News

The Original Snow Festival

In 1971, the first-ever Snowfest, originally called the Snow Festival, was held in Cresco, marking the beginning of a now 55-year tradition hosted by the Cresco Driftrunners Snowmobile Club. Despite bitter cold, fierce winds, and challenging weather conditions, the inaugural event laid the...

Piecemakers Stitch up Friendship, One Quilt at a Time

CRESCO — On any given second Monday afternoon at the Cresco Community Chapel, the room fills with conversation, laughter, and the excited buzz of quilters gathering to learn and share. Tables are covered with colorful quilts, notebooks, and works-in-progress as members settle in to hear guest...

HC Community Foundation Awards $143,857.87

LIME SPRINGS - The Howard County Community Foundation (HCCF) held its 2025 Grant Award Celebration at the Lime Springs Community Center on January 5, 2026, announcing the distribution of $143,857.87 to 20 organizations serving Howard County through its 2025 grant cycle. Grant recipients,...

Winner announced for First Baby Contest

The tiny newcomer who will be snagging a stack of prizes and a lot of smiles arrived in Howard County just after New Year’s — a joyful second-born of 2026 Howard County resident who became the TPD “first baby” winner after the actual first family politely declined. Parents Nic and Courtney Rose...

A sweet fundraiser for a good cause

CRESCO - In a follow-up to a story published in the December 17th edition of the Times Plain Dealer, the candy cane tree on North Elm Street in front of Fareway in Cresco has now been taken down. What began as a seasonal decoration became a visible, interactive campaign that drew families, shoppers...

Operation Santa brought a little bit of the North Pole to Cresco

The Cresco Police Department’s Operation Santa jingled through town again this year, delivering cheer, laughter, and gift bags to nearly 60 delighted children. Kris Kringle rode along with his very own police escort elves, Officers Sam Fotiadis and Dalton Rush, turning routine patrol routes into a...

A Visit Back to our Favorite Stories - Part 1 January through June

Highlighted below are some of the stand-out stories from our community each month of 2025, selected by the TPD staff. These pieces — chosen from a year rich with local achievements, service, and heartfelt farewells — showcase leaders, neighbors, and organizations that shaped the first half of 2025...

Churches Unite to Illuminate the Road to Bethlehem in Cresco

CRESCO — What began as a single, meaningful woodworking project more than five years ago has grown into a powerful symbol of faith, craftsmanship, and unity among Cresco’s churches. Immanuel Lutheran Church’s woodworking ministry, Hands of the Master, has completed a stunning community...

Christmas in Ink and Memory

HOWARD COUNTY - Long before downtown Cresco glowed with strings of lights or holiday music drifted from car radios, Christmas in Howard County lived in quieter ways — candle flames trembling in church pews, boots crunching over frozen paths, children’s voices rising in one-room schoolhouses, and...

When One Door Closes, Another Opens

CRESCO - Howard County’s longtime community institution, The County Store, will be dissolved on December 31, 2025, and its remaining funds will be distributed to a broad array of local charities. The former storefront has already changed hands and has opened under new ownership as the Midwest...