyone. From the drive-in movie at Total Motors, to the ice cream social at...

(Sentinel Photos by Beverly Van Buskirk) A large crowd attended the 56th annual Avenue of Flags ceremony at the Plymouth County Courthouse on Memorial Day. Nearly 1,400 flags were waving in the...

(Photos Contributed) The first-ever Hometown Christmas in Le Mars was held Saturday, Nov. 28 with a few in-person events such as Breakfast with Rudolph, below left, visits to Santa and Mrs. Claus,...

Gehlen Catholic’s Veterans Day Prayer Service honored local veterans by giving thanks and sharing what it means to be a hero. Guest speakers were Gary Rohmiller (‘69) and his wife Pearl, retired from...

(Photos courtesy of The Remsen Bell) The Remsen community celebrated its 49th annual Oktoberfest activities on Saturday, Oct. 26. From the family-style meal to polka dancing, to tapping the keg,...

From pumpkin car races to trick or treating for candy and books, or having fun painting a pumpkin, there were plenty of Halloween activities in Le Mars Saturday. Hundreds of children with their...

(Sentinel Photos by Allen Hamil) O’Toole Park was a buzz of activity on Sunday afternoon as community members, skateboard enthusiasts and city leaders descended upon the new skateboard park to...

(Sentinel Photos by Kim Fickett) The Le Mars Fire and Rescue Department held its annual pancake breakfast last Sunday in recognition of Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 6-12. The department’s...

(Sentinel Photos by Beverly Van Buskirk/Photos Contributed) Students in TK-12th grade across Plymouth County headed to school on Friday, Aug. 23 for the first day of the 2019-2020 school...

This year’s Plymouth County Fair brought beautiful temperatures for the majority of the five days before temperatures climbed into the 90’s on Saturday. The mild temperatures, along with the array of...

Le Mars celebrated the Fourth of July holiday with a parade, picnics, a band concert and fireworks. The parade, organized by The Friends of the Fourth, featured red, white and blue on every entry. A...

(Sentinel Photos by Allen Hamil) The Le Mars Little League wrapped up the 2019 season with its end of the year tournament June 24-30 at the John Britton Little League Complex. Around 58 teams...

Le Mars was a thriving town of activities in celebration of this year’s Ice Cream Days and Sesquicentennial Celebration. The parade kicked things off on Saturday morning as it saw more than 100...

Ice Cream Days and the Sesquicentennial Celebration is in full gear. Thursday and Friday were full of activities from the Primebank Ice Cream Social featuring the Noteables, to the beard and mustache...

The Wells Visitor Center and Ice Cream Parlor reopened to the general public on Wednesday morning with a Le Mars Area Chamber of Commerce coffee and ribbon cutting. Wells Enterprises, Inc. CEO Mike...

On Thursday, April 18, 2019, MMCRU Middle School Student Council members participated in an all day Service Day for residents of Remsen. The Student Council Community Service Committee came up with...

Hundreds of kids from toddlers to first graders descended upon Cleveland Park on Saturday for the community’s annual Easter Egg Hunt. Sponsored by Primebank, in part with the Aktion Club, the...

Le Mars Police Chief Kevin Vande Vegte along with his fellow officers, staff, city officials, Le Mars Area Chamber of Commerce representatives, and community members, gathered on Thursday to...

The MMCRU - Remsen Elementary celebrated Dr. Seuss Week from Tuesday, February 26, through Friday, March 1. On Tuesday, in honor of the book “Bartholomew and the 500 Hats”, students wore different...

The RSM boys’ basketball team returned to Des Moines for the third straight year, playing three games of State Basketball at the Wells Fargo Arena. Their first game was against Prince of Peace,...

As rain fell across Plymouth County and temperatures hovered around the 50 degree mark causing what snow that was on the ground to melt, low lying areas across the county took on more water than it...

Friends and family gathered at MMCRU Middle School on Friday, Feb. 8, to see three of the district’s middle school students become the next recipients of the adaptive tricycle gifted by the Josh’s...

During Catholic Schools Week, Remsen St. Mary’s Schools participated in several meaningful activities. These activities focused on faith, family, and unity with each other in Christ. One of the...

The RSM Dance Team held the First Annual Daddy – Daughter Dance on Saturday, February 9, 2019, at the St. Mary’s Lorne Nilles Memorial Gym from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. Girls from preschool through eighth...

The Remsen Fire Department held their Annual Fireman’s Dance on Saturday, January 26 at the Avalon Ballroom. The Johnny Holm Band provided the entertainment for the event. Remsen Fireman Chris...

City of Remsen employees were rewarded for their hard work at the Employee Recognition Dinner, which was held at the Golden Pheasant on January 12.

The Marcus Knights of Columbus held their annual free throw contest on Sunday, January 20, 2019, with 19 participants. All kids ages 9 to 14 were asked to compete with a chance to move on to...

The St. Mary’s Hawk Baseball team was presented with awards for their participation in the 2018 State Baseball Tournament during the Girls’ High School Basketball Half-time at the January 4, 2019...

Second graders in Mrs. Wimmer’s class at Remsen St. Mary’s Elementary had fun learning about pigs. They couldn’t believe that chalk, crayons, and certain medicines come from pigs. Mrs. Collins from...

The Remsen St. Mary’s Little Hawks Preschoolers enjoyed a visit with Victoria from Hillview. Victoria came and talked to the preschoolers about the different types of animals in the area and what...

A Retirement/Chamber Coffee was held for Rick Nitzschke on Tuesday, January 8, 2019 from 8:30-10:30 a.m. at the EMT Building, hosted by the City of Remsen staff. Rick was honored with a plaque from...

By Allen Hamil, Sports Editor Le Mars Daily Sentinel MARCUS — Unity Christian came away with a pair of wins over MMCRU in War Eagle Conference action on Friday, January 4, 2019. The Unity boys...

Little Royals Preschool celebrated Christmas on Friday, December 21, 2018 with a pajama party and a visit from Santa. Children told Santa what they wanted for Christmas and he left a few goodies and...

By Ashley Willman, RSM Journalism While others schools may play games and have parties before christmas break, RSM students enjoy the tradition of serving others each year instead with an annual...

After 40 years of service in law enforcement, Le Mars Police Department’s Assistant Chief Jay King celebrated his retirement, Monday, Dec. 31, 2018. Friends, family, and coworkers gathered at the...

Preschool through sixth grade students presented a collection of holiday songs at the Lorne Nilles Memorial Gym on Wednesday, December 5th. Throughout the night there were sounds of voices of many...

MMCRU - Remsen Elementary presented their holiday concert “Twas the Night Before Christmas” on Thursday, December 6, 2018 under the direction of Music Director, Joan Wilberding. The Preschool, TK,...

The MMCRU High School Band and Choir presented their Holiday Concert on Thursday, December 13 at the High School Gym in Marcus. The high school choir, under the direction of Ms. Lori Looyenga,...

Students in seventh through twelfth grade sang and performed songs from multiple countries at the Lorne Nilles Memorial Gym on Wednesday, December 12th. The seventh and eighth grade band opened the...

When someone we love dies we are often sad and we miss them. When Lyle Schroeder died this fall, some of his siblings wanted to help his great-niece, Quinn Homan, not miss him so much. The siblings...

Jack Frost may have been nipping at their noses, but people lined Central Avenue Saturday evening to take in the Le Mars Lighted Christmas Parade and then headed out Pioneer Village Christmas...

The Le Mars Fire and Rescue Department celebrated the holidays with a party, Sunday, Dec. 9 at Fire Station #1. Santa made an appearance during the festivities and children lined up to tell Jolly Old...

The Kiwanis Aktion Club hosted its annual Cookies for Heroes event, Thursday, Dec. 6, in the Floyd Valley Conference Center. The heads of Le Mars’s first responder departments received special goodie...

On November 20th, Remsen St. Mary’s students held a hunger banquet instead of their traditional Thanksgiving service. During the banquet, students were randomly assigned to the groups of low...

(Sentinel Photos by Beverly Van Buskirk) Third District Court Judge Robert Dull was honored with a retirement reception Friday afternoon in the Plymouth County Courthouse courtroom. Colleagues and...

The City of Remsen has several projects underway including the West Development project and the Water Treatment Plant. Also, they have recently completed the first step of their Flood Control...

The Remsen St. Mary’s Little Hawks Preschool had a lot of fun the week of Halloween. On Monday, Oct. 29, Bavarian Meadows invited us up. The children and residents made “Puffy Ghosts” together. On...

War Eagle Conference Meet Results Girls Individual- Out of 48 runners Kaitlyn Goth, 2nd, 21:20.3 Boys- Team 6th of 7 Individual- Out of 80 runners Brett Staab, 26th, 19:48.8 Gunnar Grage,...

Plymouth County firefighters from Akron, Hinton, Merrill, Kingsley, Le Mars, Oyens, and Remsen, raised money to assist with Kevin Ortmann’s needs due to a brain cancer diagnosis and having a stroke...

Children enjoyed the nice weather for the Remsen Chamber’s Trick or Treating Event, which took place downtown at different Remsen Chamber businesses on Wednesday, October 31. Due to RSM and MMCRU...

Residents all around the town of Remsen have gotten into the Autumn Season and Halloween Spirit by decorating their properties with all sorts of fall favorites, such as scarecrows, pumpkins, gourds,...

(Sentinel Photos by Kim Fickett) Around 300 Hinton Community Elementary School students in preschool through third grade visited the Hinton Fire Station on Friday morning in recognition of Fire...

The second graders at Remsen St. Mary’s enjoyed learning about St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of nature and animals, last week. The students had fun celebrating the Feast Day of St. Francis...

The Remsen Farmers Coop held their Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and Open House for their new office building on Friday, September 21, 2018 from 9:00 - 11:00 a.m. The Ribbon Cutting was held a little after...

Ken and Michelle Wurth of Maple Lanes Bowl hosted a Chamber Coffee on Tues., September 18, 2018 from 8:30 to 10 a.m., celebrating 25 years in business. Donuts, coffee, and juice were consumed by...

Remsen Farmers Coop celebrated the completion of their new office building with an Open House and Ribbon Cutting on Fri., September 21, 2018 from 9 to 11 a.m. Tasty rolls and coffee were enjoyed by...

Bavarian Meadows hosted a Chamber Coffee on Tues., September 11, 2018 from 8:30 to 10 a.m., celebrating National Assisted Living Week. During the Chamber Coffee, many tasty treats were devoured and...

U.S. Rep. Steve King toured the brand new industrial technology facility at Marcus Meriden Cleghorn Remsen-Union, Friday, Aug. 31. Below, industrial technology teacher Matt Hansen explained the drive...

Pictured are the sights from different heats of the Demolition Derby, which took place on Saturday, August 18.

Total Motors celebrated the grand opening of its new facility with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday morning. More than 250 people were in attendance for the celebration, including members of the...

By Allen Hamil, Sports Editor Le Mars Daily Sentinel LE MARS — Not since the 1983-85 seasons, all state championship years for Remsen St. Mary’s, have the Hawks strung together as many consecutive...

Plymouth County Conservation Naturalist Victoria DeVos presented a free nature program, “Have Nature, Will Travel”, to six children at Beck Park on Friday, July 6 from 1-2:30 p.m.

Karaoke closed out the 2018 “Libraries Rock” Summer Reading Program at the Remsen Public Library on Wednesday, July 11, 2018 at 10 a.m. The children had a rockin’ great time singing with their...

Tom Bacan celebrated his retirement at an Open House/Chamber Coffee at Iowa State Bank on Wednesday, June 27, 2018. Friends, family, business acquaintances and people from the community came down to...

By: Megan Sabin The Fourth of July Holiday saw a random wind storm come down upon the city of Remsen. According to Interim Public Works/Utility Superintendent Chris Poeckes, this wind storm took...

The Remsen Heritage Museum held their Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and a Chamber Coffee on Tuesday, June 26 from 8:30 - 10:30 a.m. The Ribbon Cutting was held right in front of the museum with Remsen...

Three different styles of magic were showcased at the fourth summer reading program at the Remsen Public Library on Wednesday, June 27. Larry Dunbar and Co. consists of Connor, who specializes in...

The 2018 St. Mary’s Alumni Softball Tournament took place on Saturday, June 23. The Championship team was “Pick’s Corner”, Glenn/Kitty Pick Family.

On Friday, May 18, 2018, Mrs. Ruhland’s Kindergarten class at MMCRU-Remsen Elementary visited the Launch Pad Children’s Museum. The children had a very fun day exploring the many hands-on activities...

MMCRU TK-6th grade Track & Field Day took place on Friday, May 25 in Marcus. Students from MMCRU Remsen & Marcus Elementaries along with MMCRU fifth and sixth graders had a great day taking part in...

The Remsen Public Library held their first summer reading program on Wed., June 6 at 10 a.m. The Hanson Family Jugglers and Unicyclists took center stage to inform children how “Libraries Rock”....

By: Megan Sabin The MMCRU Remsen Elementary students (grades preschool through fourth) shared some spring spirit to all those who attended their Spring Program called “Possibilities”, which took...

MMCRU held their commencement exercises on May 20 at the High School Gym in Marcus.

Remsen St. Mary’s held their commencement exercises on May 20 in the Sue Treinen Memorial Gym.

American Legion Wasmer Post #241 of Le Mars conducted its 53rd annual Avenue of Flags Memorial Day program at the Plymouth County Courthouse. One of the traditions of the program is the wreath...

(Sentinel Photos by Breeanna Pierce) Nearly 300 fourth grade students and teachers from across Plymouth County flooded the Plymouth County Historical Museum, April 30, for “May Day at the Museum.”...

Cameron Miller of MMCRU and Zach Ruden of RSM were both honored at KCAU 9’s “Best of the Class”, which was held at Morningside College in Sioux City. According to www.siouxlandproud.com, “KCAU 9...

It’s been a few weeks since the start of the demolition of the old Remsen Farmers Coop office/storage area. Demolition started on Monday, March 26, 2018. Everything has been going smoothly and...

(Sentinel Photos by Kim Fickett) The Le Mars Library celebrated their grand reopening by hosting the Le Mars Area Chamber of Commerce coffee. The coffee was one of many activities planned for the...

By: RSM Journalism Remsen St. Mary’s put on another fantastic musical on March 22 to March 25. This year the group performed the play Oklahoma! Veda Pick played farm girl Laurey Williams who was...

By: Megan Sabin The Remsen Chamber did a great job organizing the annual Easter Egg Hunt again this year. The Easter Egg Hunt started at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 31, 2018 this year with 134 kids...

(Sentinel Photos by Kim Fickett) Hundreds of boys and girls descended upon Cleveland Castle Park on Saturday morning for the annual Easter Egg Hunt sponsored by The Education Station and Primebank....

The second graders at Remsen St. Mary’s just completed their Animal Research Projects! Each second grader began this project by selecting an animal to research. Once each student discovered all that...

U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst brought her 99-county tour to Le Mars and Schuster Co. Tuesday afternoon. Owner Steve Schuster took Ernst on a tour of the company, showing a new tractor and explaining many of...

On Saturday, March 3, six MMCRU FFA Chapter students, Victoria Ross, Leah Henderson, Megan Loutsch, Katie Bush, Brynn Jones and Rachael VanMannen, competed in a few contests hosted at East Sac High...

The Remsen St. Mary’s Hawks took fourth place out of 148 Class 1A teams.

Le Mars Community high school and middle school students took part in a National School Walk Out held Wednesday, March 14. An estimated 200 students between both schools took part in the movement...

The MMCRU FFA Chapter celebrated National FFA Week February 17-24 by hosting and participating in several different events with students at MMCRU Schools. National FFA Week embraces more than 90...

Children and teachers officially celebrated 100 Days of School in the 2017-2018 School Year on Thursday, February 1, 2018. Many different activities took place and students even dressed up for the...

By RSM Journalism Catholic Schools Week, which took place from January 28 through February 2, began with an all-school prayer service. The transitional kindergarten to second grade provided special...

The Annual Free Throw Contest, sponsored by the Remsen Knights of Columbus, was held at St. Mary’s High School, on Sunday, January 14. Thirty eight participants, ages 9-14, shot 15 free throws....

Preschool through fourth grade presented a Christmas concert for the public at St. Mary’s Sue Treinen Memorial Gym on December 6. The elementary music program is led by vocal director, Nicole...

(Sentinel Photos by Beverly Van Buskirk) From large displays to lights on the house or a simple message in the yard, residents around Le Mars have filled the town with holiday lights and messages of...

(Sentinel Photos by Beverly Van Buskirk) Gehlen Catholic School students assembled Advent Bags for local shut-ins and care center residents Wednesday, and then delivered them. Students, faculty and...

(Sentinel Photos by Beverly Van Buskirk) Large crowds filled Pioneer Village Christmas Wonderland on its second and final weekend. Visitors were entertained by music, such as that by piano...

An Appreciation Coffee was hosted by friends of the Majeres Family on Tuesday, November 28 at Three Sisters’ Bistro. At the coffee, the Majeres Family was honored with a plaque by the Remsen Chamber...

Large crowds visited Pioneer Village Christmas Wonderland Saturday and Sunday night at the Plymouth County Fairgrounds. Santa Claus was kept busy with the many children who came with their wish list....

Central Avenue was lined with hundreds of parade goers to see the Le Mars Lighted Christmas Parade Saturday night. Thousands of lights on floats, bicycles, vehicles, and people lit the street for the...

Around 20 people learned about the train history that Iowa was a big part of as Rudy Daniels gave an insightful presentation called “Trains Across Iowa” at the Remsen Public Library on Thursday...

(Sentinel Photo by Beverly Van Buskirk) Santa Claus arrived in Le Mars at 9 a.m., Saturday with a little help from the Le Mars Fire-Rescue Department, who brought him to his stop for the day at...

This year the RSM TK, Kindergarten, and First grade students put on the 21st annual All Saints Prayer Service in a new location, St. Mary’s Church in Remsen. The bigger church was a little...

On Tues., October 31, students and staff at the MMCRU Middle School could dress up in costume and help celebrate the holiday. Students from the Remsen Elementary were also dressed up in costume and...

The MMCRU - Remsen Elementary had a Storybook Character Pumpkin Patch in the library. Students in grades K-4th could decorate a pumpkin to look like a storybook character. The MMCRU Middle School...

On Tuesday, October 17, the second graders and the preschoolers at RSM went to Scarecrow Farm’s Pumpkin Patch in Lawton, Iowa. They started the morning by going on a hay-rack ride. On this ride the...

Mrs. Heeren’s kindergarten class has been busy using their senses to enjoy the Fall season and using some of the Science Tools that they have been learning about. Nature walks, leaf prints, and...

Mrs. Hilbrands’ first grade class at MMCRU - Remsen Elementary visited Pumpkinland, near Orange City, on Wednesday, October 18. They started off by going to “Pumpkin School” and learning about the...

Little Hawk Preschoolers went to the Scarecrow Farms Pumpkin Patch & Corn Maze on Tuesday, October 17, which is located on Hwy 20 by Lawton.

Little Royals Preschool went to the Orange City Pumpkin Patch on Thursday, October 13. Students were able to see the animals, walk through a corn maze, and pick a pumpkin.

The 2017 MMCRU Middle School Football team finished strong. After a few bumps in the road early, the Royals smoothed things out. The Royals lost the first game of the season to a good Gehlen Catholic...

The Le Mars Fire and Rescue Department held their annual pancake breakfast on Sunday, Oct. 1. The event has been held for several years and kicks off Fire Prevention Month. More than 500 people...

Coronation of the MMCRU Homecoming king and queen will be held at 7 p.m., on Thursday, Sept. 28 in Remsen.

(Sentinel Photos by Beverly Van Buskirk) The 17th annual Great Akron Scarecrow Festival was held on Saturday at the Akron City Park. The event highlighted the festival’s scarecrow decorating...

Wednesday, September 5, 2017 marked the 37th annual Knights of Columbus Phonothon and its success continues to grow by leaps and bounds. According to Shelly Thomson, Life Skills marketing development...

If you have driven down Main St. (Washington St.) or been at the Golf Course recently, you might have had a chance to spot a wandering turkey out and about. This turkey, affectionately named Gibby...

Jared Ehrp of Remsen Farmers Coop stopped by the MMCRU Middle School seventh grade Exploratory Ag class on Friday, September 8 to present the $3,000 donation that the MMCRU FFA was receiving for...

By: Megan Sabin On Saturday morning, September 9, the Remsen Public Library held a Tiny Tots Storytime at 10 a.m. with a story and activities for children to enjoy. Janeene Klein started off the...

On Tuesday, August 29, citizens from across Plymouth County visited a Texas Aid Trailer at Old School Signs, 1130 12th St., Le Mars, donating items such as diapers, wipes, baby formula, cleaning...

Students from around Plymouth County returned to school on Wednesday, Aug. 23 and Thursday, Aug. 24. Here, students at Gehlen Catholic and Franklin Elementary at Le Mars Community show an array of...

By: Megan Sabin Around 90 people participated in the Back to School GLOW Walk, which was sponsored by the Remsen Chamber of Commerce on Sunday evening, August 20, 2017. Registration started at 7...

Pictured are the sights from different heats of the Demolition Derby, which took place on Saturday, August 19. Look for more photos on our website: http://www.lemarssentinel.com/multimedia

Remsen St. Mary’s 32nd Annual Parish Auction was held on Sunday, August 13 starting at 10:00 a.m. Though a little rainy and cloudy, that didn’t stop the auction from taking place under the big tent...

RSM Alumni took part in the Annual Softball Game on June 23 & 24.

The Tri-State Cruiser Car Show took place in downtown Remsen on Wednesday, July 12, starting at 5 p.m. Many different makes, models, and types of vehicles were on display.

The Remsen St. Mary’s high school baseball and softball teams recently held their Senior Night, recognizing the senior players and their parents. The softball team held their Senior Night on...

The fourth program for the Summer Reading theme of “Build a Better World” was “Books, Bucks, and Bingo” which took place on Wednesday, June 28 at 10 a.m. at the Remsen Public Library. Employees from...

On Saturday, June 24, bicycles, motorcycles and classic cars pulled out of Remsen for the Annual Tata’s Fun Ride, which helped raise money for local cancer patient, Kerri Stinton. The pedal bike...