WEDDING

GUIDE

February
2018
Jason & Jesse &
Melissa Bahr Shelby Hisel

Photo by BKreative Films,

Ben and Marissa Kolbeck.

Nyles & Ruby

Herman Ken & Karen Leppert
65 Years Heath & 60 Years
Kelsie Dee

Standard
A Special Supplement of
The

Page 2
Waukon couple’s real-life ‘storybook wedding’ a dream come true
by Julie Berg-Raymond
“… Like a bolt out of
the blue Fate steps in
and sees you through
When you wish upon a star
Your dreams come true.”
“When You Wish Upon a Star,”
Leigh Harline and
Ned Washington
When Jiminy Cricket sings
his starry-eyed song in the
timeless Disney classic, “Pin-
occhio,” he suspects a listener
or two might not have taken his
point.
“Pretty, huh? I’ll bet a lot of
you folks don’t believe that.
About a wish coming true?
Well, I didn’t either,” he says.
“Of course, I’m just a cricket
singing my way from hearth to
hearth, but let me tell you what
made me change my mind ...”
The clever cricket’s words
have never rung more true than
in the love story and wedding
day of a Waukon couple whose
real-life ‘storybook wedding’
saw fate seeing them through
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WEDDING GUIDE
February 14, 2018
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Bahr Waukon Golf and Country Club
Continued on page 13 just over five years earlier.
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February 14, 2018
Nyles and Ruby Herman celebrate 65 years of marriage
by Lissa Blake
Getting along well and being
surrounded by family. Those
are the things that have sus-
tained the relationship of Nyl-
es and Ruby Herman for more
than 65 years.
The Hermans, who live in
Waukon, recently celebrated
their 65th wedding anniversa-
ry. “We never had any trouble,
and we always got along really
well. That’s why we made it that
many years,” noted Ruby.
THE EARLY YEARS
Ruby Beardmore, the daugh-
ter of Earl and Myrtle (Sadler)
Beardmore, grew up on the
Iowa River bottoms. Nyles, the
son of Elmer and Mary (Grote-
gut) Herman, grew up in Union
Prairie Township, across the
road from Ludlow.
As children, Ruby attended
the English Bench School and
Nyles attended the Helming
School.
Ruby was just 15 in 1949
when she met Nyles through
her sister, Jane (Schoh). “I re-
member our first date was to go
to Frankville for supper, and we
kept dating after that,” she said.
Nyles was a year out of high
school, and they continued
dating until the spring of 1952,
when Ruby was finishing her
senior year. “I got my diamond
on the first of March, 1952. We
were married June 1,” said
Ruby.
They were married at Mt.
Hope Presbyterian Church by
A Day to Remember
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again becoming
“The Place” for
social events.
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WEDDING GUIDE
Page 3
Rev. Cal Willemssen. After their
marriage, the couple moved to
Nyles’ home farm, where his
great-grandfather had lived be-
fore him.
“Our grandson, Trevor, lives
on it now,” she said, adding
Trevor is the sixth generation of
Hermans to live on the farm.
STARTING A FAMILY
The Hermans had four chil-
dren: Brad and his wife, Judy;
Kim Winters and her husband,
Ron; Brent; and Brian and his
wife, Michelle.
They worked side by side
on the farm, raising chickens,
dairy cows and pigs. After sell-
ing their dairy cows, they raised
beef cows and more recently
were involved in large hog con-
finements.
In 1976, they bought the
Feed Ranch from S & Q Feed
Ranch. For years, Ruby worked
in the office. Today, Brad and
Kim still run the business. Bri-
an and his son, Trevor, run the Nyles and Ruby Herman of Waukon celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary in 2017.
family farms. Nyles Herman and the former Ruby Beardmore were married June 1, 1952 at Mt. Hope
Presbyterian Church in rural New Albin. They had met three years prior to that through
HITTING THE ROAD Ruby’s sister, Jane (Beardmore) Schoh.
Ruby said although she and
Nyles were often too busy to be
EVENT &
gone from home during their
working years, during their re-
tirement years, they have taken
CATERING SERVICE
the time to travel.
“We have 11 grandkids and
13 great-grandkids. We spent
many summers traveling to Jel-
lystone in Warrens, WI taking
Herman
Continued on page 22
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 WEDDING GUIDE
Page 4 February 14, 2018

Ken and Karen Leppert of Lansing reflect on their 60 years

together built on faith, family and communication
by Susan Cantine-Maxson
Jim Croce wrote a song in
1973 which seems to describe
the relationship that exists be-
tween Ken and Karen Leppert
of Lansing. A verse of that song
seems most fitting: “If I could
save time in a bottle, the first
thing that I’d like to do is save
every day till eternity passes
away just to spend them with
you.”
When a couple reaches the
milestone of 60 years of mar-
riage, they have made a com-
mitment which surpasses many
others. Ken and Karen Leppert
are such a couple. They cele-
brated 60 years of marriage
last September with family
at special celebrations in La-
Crosse, WI.
As teens around the U.S.
were gyrating to Elvis Presley’s
“All Shook Up” and slow danc-
ing to Pat Boone’s “Love Let-
ters in the Sand”  during 1957,
two local Lansing residents
were planning a wedding. After
dating for a few years, Karen  Iowa State University to study
Schultz and Ken Leppert were
ready to tie the knot.
They met when they were
in high school in Lansing. Ken
graduated in 1954 and Karen
was still in school, graduating in
1956. Ken thought Karen was
“cute,” so he decided to ask her
out. Karen thought he was “a
pretty nice guy”. It was a little
bit of “love at first sight,” but it
was also a “gradual process
where we got to know each
other through letter writing and
dating,” the couple shared.
Ken went into the military for
two years. Since he was in the
service, two years of their rela-
tionship were through long dis-
tance while he was stationed
in Okinawa. It cost about $33
for a minute of long distance
telephone calling, so they re-
lied on letters to keep in touch.
They tried to write at least two
or three times a month. In Sep-
tember of 1956, Ken was dis-
charged and then attended
agriculture.
Ken proposed at Christmas-
time in 1956. He had purchased
the ring and totally surprised
Karen. She said “yes” and the
plans began.
It was a simple wedding.
They had five couples as atten-
dants at the United Methodist
Church in Lansing at 7:15 in
the evening September 10, a
Tuesday. It was Karen’s par-
ents’ 25th wedding anniversary.
Several friends in the wedding
couldn’t do a weekend wedding
so they decided to celebrate
their marriage on the anniver-
sary of Karen’s parents.
Siblings and close friends
made up the wedding party.
They had a flower girl and a
ring bearer.
Karen reminisces: “I had
a beautiful, white wedding
Leppert
Continued on page 10

go
Ken and Karen Leppert of Lansing celebrated their 60th

ba Three properties within wedding anniversary in 2017. Ken Leppert and the former

n e
Karen Schultz were married

n
Wi alley
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 WEDDING GUIDE
February 14, 2018 Page 5

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Page 6
Labor of Love: Dees transform hay field into perfect place to exchange vows
by Lissa Blake
By the time Heath Dee and
Kelsie Deering tied the knot
last September, they had al-
ready put the “in sickness and
in health” part of their vows to
the test.
“I slipped and broke my an-
kle just two days after we got
engaged. At least I had a lot of
time to plan the wedding,” re-
called Kelsie.
THEY MEET
Kelsie, the daughter of
Chuck and Kim Deering of
Postville, and Heath, the son
of Don and Michelle Dee of
Waukon, met on an FFA trip
their senior year of high school.
“Several schools shared a bus
to the National FFA Convention
in Louisville,” said Heath.
The two had met, but didn’t
really connect until eight years
later when they friended each
other on Facebook. “We were
just acquaintances up until that
point,” said Kelsie.
After graduating in 2007,
Heath continued working for
his family at Diamond D Farms
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WEDDING GUIDE
February 14, 2018
east of Waukon. Kelsie went to
Kirkwood Community College
where she earned her asso-
ciates degree before taking a
job with U.S. Cellular for a few
years. She then decided to go
back to school and attended
the University of Northern Iowa,
where she majored in geron-
tology. After UNI, she decided
to continue her education at
Hawkeye Community College
before landing a job as an oc-
cupational therapy assistant in
West Union.
RECONNECTING
It was after Kelsie returned to
the area to work in West Union
that she and Heath reconnect-
ed. After talking on the phone
a few times, Heath decided to Heath and Kelsie Dee of Waukon were married September
ask Kelsie out and suggested 30, 2017 in a converted hayfield on the farm that Heath had
recently purchased and where they now make their home.
they go for a drive. Heath Dee of Waukon and Kelsie Deering of Postville had
“On one of our drives, I sur- originally met on a trip to the National FFA Convention
prised him when I told him I during their senior year of high school but then had gone
could drive his truck,” she said. their separate ways to college and work opportunities
“It was an older Chevy stick before reconnecting again a few years later. On one of
shift - a six-speed with the their early dates, Kelsie surprised Heath by showing him
gears really close together,” she could drive his truck, “a Chevrolet six-speed with gears
really close together,” according to Heath. Little did he
Dee know, Kelsie’s father has the same truck.
Continued on page 7
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February 14, 2018
Dee
Continued from page 6
said Heath.
“Little did he know, my dad
has the same truck,” added
Kelsie.
The two found out they had
much in common, as they both
came from a farming back-
ground and were from families
of four. “I have twin brothers
and Kelsie has triplets in her
family,” said Heath.
POPPING THE QUESTION
The two hit it off and con-
tinued dating for a year be-
fore Heath asked Kelsie to be
his wife. “It was November of
2016. I would often go with him
to help mix feed and milk cows.
The day he proposed, he faked
that something was wrong with
the skidloader. I turned to look
and he was on his knee pro-
posing. He really caught me off
guard,” said Kelsie. “He even
had the neighbor hide behind
some bailage so he could take
Holly’s Bridal Boutique
a picture.”
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WEDDING GUIDE
Page 7
The September 30, 2017 wedding of Heath and
Kelsie Dee took place on the farm Heath had recently
Moes for almost 30 years, and purchased just east of Waukon, and a wedding at
A SLIGHT HITCH Heath was able to purchase the such a venue wouldn’t be complete without involving
Both were excited about their farm the spring after he started a tractor and wagon. The tractor pictured above with
upcoming wedding, but had to dating Kelsie. the bride and groom and the couple’s wedding party
change their expectations a lit- “They (the Moes) wanted happened to have a great deal more meaning to the
tle when Kelsie fell and broke couple, as they bought the 4320 John Deere on one of
her ankle two days later and Dee
their first dates and worked together to restore it.
had to go in for ankle surgery. Continued on page 8
“I was laid up and couldn’t
work. I was off from Novem-
ber until the middle of Febru-
ary,” she said, adding when
she started looking for wedding
dresses it was with the aid of a
walker.
“Luckily, I went to Holly’s
Bridal in Elkader and I liked the
third or fourth dress,” she said.
GETTING READY
When the couple started
planning their big day, there
was no question where it would
occur - on the farm Heath had
recently purchased from Carol
and the late Jim Moe.
Heath’s family rented crop
ground and pasture from the
hollysbridalbtq.com
hollysbridal@alpinecom.net

Page 8
Dee
Continued from page 7
to help a young farmer get his
start,” said Heath.
When Heath and Kelsie
helped the Moes move out,
Jim turned to Kelsie and asked
if the old farmhouse would be
good enough for her. “I didn’t
even have a ring or anything
yet,” she said.
After they got engaged, they
agreed an outdoor wedding on
the farm was what they both
wanted.
THE WORK BEGINS
Once they decided on the
spot for their nuptials, it was no
small task to get things in order.
“Where we had the wedding
was a hay field. We tore out a
fence and had to start mowing
it. We borrowed a tree puller
and cleaned out a bunch of
overgrown brush. My parents
didn’t know what to think,” re-
membered Heath.
“My dad just kept reminding
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WEDDING GUIDE
February 14, 2018
us of the amount of work we
were in for,” said Kelsie.
But despite their parents’
concerns, Heath and Kelsie
were determined to make it
work, spending every spare
moment getting the site ready.
“And our families both spent a
lot of time down there helping
us,” said Heath.
Heath said in May when the
house yard had to be ripped up
in order to install a septic sys-
tem, Kelsie was concerned. “I
wasn’t worried. My twin broth-
ers are both agronomists, so
they know how to grow grass.
They put a lot of time into that
and it came out pretty well,” he
said.
Other preparations includ-
ed borrowing a few old church
pews from the fairgrounds
(Heath serves on the Fair
Dee
Continued on page 9
The wedding day of
Heath and Kelsie Dee
provided a multitude of
reflections of one another,
both literally - in the photo
above, and figuratively
- as they responded to
questions during the
reception by raising the
boot of whichever one of
them they felt best fit the
response.
Heath and Kelsie Dee of Waukon each hold a photo of their
parents’ wedding day for a photo opportunity the day they
were married. Both sets of parents have been married for
over 30 years, Chuck and Kim Deering celebrating 35 years
this February 26 and Don and Michelle Dee celebrating 32
years September 20 of this year.
 WEDDING GUIDE
February 14, 2018 Page 9

Dee
Continued from page 8
Board) and borrowing some
boards from Ashbacher Build- Kelsie and Heath Dee
ing Supply to set on straw
bales. A few old chairs rounded
out the seating.
Kelsie’s mother, Kim, added
many nice touches with flow-
ers. “Mom used to own the
Wishing Well in Postville,” she
said.
For a staging area, the cou-
ple cleaned out an old corncrib
and powerwashed it. The Dee
family’s horses made a nice ad-
dition to the pastoral scene. “It
was September 30. Everything
went really well. It had been
100 degrees the weekend be-
fore and it rained every week-
end after that,” said Kelsie.
After the wedding, the recep-
tion was held at the Allamakee
County Fairgrounds Pavilion in
Waukon. “If I had to do it again,
I’d do it the same way,” said
Heath.
“I don’t think there’s anything
I would change,” added Kelsie.
“We put a lot of work into it...”
said Heath.
“But it was perfect. It looked The September 30, 2017 wedding of Heath and Kelsie Dee of Waukon took place in a hayfield on a farm Heath had purchased
like you ripped a page out of a prior to the couple’s big day. Converting the hayfield and surrounding area to their wedding site took a great deal of work, but with
magazine,” said Kelsie. the help of family and friends the task was pulled off to make for an ideal setting for the new bride and groom. Tearing out a fence,
continued mowing of the area, pulling surrounding trees and the
removal of overgrown brush truly made the preparation of their

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Page 10
Leppert
Continued from page 4
dress. The bridesmaids wore
dogwood pink and lighter pink
dresses. The guys all wore tux-
es. My second youngest sister
was the flower girl. There was
a reception in the church base-
ment with cake and ice cream.
There was no dance. We had
about 150 people there. For
our honeymoon, we took off
and went off to Canada around
Lake of the Woods for about a
week. Then we got back and
moved to Ames so that Ken
could start classes.”
While Ken went to school,
their apartment in Ames was
$77 a month. Karen worked at
the State Highway Commission
and made $200 a month, which
was a good salary for those
times. Gas was 24 cents a gal-
lon and a pound of bacon was
60 cents.
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WEDDING GUIDE
In December of 1958, they
decided to move back to Lan-
sing to join the family farm.
Since his brother and parents
lived on the farm, they bought
a house in Lansing, the same
house that they currently live
in. The house was built in the
late 1800s and it is where they
have lived for 60 years, rais-
ing their family of six children.
Many improvements have been
made to the home through the
years, but there never seemed
to be another house that could
replace it.
Karen was a stay-at-home
mom with their four daughters
and two sons. She explained,
“Our kids are fairly close to-
gether; within 13 years we had
six children. All of our kids have
‘K’ names: Kim, Kristin, Kyle,
Kathy, Kari Beth and Kraig.
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With our names being Kenneth
and Karen, that’s where it start-
ed with the ‘K’ names. I stayed
at home until the youngest was
nine. I did daycare when they
were at home. I then started
working in administrative work
at the Fish & Wildlife Service in
1980. Then they closed but the
clerk at Genoa at the Nation-
al Fish Hatchery resigned so I
started there and worked for 23
years until I retired. I enjoyed
working there because it was
a very interesting place since
they supply fish for places all
over the United States, plus
they do research there as well.
They spawn the sturgeon and
raise them until they are about
four inches. It will be very nice
when they get their new visi-
tor’s center done.”
Ken elaborated, “It was a
very busy life with six children.
We went to a lot of school ac-
tivities and then they were off
to some type of training or ed-
ucation. When I was farming,
I spent a lot of hours working.
I farmed for 30 years but I of-
ten left before the kids were up
and got back when they were
in bed, so that left a lot of the
time when it was just Karen
and the kids. Then I went into
real estate here in Lansing for
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Ken and Karen Leppert of Lansing celebrated their 60th
wedding anniversary September 10 of this past year. They credit
faith, family and communication as being keys to their milestone
of married years together.
vice organizations. Karen was
a wonderful mother and I felt
lucky to have her.“
Karen added, “We always
had a busy house. Since we
lived so close to school, many
of our kids had their friends over
here a lot. We had a ping pong
table and everyone enjoyed
playing on that. Our house was
a gathering place where every-
one was welcome.”
Both credit faith as being a
big part of their marriage’s suc-
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years old. They advise, “Keep
your wedding vows. Be honest
with each other. Communicate.
It’s important to instill good val-
ues in your children. We tried to
stress to them that they should
treat others how they wanted to
be treated.”
Ken said, “ Listen to one an-
other. We talked a lot about is-
sues during our meals together.
I listened to her views and she
listened to mine. It went very
easy. It was never a hardship
to listen to each other and work
things out. We always lived
within our means. Some years
there wasn’t much because
farming was up and down. But
through the years we managed
to save money and tried to help
our kids as much as we could
with their educations. Our fam-
ily is still growing. We have
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Leppert
Continued on page 11
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Continued from page 10
you have together. We count
our blessings every day.”
Karen explained, “Today,
with both parents working and
daycare, it seems like every-
one is off in different directions
so finding special time that you
can spend together is import-
ant. Carve out some special
time for family. We always took
a family vacation every year.
We created a lot of great mem-
ories. All the kids went; we piled
in a motor home and took off.
We used a motor home my dad
had; the kids slept in the back
and we hit the road. That spe-
cial time together was import-
ant to us as a family. I think one
of the biggest obstacles to fam-
ily communication now is cell
phones. Everyone is talking on
cell phones and texting instead
of talking to each other. It cer-
tainly hasn’t helped communi-
cation. It’s important that fami-
lies take time to communicate
with each other.”
Finally, after 60 years, what
do they appreciate most about
each other?
Ken said, “Karen was a won-
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Page 11
derful mother because she is a
wonderful person. She is very
musical. Our Christian values
are the same. She is gentle and
friendly. We just fit each other.
She was always very under-
standing of my busy schedule
and she never complained but
always supported and under-
stood what I needed to do.”
Karen concluded, “Ken has
always been very positive. He
is a people person and tries to
see the best in everyone rather
than being critical. He worked
hard all of his life so that we
could have a good life togeth-
er. We’ve enjoyed being in a
card club and socializing with
friends. He’s upbeat and has a
great attitude about life.”
As Jim Croce’s song ex- Providing much of the family component of the keys to their 60 years of married happiness are
pressed, “If I could make days the six children of Ken and Karen Leppert of Lansing. Pictured above, with Karen and Ken in
last forever, if words could the foreground of the photo,
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This lyric seems to be the Mauss, Kraig Leppert and
sustaining force behind the Kari Beth Adank. The couple
success of the Lepperts’  60 has also been blessed with
years of marriage. 13 grandchildren.
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Page 12
Shelby Brink and Jesse Hisel look to weather any storm together -
and, literally, do - as they begin their journey as husband and wife
by Shelby Lynette
Forever and always. It’s
something Jesse Hisel and
Shelby Brink have said to one
another for the last nearly eight
years.
August 12, 2017, their forev-
er began.
Shelby is a 2011 Waukon
High School graduate. She is
the daughter of Alan Brink and
Becky Underbakke, both of
Waukon.
Jesse is a 2010 graduate of
Kee High School. He is the son
of Jay and Jeannine Hisel of
Lansing.
The couple met just weeks
after Jesse graduated from
high school and Shelby had
finished her junior year at Wau-
kon. The first time they hung
out was at a graduation party
for a friend of Jesse’s. Jesse
remembered, “Even though we
were awkward and barely said
a word to each other, there was
something special. The next
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February 14, 2018
we had known each other for
years.”
For the first five years of their
relationship, they spent near-
ly every weekend traveling to
be together; first, with Jesse in
Estherville at Iowa Lakes Com-
munity College and Shelby still
in Waukon. Shelby then went
off to Drake University in Des
Moines for college in 2011 and
the following year Jesse moved
to Hampton for his first job. The
couple finally bought a house
together in Huxley, and moved
in with each other in August of
2015.
The two learned that they
both love to travel. Throughout
the years they have gone on
multiple road trips, including
two out west and one to the
south and east. They’ve also
traveled to Cancun, Mexico for
a friend’s wedding.
Shelby said, “Every time we
would go on a vacation, peo-
Hisel
Continued on page 18
Jesse and Shelby Hisel, now living in Huxley, were married
August 12, 2017 in a wedding ceremony held on the farm of
Shelby’s family in rural Waukon. Jesse Hisel of Lansing and
Shelby Brink of Waukon met in 2010 at a graduation party of
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 WEDDING GUIDE
February 14, 2018 Page 13

Melissa & Jason Bahr

A number of Disney elements were sprinkled throughout the July 1, 2017 wedding
of Jason and Melissa Bahr of Waukon, as evident in the surrounding photos.
The former Melissa Spurgeon is a self-described “Walt Disney nerd” and that
was reflected in such elements of their wedding day as pictured, including songs
from Disney movies, and other decorations, such as Lumiere the candle holder
from “Beauty and the Beast” pictured at top right and a “Beauty and the Beast”
silhouette caketopper that, literally, topped off the S’mores bar at the reception.

Bahr
Continued from page 2
events, and drive all over the cluding George Harrison, Arctic
place - and Pam and Dave of- Monkeys, the Temptations, AC/
fer the whole package, from DC. And Jiminy Cricket for the
bar service to food to help with
‘flipping’ the room between cer-
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ceremony,” she says.
Adding to the whimsical,
non-traditional elements of the
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lissa says.
A self-described “Walt Dis-
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ney nerd,” Melissa says they “For the first time in history,
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with whimsical elements. bearer,” she says.
“We had Disney props here
and there, lots of sparkle, and
very non-traditional music - in-
Bahr
Continued on page 14
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Page 14 February 14, 2018

Bahr
Continued from page 13
She knew her husband-to-
be was an Iowa Hawkeye fan,
and Melissa - who is firmly of
the opinion that “the bride is
just 50 percent of the equation;
the groom is equally important”
- wanted to do something spe-
cial for him.
Since Herky is a licensed
mascot in the NCAA, there are
certain rules and conditions
about appearances, and she
had to make sure everything
was covered.
“I was in touch with the head
of the University of Iowa spir-
it squad, Gregg Niemens, for
several months prior to the big
day; I started the process as
soon as we set our date,” Me-
lissa says. “There was an appli-
cation that had to be approved,
a couple phone interviews with
Gregg, and a lot of waiting.”
For the ceremony, Melis-
sa had a black briefcase cus-
tom-made in Michigan, to car-
ry the rings. “A frilly pillow just
didn’t seem right for Herky,”
she says. “One side said ‘Ring
Security’ in gold letters. The
other side said ‘Special Agent
Herky.’”
After the wedding party had
gone down the aisle, the bride
was supposed to walk next, ac-
companied by her father.
“However, two of the grooms-
men, Adam Kurth and Brian
Ahlstrom, walked back down
the aisle, stood one on each
side, put on their sunglasses,
crossed their arms, and the
song ‘Back in Black’ started.
(This is the song to which the
Hawkeye football team enters
the field on game day),” she
says. “And, in struts Herky, ring
security briefcase in hand. He
strutted down the aisle, opened
up the briefcase and gave my
sister (maid of honor) the rings,
then gave the groom a big high-
five.”
On the way out, Herky
stopped at every row, high-fiv-
ing and shaking hands. He
Bahr
Continued on page 15

The Perfect Smile

ON YOUR PERFECT DAY
Herky the Hawk, the University of Iowa mascot, made a
surprise appearance at the July 1, 2017 wedding of Jason and
Melissa Bahr of Waukon. Knowing her husband-to-be was
a huge Iowa Hawkeye fan, Melissa made arrangements for
Herky the Hawk to serve as the ring bearer for the couple’s
wedding, a job he took very seriously with the custom-made
“Special Agent Herky” briefcase he used to deliver the rings.

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February 14, 2018
Bahr
Continued from page 14
came back in towards the end
of the ceremony and super-
vised the signing of the mar-
riage certificate.
“During cocktail hour, he
stuck around and took pics with
guests,” Melissa adds. “It was
definitely one of the top mo-
ments of the day… It sounds
weird, having Hawkeye and
Disney elements, but we totally
blended them in and it worked.”
Fate may or may not have
played a part in that; but friends
and family certainly did.
“Sherry Welch, my kindred
spirit, and Jilissa Schulz, my
longtime friend, were essen-
tial in pulling off amazing feats
of decorating and setting up a
‘progressive guest book table’
and a S’mores bar,” Melissa
says. “And also with smuggling
in a certain larger-than-life
Hawkeye with perfect timing to
make his grand entrance walk-
ing down the aisle… Our pho-
tographer and DJ are long-time
friends of mine, and traveled
a long way to help us out. We
were thankful also for Teslow’s
two guest houses - my fami-
ly and bridal party were able
to stay all together rather than
renting multiple hotel rooms.”
In fact, Melissa says “all the
vendors were great to work
with. They answered ques-
tions, met with us, and we felt
totally at ease with our day in
their hands. We explained our
vision of how the day would
look/sound/feel, and they deliv-
ered.”
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WEDDING GUIDE
Page 15
Special moments throughout the
wedding day of Jason and Melissa
and operate Empty Nest Win- Bahr of Waukon were captured,
ery. “Pam and Dave are awe- forever to be remembered, and
some at what they do, and they shared in the surrounding photos.
supported our crazy ideas,” Among those special moments
Melissa says. were a musical duet with Melissa’s
“Dave and I really enjoyed father, David Spurgeon, a special
working with both Jason and toast as husband and wife and
Melissa,” Pam says. “They some memorable moments on the
are both great people, so or-
dance floor.
ganized about all aspects of
the wedding and knowing just
what they wanted. If there was
a snag in the plan, they never
got flustered, just stayed calm
and we figured it out. They both
really wanted this wedding to
be special, and you could see
they really loved and respected
each other.”
Having Herky in the wedding
party was a good example of
that, Pam says. “And then to
keep it a secret from Jason, the
groom, was very hard; Melissa
did an amazing job arranging all
that. She stopped by the winery
without Jason knowing, so we
could discuss where the dress-
ing room to hide Herky could
be, and how we were going
to pull this off. They also had
a S’mores bar that everyone
loved and many other things
that just made their wedding so
special for them,” she says.
Helping to make a couple’s
wedding day unique to them is
what Empty Nest Winery spe-
Party Island
WEDDING RENTALS
cializes in doing, Pam says.
“We have several different
places that couples can choose
to have their ceremony with
very different backgrounds for
Bahr
Continued on page 16 Backdrops
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 WEDDING GUIDE
Page 16 February 14, 2018

Bahr
Continued from page 15
the pictures,” she says. “We
also have the old barn foun-
dation, old buildings, rock wall
gardens, trees and corn fields
to really make wedding day pic-
tures unique.”
ABOUT THE VENUE
The Krugers offer two differ-
ent wedding packages for the
couples to choose from.
“Most brides choose to have
everything here - wedding cer-
emony, pictures, reception din-
ner and dance, like what Jason
Melissa did,” she says. “This
package is so simple to plan
because everything is here.
But others choose to have their
ceremony elsewhere and the
reception and dance here. That
works well for couples who
want to get married in a church,
for example. Or for destination
weddings - where they might
get married in Hawaii, Mexico
or Jamaica with a few close
friends and family, then have a
reception and dance here.”
They only host six weddings
per year at the winery, and they
do not offer a ceremony-on-
ly package, because they are
committed to making each A
Special
wedding special and all about
a particular couple. They make
the food from scratch, and they
are on site to make sure every-
thing goes smoothly throughout
the event. Ti m e . . .
The winery, itself, is fami-
ly-owned and operated, and
it specializes in handcrafted
wines made in small batch-
es from mainly locally grown,
hand-picked berries and fruit.
“We ferment out the whole
berries, not just the juice,” Pam
says. “This gives our wine more
With Special People...
flavor, color and body for the
best-tasting, ‘true-to-the-fruit,’
unfiltered wines.”
For hours, events and more Pastor
information about Empty Nest
Samantha
Winery, visit their website at Houser
emptynestwinery.com/.
married
ABOUT THE COUPLE Melissa
Melissa was born and raised and Jason
in Hampton and graduated from Bahr at
Hampton-Dumont High School. Empty
She went to Wartburg College Nest
before pursuing a career as a Winery.
Bahr
Continued on page 17

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February 14, 2018
Bahr
Continued from page 16
CPhT (certified pharmacy tech-
nician), and moved to the area
in 2011. She is the daughter
of David and Phyllis Spurgeon
of Hampton. Jason was born
and raised in Waukon, gradu-
ated from Waukon High School
and went to college at North-
east Iowa Community College
(NICC). He is the son of Gary
and Carol Bahr of Waukon.
Melissa is the administrator at
Thrifty White Pharmacy in Dec-
orah, and Jason is the produc-
tion manager at Kolor Graph-
ics, where he has worked for
19 years.
Melissa has two daughters
(Hayley, 21 and Willow, 6) and
Jason has two daughters (Alex-
is, 19 and Alivia, 14). The two
oldest daughters are out of the
house, and they share custody
with the two youngest daugh-
ters’ other parents, who also
live in the area.
They met at the Waukon Golf
and Country Club in the spring
of 2012. Melissa was managing
the club and Jason was a mem-
ber. “I always tell people the
only reason I agreed to go on
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WEDDING GUIDE
Page 17
a date with him is because his
golf cart was my favorite one at
the course,” Melissa says. “He
really is a genuinely nice guy,
and he has very handsome,
green, sparkly eyes. Plus, he’s
very laid back and calm, and
I’m kind of a drama queen; so
he’s taught me to be less wor-
ried about things and a little
more easygoing.”
Jason recalls first being
drawn to Melissa by “her abil-
ity to listen without judgment,
sense of humor, and the fact
that we had quite a bit in com-
mon.”
Neither of them recalls a
“lightning bolt moment” when
they knew the other person
was “the one”; both of them say
their love story unfolded over
time.
“I think it crept into my mind, Family and friends made up the wedding party of Jason and Melissa Bahr, making their special
bit by bit, until I realized, hey, day celebrated July 1, 2017 at Empty Nest Winery in rural Waukon that much more special.
maybe I could hang out and be
in love with this fella for eternity
and be totally happy with that,” sitions, and I knew if he could Jason says that as they be- more and more, until the next
Melissa says. “He was a steady not only handle the three of us came better friends, “I realized time that I could see her. And
and faithful source of support during that time, but fall in love I was confiding in her more and eventually I couldn’t look to the
for my girls and me as we went as well, he was in it for the long more about life situations. I just future without seeing us in it to-
through some rough life tran- haul.” found myself looking forward, gether.”
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Page 18
Hisel
Continued from page 12
ple were expecting us to get
engaged. As much as I was al-
ways hoping it would happen,
I knew that wasn’t the way he
would pop the question.”
THE PROPOSAL
The night of November 30,
2016 - Shelby’s birthday, Jes-
se had a night planned out that
she didn’t have a clue about.
They did their usual - went to
a movie and out to eat. But that
night they went somewhere
new, and a place that has be-
come one of their favorites, The
Stuffed Olive in Des Moines.
It was a chilly night and it
had just started snowing. Shel-
by recalls, “Jesse wanted to
go check out this new light fix-
ture just a few blocks away. He
had been wanting to see it for
months. But it was just so cold!”
She went along with it, be-
cause it was pretty much on the
way back to the car. They were
standing there looking at the
light fixture when Jesse turned
to her and said, “So, I didn’t get
you much for your birthday,”
and then he got down on one
knee.
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WEDDING GUIDE
February 14, 2018
“The words ‘will you marry Shelby and Jesse Hisel
me’ were not spoken out loud.
They didn’t need to be,” Jesse
recalls.
Shelby was speechless,
and then it was all smiles and
kisses. One of Shelby’s best
friends was secretly hiding be-
hind a tree with a camera, cap-
turing images from the special
moment.
Shelby had been waiting for
months for Jesse to ask her to
marry her. The couple never
looked at rings, and that’s how
she had wanted it. She wanted
Hisel
Continued on page 19
The August 12, 2017 wedding of Jesse and Shelby Hisel of Huxley
took place in a field along the creek that runs through the farm of
Shelby’s family in rural Waukon. The site, pictured above, had been
picked out by Shelby’s grandmother, Lucy Brink, and it took several
weeks to clean up and prepare the location, including removing
trees, flattening ground and laying sod. All that work nearly went
for naught, as a mid-July storm blew through the area - less than a
month before their wedding day, snapping and uprooting trees and
forcing the area to be cleaned up and cleared out all over again.
Photos by BKreative Films, Ben and Marissa Kolbeck.
Small Wedding Receptions
Wedding Rehearsals
Bridal Showers
Bring the Wedding Party
Shelby (Brink) Hisel
Out for Pictures & Drinks
Airbrush Makeup Visit Us During Regular Hours for Pizza & Sandwiches
Dine In or Hours: Mon., Wed. & Thurs. 4pm-Close; OWNERS BEN &
FULL APPLICATION $40 L
WILVEL
Carry Out Fri., Sat. & Sun. 11am-Close BRIAN SWEENEY
PARTIAL APPLICATION $30 TR A 78 16th Ave. NW, Waukon • (563) 568-4866

February 14, 2018
Hisel
Continued from page 18
Jesse to find the ring he thought
would be perfect. And it was.
Jesse had picked out a beau-
tiful, cathedral-style engage-
ment ring. It was customized
with diamonds on each side
showcasing their birthstones.
TAKING THE LOCATION
BY STORM
The couple spent the next
month planning the details of
their wedding. After the start of
the new year, they had nearly
everything planned out. Shelby
knew she always wanted to get
married on her family’s farm.
They had brainstormed ideas
with her dad, and her Grand-
ma (Lucy) Brink. The spot Lucy
picked is where the couple de-
cided to have the ceremony.
The space sat right along the
creek that ran through the fam-
ily farm, and right on the edge
of a field below Shelby’s dad’s
house. The couple spent sev-
eral weekends back in the area
to clean up the spot and get it
ready. They removed trees,
flattened out the ground, and
cut and laid sod. Shelby’s fami-
ly watered and took care of the
ground.
Mother Nature almost made
a different plan for the couple,
as a late summer storm tore
through the area that had been
picked for them to start their
new life together - less than
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WEDDING GUIDE
a month before their big day.
Straight line winds knocked
down hundreds of trees on the
farm, including several on the
spot where they planned to get
married.
“I just remember standing
there, crying and wondering
what else could go wrong,”
Shelby shared. “I prayed to
my Grandpa (Gary Brink) that
things would all work out okay.”
It took several days to get the
spot cleaned up once again,
and unfortunately, Shelby and
Jesse couldn’t be there to help
with everything. But by the time
the wedding weekend came
around, her family made the
area look beautiful once again.
Bales of hay lined the aisles,
and Shelby’s dad outlined and
decorated the site with beauti-
ful birch logs.
THEIR DAY TO REMEMBER
On their big day, Shelby wore
a sheath Madison James, ivory
lace gown with light brown cow-
girl boots and rose gold jewelry.
She had the back of the gown
customized, to open into a key-
hole style.
“I knew it was the perfect
dress when my mom started
crying,” Shelby recalled.
Jesse wore a dark grey, Al-
Hisel
Continued on page 20
Jake Imhoff
Vice President
NMLS #785732
1-563-544-4214
1-888-689-1898
118 Main St. NE
New Albin, IA 52160
Page 19
One of the special
details involved in
the August 12, 2017
wedding of Jesse
and Shelby Hisel of
Huxley included a
pillow used by the
ringbearer to carry
in the couple’s rings
for the ceremony.
The pillow was made
from one of the
flannel shirts Shelby’s
late grandfather, Gary
Brink, was famous
for being known
to wear. Photo by
BKreative Films, Ben
and Marissa Kolbeck.
BOOK US FOR
ALL OCCASIONS
Weddings, Anniversaries,
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BANQUET
FACILITIES
• Seating for up to 400
• Complete Bar
• Custom Catered Menu
• Experienced Staff
• Podium • PA System
• Stage • Dance Floor
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CATERING OFF-PREMISES
Johnson’s Catering Service allows you to choose from a wide variety of meal and service
selections for every price range. Our menu choices range from hors d’oeuvres to full
meals. Our off-site catering service gives you the option of location. Whether indoor or
outdoor, for 50 people or 500, we will make your event go smoothly.
Johnson’s
Restaurant, Reception Hall & Catering Service
916 High St. NE, Elkader, IA • 563-245-2371 • 563-245-2709
www.johnsonsrestaurantelkader.com
 WEDDING GUIDE
Page 20 February 14, 2018

Hisel Wedding

The wedding party for the August 12, 2017 wedding of

Hisel
Jesse and Shelby Hisel of Huxley consisted of family and
Continued from page 19
friends of the bride and groom, all of whom have played
a role, not only in their own individual lives, but also in lure tuxedo, and what he says
their new life together since they first met in 2010 and now are “awesome blue-green
skateboard-riding banana
Schulte’s FOR ALL continue their life together as husband and wife. Photo by
BKreative Films, Ben and Marissa Kolbeck. socks.”
The bridesmaids wore chif-
BBQ & OCCASIONS fon and lace burgundy, knee-

BACKWOODS
length dresses with cowgirl
Catering 705 4th Ave. SW, Waukon, IA
563-568-2241 or
boots, while the groomsmen
wore a light grey Allure tux-
Rich Schulte
563-568-2454 edo. The flower girl wore an

111 1st St., McGregor, IA • 563-873-3150 Hisel

EVENT CENTER BED & Continued on page 21

WEDDING
DECORATIONS BATH
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• Bar facilities available, cooking
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6 Days,
5 miles NE of Cresco, IA on Hwy. 139 • 563-547-4240 • Call to reserve your date! Closed
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SEPTIC PUMPING &
THANK YOU TO HEATH & KELSIE DEE AND JESSE & SHELBY HISEL FOR CHOOSING US! TIME OF TRANSFER INSPECTOR

February 14, 2018
Hisel
Continued from page 20
ivory dress and cowgirl boots,
with burgundy and pearl jew-
elry, and the ring bearer wore
a matching Allure tuxedo, like
Jesse’s.
The ring bearer carried a pil-
low made from one of Shelby’s
Grandpa Gary’s flannel shirts.
Flannel fabric also lined a sin-
gle empty chair in the front row,
right next to Lucy, in Gary’s
memory. Shelby had a locket
with a picture of her Grandpa
Gary in her beautiful bouquet.
The short ceremony was per-
formed by Shelby’s former pas-
tor, Tom Buresh, with just over
200 people in attendance and
seated on covered hay bales.
Shelby’s cousins performed the
music at the ceremony. Beth-
any Brink sang “A Thousand
Years,” Jason Brink played the
guitar, and Jonah Brink played
the mandolin for the proces-
sional, which began beneath a
birch log arch further enhanced
by French doors. The first time
the couple laid eyes on each
other that day was when Shel-
by appeared from behind those
doors.
Sugar Creek Winery
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WEDDING GUIDE
Jesse remembers the day
fondly, reflecting, “The moment
she appeared from behind the
French doors, I felt pure joy.
The love of my life, in the most
beautiful dress, was walking to-
wards me. No one else in the
world mattered.”
“I couldn’t believe I was fi-
nally marrying my best friend.
I had dreamt of the day for
years, and it was finally here,”
Shelby recalled.
CELEBRATING THEIR
FOREVER AFTER
After the ceremony, the
wedding party and guests ate,
drank, danced and celebrat-
ed into the night at the Barn
Restaurant in Prairie du Chien,
WI. Jesse’s mom made hun-
dreds of jars of homemade jam
for the wedding guests.
The couple’s mothers and
grandmothers helped make
all the pies for dessert. Shel-
by’s Grandma Brink made the
three-tier, rustic-looking wed-
ding cake. The couple was sur-
rounded by friends and family,
as they celebrated their first
608-466-9463 • sugarcreekwinery@gmail.com
13418 Chellevold Rd., Ferryville, WI
Page 21
day as husband and wife.
Because they love to travel,
Shelby and Jesse will be taking
a road trip for their honeymoon.
This summer they plan to travel
north into Canada and around
the Great Lakes to visit Niaga-
ra Falls, and then venture on to
the far northeast, an area of the
country they have yet to see.
They will also go to the NA-
SCAR race at Pocono Race-
way in Pennsylvania, one of
Shelby’s favorite things to do.
As their life together contin-
ues on, Shelby plans to remain
working at KCCI TV in Des
Moines, and Jesse will contin-
ue working at NextEra Energy
in Story City. They will stay in
Huxley until their next adven-
ture begins.
Al Brink walks his oldest
daughter, Shelby, down the
aisle during the August 12, 2017
wedding of Shelby to Jesse
Hisel. The outdoor ceremony
took place on the Brink family
farm, just below where Al’s house
is located. Photo by BKreative
Films, Ben and Marissa Kolbeck.
Let Us Create
Decorative Flower
Thanks
Shelby &
Jesse for
Arrangements
RED
for Your Wedding!
GERANIUM
Choosing
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563-538-3943
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JOSEPH HAMMEL, OWNER
108 West Water St., Decorah, IA • 563-382-8440

Page 22
Herman
Continued from page 3
the grandchildren camping,”
said Ruby.
At first, the Hermans trav-
eled in a fifth-wheel with a pick-
up and later purchased a motor
home. After moving to town in
1990, they started spending
winters “down in the valley” at
Alamo Rose, TX, just five miles
from the Mexican border. For
many years, they spent winters
down south and the rest of the
year at home with their family.
They later purchased a mobile
home at Alamo Rose.
“I can’t remember how many
years we went to Jellystone,
but one year we took nine of
the grandkids with us… we had
blow-up mattresses and even a
playpen,” she remembered.
Ruby said she remembers
fondly many trips they took,
including to Door County, Chi-
cago and to see their grand-
daughter, Vannessa, compete
in tumbling tournaments.
“Nyles and I were always
traveling somewhere. We went
to Florida, and then to the east
coast, Niagara Falls and up
into Canada. We even went to
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WEDDING GUIDE
Sturgis on a motorcycle and
through Yellowstone and the
Tetons,” said Ruby. “We also
went on trips to Monaco, Italy
and Germany.”
They also took a 10-day
cruise to Alaska and stayed
busy between the grandkids’
ball games, swim meets and
their trips to see granddaugh-
ter, Vannessa, cheer as head
cheerleader for the University
of Iowa Hawkeye football team.
A definite highlight was a trip
to Hawaii where she and Nyles
participated in a “Ho’l Hou Ke
Aloha” (Return to Love) cer-
emony, where they renewed
their vows on the beach. This
was their second trip to Hawaii
when their granddaughter, Na-
talie, was married there.
BACK HOME
Back home, Ruby was active
in the Zalmona Presbyterian
Church Choir, performed as the
member of a quartet and sang
solos and duets. Ruby served
as an Elder and was active on
many committees at Zalmona.
Singing was something she
Sycamore
Floral
116 Rossville Rd.,
Waukon
(563) 568-3676
Reg. Store Hours:
Mon.-Fri. 8am-5pm; Sat. 9am-2pm
www.sycamorefloral.com
23452 Heron Ave.
St. Olaf, IA
(off of Hwy. 128 between
Garnavillo & Elkader)
Now Taking Bookings for
May-October 2018
Jeramey & Dana Burns
February 14, 2018
and her sisters, Jane and Mae,
used to do together as children.
“After retirement, I gave pro-
grams and led singalongs at
Makee Manor, Waukon Good
Samaritan Center and North-
gate Manor for over 25 years.
I have a good friend, Mildred
Osterholz, who lives at North-
gate. She accompanied me (on
piano and organ) for 66 years,”
she said. Ruby enjoys music
and sang at many weddings
- including all of her children -
and also many funerals.
RECENT YEARS
Now 83 and 87, the Hermans
still live at home, where Nyles is
visited by a home health nurse
every week.
“In November of 2014, Nyles
had a heart attack and stroke.
While he was recovering at the
Good Sam home, I fell right
in front of his door and broke
my hip,” she said. “I ended up
recovering at Good Sam with
him.” Nyles and Ruby Herman of Waukon celebrated their 65th
wedding anniversary in 2017. The couple says, “we have
Herman always gotten along really well... that’s why we’ve made it
Continued on page 23 that many years together.”
Make nutMeg’s a Part of Your
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Book Our 50 Person
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In-House Catering
Available.
Two week notice for all cake orders appreciated.
Call to book your event or
order your cake!
(563) 538-9214 367 MAIN ST., LANSING
 WEDDING GUIDE
February 14, 2018 Page 23

The Herman Family

We can accommod
Family has played a large role in the 65 years of wedded happiness for Nyles and Ruby
any type of par
Herman of Waukon. Some of the members of their family are pictured above at a recent
wedding of one of their granddaughters.
We can accommodate
Herman
Continued from page 22
But overall, Ruby said she along really well… that’s why has blessed us with many
any type of party!
feels they’re pretty lucky. “In we’ve made it that many years.
2016, we celebrated 40 years And even though we’ve had
wonderful years of good mem-
ories between us, our won-
 Wedding Rehearsals
in business as Waukon Feed
Ranch, Inc.,” she said.
some health troubles, so far
we’re able to take care of our-
derful children, grandchildren,  Showers Call for
great-grandchildren and our Menu
“We have always gotten selves here,” she said. “God many friends.”  Reunions Options
 Anniversaries
You’ll find the atmosphere friendly,
with two private dining rooms!

DAVE’S GUS & TONY’S

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508 W. Main St., Waukon • (563) 568-6015

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• 1.5 miles to Lansing with restaurants, bars, shopping, • Beverage Servers
grocery store & gas stations
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For reservations: www.driftlessareainn.com Cunningham Hardware & Rental
43 W. Main St., Waukon • (563) 568-4553
or call 563-537-0072 www.cunningham.doitbest.com
 WEDDING GUIDE
Page 24 February 14, 2018

THE WEDDING MAGAZINE

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