The Woodbury County Fair filled the first few days of August with youth hoping to have the best exhibits in the county. The fair also filled the fairgrounds with vendors, games, entertainment, lots of visitors, and the coronation of the new fair royalty.
    During coronation, Ashleyn Weber (pictured on the left), daughter of Courtney Weber of Danbury was crowned the fair queen. Ashleyn graduated from MVAOCOU in May and will be studying at Morningside University this Fall.
    "I was shocked when they said my name because I was not expecting it," said Ashleyn. "Getting crowned, I was thinking about how I really have to represent the fair very well, and from what I heard, I had represented it well."
    For many, not hearing your name as runners up might make you nervous that you weren't chosen or excited that the chance of being crowned is increasing. Ashleyn? Well, she looked forward to enjoying the week.
    "I was thinking, "Hey I might actually get to enjoy the fair this year after showing (her animals)." I love being queen, but before getting it I was so happy to maybe get to enjoy the fair."
    Being queen, Ashleyn and other fair royalty assisted at the livestock events during fair week. Ashleyn was also interviewed over the radio. She also talked to many people and took pictures with fairgoers. Here favorite part of the fair as queen?
    "My favorite part was seeing the little kids' smiles when I got to talk to them," she exclaimed.
    Kami Schrunk, (pictured on the right)daughter of Angie and Keith Schrunk of Anthon also earned a crown and flowers at coronation. The MVAOCOU senior was named Miss Congeniality.
    "I was so shocked," stated Kami, "because at the royalty interviews, there was another girl who was also outgoing and really talkative and talking to everyone there. I didn't even know people were going to vote for me, and I thought I wasn't going to get anything. But when (emcee) Amy Cloud said my name, I was so surprised and happy at the same time. People said that they know how I usually act and that I have a lot of personality and I am very outgoing around my friends and that's why they chose me."
    Like Ashleyn, Kami helped out at the animal shows when possible.
    "I went to the cat show, dog show, pig show and the rabbit show," she said. "And also other shows if people needed to hand out ribbons."
    While Kami's favorite part of being a member of the fair court was going to the grandstand every night and being introduced, she also loved hanging out with her royalty friends around the fair. She also added that the kids brought her smiles.
    "Being Miss Congeniality was so fun because every time I saw little kids they would all come up to me and ask if I was a princess or if they could take a picture with me, so I thought that was pretty cool," she said.
    Kami will have one more year as a fair exhibitor next year. She is already looking forward to one special honor at the 2027 Woodbury County Fair.
    "I can't wait to crown the next year's Miss Congenitally," Kami exclaimed.
    Congratulations, ladies!

    JOHNSTON, IOWA (July 15, 2026) – August is National Wellness Month, which means it's time to make self-care a priority and build healthy routines by making a blood donation with LifeServe Blood Center this month.
    Each blood donation can impact up to three lives in your community. But did you know that donating blood can also help you stay aware of your own health? Each donation includes a mini health screening, where staff measure your blood pressure, pulse, and temperature, and perform tests to check your cholesterol and hemoglobin level. These tests can help catch health issues you might not even know about.
    This National Wellness Month, start a new healthy habit of donating blood to benefit your health and your community. The next blood drive in Danbury will be on Wednesday, August 26th from 2:00 pm to 6:30pm at the fire station - 201 Main St.
    Schedule your lifesaving appointment by visiting lifeservebloodcenter.org or by calling 800.287.4903.
    LifeServe Blood Center is a non-profit, community-based blood center that has served the needs of local hospitals and patients in our regions since 1947. As one of the 15 largest blood centers in the country, LifeServe provides blood products to more than 175 hospitals primarily in Iowa, South Dakota, Nebraska and Illinois. LifeServe is committed to saving lives by providing premier service to volunteer blood donors and access to a safe, quality blood supply for hospitals and patients. Your donation with LifeServe will help save your neighbor, a friend or family member, or a stranger on the street. YOU make a difference in YOUR community. For more information about blood donation or to schedule an appointment to donate blood, call 800.287.4903 or visit lifeservebloodcenter.org.

    The MVAO School Board has been discussing finances which are already being received to direct for a specific purpose. Confusing? Well, sort of. The board is asking permission by the voters to use funding already being received to improve the athletic facilities. They also want to renew their revenue purpose statement.
    A revenue purpose statement is used to indicate how a school district uses the local option sales tax received when people shop in Monona and Woodbury counties, also known as a 1¢ sales tax. Previously called LOST (Local Option Sales Tax), the program is now called SAVE (Secure an Advanced Vision for Education). This money is used to help pay for expenses incurred by the school - heating and cooling, transportation, school upkeep, technology and other service contracts, etc. It is also used to improve the athletic facilities. After all, it is part of the educational path. As Superintendent Jeff Thelander commented in an interview, our activities are what keep kids in school. These activities include music, drama, a variety of organizations, and athletics.
    While the MVAO school board could use the SAVE money to improve the facilities without permission, they wish to be open to their constituents and want to ensure they will have the money eartagged for the improvements so that they can be fiscally responsible and guaranteed the support for this multi-million dollar project. Thus, they are asking the electors to approve the renewal of the revenue purpose statement. They would like to set aside a portion of the $500,000 - $600,000 SAVE money received annually for the project.
    What does this project entail? Thelander stated that there are two major goals - to replace and possibly expand the current track and field track which is showing its age, and to make the complex ADA (American Disabilities Act) compliant by adding sidewalks and other improvement so that each sporting venue is accessible to those who are ambulatory challenged. Seating will also be expanded in some areas, and the bathrooms will be improved.
    Thelander also emphasized that this project will not be using state income tax dollars, and the school will not be raising property taxes to fund the athletic upgrades. They are basically asking the electors to give them permission to use SAVE funds for the upgrades. He also emphasized that the academics will not be compromised. As a matter of fact, he added that the district made nice jumps in academics, scoring at or above the national average on the ACT tests. Thelander assured that they will be making sure that there is enough SAVE funding to maintain the academic needs. He said the school board has been very thoughtful about this matter and are cautious about the expenses. They do not want to bite off more than the district can chew.
    The PPEL (Physical Plant and Equipment Levy) also pays for the physical buildings and their upkeep. As of now, the school has $1.4 million in the SAVE and PPEL accounts. They want to keep that in the coffers in case a major incident occurs such as a sudden need to replace the heat and air conditioning or a problem with the building.
    So, what about the election on September 8th? Well, this election is to vote yes or no on renewing the revenue purpose statement.
    A copy of the ballot's question can be seen inside this issue of The Danbury Review.

    The Corn Days schedule will be announced near the end of this week or early next week. We have one item which we need to determine if it will remain on the schedule or not. We need your input by Friday (sorry for the late request; this was a late minute inclusion).
    After putting everything in place last week, the Corn Days committee realized that the annual Euchre tournament would fit nicely in the schedule for Saturday, September 19th at 10:00 at Dana Hall. However, we need to know if there are enough to hold the tournament. If you would be interested, (you aren't committed to play), please call Erin Allen at 712-880-1228. We need input asap so that we can get posters printed.
    Thanks for your help.