“A Christmas Homecoming,” Belle Plaine’s annual community celebration, will feature events for young and old this year on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 5 and 6.
This year’s activities are sponsored by a variety of local groups and coordinated by the Belle Plaine Community Development Corporation (BPCDC).
Many of this year’s activities have become a tradition in the city for the past several years. This year, there’s added incentive to look to Belle Plaine businesses first in your holiday shopping plans. For every $50 spent in Belle Plaine on Dec. 5, shoppers will receive $5 in Belle Plaine Bucks. Receipts must be redeemed at MidWestOne Bank on that day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Limit $20 per person while supplies last.
Businesses that will be offering extended hours and customer appreciation items during the day include MidWestOne Bank, True Value, Drahos Shoe Store, Belle Plaine Pharmacy, Grieder Beverage Depot, New to You, Country Foods, Subway and Chelsea Bank.
Saturday’s activities begin with the cookie walk at the Lutheran Church from 9-11 a.m. The Athena Club will sponsor lunch with Santa from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Belle Plaine Public Library. The Optimist Club will sponsor Santa’s Workshop at the American Legion Hall from 1-3 p.m.
“Monsters vs. Aliens,” a free movie sponsored by the BPCDC, will be presented at the King Theater, beginning at 3 p.m.
Free gift wrapping with a receipt from a Belle Plaine business will be offered at MidWestOne Bank from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., sponsored by the Belle Plaine Partners for Beautification, the BPCDC and the bank. Tickets for a $100 in Belle Plaine Bucks raffle will also be available.
Free horse drawn wagon rides, sponsored by MidWestOne Bank and Belle Plaine Now will be offered from 3:30-6 p.m.
Activities at the Belle Plaine Area Museum include pictures with Santa and Mrs. Claus, sponsored by the BPCDC, from 4-6 p.m., the Tree of Sharing drop-off, the community tree lighting ceremony at 5 p.m. with cookies and punch, sponsored by the Belle Plaine Historical Society and the raffle drawing at 5 p.m., sponsored by the Belle Plaine Partners for Beautification.
Sunday’s activities include an International Christmas Dessert reception at the museum, sponsored by the Belle Plaine Historical Society. Cost is a free will donation.
The annual soup supper will be served from 5-7 p.m. at the Christ United Methodist Church, followed by the Prelude to Christmas community concert at the church at 7 p.m.

With the approaching winter season, Belle Plaine city officials offered the following reminders:
Snow Removal: All property owners shall keep the sidewalks abutting their property free from snow and ice. Snow and ice must be removed 24 hours after accumulation. Failure to do so will cost the property owner $1.00 per running foot for the city to remove the accumulation.
Snow Emergency Ordinance City of Belle Plaine – Chapter 42 When winter conditions warrant: a 48 hour parking ban will go into effect once declared. All vehicles must be removed from public streets, alleys and public right-of-way. Downtown area is exempt from 7 a.m. – 2 a.m.

As a part of Belle Plaine’s holiday celebration on Dec. 5, a team of Santa’s elves will be busy wrapping presents for folks who do their Christmas shopping at Belle Plaine businesses. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., free gift wrapping will be available at MidWestOne Bank, at the main bank location. Simply bring your present, along with a receipt showing that it was purchased at a Belle Plaine business and have it wrapped for free.
While at the bank, you will have a chance to purchase a raffle ticket for a chance at $100 in Belle Plaine Bucks. The drawing for the prize will be Saturday, Dec. 5, at 5 p.m. during the lighting of the community Christmas tree at the Belle Plaine Area Museum. Proceeds from the ticket sales will go to the Belle Plaine Partners for Beautification in their campaign to wrap trees that were planted earlier this year.
This event is co-sponsored by MidWestOne Bank, BP Main Street and Belle Plaine Partners for Beautification.

Des Moines, IA- Rep. Leonard Boswell will have a member of his staff in Benton and Poweshiek Counties, Tuesday, November 24th, for open office hours.
Greg Johnson, Boswell’s District Representative covering Benton and Poweshiek Counties, will be at:
Vinton Public Library from 9-10 a.m.
Belle Plaine City Hall from 11 a.m. to noon
Brooklyn Public Library from 1-2 p.m.
Johnson will be on hand to work with individuals who are having difficulty with a government agency, have suggestions for the Congressman or would just like to share their concerns. Members of the public are invited to attend.
If you are unable to attend these office hours but have a concern to share, please contact Congressman Boswell’s district office toll free at 1-888-432-1984 or by email at rep.boswell.ia03@mail.house.gov, or visit Congressman Boswell’s website at www.house.gov/boswell.

First and for most, I would like to thank everyone who voted in my favor for the November 3rd City Council election for the 3rd Ward. I would also like to thank everyone who was not able to vote for me but supported me, as well as the calls and emails congratulating and supporting me.
On another note, there seems to be a few people getting the wrong vibe from me via their table talk through the grapevine. I encourage anyone to email me at jason@koolkustumz.com for the inside scoop on me instead of listening to what others have to say, especially when they have never even met me. I will say I am NOT ashamed of my past history or bad choices I may have made in the past. I have moved forward and learned from them. It takes a pretty strong hearted individual to stand up to people who are against you or your past and say that it’s ok if you’re against me because I have the courage and support to go forward with the positive in my life and make changes for the better. I refuse to back down and I most certainly refuse to be intimidated. I will stand by the citizens who have stood by me and supported me even if out numbered, which is probably not likely. And I will do my best to prove to the “others” that I am capable of doing what I was legally and fairly elected to do. By the end of my term, you too, will probably be behind me in support of me.
I look forward to serving my community and making it a better, more recognizable place for years to come. I also encourage others to become more involved with the changes that will be happening in the future for our community. Again, anyone please feel free to email me at jason@koolkustumz.com with any concerns, views, opinions or ideas that you may have to voice and I will do my best to make it heard or at least taken into consideration.

Thank you and God Bless!
Jason Parizek

A holiday open house, sponsored by organizers of the city’s new 10 and under ASA softball squad, will be held Sunday, Nov. 29, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Belle Plaine Community Center.
The open house will feature vendors from many home-based businesses, including Tupperware, Pampered Chef, Tastefully Simple, Simply Fun, Partylite, Lia Sophia, Usborne Books, Uppercase Living, Longaberger Baskets and more.
Pictures with Santa will also be available.

Des Moines, IOWA – Law enforcement officials from over 325 agencies, including the Belle Plaine Police Department, will be patrolling Iowa’s city streets, rural roadways, and interstates, urging motorists to buckle up and obey all traffic laws in preparation for the busy, Thanksgiving holiday. November 23–29, 2009 officers all across the state will be out in force as part of Iowa’s Special Traffic Enforcement Program (sTEP).
As of October 20, 2009, the Iowa Department of Transportation reported 303 fatalities on Iowa roadways. This number will likely continue to climb as we know the Thanksgiving holiday weekend can be deadly. Eight persons perished on our highways over this weekend in 2008 and 16 suffered the same fate in 2007. Iowa’s seat belt usage rate remains at 93%, placing the state in the top ten in the country. The seven percent of Iowans not buckled up however, translates into more than 180,000 drivers and 70,000 front seat passengers traveling everyday on our roadways at a much greater risk of serious injury or death.
“Our biggest highway traffic safety challenge remains convincing all motorists to make that 3-second investment to buckle up every trip, every time!” notes Randy Hunefeld, sTEP Coordinator for the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau. Hunefeld further advises that “You don’t always get a second chance in a traffic crash, so why risk it; give yourself that chance by buckling up.”
During the last sTEP wave that spanned August 21–September 3, 2009, 237 reporting law enforcement agencies encountered 990 impaired drivers, 3,469 seat belt violators, 14,718 speeders, and a total of 37,889 traffic violations. Officers made 111 felony and 292 narcotics arrests with 383 arrest warrants served. During the same period, 1,964 motorists were assisted and 1,069 accidents were investigated. These contributing enforcement efforts have no doubt had an effect on saving lives and preventing serious injury crashes. The next sTEP wave is scheduled for March 17–21, 2010 in conjunction with the week encompassing the Saint Patrick’s Day Weekend.
For additional information, go to www.iowagtsb.org or www.nhtsa.dot.gov

The Yearbook staff would like to remind you that you must have a senior portrait and a baby picture turned in by January 20th 2010. This picture must be vertical in order to fit on the page. If you are unable to meet this deadline please contact Deb Maxwell so that arrangements can be made to have a picture taken or if it will be a later arrival on the photo. It is very important that we receive their pictures as soon as possible so that we can get them in the yearbook, so if you have them done please bring them in.
Dawn will also need to have three pictures turned in. The pictures are for prom, the newspaper, and the class composite. Please do not turn in a black and white photo for the newspaper. All of these pictures must also be vertical. In all we need four pictures turned in of your son/daughter in addition to the baby picture.
Once again please get these pictures turned in as soon as possible. Everybody wants to be in the yearbook, so get your pictures turned in. Thanks again for your time and if you have any questions please contact the Belle Plaine High School.

Belle Plaine is offering a great way to purchase the best book-of-the-year, the 2009-2010 yearbook, From Blueprints to Footprints directly through the mail or online.
In a partnership with Jostens, our yearbook printer, Belle Plaine is offering a program for purchasing yearbooks from the home. This simple method will eliminate the need for students to bring money to the school and allow parents the opportunity to discuss purchase decisions with students at home. Yearbook purchases will be made through the mail, Internet, or by simply calling a toll-free service hotline, 1-866-282-1516.
Additionally, a special feature of this program allows parents the option of an installment payment plan.
In October, students should have received complete details to order 2009-2010 yearbook, available options and ordering instructions. This is the only opportunity to purchase the yearbook this year, so make sure you get your yearbook ordered
The Belle Plaine, 2009-2010, From Blueprints to Footprints is being produced by the yearbook staff under the directions of Adviser Deb Maxwell and edited by Editor-In-Chief Jessica Landuyt and Brian Crow, seniors.

On Wednesday, November 11, 2009, Belle Plaine High School held its annual Veterans Day Assembly honoring Veterans of the past and present.
November 11th is observed as Veterans Day because that is the date selected to remember World War I, which ended on that same date in 1918. Veteran’s Day was established by the United States Congress on June 4, 1926 and signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Veteran’s Day is celebrated to honor those who currently serve or served in our military. It is also known as Armistice Day. On this day in the United States there are parades, speeches, and formal ceremonies. The President of the United States traditionally places a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.
At the Veteran’s Day assembly in the Belle Plaine High School Gym, Principal Dennis Phelps welcomed everybody and briefly talked about the freedoms that our veterans have and still provide for us today; as well as the importance of respecting our veterans and the flag during the ceremony. Tony Jones, Student Body President announced the sequence of events. Belle Plaine American Legion Auxiliary Post #39 presented and retired the colors. Mr. Monte Railsback was the program speaker. Mrs. Duronda Schlue, member of the Daughters of The American Revolution, awarded Brian Crow with the DAR Good Citizen Award. Mr. Monte Railsback discussed the importance of the people who fought for our country and are still fighting for our country. He also discussed the importance of an education and the places that one can go with having an education.
The ceremony also involved the Belle Plaine High School Concert Choir and Band directed by Mr. Brad Allen. The choir sang My America by Joyce Eilers Bacak, and the band played The Marches of the Armed Forces.
Even though November 11th is the day noted to honor all the veterans of America; everyday, in someway, all military men and women, who have served and continue to serve, should be remembered in our thoughts, in our prayers, or even just by giving them a simple thank you.

At left, Duronda Schlue presents the DAR Good Citizens Award to Brian Crow.

At right, Monte Railsback was the featured speaker.

Below, right, Student Body President Tony Jones was the emcee for the assembly.

Duronda Schlue presents the DAR Good Citizens Award to Brian

Crow