When Geneseo city officials asked for volunteers to help clean Oakwood Cemetery, the public responded. “The turn-out was absolutely spectacular,” said public service superintendent John VanDeWoestyne. “It far exceeded anyone’s expectations.”

Though she lives in Henry County, Geneseo’s Elizabeth Fleming will spend the next year representing Bureau County. Fleming, 19, became the first non-Bureau County woman to nab that county’s fair queen title on July 29.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 states, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” The Rev. Daniel Olson, pastor at Concordia Lutheran Church in Geneseo for the last 10 years, believes this is “the season” and the time for him to accept a new position.  He has been called to serve at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Buckley.

The Geneseo Republic has joined with  the photo company MyCapture to offer a wide array of products based on pictures appearing in the Republic. Reprints of all photos taken by Republic staff members and correspondents are available for purchase at the Republic’s Web site, www.geneseorepublic.com.

Volunteers are needed to help City of Geneseo crews clear trees and debris from Oakwood  Cemetery. The cemetery suffered “severe damage” during a violent early-morning storm on July 21, which featured straight-line winds of more than 90 miles-per-hour, said the city’s public service superintendent John VanDeWoestyne.

Elon Young waited 52 years for the Purple Heart he first was presented in 1946 while serving in World War II. He was given the Purple Heart when he was in a hospital in Iran where he was transported after being run over by an Army cargo truck while serving with the field artillery units in North Africa. “I didn’t take it then because I didn’t feel I deserved it,” he said. 

A storm, featuring straight-line winds reaching up to 90 miles-per-hour ripped through Geneseo, Atkinson and Annawan around 6 a.m. July 21. The storm left a path of destruction in its wake — trees were uprooted, grain bins dented, semi trucks flipped, trampolines deposited in trees and power lines downed.

Storm damage of varying severity has been found at every school site in the  Geneseo School District. Worst hit were Atkinson  Elementary School and the former Howard School in rural Geneseo, now the Rock River Alternative  School.

As a fierce storm — complete with 90 mile-an-hour straight-line winds — blasted  the rural Geneseo homestead of Peter and Linda Gillet, driving rain obscured the couple’s visibility. Though they tried to peer into their yard, the rain prohibited the Gillets from seeing if anything on their property was damaged.

What at first appeared to be straight line winds that stormed through Atkinson early  July 21 has since been identified as tornadic action, according to Atkinson Fire Chief and Civil Defense director Bob Floming. The storm that caused devastating damage and was responsible for at least 12 different trees falling into homes throughout the village began just after 6 a.m. and lasted approximately 15 minutes.

The Geneseo School Board unanimously voted to close Atkinson Elementary School.
The seven-person board voted at its July 9 meeting to close the school, effective July 10.

Rita Darling and her son, Chris, of Geneseo celebrated the end of nearly three months of construction on their home with an open house for the volunteers who made the project possible.

It’s all things new for the congregation of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Geneseo.
Members moved into their new church home in May of this year and a new priest was assigned to the Geneseo church in June.  The Rev. Andrew Ainley is the new pastor at Holy Trinity.

Long-time Geneseo coach Elmer Reedy has been selected as the Geneseo Optimists Club’s inaugural “Person of the Year” award winner. “We were looking to honor a person who’s made a difference in our community with the youth,” said club president Rob Dillie.

While business was light during the July 8 meeting of the Geneseo City Council, it was a busy night as council members met for a work session prior to the regular meeting to discuss city goals and a vision plan for the next two years and onto five years.