Memorial Day Programs Scheduled Monday in Perry and Minburn
The Perry Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 206 and American Legion Post 85 in Perry will again host their annual Memorial Day program Monday.
It takes place at the Perry Performing Arts Center starting at 10am and this year’s event will include a special visit from French government dignitaries who will present World War II veteran Mahlon Conaway with the French Legion of Honor award.
The program will also include patriotic song performances, readings and speeches.
The event is free to attend and open to the public.
In addition, the Minburn American Legion Post 99 will also host a Memorial Day program Monday at local cemeteries. This year’s event features speaker Terry McCannahan and bugler Emily Judd. It takes place at the Brown Cemetery at 9:30am, Kimrey Cemetery at 10 o’clock, Elmwood Cemetery at 10:30 and Raccoon River Bridge at 11am.
Perry Crimestoppers Offering Reward for Information About Underage Drinking at Graduation Parties
The Perry High School Class of 2015 will don their caps and gowns this weekend and receive their diplomas during the annual graduation ceremony on Sunday.
Such accomplishments deserve celebration, but the Perry Police Department and Crime Stoppers are hoping local students do so responsibly by refraining from using alcohol and drugs.
The Crime Stoppers are offering a reward of up to $500 for anyone who can provide information identifying locations of any underage alcohol related parties that can be verified by law enforcement. Additionally, rewards are also offered for information about those providing alcohol to those underage.
Anyone with information is urged to call the anonymous Crime Stopper line at 465-5661.4
Grants Help Perry PACES Decrease Summer Participation Costs
Perry’s Academic and Cultural Enrichment Services (P.A.C.E.S.) is excited about this year’s summer program.
Director Mary Hillman says they are able to offer these opportunities for students thanks to grants from several local organizations, totaling more than $51,000 this year.
In fact, so much money was raised this year that Hillman says they have been able to drop the price to participate this summer.
“The (Dallas) County Services of decategorization, or DECAT as kind of a nickname, gave us a $10,000 grant. That grant has allowed me to reduce the price, for this summer only, back to a price I used to charge about eight years ago because everyone does pay their fair share. This will save families $20 to $50 per week. So if you’re still looking for a very meaningful program, a quality program for your child this summer that continues learning in a very fun way, please come sign up but space is getting very limited.”
The cost to participate ranges from $50 for one student on the federal free lunch program, to $180 for three children in a family that pays full price for lunch.
The summer program starts on Monday, June 8th and runs through Friday, August 7th from 6am-6pm daily.
For more information or to sign up, call the P.A.C.E.S. office at 465-8264.
Perry City Administrator Weigh in on Connector Trail Meeting
As we reported, dozens of people attended Monday night’s Dallas County Conservation Board public meeting in regards to the Raccoon River Valley Trail to High Trestle Trail connector project.
Perry City Administrator Butch Niebuhr says he was impressed with the attendance and input shared by attendees. As someone who has been in public administration for more than three decades, Niebuhr says he has been frustrated with the lack of attendance and participation in public meetings before so this one impressed him.
“I thought it was a good meeting as far as input. It was great to see the citizens there, for and against which ever direction it is going. It was also good to see the property owners there. I think it helps them to be able to see and put faces on people in the community that have an interest, a personal interest or a business interest or whatever the interest is, they have an interest in the trails in central Iowa and how that impacts Dallas County, and the City of Perry, and the surrounding communities.”
Niebuhr says he looks forward to staying informed with what is happening and seeing what those who attend the next public meeting in Waukee on the 28th have to say.
More Than Two Inches of Rain Falls Over the Raccoon River Valley
Rain continued to fall over the Raccoon River Valley this past week, significantly in fact.
According to the National Weather Service, both Perry and Guthrie Center received around 2.5 inches of rain since our last report, while Jefferson saw another 2.1 inches this week.
This brings Perry’s precipitation total up to more than four and a quarter inches since May 1st, Jefferson has seen just over four inches and Guthrie Center has received 3.8 inches so far this month.
Normal monthly totals for May range between 4.5 and 5 inches locally.