Soldier's Community Club Update - New Official Web Source

It is with great excitement that we are announcing today the establishment of the Soldier Community Club Update. This will be the new home of all the official news from the Soldier Community Club, and your best source for the latest! Stop over for a visit, I think you will like the new, clean format and the thoughtful content that has been included.

The Soldier Community Club has become increasingly active and recognizable in shaping Soldier's sense of community and its hometown pride. The club has made great strides toward many goals in the past couple of years. A true "zero to hero" story, they started with nothing (or maybe a little less) and many hands have worked very hard to make it all come true.

In that time, the club has overcome several hardships that would have stopped any group with less team spirit, less organization, or less downright stick-to-it-iveness. But these people, this group of talented individuals, have been generous to a fault with their time, money, and other resources and they have persevered through it all with good humor (despite the occasional frayed nerve).

With all of this in mind and with an eye to the future and some very major opportunities to come in the next year or two (along with some fairly high hurdles), it is completely appropriate and maybe a little tardy, that the club have its own dedicated web news source. This new blog will be updated by any member who chooses to update it, on as frequent a basis as is necessary. And of course, much community club news will be featured on both Soldier's Hometown News and on the Community Club Update. For the "official scoop", though, Community Club Update is your source and you should bookmark the site or subscribe to the RSS feed now!

One last little thing: Does this mean Soldier's Hometown News is going away? No! As a matter of fact, this will allow us to do a little "face-lifting" of our own that is long overdue, without disrupting the club's publicity efforts. So stay tuned and see what changes are coming your way!

A Fresh New Face

The Soldier Community Building is facing the future with a fresh new look. As promised earlier, we have pictures. There are more to come, but here is a teaser, just to get you "in the mood".

In the photo at left, a member stands outside the recently painted front entry, enjoying the evening breeze following the regular Tuesday club meeting.

Note the clean new look of the sign. Despite poor light, you can see that the front doors are painted in the same clean color scheme.

More pictures to come, including all the before/after shots, but in the meantime enjoy this one and, by all means, stop in and witness the progress first hand! A picture is worth a thousand words, but nothing beats being there.

WET PAINT

If you haven't been back to Soldier in a while, you need to visit the Community Building and look at the new paint job. If you recall the mural around the bottom of the building, you might also recall how aged and weather-beaten it had become. The aging, and the fact that it was outdated, called for action.

Your community club responded with action. They applied for and received a grant for paint from Diamond Vogel Paint and Keep Iowa Beautiful. Volunteers painted the foundation as well as the front entry and the sign. Along with cleaning up the garbage cage in front of the building, this all adds up to a wonderful face lift for one of Soldier's favorite landmarks.

More news, as well as pictures of the makeover "Before and After" coming soon! Speaking of pictures, come by for a visit and take your picture in front of a very fresh looking Community Center. Submit the photo to any community club member or email it to ehlerssa@loganet.net and you may see your picture in this space!

Care to Volunteer?

The Soldier Community Club will be initiating an impressive number of very interesting projects this summer and fall. If you are interested in volunteering to help out, we can guarantee a good time with much laughter.

All contributions are valued - labor, capital, and ideas.

If you'd like to participate in planning sessions or work nights, if you want to donate labor or materials to a specific project, or if you just want to know more about our lengthy list of projects, call a member and come to a meeting!

More info: just click the "Post a Comment" link!

Ongoing Development, Renovation and Restoration

The Soldier Community Club is undergoing some major updating, repairs, and restoration. The efforts got a nice boost with the receipt of grants from several organizations as well as the support of our community resulting from our activities and fundraisers.

From Diamond Vogel Paints and Keep Iowa Beautiful, a grant of 30 gallons of paint has helped in beautifying the exterior of our building, and we also have plans for the main entrance to our town.

Monetary support resulting from our fundraisers, as well as donated materials and labor from Valley Electric, Don Amunson, Dennis Hanneman, Tom Kennedy and his brothers have all led to an excellent start on our lower level renovation. This ongoing project will eventually house the Senior Center which may also double as a multi-use area.

A $2000 grant from the Siouxland Community Foundation will purchase a new sound system to replace the very old system currently in the building.

Monona County Community Partners has granted our community $3500 for our new Wellness Project. Soon to be offered are exercise classes for all ages as well as classes for personal enhancement and mental well-being.

June 23, 2007 will be the date of the second annual Soldier Fun Day, which was a big success last year. Thanks to the Harrison-Monona-Shelby Decategorization Board for supporting this year's effort with $2000. This event will also feature the open house for our new Wellness Project.

Upcoming All School Reunion - May 26

May 26, 2007 is the date of the upcoming all-school reunion, including graduating classes from both East Monona and Soldier High School. For questions or reservations call Cathy Dick at 884-2561.

Upcoming Spaghetti Dinner April 19

Come and join your friends and neighbors at the Soldier Community Building for another great dining opportunity on Thursday April 19th, 2007. The meal includes lettuce salad, spaghetti, dessert, and beverages from 5 p.m. to 7:30. Local delivery is available.

Your free will offering supports the ongoing renovation of the lower level of the Community Building. This is the future site of the Soldier Senior Recreation Center.

For more information contact any Community Club member.

Hippity Hoppity Happy Easter

This year, Soldier will again be visited by the Easter Bunny, who will be hiding eggs in the big park near the school, on the south side of town. The Easter Egg Hunt will be held on Saturday, April 7, 2007. Egg hunters (ages 2-10) should arrive with their baskets on Saturday at 2 pm for the hunt. Remember all hunters must be accompanied by parents.

This event is sponsored by the Soldier Community Club, with donations from the great citizens of Soldier.

Come to Soldier's Good Fish Fry-Day!

Come enjoy what has become a favorite Friday dining event at the Community Building on Main Street in Soldier, Iowa this Friday (Good Friday), April 6, 2007 from 5 until 8 pm.

Dennis Smith will again be in charge of preparations with the able help of the Community Club members.

The meal is served banquet style, all that you care to eat. Cost is $8 per person at the door. Take-out and local delivery is also available.

Contact one of the community club members for more information or to make advance arrangements.

Work Commences on Basement of Hall

Extensive repair and remodeling is underway on the basement of the community building in Soldier, Iowa. Built in the 1930s by all-volunteer labor, the building has been the center of civic and social life in Soldier for about three-quarters of a century.

Home to 4H meetings, wedding dances, town meetings, political rallies, craft fairs, Santa visits, roller skating, you name it, the Soldier Community Building has become an institution in our town. Her basement is in need of some TLC after being used for many purposes through the years.

While it has served well, it certainly does need some help and that is what is happening now. New walls and a lowered ceiling are in progress. Floor treatments will follow. To help or donate to this cause, contact any club member!

Spring Into Taco Tuesday - March 20, 2007

Come and Eat Mexican Food With Us!

Hey folks, if you love Mexican food we have planned a wonderful evening of tacos, enchiladas, nachos, and more! You will not leave hungry and you will definitely love the company.

Our Mexican Buffet is scheduled for Tuesday, March 20, 2007 from 5pm to 8pm. Come in and celebrate the arrival of Spring with the Soldier Community Club.

Free will offering will support continued renovation efforts to the Community Building.

Vilkommen

Hello and thank you for visiting Soldier's Hometown News. We hope that this will become your favorite place to learn about "all things Soldier".

If you used to live in Soldier and have moved away, we look forward to welcoming you back this year. There is much going on in Soldier, from new businesses on Main Street to new residents, from an upcoming cellular tower to a revitalized Community Club.

Speaking of the Community Club, they are currently working feverishly on a number of projects, including establishing meal delivery to house-bound citizens; preserving our Community Building, an architectural gem and a testament to our Soldier Spirit; organizing Care Packages From Home for our local troops stationed overseas; providing ongoing social meal opportunities (Fish Fry Fridays, Mexican Buffett, Pancake Supper, etc); creating safe entertainment options for local youth; developing Exercise and Fitness Opportunities for local citizens and the list goes on and on.

For an update or to help, come to a meeting generally the second Tuesday of each month, or contact any member of the Community Club.

Thank you for visiting and we hope you come back often. If this is your first experience with Soldier, we hope you will come see us in "Real Time" soon.