With a smile on his face, Marvin Hanson loves to talk about his garden. It's not a small garden by any means. Unless you suffer from hay fever, this garden is nothing to sneeze at at 150' x 80' in size. While Hanson has slowed a bit in the garden, that is understandable. After all, he will be 100 years old next week.
    "I can't get on my knees anymore, so I use a spade to dig the holes and drop the potatoes in," he said, adding that he has an older walker he uses in the garden to get around in the dirt. He also has the help of his daughter, Barbara Wood who shares the house with him, getting him here, there and everywhere.
    "His eyesight is good (with the aid of glasses), he hears okay with hearing aids, he dresses himself, he makes his own breakfast. He's a morning person; I am not," stated Barbara, one of four children. Barbara moved in approximately 5 years ago after the death of her husband. She added that the move made sense since they were both now alone and he was beginning to need some help so that he could stay home.
    A 72 year member of the Order of the Eastern Star and 70 years as a Master Mason, Barbara makes sure Marvin gets to their meetings. As a 74 year member of the American Legion and a proud Navy man, he makes sure he gets to their events either with the help of his daughter or by the use of his lawnmower. Incidentally, he also spends many hours mowing his massive piece of property on the edge of Anthon. He also is a regular at Anthon Community Methodist Church where he has been a trustee. He also is still part of the Anthon city band where he plays the clarinet.
    Marvin was in eighth grade when he and his family moved to Anthon from South Dakota in 1937. The move was fortunate for him as he met his future wife, Donna Weathers at Anthon. The couple who faithfully dressed as clowns for the Anthon Kids Day parade had four children, Barbara (the late Mike), Cliff (Arlene) Hanson, Janet (late John) Boehm, and Dale (Wendy) Hanson. They also have 13 grandchildren, 11 great grandchildren, and 2 great great grandchildren. Donna passed away in 2015; the couple had been married for 69 years.
    Barbara credits Marvin's longevity to working hard throughout his life. Marvin has a different answer.
    "I don't smoke, don't drink, don't try out wild women, but I do like to watch the girls walk past," he said with a smile.
    Marvin has indeed worked hard throughout his 99 years thus far. When he was 18, he joined the Navy even though World War II was in full force. He was assigned as a deck hand on one of three liner ships which was transformed into a transport ship. They transported between 1,800 and 2,000 troops into battle zones. Marvin stated that they once had a 500 pound bomb hit the ship, but, thankfully, the detonator did not go off. They had been shot upon several times, also. He was then assigned to Norfolk, VA, for tugboat duty. He spent the remainder of his duty there, spending a total of 39 months with the Navy.
    Marvin continued his work ethic, farming until they moved into town. He then worked part-time at Anthon Locker before becoming the owner. He retired in 1992.
    When asked what the best invention has been in his life, the farmer in Marvin came out as he responded that the loader for farming was indeed the best invention. He said that the loader now did the heavy work. Perhaps he used a loader for one of his bigger endeavors, helping build the Anthon golf course.
    "It was a dump, a gravel pit," he said. "We used two tractors and a manure spreader to seed the course. We made 3 holes, and if we played them 3 times, we then got in 9 holes."
    The worst invention according to Marvin? War. No explanation needed on that!
    While he has retired from some activities such as golfing (which he began when he was 70 years old), Marvin stays busy with his lawn and garden, piecing together puzzles, watching TV, and attending events at the church and downtown. On Saturday, April 27th he will be the center of attention at an open house in his honor. Marvin turns 100 on April 25th, and thus his family is holding an open house on the 27th from 1:00 until 4:00 at the Anthon Community Methodist Church. Please join them in wishing him a happy birthday. If you are unable to attend but would like to send him a card, his address is 505 S 3rd Ave, Anthon, IA 51004

    Last year the Danbury City Council had to accommodate a multi-million dollar wastewater expense, a project needed to make the city compliant with the DNR. In order to help with this expense, the sewer base rate had to be raised and was indeed raised. The Danbury City Council is now addressing the losing battle with the water side of the city's utility bill.
    At some time in history, a base rate that had been tied to the water bill was moved to the sewer side of things. This shift has caused the water fund to be well into the negatives and dropping each month. According to the treasurer's report in this week's Review, the water fund is currently at $-55,311.30. The city also has been making band-aid fixes on an aging water plant which needs attention. Something needs to be done.
    Beginning June 1st, there will be a connection charge assessed to all buildings in Danbury. Currently nonexistent, the charge will jump to $36.50. An additional $9.00 per 1,000 gallons of water used will also be tacked on. Currently that rate is $7.00 per 1,000 gallons of water used.
    A letter explaining the new rates will be sent to all residents from the city.

    Books plant the seeds of imagination into minds. These seeds took a sidestep for floral seeds on April 3rd. Participants from 10 - 80 years old joined guest instructor Cecilia Dose in getting their hands a little dirty. Dose gave the group many unique tips for successfully starting flower seeds in pots. Biodegradable seed starter peat pots were furnished for all to use for their own plantings. The pots make transplanting flowers seamless - just place the entire pot into the ground - transplant shock is eliminated! The group planted a large array of annual flower seeds and even a few perennials.
    Along with the seed planting session, a raffle was held. Susie Sohm was the winner of this raffle.
    Librarians Anna Grell and Melissa Steuben are grateful that Cecilia could share her time and talents with the group. They also acknowledge the Friends of the Cord Memorial Library for providing all the supplies and Jane Schrunk for keeping our tummies happy with her delicious homemade M&M cookies.
    A sourdough bread class will be held in May. Details coming soon.
    Photo provided by Cord Memorial Library. Thank you!