Julie shopped locally in Vinton and won $50 in Vinton Value Dollars! Every week between now and Christmas, Vinton Unlimited will be drawing a winner in their Holiday Lights Punch Card Buy Local shopping incentive. Cards can be picked up at any of the participating businesses, shoppers will receive one punch on their card for every $10 they spend at those stores, when they fill in a card (10 punches) their card is placed in the weekly drawing.

Happy December! It's hard to believe yet exciting that Christmas is so close already!Here at the Benton County Angel Tree we have been busy getting kiddos signed up, and the tags have been distributed for adoption at three local banks: Cedar Valley Bank, Farmers Bank, and US Bank.Please remember that we also accept donations of cash or gift cards! We have receipts available (if you need one for tax purposes) just request them.

Dale Henry and Jerry Huffman of the VFW Post #8884 awarded Jenna Grovert the winner of the Patriot's Pen contest. Grovert is a student at Central Lutheran School in Newhall. This essay contest is open to all 6th through 8th graders. We are honored to give this award every year. The theme this year was "How are you Inspired by America."Congratulatio

Pictured: (Top left)Ben Mcgowan, Wes McKenna, Ben Buhr, Andrew Pingenot, Austin Noe, Jerry Lee, Dallas Fairbanks, (Second row) Will McKenna, Cooper McClintock, Izzie Birker, Megan Schlitter, Grayce McClintock, Juliana Luis, (Third row) Anabelle Hernandez, Kelcie Appleby, Mac Goodell, and Alana Fleming. All of these members are on the track of the “Indianapolis 500” By: Co-Reporter Izzie Birker and Co-Reporter Juliana LuisThe National FFA Convention took place on 1st-4th of November and the Vinton-Shellsburg Chapter got the opportunity to take 17 FFA members to Indianapolis to the Lucas Oil Stadium for the most fun-filled week of their lives! They started the week out by going on a tour of a local reindeer farm called Hardy’s Reindeer Ranch in Rantoul, Illinois.