Hollywood event
to benefit Arts Center is tonight 

By Trudy Balcom

A little of the glow of Hollywood will shine in McGregor tonight as the stars and director of the film “16 to Life” visit the area for a benefit gala and area movie premiere.

“16 to Life,” written and directed by Okoboji, Iowa, native Becky Smith, was filmed on location in McGregor in October 2007, during an unusually cold and rainy fall season. Some may remember the film’s original title, “Duck Farm No. 13.”

A number of locals received parts as extras in film, or were employed as support staff for the project.

“16 to Life” is described as a coming of age story about a quirky small-town girl, Kate, (Hallee Hirsh) who loves to read books on odd topics, such as the Chinese cultural revolution. Kate plays matchmaker with her co-workers to relieve her angst about her own sexual inexperience on the day of her sixteenth birthday.

Next week the film will experience something of a homecoming, as Smith and several of the actors in the film return to the area.

Benefit kickoff

On Wednesday, Sept. 2, local movie-related events will kickoff with a gala benefit reception at McGregor’s Landing Event Center from 6 to 8 p.m.

This is the only event in which the public can meet and talk with the actors and (including star Hallee Hirsh) director personally.

The event is a benefit for the McGregor-Marquette Arts Center and features music, food raffle drawings and a screening of the movie trailer. Smith and actor Hallee Hirsh will also create paintings to to be sold in a silent auction at the event. Tickets  for the benefit are available at the McGregor-Marquette Chamber of Commerce, Top Shelf, Paper Moon Books and at the McGregor-Marquette Arts Center. All proceeds benefit the Arts Center.

Film screenings

Two screenings of the film will be held on Elkader on Thursday, Sept. 3. The film will have a free screening at the Elkader Cinema at 4 p.m., tickets are first come-first-served.

At 7 p.m., a “green-carpet” event and screening will begin at the at the Elkader Opera House. Tickets for the Opera House screening are available at Strutt Chiropractic Clinic in McGregor, and Moser Pharmacy in Elkader.

Director an Iowa native

This is Smith’s first independent film effort, although she has has plenty of experience in the T.V. and film industry.

When she’s not on the set directing, Becky Smith is an instructor at UCLA’s School of Theatre, Film and Television, and has chaired the undergraduate program there. She has directed more than 40 documentaries, films, videos and television series episodes.

She received an Emmy nomination for her work as director on “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,” cable television series in 2007.

 Iowa native and film director Becky Smith

Growing up in Okoboji, Smith was interested in literature, theatre and photography, but she couldn’t imagine that she would grow up to be a film director.

“The idea that I could be a film director, that was beyond imagining,” she said. “I don’t think I could have even then described or pictured what that would be like. It just was very exotic to me,” (UCLA Spotlight, 2003.)

“16 to Life” received the Best Picture award at the L.A. Methodfest film festival this spring.

Actors include veterans and newcomers

Young actors Hallee Hirsh and Mandy Musgrave take the lead roles in “16 to Life.” At 19, Hirsh is already a veteran television actor with episodes of “ER,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and “90210” to her credit.

Theresa Russell, a screen veteran who recently appeared in “Spiderman 2,” received the Best Supporting Actress award at the L.A. Methodfest film festival  this spring for her performance in “16 to Life.”

Jamie Gomez will be remembered for his role in the T.V. series “Nash Bridges,” also appears in the film. for more about the move, cast and crew, visit the Web site www.16tolifethemovie.org.

Incumbents seeking to hold
seats in school board election

By Trudy Balcom

The MFL MarMac School District, along with hundreds other Iowa school districts, will be electing new members to the school board next week.

The state of Iowa has amended school election laws (House File 2620); all school board positions will now include staggered four-year terms, in part, to reduce election costs.

Most notable in the MFL Mar Mac election for this year is the number of incumbents who are running.

Of the four seats available (and one at-large), four incumbents are running. Long-time school board member Brian Meyer of Monona, current board president Patti Ruff of McGregor and Greg Formanek of Farmersburg are all on the ballot again.

Challengers include Gina Roys of Monona and Mitchell Livingston of Monona.

Sharon Greener is running unopposed for one seat due to a mid-term vacancy that had to be filled by appointment. This seat will be for a two-year term.

In telephone interviews with several of the incumbents, each expressed satisfaction with the work of the board, and enthusiasm for continuing their work,

Patti Ruff

“I absolutely love it,” said board president Patti Ruff.

“If you have certain goals [its great] to see them accomplished,” Ruff explained. Adding daycare to the schools activities is one goal the board has accomplished, she noted. The second school-affiliated daycare, the Dr. Smith Center, will open in McGregor, she said, by the end of the year. Ruff says that one of her goals for the future of the district is to keep the schools current with technology. She has been pleased to see interactive white boards and GPS units added to the districts’s classrooms recently, and she wants to see the innovation continue. Ruff has served on the school board for six years, and is employed as an accounting clerk at Agri-Bunge.

Brian Meyer

“We’ve got a good thing going up at that school,” says Brian Meyer. With 10 years under his belt, Meyer has been on the board long enough to recognize a good thing. His goals for the future include the construction of a school auditorium, but he says that this is a goal for all of the board members. “The whole board works together really well. We’ve all got one goal, to make the schools a better place,” Meyer said. Meyer and his wife Debbie raise corn and soybeans on a farm in the Monona area. They have three grown children.

Greg Formanek, another incumbent, was out of town and unavailable for comment.

Gina Roys

Challenger Gina Roys is a life-long member of the Monona community. She attended MFL MarMac, and now she has three young children who will be entering the district. She says that she is interested in seeing how the district is run from the inside. “I’d like to go in with an open mind and learn what I can,” Roys said. She stated that she is not dissatisfied with how the district is run, she is simply interested in becoming part of the process. She says that she can bring a fresh point of view and her accounting skills to the board.

Roys works as a controller at Clayton County Recycling.

Mitchell Livingston

The second challenger, Mitchell Livingston of Monona, graduated from MFL Mar Mac in 2006, and was recently hired as Chamber of Commerce director for Monona. He has one semester of credits to complete for a B.A. degree in Political Science from the University of Iowa.

“I have a deep passion for the school,” Livingston said. He said that he is interested in seeing that the district continues to grow, so that if future consolidations should occur, MFL MarMac will  be well-positioned to keep their school in the community.

He too, feels the school district is well-run, but is interested in being part of the process.

Voting in the School Board Election

McGregor and Marquette residents may vote  at the McGregor Public Library. Polls are open from Noon to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, September 9.

Community responds to children and families in need

By Trudy Balcom 

A fundraiser planned for Labor Day weekend in McGregor will help children and families in need in the MFL MarMac School District.

The “It’s All About Kids” event is planned for this Saturday following the McGregor Labor Day parade. The event was planned by the McGregor Friends Helping Friends Committee and the McGregor-Marquette Chamber of Commerce.

“We found out last winter what a need there was for these kids,” explained volunteer Cathy Corpian. “We decided that it would be a good idea to have an event in late summer in time to help out,” she added.

“It’s All About Kids” will be held at McGregor’s Riverfront Park and will include a fish fry, raffles and plenty of fun kids games, and some for adults who are kids at heart. A dunk tank, ring toss, bean bag toss, tricycle obstacle course, climbing cubes, apple bobbing, face painting, and hay rides offered by the Yellow River Rough Riders. The event runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The fish fry dinner includes, fish, beans, cole slaw, cheesy potatoes and roll. Carry-outs will be available.

According to MFL MarMac Elementary School Principal Kathy Koether, tough economic times are putting the pinch on some area families. She says that about 25 percent of district families need some assistance this year for their children to get needed clothing, school supplies, shoes, and eyeglasses.

About 50 percent of district families qualify for federal free and reduced-cost school lunches, an economic benchmark schools and the government use to identify needy families.

“Families appreciate our partnership and support,” Koether said.

Koether is very grateful that Friends Helping Friends and the Chamber have stepped up to assist the school, because of the increased need. Other area community groups make annual generous donation to the school, she said, but with the growing need, some children are still coming up short.

Funds raised at the event will be used by school staffers to assist children with whatever they may need, be it school supplies, clothing and shoes, or even eye exams. Volunteers are working with area optometrists to help kids who may need glasses.

Koether said that some area churches are also working to help students and their families who may not have enough to eat on weekends, when school lunches are not available. Churches are gathering food items to provide students with a “snack sack” on Friday afternoon that they can take home to supplement the families’ diet on weekends. Currently, there are 12 families who will receive snack sacks, but church volunteers are working to expand the program to include more families.

Koether would like to invite anyone in the community who would like to volunteer or donate to contact her at the school at (563) 539-2032.

McGregor Historical Museum
to host Wine and Cheese Event

 “Volunteers with the McGregor Historical Society/McGregor Rifles, Ltd. are hosting a Wine and Cheese Event on Saturday, Sept. 5, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. at the McGregor Historical Museum,” announces Reva Smock, President of the Board. “Galena Cellars Winery wine is being generously donated by Robert and Joyce Lawlor and Chris and Mike White, and Eagles Landing Wine is being generously donated by Roger, Connie, Jay and Cindy Halvorson of Marquette.”

Music will be provided for the event by Richard Palucci of McGregor. At 6 p.m. Maureen Wild will give a short presentation that will include highlights from some of her experiences this summer as museum hostess. Maureen’s presentation will be informative and entertaining.

 “I have enjoyed the opportunity this summer to hostess at the McGregor Historical Museum. McGregor’s history is so full of interesting events and fascinating characters that I have enthusiastically shared what I know with everyone who came through the door. Through it all I have learned so much more about this deceptively quiet little town,” Maureen says.

Those attending will be invited to tour the upper level of the museum to see the improvements made to the area.

 Chris Lawlor White states, “Together with the Halvorson’s we will be donating some of our ‘award winning’ American Hybrid Wines to introduce attendees to a new style of wine bring grown in the  Mississippi River Valley. These range from dry wines to a sweet dessert style. We have been on a mission for the last 25 years to establish an identity that exemplifies the unique quality of our grape growing regions with its specific geological features,” adds Chris Lawlor White.

The museum volunteers invite residents and visitors that will be in the McGregor area to stop in and join us for a few moments during our September 5th event. All donations are tax deductible.

Sr. Mary McCauley honored for
her work in aftermath of Postville raid

By Lynda Waddington,
courtesy of the
Iowa Independent

Sister Mary McCauley, former pastoral administrator for the region that includes St. Bridget’s Catholic Church in Postville, has been selected by the Iowa Commission on the Status of Women to receive the 2009 Christine Wilson Medal for Equality and Justice.

McCauley received the honor on Aug. 29 at a special ceremony in the State Historical Building in Des Moines.

In the immediate wake of a May 2008 massive immigration raid at the Agriprocessors meatpacking plant in Postville, many immigrant families took refuge in St. Bridget’s Church. McCauley was instrumental not only in providing for the immediate needs of those seeking sanctuary, but in developing a plan of action to care for the women and children left behind.

Due to McCauley’s unfailing belief that an injustice has been served on immigrant families in Postville and elsewhere she has become a positive role model for those who seek comprehensive immigration reform. The stance has also made her, as well as the Catholic Church as a whole, a lightning rod for those who believe otherwise.

The Christine Wilson Medal for Equality and Justice was established by the ICSW in 1982 in honor of the organization’s first chairwoman. During first four years under Wilson’s leadership Iowa passed legislation prohibiting sex discrimination in housing, credit and education as well as legislation that required recognition of the contribution of homemakers in inheritance tax determinations. The state also began funding and licensing child care center, created a process by which women could be considered for gubernatorial appointment, outlined the first progressive rape statute, and developed the Iowa Women’s Hall of Fame. As such, the medal holding her name is given to those individuals whose lives and work have illustrated outstanding dedication and service on behalf of the ideals of equality and justice.