Chris Umscheid

LAKE MACBRIDE– It all started 40 years ago, and has exploded into a light and sound spectacle that just keeps growing and growing at the corner of Hwy. 382 and Newberry Drive west of Solon and near the entrance to Lake Macbride.
“It was when I had my first daughters, and Christmas was Christmas, and I just put up a few strings (of lights), and we’ve been at it ever since,” Dan Pyle said. Pyle and his wife Hope have gone from those first few strands to 142 separate runs of extension cords supplying electricity to at least 30,000 lights.

North Liberty Leader
IOWA CITY– “Flash” is gone, but far from forgotten. Austin Schroeder, better known to the Iowa City West High community as “Flash,” was born on Aug. 13, 1999, and died on April 28, 2015, from cancer. “Flash” was diagnosed with T-Lymphoblastic Lymphoma, Stage 3, in April of 2014 and lost a valiant fight against the disease a year later.
“Flash” was remembered Friday, Dec. 1, as the West High Women of Troy dedicated the first home game of the regular season in memory of him.

CEDAR RAPIDS– The 2017-18 varsity boys basketball season opened for Liberty High and Iowa City West High with scrimmages in Cedar Rapids Kennedy’s Jamboree on Monday, Nov. 20.

OXFORD— Fare thee well, Cappy. And may fair winds and following seas be with ye.
Cappy, the unofficial mascot of the Clear Creek Amana (CCA) high school baseball program has likely sailed his last season with the Clippers. Cappy, a grizzled ship’s Captain, was introduced to CCA in 2013 on a banner attached to the outfield fence, and quickly became something of a controversial figure.

NORTH LIBERTY– A year ago, a group of Iowa City West High freshmen donned the black, silver and purple of, then still under construction, Liberty High to form the fledgling school’s first basketball team. Under the direction and guidance of Stan Hughes, Coach for the Waterloo-based Cedar Valley Court Kings minor league professional basketball team, the squad won their opener against City High’s Red Team, 42-39, with Ben Houselog scoring the team’s and the program’s first basket.