Veterans Appreciation Day

The ninth annual Veteran Appreciation Day will be held at the St. Ansgar, Iowa, American Legion on Saturday, Sept. 15.

Doors will open at 8:30 a.m., and the event is free and open to the public. Spouses and children are welcome.

The CLM Polka Band will play, and lunch will be served by Paradise Pizza. Bring photos and memorabilia to share with others. There will be WWII and Korean War discussion groups. The Master of Ceremonies will be 92-year-old WWII WASP (Women’s Air Force Service Pilot) Liz Strofus of Faribault, Minn., recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal awarded by the Air Force Chief of Staff in Washington, D.C. in 2011.

Liz was a flight instructor who trained pilots how to fly before they went into combat. Even though several WASPs were killed or injured ferrying shot-up WWII airplanes across the U.S. to maintenance facilities, WASPs were not considered veterans until President Ronald Reagan signed a special law granting them veteran status. Liz Strofus is the last living WASP in the seven-state area.

For more information, contact the sponsor SSG(R) Phil Fleischer: Box 253, St. Ansgar, Iowa, 50472, (641) 736-2346.

 Mower County Genealogical Society

The Mower County Genealogical Society is celebrating 40 years, with a public open house on Sunday, Sept. 16, at the Austin Public Library in the large meeting room from 2 to 4 p.m.

The organization was formed in 1972 and continues to meet on the first Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m., except for January, February and August. The meetings are usually held in the small meeting room at the Austin Library. Anyone with an interest in family history is always welcome to attend a meeting.

Current officers are Barb Langan, president; Colette Chaffee, vice president; Gene Noterman, secretary; and Carol Evenson, treasurer.

For more information you can call Barb at 437-3755 or Colette at 433-7828.

 Duplicate Bridge

Tournament results for Aug. 29 with five tables: First, Bud Higgins and Loren Cleland; second, Edna Knobbe and Cleo Osmandson; third, Millie Seiver and Joyce Crowe; fourth, Belva Fiala and Lu Schmitt.

Duplicate Bridge is played each Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. at the Village Cooperative in Austin, 2301 10th St. NW, Exit 177 off I-90, two blocks north of Walmart. All Bridge players are welcome. Call Dave Ring at 434-4189 for partnership assistance or additional information.