Maren Morris says of being out on the road on Keith Urban’s Ripcord World Tour, “It’s already been such a dream come true. The audiences have been so receptive, and it’s been packed, I mean every show has been to the wall, to the back of the lawn. So I feel like I can’t wait to really dig in and get into the rest of these shows, and see the rest of the country, it’s going to be a blast.”
Iowa 92 East Under Construction
OSKALOOSA — Summer road trips, work commutes, even simple trips to the grocery store might require a little more time and patience this month.
Starting today, Iowa 92 east will be under construction. The stretch of highway will see construction in Mahaska County from east of the Oskaloosa corporate limits to the Keokuk County line.
The project will include reconstruction of Iowa 92 for approximately 1 1/2 miles near the Skunk River. The remaining project area will be getting a hot-mix asphalt overlay in addition to pavement widening, the addition of rumble strips and guard rails will be updated. Norris Asphalt Paving Co. of Ottumwa is the prime contractor for this project.
“The roadway will be closed for approximately one month, beginning at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, July 5, weather permitting,” according to the Iowa Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Chariton construction office.
In other words, you’ll have to find a different route. According to a news release from www.news.iowadot.gov, motorists will be detoured using Mahaska County Road V-13 and Iowa 23. The detour will follow Highway 23 to a point midway between Cedar and Fremont, then will follow Urbana Avenue and Ventura Avenue (V-13) North to Rose Hill.
Drive with caution, urges the Iowa DOT. Keep an eye on the speed limit and other signs in the work area. Traffic fines for moving violations are at least doubled in work zones. “As in all work zones, drivers should stay alert, allow ample space between vehicles and wear seat belts,” the release.
Independence Day may be over, but safe driving is important all year. A few tips from the DOT:
– If you have been drinking, plan ahead and arrange a way to get home. Do not drive.
– Buckle up. It is the single most effective way to prevent serious injury if you should be involved in a crash.
– Don’t speed. Speeding has been a factor in about 30 percent of crash deaths since 2005. (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety).
For more on this story and others like it, check out today’s Oskaloosa Herald.
Chris Young Announces First Christmas Album
The weather outside might not be frightful, but Chris Young’s new announcement is certainly delightful. After days of hinting that he’s been in the studio working on something big, Young has announced that he’s recording his very first Christmas album. Young revealed the exciting news yesterday (6/30) during a Facebook Live video that was shot in the studio.
The video started with only Chris in view as he prepped his fans for the announcement. Young then turned the camera around to show that the studio had been decked out for the Christmas holiday, including two of his friends who were dressed up as Santa Claus and an elf. Chris said in the video, “You guys know Christmas is one of my favorite times of year. I have so many Christmas songs I want to do; it was hard to narrow it down to this album.” The video can be seen here.
The release date for the Christmas album has not been revealed yet, but Chris promised more information about it as the holidays get closer.
Next Stop Daytona International Speedway
Next stop Daytona International Speedway for Saturday night’s Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola, the seventeenth round of the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Although there were two practice sessions scheduled for Thursday, thunderstorms moved into the area which red flagged the first session and canceled the second. Only eight cars were able to make it on track before the rain fell. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. posted the fastest lap of the eight drivers, with a speed of 191.014 miles per hour. Kurt Busch (6th) was the only driver to record more than one lap on the speedway before the weather moved over the track. Following a long battle of drying the track and waiting for lightning to clear the area, NASCAR was forced to postpone Sprint Cup Series final practice until today at 8:30 am.
X-FINITY Runs At Daytona This Weekend For The Subway Firecracker 250
The NASCAR X-FINITY Series runs at Daytona this weekend with tonight’s Subway Firecracker 250 Powered by Coca-Cola. The weather also impacted practice for the XFINITY series. Drivers took the track for about twenty-five minutes before lightning sent the cars back to the garage. Erik Jones was the fastest of the twenty-nine cars that made a lap with a speed of 193.353. David Ragan, who is replacing Matt Tifft this weekend, is the only other driver to top 193 miles per hour with a speed of 193.307.
Ty Dillon (192.102), Brandon Jones (192.045) and Justin Marks (192.004) rounded out the top five. The second of two practices was canceled due to persistent thunderstorms in the area. Thursday also saw Chevrolet announce that the sixth-generation Camaro SS will serve as the model for Chevrolet racecars in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, starting next season in 2017. The fifth-generation Camaro was introduced into the NASCAR XFINITY Series in 2013.
July 1st: On This Day
On this day in 2013, Billy Currington’s “Hey Girl” video debuted on CMT. The song was released as the first single for his fifth studio album We Are Tonight. The song was Certified Platinum by the RIAA and hit number one on the Billboard US Country Airplay chart.
The “Hey Girl” video on YouTube currently has over 10,00,000 views.
Lake Keomah Offering Free Hot Dogs on 4th of July
Lake Keomah has undergone several upgrades, and is open all 4th of July weekend.
Keomah Beach, Boat, and Bait House is open, renting inner tubes, paddle boats, row boats, and kayaks. The concession stand is open Friday through Sunday from 1 to 6 PM with expanded hours upon demand. You can get pop, ice cream, bait, and camping supplies.
There will be free hot dogs at Keomah Beach, Boat, and Bait House on the 4th of July.
Check out their website www.lakekeomah.com and like their Facebook page, “Lake Keomah Improvements.”
We will have a full story featuring the key improvements that Lake Keomah has made in recent months next week, right here on kboeradio.com.
Regional Preview – Class 2A Region 3
Postseason play is around the corner in the summer sports season, and we now take a look at one of the more interesting regions in softball involving area teams: Class 2A Region 3.
Three area teams are in this region, and all are in the bottom half. Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont, North Mahaska, and Pleasantville will be looking to beat up on each other and get to the regional final. This region is wide open, and with one upset, a team can put themselves in position for a shot at the state tournament in Fort Dodge.
Looking at the bracket, there is only one first round matchup, and that is between Ogden (14-12) and Belmond-Klemme (7-18). Ogden has the advantage in nearly every statistic and should be considered the favorite on their home field. That game is on July 5th at 7 PM in Ogden.
The winner of that game faces Eagle Grove (11-14) on the road. Eagle Grove has to feel good about getting a home game, as they are 2-5 in their last seven games, during which the pairings were released at the beginning of that stretch. Despite struggling to maintain any sort of consistency throughout the season, EG did beat Belmond-Klemme twice during North Iowa Conference play. If B-K falls as expected to Ogden, Eagle Grove absolutely needs to be on high alert because of Ogden’s high-powered offense. Ogden has caught fire at the same time EG has faltered, which makes this game very interesting record-wise. That contest will be July 6th at 7 PM in Eagle Grove.
In the other top-half quarterfinal, Van Meter (25-7) will face Fort Dodge St. Edmond (4-20) in Van Meter. The home of pitching legend Bob Feller received the top seed in this region, despite currently being ranked one spot behind Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont. While the seeding process can be hotly debated, there’s no doubt that Van Meter earned an easy first round draw in Region 3. St. Edmond simply has been outmatched in most of their games this season, but they do have pitchers who can get outs. The question is, can the defense convert the outs? That’s been the biggest struggle for this team this year.
While it seems obvious that Van Meter should skate through to the semifinals, their opponent in that round is a question mark. Whether it is Eagle Grove or Ogden, there are issues that Van Meter must combat, especially how well Ogden has played the last couple of weeks. If everything holds serve, Van Meter will be hosting the top-half semifinal on July 8th at 7 PM.
That action will be exciting, but the close-to-home bottom-half of this regional bracket should be every bit as interesting.
Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont (25-6) is currently ranked 8th in the state, the highest ranking of any team in this bracket. They draw North Mahaska (10-16), a young, up-and-coming team out of the South Iowa Cedar League. For the Warhawks, their best player is Emma Deucore, a freshman who can make a difference in the pitching circle and at the plate. EBF has a team that seems just too strong for the youthful optimism that resides in New Sharon, and that was proven early in the season when the Rockets stomped North Mahaska 14-1. A full month has passed since that game, but EBF has just gotten stronger, and that would be the likely outcome.
The other quarterfinal matchup in the bottom-half is Pleasantville (15-10) hosting Des Moines Christian (11-16). There’s more to know about DMC than Pleasantville, mainly due to their youth and difficult schedule. Being a small school in a large area, DMC has had a lot of tough opponents to break in a group led by mostly underclassmen. This schedule can be blamed for the bloated pitching numbers from the young hurlers that the Lions have sent to the rubber. Pleasantville is in the middle of an underrated Pride of Iowa Conference, and has been playing their best softball of late, challenging and defeating some of the top competition in the league. These two teams haven’t seen each other yet, but smart money would be on the Trojans and their more consistent performances in recent weeks.
That sets up a bottom-half semifinal on July 8th in Eddyville likely between the EBF Rockets and Pleasantville Trojans. While Pleasantville has been hot and is improving, their inexperience in the big games will hurt them against an Eddyville team looking to make it to state for the second time in three years. The Trojans didn’t see the Rockets in the regular season, but based on common opponents, it will take an extraordinary effort from their bats against EBF pitcher Randie Richmond and their pitcher, likely freshman Abby DeJoode, to pull an upset on the Rockets’ home field.
Then comes the Region 3 Final on Monday, July 11th at 7 PM. The site will be the highest remaining seed, with Van Meter the top seed and EBF the second seed. If those two teams hold serve, the Rockets will have to trek an hour and a half to face a formidable foe for a trip to state.
That game will likely be a barnburner, with the team who gets out to the lead the quickest getting a big edge.
We will be following Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont, North Mahaska, Pleasantville, and the rest of this bracket closely on radiokmzn.com. All EBF and/or North Mahaska games can be heard on the Mahaska Zone Network, either 99.5 FM/740 AM KMZN or 104.9 FM KBOE. Check the website for listings prior to the games, beginning next Wednesday with the quarterfinal round.
Big thanks to Tri-County Body Shop for their support of coverage of EBF Softball and this regional preview.
Luke Bryan Hits No. 1 on Both Country Singles Charts
Luke Bryan has hit No.1 on both country singles charts with “Huntin’, Fishin’, and Loving’ Every Day,” his 16th career No. 1 single and fourth consecutive No. 1 single from his fifth studio album, Kill The Lights. Huntin’, Fishin’ and Lovin’ Every Day” also inspired Luke’s recently released new collection of apparel, HFE, available exclusively at Cabela’s.
Brewery Team’s Diverse Backgrounds Build Foundation
We continue our in-depth feature stories on the new brewery in Oskaloosa with a look at the crew working on the project.
Head Brewer Chuck Crabtree has been the brainchild behind the project, but the execution cannot be done alone. Under his guidance, two assistant brewers have come on board to help with the recipes and the process.
The first assistant to come on board was John McMains. McMains is originally from the area and has worked as a chef while home brewing the last few years. His involvement in this particular project came early on in the process.
“Back in January, I started talking with Chuck about the possibilities of opening a restaurant coinciding with the brewery,” said McMains. “That kind of fell through a little bit. I’ve been home brewing for four or five years… Love the career, love the field. Food and beer kind of went hand-in-hand for me, so I decided to make the leap over to the beer side of things and run with that.”
While McMains has a natural interest in recipes and is a native of the area, the road to the brewery was much different for fellow Assistant Brewer Robert Marks.
Marks is originally from Cleveland, Ohio, and found a posting for the brewery online.
“They had a posting on CareerBuilder,” Marks recalls. “It was the one brewery related position I could find on the website and thought I would give it a shot. I heard back a couple weeks later and came out for an interview.”
The differences don’t end there, as Marks has more of a natural interest in science rather than culinary arts, although he has been home brewing for the last several years.
“When I entered college, I started as an engineering major,” explained Marks. “I decided I was more interested in the microbiology side of things, and started looking at different routes I could go with that. Then I thought, ‘Brewing is something I’ve been doing for a while, might as well give that a shot.’”
The pair works with Head Brewer Chuck Crabtree on the brewing process. That process is challenging, as McMains explains.
“We bing a lot of things off each other,” according to McMains. “We’re constantly trying to figure out different ways and more effective ways to brew. There’s a lot more science than I ever realized in the brewing… There’s a lot of ideas floating around right now.”
The knowledge that each brewer brings from his own home brewing experiences has created an interesting atmosphere, according to Marks.
“The three of us have been trying to figure out between the three different ways that we all seemed to have brewed in home brewing, how can we reconcile those and find a good fit for the company,” said Marks.
While McMains and Marks will be working with Crabtree to brew behind the scenes, the brewery will have a large presence in the community.
William Penn graduate Melanie Mackey is the brewery’s Events Coordinator and is excited to get the product out and about in Mahaska County.
“We’re working really closely with as many local restaurants and food trucks as we can,” explained Mackey. “[We hope] to always be working together and providing a really awesome experience for the Oskaloosa community.
“By next summer we are really hoping to have our product at Friday After Five and other various events on the square so it’s going to be a really good time and I think we’re going to make a really cool impact.”
With a staff that is completely bought in to creating the best possible product and what is sure to be a visible, community-friendly image, this new brewery is sure to make an impact from the get-go in Mahaska County.
We will continue our look at this new endeavor next week with an in-depth view at the equipment that has been brought in to make the brewery a reality.