The North Hansell Range has been closed since the beginning of April, but according to Franklin County Conservation Director Ned Parker the range may open within 6 weeks, though with fewer berms and new rules. 

Gran Festival, a celebration and exhibition of Latino Cultures in North Iowa, will be returning to downtown Hampton and the Band Shell Park June 10th, 12pm-9pm, with a full day of entertainment planned.  This year’s festival lineup, like those in past years, is chock full of family activities, cultural programs, live music, food vendors, product vendors selling goods, and exhibitor booths dispensing information about products & services. <

The June 2nd Chamber Coffee hit the ground running with a full slate of presenters and admonitions to keep it brief so that everyone on the approximately 39 item agenda could get a turn to announce their event, and have the production still wrap up in an hour.

This year in Hampton 117 flags honoring veterans and service members killed in action are once again flying over the west lawn of the Hampton Cemetery thanks to the efforts of several groups coming together to raise the flags on the west lawn of the cemetery bordering Highway 65. 
 

A pair of leaks at Hampton's Aquatic Center have vexed city crews and delayed the opening of the facility past the holiday weekend. But, according to Hampton public works director Doug Tarr during his city council report, the source of both leaks has been pinpointed with some help from an outside leak detection company, and the facility should be up and running soon.

Attendees at the regular meeting of the Hampton-Dumont Community School District said they’d never seen the kind of turnout that greeted the board for its regular meeting held on Monday May 22nd. All seats were filled in the library and an additional 4 rows of chairs brought in were taken up as well with many left standing. 
 

First Bank Hampton has pledged $100,000.00 to the Refresh, Renew, Reenergize Capital Campaign project at the Franklin Wellness Center.
 
Dave Heuberger and Tyler Heeren from First Bank Hampton recently presented a check to Luke Ross, Director of the Franklin Wellness Center.
 

Each year since 1979, the Franklin General Hospital Auxiliary has awarded scholarships to some of the graduating high school seniors in Franklin County who plan to enter a health-related field. Application forms are sent out in February to each of the county high schools and distributed to any interested students. A committee of auxiliary members then selects the recipients from qualified applicants. 
 

The May 17th regular meeting of the Hampton Library Board was better attended than most, with all board members present and all seats filled.

Have you ever noticed that once a store, or road,  gets replaced by something new, the old one begins to fade into vague memory.
 
That’s what happened to the Interstate Trail,  or more specifically,  The St. Paul-Des Moines- St. Joseph-Kansas City Interstate Trail, which passed by Hampton in the early 20th century.  
 

The Harriman Nielsen historic farm was abuzz Saturday as an Iowa film crew and cadre of Iowa actors descended on the site to film a 1920's docudrama set in rural Iowa.
The historically accurate pilot project centers on the life of George "Tea" Meyer of Wellsburg, who peddled goods to Iowa farms around Wellsburg in the era.

The Latimer Community Grocery located at 104 N Akir St. has changed hands. To commemorate the occasion an open house and product sampling was held tonight from 4-7pm, with guests treated to "Italian grinder/chopped sandwich, sliders, sweets, Moonshine and more." There was also a drawing where two gift bags of "goodies" were given away.

In a move that stunned many, the Hampton-Dumont School District backtracked on the planned hiring of Leslie Pralle Osborn for the position of Principal at North and South Side Elementaries in a special meeting of the board held April 24th.
 

Ryan Card and his four person Team Concrete crew will soon be finished with their work at the Dollar Tree/Family Dollar site at 411 Central Ave W in Hampton, after having poured almost 1,000 yards of concrete.
The Dollar Tree company closed on the $195,000 purchase of the 1.31 acre site last year from KDM Storage/Cindy Mollenbeck on March 25th, 2022, in preparation for adding a store there.

In an Arbor Day worthy story, an ensemble of Hampton Tree Board members came together this morning to plant a memorial tree on the grounds of the G.A.R. memorial today.