February 26, 2026
Local NewsState & National

Remember when...

By Mandy McDowell
An advertisement for the 13th annual spring concert by the 1970 Creston Chorus. Pictured are: first row, from left - Jean Hoyt, Maxyne Wolski (accompanist), Kathy Rissler, L.V. Foley (director), Jan Johnson, Helen Mosman, Linda Kendrick Huffman; second row - Ray Fogle, Larry Fogle, Jim Kimmel, Buck Buxton, Don Sears, Larry Jannings, Leland Wright; third row - Clifford Kiesling, Phil Britten, Harry Kinkade, George Cornelison, Willard Long, Dave Rissler; fourth row: Franklin Kinkade, Jack Robinson, Chuck Johnson, Bill Fastenow, Harry Cole, Wallace Molby, Jack Carlson

An advertisement for the 13th annual spring concert by the 1970 Creston Chorus. Pictured are: first row, from left - Jean Hoyt, Maxyne Wolski (accompanist), Kathy Rissler, L.V. Foley (director), Jan Johnson, Helen Mosman, Linda Kendrick Huffman; second row - Ray Fogle, Larry Fogle, Jim Kimmel, Buck Buxton, Don Sears, Larry Jannings, Leland Wright; third row - Clifford Kiesling, Phil Britten, Harry Kinkade, George Cornelison, Willard Long, Dave Rissler; fourth row: Franklin Kinkade, Jack Robinson, Chuck Johnson, Bill Fastenow, Harry Cole, Wallace Molby, Jack Carlson (CNA 1970 archived photo)

Maybe you were there when it happened or read about it the first time around, but some things are just worth repeating.

Today is Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026. There are 308 days remaining in the year. Here’s what the CNA reported on this week in history. Do you remember?

Six years ago (2020)

The Southwestern women locked up home court advantage in the playoffs Wednesday night, winning over Des Moines Area 81-69. The win for the Spartans makes it six in a row and bumps them up into third place in the ICCAC Div. II standings. It is the first time Southwestern will play postseason women’s basketball in its gym since 2009.

Makenzi Vonk, 28, and Chelcee Cheers, 32, officially celebrated their seventh and eighth birthdays this year. Both were born on Feb. 29, a day that only comes around once every four years.

The IGSAU State Bowling Championship tournament for Class 1A had Lenox’s Chelsey Hoakison and Mount Ayr’s Kaitlyn Dolecheck compete in a field of 52 bowlers. Hoakison bowled a collective 338, throwing a first game of 183 and a second game of 155. She finished 19th overall. Mount Ayr’s Dolecheck threw a 343, best for 16th. Dolecheck’s best game came in her second, improving on her 160 from the first one with a 183.

The Union County Fair Board unveiled a new donor wall to acknowledge the individuals, businesses and organizations that have contributed to the “Building on Tradition” campaign to date. Each brick was engraved by Kevin Irving and the brick wall was then laid by Dan Adamson. Future donors will continue to be added to the wall, which is prominently displayed inside the Iowa State Savings Bank Show Arena at the fairgrounds.

12 years ago (2014)

Creston:Arts presents the work of six Creston High School seniors. The diverse body of work includes ceramics, paintings, drawings, apparel, digital and mixed-media art by senior independent art students Michelle Bloyd, Ashley Cardenas, Levi Eblen, Audrey Fyock, Itzayanna Rubio and Sarah Waigand.

A Southwestern Community College student was recently named one of 51 New Century Scholars and will soon receive part of a $100,000 scholarship. Megan Doubleday — a 2012 graduate of Mount Ayr Community High School — will graduate this spring from SWCC with an Associate of Arts degree. She plans to attend Iowa State University in the fall and will major in elementary education with an endorsement in math.

Record cold temperatures were reported all across Iowa this morning (March 3) as temperatures plummeted overnight. In Creston, the overnight low temperature was -9 degrees. State Climatologist Harry Hillaker confirmed this morning that does break the old record of -7 degrees set on this day in 1913.

17 years ago (2009)

Location, location, location. Originally on Maple Street in downtown Creston, Maurices has moved to a brand new store on the south side of Creston just north of the Walmart Super Center. “We are really excited about the move,” said store Manager Ashley Crill. “There will be a lot more traffic driving by the store and more potential customers seeing our store and remembering where we are.”

Two Creston forwards received honorable mention on the Hawkeye 10 conference girls basketball selections released after Harlan’s 60-36 loss to No. 1-rated Ballard of Huxley at the state tournament Tuesday. Senior Megan Birchard and junior Kierra Smith represent Creston on the all-conference honor list.

21 years ago (2005)

The Creston/Orient-Macksburg girls bowling team lived up to their seed, finishing 10th at Saturday’s state tournament. “We bowled above our average and that was good. But so did everybody else. I’m proud of these girls, they did very good -- they just didn’t bowl exceptional. That’s what it takes at state,” said Creston/O-M bowling coach Ron Pendegraft. The girls advanced to the state tournament after finishing second to Red Oak at a substate in Mount Ayr. The finish earned the Panthers a 10th seed.

The Creston basketball team’s mood after Thursday night’s Class 3A district final against Norwalk was a mix of jubilation, exhaustion and relief -- lots of relief. The Panthers saw a 42-33 third-quarter lead evaporate into a three-overtime marathon. Creston’s Trevor Conner scored 10 points in the final overtime, pushing the Panthers to a 71-66 victory.

Creston finished fourth in the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union’s State Bowling Championships Saturday at Plaza Lanes. Keokuk won the Class 1A girls state bowling title with a score of 2,847. Creston was fourth at 2,619 behind Oelwein (2,675) and Newton (2,660). Marion, the top qualifier ahead of the Panthers, finished fifth at 2,613.

Creston