The Reminder

There is a typo in the story on the Emily Duits mEMorial Sand Volleyball Tournament in this weekend’s Lakewood News. The tournament will welcome its largest field yet next Saturday, July 27.

An opportunity to get to know more about the candidates running for Sheriff this year.

J-Ad Graphics sells publications to View Newspaper Group After nearly 80 years of telling the stories in Barry County, the Jacobs Family has sold its J-Ad Graphics publishing business.

If you called Melanie Conley a crazy plant lady, she probably wouldn’t be offended. She wears the title like a badge of honor and backs it up with her own personal collection of 150 house plants.

The Hastings resident has long been passionate about plants and teaching others about the benefits of them. She is so passionate, in fact, that she’s transitioning from life in the corporate world to focus on going into the plant business. Meet Conley and read about her story.

Hastings green thumb transforming her passion into career In December of 2023, Melanie Conley of Hastings launched The Rooted Plant Shop out of her home in the form of an online shop.

Feeling those hunger pains? The Reminder has you covered with a special dining section, where you can peruse the area’s many restaurants — everything from fine dining to greasy burgers. You can read the special section online at https://www.hastingsreminder.com/.

How are everyone's health and wellness goals for 2024 coming along? Need a little boost?

In the latest issue of The Reminder, we have a Health, Mind & Body section that can give you a little help. Visit our website to get browsable versions of both the full paper and this helpful section. https://www.hastingsreminder.com/

We told our carriers it’s better to be safe than stuck should the forcasted winter weather arrive this afternoon. There is a chance weekend delivery could be delayed a bit. But should we all end up snowed in you can still check out this weekend’s edition at www.hastingsreminder.com

Each neighborhood always seems to have that one house that is already decked out in Christmas decor before Halloween.

Longtime country music star John Berry owns one of those houses.

“My wife starts decorating the house in the middle of October because we leave — we’re gone before Thanksgiving and so we like to get it done,” Berry said in an interview with The Reminder on Wednesday. “We come home here and there. We came home just last night and we’ll leave tomorrow and it was nice to go into the house and have it all decorated for Christmas.”

Berry and his family have a valid reason for decorating for the holidays so early. Each year, he heads out on the road from Thanksgiving until Christmas for his annual Christmas tour. This year marks the 27th year that Berry has embarked on the tour, zig-zagging around the Midwest and southern regions of the country.

On this tour, he will return to Hastings when he appears at the Hastings Performing Arts Center on Friday, Dec. 8 at 7 p.m. Tickets are still available for the show, which is brought to your by Meyers' Hometown Bakery & Beanery.

Read more about Berry and his upcoming show in our latest issue of The Reminder.

Are you planning a public Trunk-or-Treat or other type of Halloween party for this weekend? Let us know about it! The Hastings Reminder will be compiling a list of Halloween festivities and we want to include your event. Please email the pertinent information to [email protected].

The deadline to sign up for the best bargain in basketball has been extended (as usual) get those registrations into the Barry County Area Chamber of Commerce by Thursday, Aug. 24, at noon or contact [email protected] to get your team registered by then.

Sign-up is going on now for Summerfest sporting events including the Jim Jensen Memorial 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament. Here is a copy of the sign-up form for 2023. Fill out and return to the Barry County Area Chamber of Commerce along with payment in the coming weeks or email information to [email protected].

More information on sporting opportunities can be found at hastingssummerfest.com.

Due to technical difficulties with our presses last night, this week's issue of the Hastings Banner has been delayed. Necessary repairs have been made and we're in the process of printing the edition.

Banners will go out in the mail tomorrow and they should be available at our office counter this afternoon. We apologize for the delay and thank all of our faithful readers across Barry County.

BREAKING: After being accused by the State Attorney General’s office of participating in a conspiracy to illegally obtain and test voting tabulators, a special prosecutor’s office announced today that Barry County Sheriff Dar Leaf will not not be charged with a crime.

“As it relates to Sheriff Dar Leaf and Jason Rybak (another individual accused), there is not sufficient evidence to prove a crime and therefore charges will not be filed.”

However, a trio of other individuals, including former State Representative Daire Rendon and former Republican Attorney General candidate Matt DePerno will face charges.

The Banner spoke with Sheriff Leaf, who said throughout the investigation, he was confident he did not break any laws.

“To be honest, I never lost any sleep over it,” Leaf said. “But, it is a load off my mind and (for) my family.”

Next week’s Hastings Banner will have more.

In this week's Reminder, check out the true-to-life Field of Dreams-style wiffle ball park that one Irving Township family has built on their property.

Also in this issue:

- One family continues its long tradition of showing animals at this week's Barry County Fair, which kicks off today.

- A recap of, and sights from, the 51st Annual Antique Gas and Steam Engine Show at Charlton Park last weekend.

- The Delton District Library is working to keep kids sharp this summer with an extensive reading program.

It's all in The Reminder. Check out a physical copy or read online at https://www.hastingsreminder.com

J-Ad Graphics is in the process of putting together its summer fun guide and we want to make sure to include information on your event. If you are organizing a summer event this year – concert, festival, sports tournament, church event, etc. – please e-mail all the pertinent information to [email protected]. Please include your contact information in case we need to follow up.

Are you a home-based business? Do you DIY? Get your information in front of nearly 30,000 readers this Saturday in the Reminder, instead of relying on a social media algorithm. Contact our sales department today at (269)945-9554!

We want to see all the fun, scary and creative costumes that Barry County comes up with tonight!

As the sun sets on his 12 years with the Barry County Board of Commissioners, The Reminder caught up with Ben Geiger to reflect on his career in local government and look ahead at what's next.

Make sure to check out this week's Reminder, or browse through it online at http://hastingsreminder.com/.

Full-time Journalist Sought:

J-Ad Graphics is looking for a top-notch journalist to write for our family of weekly newspapers. Do you write well, with accuracy and brevity? Are interested in what's going on locally and comfortable covering issues that arise in local government, courts and schools? Can you develop and maintain contacts and sources in the community? Can you juggle multiple assignments and get it right on deadline? If you answered yes to these questions, we are interested in talking to you.

The ideal candidate has some experience – but that experience need not be current. If you left the industry and would like to get back in, this is a perfect re-entry point. But if you're a recent graduate who understands the vital role of community journalism and wants to be a part of it, this opportunity may be of interest to you. Let’s talk.

Send a resume with a cover letter and three clips to mailto:[email protected]. We've got an immediate full-time opening and a lot of exciting news to cover, so if you have an interest, don't delay. Interviews will take place ASAP.