Times-Register

Mary Ellen Rice, 80, of McGregor, died Wednesday, Feb. 1,  in McGregor.

Services will be at a later date.

By Audrey Posten, North Iowa Times Editor

For the 15th year, the McGregor-Marquette Chamber of Commerce’s Progressive Dinner will welcome visitors into local B&Bs and homes for an elegant, homemade meal. This year’s annual event will be held Saturday, Feb. 11, from 5 to 9 p.m.

The Progressive Dinner, which was modeled off similar events in other communities, was created as not only a winter fundraiser for the chamber, but also as a way to showcase Marquette’s and McGregor’s many B&Bs, noted Becky Johnson, owner of the Little Switzerland Inn and many times an event host.

By Audrey Posten, North Iowa Times Editor

Monona Chamber and Economic Development (MCED) Executive Director Rogeta Halvorson went before the Monona Council Jan. 23, recapping MCED’s 2016 accomplishments and highlighting their plans for 2017.

In 2016, explained Halvorson, MCED increased its business partnerships by 15 percent, to 56 members. The number of followers to MCED’s Facebook page, as well as the Monona Hay Days page, has also increased. Their website has also seen over 150,000 unique page visits per year. Two new highway billboards, which MCED helped design and facilitate, were installed. 

Ringling Bros. Circus roots run deep in McGregor

When word of the impending closure of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus broke Jan. 14, many in McGregor were saddened by the news. But what may be the end of the circus, to many in this small river community, is also a new opportunity to share McGregor’s special connection with the Ringlings, who, as boys, performed their first circus in the city. This two-part series will spotlight that connection. Part one will focus on the origins of that first circus, while the second will detail the community’s plans to keep the Ringling story alive.

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By Audrey Posten, North Iowa Times Editor