After 27 years at the Hampton Public Library, director Kim Manning recently announced that she’ll be retiring on March 29.
 

Hampton Dog Park Efforts Come to an End
 
By Jennifer Burnham
Hampton Chronicle
Three committee members for the Hampton Dog Park met on Thursday night, March 7, at First and Second Vintage Too!, where they decided that they would no longer continue their efforts. At the meeting was Sally Crandall, Ruth Tapp, and Matt Grohe. 

  Nail technician Madison Huffman, 31, celebrated the opening of her storefront for "The Manicure Bar" with a ribbon-cutting ceremony — organized by the Greater Franklin County Chamber of Commerce, which she recently joined. 

Past and present members of the Hampton Rotary Club will celebrate its 100th anniversary from 5 to 6:30 p.m. on March 22 at the Hampton Country Club. 
 
Hampton Rotary Club president Mary Amsbaugh said that this upcoming 100-year anniversary for the rotary club will be catered by the Pro-Start students from Hampton-Dumont High School who recently won in two categories at the Iowa ProStart Invitational in Des Moines. 
 

Hampton-Dumont High School junior Stephanie Terrones was selected for the Washington, DC Youth Trip through the Franklin Rural Electrical Co-operative (REC) on Wednesday, March 6. 
 

Hampton-Dumont PTO’s “Family Fun Night” attracted a steady crowd of students from start to finish Friday night. 
 
Teachers and staff from local schools could be found painting faces, selling tickets, doling out prizes, and overseeing the games in the gym at the Hampton-Dumont Middle School that evening. 
 

The first Greater Franklin County Chamber of Commerce of Chamber Coffee of 2024 was held March 1st at Youth for Christ in Hampton. The Quarterly Coffee event is designed to welcome new members to the organization, new employees to chamber businesses and highlight upcoming events in Franklin County. 
 

Opera singer Mario Arevalo made sure to arrive in Hampton a couple days before his big performance at the “We the Many Concert II” on Saturday, March 2, to work with students in the county. 
 

Community leaders were wined and dined at the Greater Franklin County Chamber of Commerce’s annual appreciation night on Saturday evening, March 2, at the Sheffield Country Club, with food and drinks prepared by Willaby’s owners and employees.
 

A skate park is returning to Hampton by Spring 2025, according to City Manager Ron Dunt. 
 
The city already has the skate park equipment — originally located at what is now the soccer mini-pitch in Progress Park. The equipment was removed several years ago. Dunt said city councilors planned to use the equipment for a new location. 
 

Salvadoran opera singer Mario Arevalo is returning to Hampton to star in “We the Many II” on Saturday, March 2. 
 

The second Knights of Columbus fish fry of the season was in full swing at St. Patrick's Church in Hampton on Friday, Feb. 23. 
Patrons lined up starting at 5 p.m. for what's rumored to be the best fried fish in town. 
Last week was the lenten season kickoff fry which saw 186 meals served.  The dinner is a free-will event with a suggested donation of $15.

Hampton-Dumont High School junior Isaac Vosburg said he’s grown to appreciate his hometown of Hampton a whole lot more after spending the last 6 months in Malaysia as a foreign exchange student.
 

Three local students — Breckyn Dickman, Lauren Lettow and Brody Walton — received Good Citizen awards from the Hampton Candle-Stick chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution at the G.A.R. Memorial Hall on Tuesday, Feb. 13. 

On Saturday, February 17, the Hampton-Dumont-CAL speech team traveled to Iowa State University in Ames for the Large Group All-State Festival.  According to the IHSSA website, “approximately 24,000 students started at the district level from 484 school memberships. Approximately 1,870 students earned the right to be named as Outstanding All State Nominees.”