Winterset

• The Civil War cannons at Monumental Park have new carriages. The cannons were placed on their new rests on Aug. 18. At a cost os around $58,000 the new carriages are cast out of aluminum and replace the old wooden carriages that had deteriorated due to weather and age. The project was paid for through a combination of efforts, including $10,000 from the American Legion, $5,000 from the Lions Club, pledged a $1,000 a year for five years, and the remainder paid for by the county through Local Option Sales Tax funds. — Winterset Madisonian

Van Buren County

• Harmony and Van Buren school boards met together in an emotional open session to choose a name for a petition on a proposal to consolidate the two school districts. Ultimately, each of the committee members working on this project chose two names, from those submitted by the public, they could support. The top four names were: Van Buren Community Schools, Van Buren County Community Schools, Van Buren United and Eagle Valley Schools. Van Buren County Community School District was the one that was listed more than any other and it was the one that both boards could support. — Van Buren County RegisterSully

• Kara Zimmerman and Jerry Vander Beek dove right into new decades of their lives with some daring fun last month. To celebrate Zimmerman turning 30 and Vander Beek turning 60, the two decided they’d follow through with the idea to go skydiving together. Vander Beek went skydiving tandem with his instructor from Sky Dive Iowa and Zimmerman was tandem with instructor named “Junkyard” who has completed more than 8,000 jumps. Both gave a thumbs up at the end. — Hometown Press

Marion

• A “young-at-heart” Goofy Putting Golf Course event at Hunters Ridge had 40 retired Summit Point Senior Living, Keystone Cedars and Cottage Grove seniors acting like kids again. Residents signed up to participate through their Life Enrichment Coordinators at each facility. The fifth-year outing was held at 9 a.m. on Aug. 18. The “goofy” nine-hole course was designed with special challenges, including a hula hoop obstacle, golf croquet, a water-gun game, ping pong ball, badminton rackets, miniature golf set, whiffle ball, hockey stick putting and regular putting. This year’s event raise more than $900 in hopes of finding a cure for Alzheimer disease. — Marion Times