Volunteers make all the difference

Events that no longer exist

     Every now and then, here at the Express, we’ll sift through past issues of the paper looking to recycle story ideas or see what’s been covered in the past. I was going through old issues of the paper pertaining to the first week in June and noticed a trend.

     Consistently, and even in my eight years here, we’ve covered two popular events in the Monticello community that unfortunately are no longer around: the Monticello High School Alumni Banquet and the American Cancer Society Relay For Life.

     The Alumni banquet was held following graduation, around Memorial Day weekend. The Relay For Life was typically the first Friday in June.

     Both events took a lot of time and effort to plan. And, having served on the Relay For Life committee for a few years, I know both events would not have been possible had it not been for the dedication of a small group of people.

     It seemed like it was always the same people giving of their time to make the banquet and RFL happen every year. Planning required multiple meetings, making numerous phone calls or contacting people and vendors, making sure the events were publicized, and hoping for the best.

     With the RFL, I know attendance started dwindling, especially as the evening rolled on. The walk went from an overnight 12-hour marathon to just an evening celebration, honoring cancer survivors and remembering those cancer took away.

     We had to line up speakers for the evening, an emcee, music, food vendors, and a set-up and cleanup crew. Again, with only a handful or so of volunteers, people were being pulled in multiple directions.

     Unfortunately, the last few years, the RFL has not taken place in Monticello, or Jones County for that matter. However, that’s not to say it can’t return. With the right people at the helm, I’m sure the RFL will happen here again.

     Believe it or not, I always looked forward to covering the annual MHS Alumni Banquet. While I’m not from Monticello, it was a chance to meet former residents who had returned for their respective class reunions.

     I think an event like this was rare, for an entire school district to bring all graduating classes together for one occasion. Pretty neat!

     One of the lead organizers was Etta Dirks. Etta worked here at the Express for many years and always talked about the difficulty in planning and organizing an event like the banquet. Again, with a small but mighty committee, they always pulled it off without a hitch.

     The Express always highlighted the Alumni banquet with several class photos. I think people enjoyed seeing alumni return to Monticello for this special occasion.

     I can tell you from planning my 15-year class reunion, I don’t know how the committee did it, getting the word out and inviting so many people. (I only had 71 in my graduating class.) I’m guessing several hundred attended the banquet every year, including spouses.

     It’s a shame to see long-standing, great community events such as the RFL and Alumni Banquet come to an end. But unless more people were willing to step up, those who did it all quickly grew tired. Both events brought numerous people to Monticello from all over. That’s also a loss to the community.

Iowa’s Move Over law

     The state’s Move Over law is nothing new. What is it, you ask?

     It’s a law that requires all vehicles traveling Iowa’s roadways to move over and change lanes when approaching and passing an emergency vehicle stopped on the side of the road. This pertains to state highways, interstates, county roads, basically any roadway in Iowa.

     And if it’s impossible to move into the other lane, then you are simply asked to slow down when passing an emergency vehicle.

     Until now, the Move Over law only pertained to emergency vehicles, such as law enforcement, fire and ambulance. As of July 1 (when most new state laws go into effect), that law will include utility vehicles and garbage/recycling trucks.

     We’ve all seen dash camera footage on the news or online showing law enforcement or emergency officials getting hit, many times killed, by passing vehicles who failed to either change lanes or slow down.

     So with a few days before the new law takes effect, let this be a warning to you before you get pulled over and have to pay a $100 fine, plus court costs.