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An eight-week parent training course for parents of elementary school-aged children with disruptive behaviors will begin April 4 at Northeast Iowa Mental Health in Decorah.

This group is designed for parents of children with attention deficit disorder and oppositional defiance. It also includes a four-week group for the children and a special session for siblings.

“By focusing assistance on very low and low-income residents, the Housing Preservation Grant program truly embodies the mission of Rural Development which is to ensure the best quality of life for all rural Americans,” says Doug Moss, Area Director in the Waverly area office.

The last day for the publication of the 15-day public comment period is April 27. The closing date for acceptance of pre-applications is May 13.

Northgate Care Center in Waukon has recently received the following memorial items:

- Piano donated in memory of Myrtle Tangen by the families of Janet Starr, Mary Jean Sivesind, Gordon Tangen and John Tangen.

- Angel figurines and bench in memory of Ila Chickering by Joyce and Frank Lyons, and Dorothy Thompson.

- Monetary donation in memory of Norma Phipps.

Helping Services for Northeast Iowa is proud to announce the first ever Mentoring Bowl-a-thon being held April 16 at Oneota Lanes in Decorah. The bowl-a-thon has two main purposes: to raise money for events that mentors, mentees, and family members attend; and to convince area positive role models to become mentors.

The Mentoring Bowl-a-thon is for everyone to take part in, they do not have to be involved in mentoring. Teams of four participants will bowl together April 16. The teams can be any combination of adults and youth.

Have you ever considered opening your door to a young visitor from Germany, Italy, France, Brazil, Australia, Turkey or any of many other countries? Doing so presents a wonderful opportunity to build lifelong friendships, bridge the gap between America and foreign countries, and to help you, your children, and your community learn of other cultures as well as to share our culture with visitors from abroad.

Ordell Bjerke of Waukon submitted this photo of a sunflower he planted from seed last year that grew to be 18 feet tall and boasted a seedhead that spanned 18 inches across. Standing as a “measuring stick” with the super-sized sunflower is Lois Beneke of Waukon.

According to a recent study, a well-designed and maintained landscape can add as much as twenty percent to the value of a property. It is one of the few “remodeling” projects where a homeowner can recoup their investment when the property is sold.

The Iowa Historic Preservation Alliance is seeking nominations for its annual Preservation at Its Best awards. Any property of historic interest that has been renovated or restored during 2004 is eligible. Award categories include: small commercial, large commercial, small residential, large residential, rural, and public buildings and archeological sites. A special projects category is included for non-building projects relating to historic preservation.

To learn more about grafting, attend the Iowa State University Extension Pruning & Grafting Apple Trees Workshop Saturday, Apr. 2 in Cresco. Participants will receive two dwarfing apple rootstocks they will graft to a popular apple variety. Extension staff will provide all the training and materials.

Gardeners who sign up for the grafting workshop can also attend a pruning workshop free of charge. The cost of the pruning workshop is $5. The cost of the grafting workshop is $25. Additional apple rootstocks will also be available for $5 each.

“In the 1930’s my parents bought a building lot from Happy Nipper, and my father, with the help of several friends and relatives, built a simple summer cottage on the banks of Harpers Slough. Our family spent a part of 10 or 12 summers there. Dad commuted to work in Waukon every day. There were some interesting people who made their homes in the area and lived there year-round. Some of them became good friends of our family. Their children were our playmates. These sketches are a compilation of memories of several of us who lived through those ten years together.