By Jennifer Burnham 
Hampton Chronicle
Franklin County resident Trista Cruz is going neck to neck with several other bakers in the nationwide “Greatest Baker” competition’s People’s Choice category. 

The Bulldog Cafe could have gone up in smoke if Leslie Pralle Osborn hadn’t stepped in and taken over this year.

The cafe — a culinary class taken by students at Hampton-Dumont High School, which also opens to the public as a cafe once a month — had been managed by Jane Hoegh for the last 26 years.

First Grace Baptist Church drew more than 550 people at its annual nativity scene drive-through this weekend —  in its best year yet for the lighted pageant. 
According to lead pastor Matthew Reeves, 33, the large numbers of congregants caused some families to have to wait for up to an hour for their turn to weave their way through the nativity scene on Sunday night.
 

"Barely in Time for Christmas," a homespun Christmas tale written by local playwright and director Nathan Pralle, opened to delighted audiences this past weekend at the Windsor Theatre, playing three shows which drew in almost three hundred attendees. 

A recently completed  annual audit of Franklin County government financial statements found multiple material weaknesses, but Franklin County Auditor Katy Flint said that was expected, and that she and her staff will leverage the findings to improve their processes. 
 
“There’s always something….but nothing that can’t be fixed,” said Flint. 
 

The Hampton American Legion breakfast fundraiser on Saturday, Dec. 9 served almost 80 guests, filling bellies and coffers in the event designed to raise funds for name placement on the Franklin County Veterans Memorial on the courthouse grounds. 

Britt Lumley, owner of Britt’s Boutique, still can't fathom that she has her own boutique.

“I still can’t believe the store — and everything in it — is mine,” she said.

Lumley and her siblings were raised by her father, and money was scarce, so she and her sister, Amber Oldenburg, who currently lives in Indiana, loved to scour the racks at local thrift shops for the cutest pieces they could find.

The former Sheffield Press is being transformed into a relaxing lounge space by Block 10 owners Randy and Holly Coffee.
The husband-and-wife team behind the popular Block-10 coffee shop — Randy and Holly Coffee — in Sheffield are hard at work renovating the left side of the building, formerly known as the Sheffield Press, into a lounge space that has yet to be named. 

Voices and spirits were lifted on high Sunday during the Franklin County Community Choir production of ‘This Christmastide’ conducted by Bonnie Stewart with the Hampton Municipal Brass Band and Glenda and Trevor Green accompanying. Joining them also were guest musicians John Krull, H-D 2016 grad as a vocal soloist, Brenda and Brad Van Horn as a vocal duet, and Diane Wills and Maren Subbert on flute.
 

Theater aficionado Nathan Pralle, 46, of Sheffield, has a fun play up his sleeve for locals this holiday season. 
Once again, he was tasked with the job of directing Franklin County Arts Council’s annual Christmas play at the Windsor Theater.
But Pralle was stumped. To him, all of the seasonal plays seemed, well, overplayed. He wanted something new and fresh. So he took it upon himself to write a new play.
 

The team at Hampton’s American Legion is hosting a fundraiser Saturday, Dec. 9, to help local veterans get their name on the Veteran’s Memorial at Franklin County courthouse. 
 
The public is invited to the legion’s breakfast fundraiser, where biscuits and gravy and refreshments will be served. The event will run from 7 to 10 a.m. at the Hampton’s American Legion Post at 183 420 5th St. SW.
 

The Franklin Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Country Heritage Inn’s new barn Friday, Dec. 1. 
 
The Inn’s owner, Lacey Elphic, of Latimer, said the barn — located five miles from I-35 on Highway 3 —was completed in April and she began booking events for it the following month. 
 

For a second year in a row, the ladies of the West Fork High School Dance Team have secured their place as triple-crown winners at the annual state competition hosted by the Iowa State Dance/Drill Team Association.
 
They took home first in three categories — pom, high hop and jazz — for the class II division. 
 
They competed against 13 other schools their size in each category, head coach Kaci Harper said. 

Local Businesses Help Pull Off Christmas Miracle for City’s Children 
 
By Jennifer Burnham
News Editor
Hampton Chronicle 
 
Lisa Rodriguez will easily make it onto Santa’s nice list this year. 
 
She is breathing life back into Hampton’s annual Santa’s Workshop, also known as the “Christmas Store,” where local children can peruse donated items to gift their family and friends.
 

What’s at the Windsor?
By Windsor Theatre manager Jim Davies