By Ann Petersen, SBA Columnist | 7/24/25
(SBA) - I did a horrible thing last week. Since Dale died, I no longer have someone to rein me in when I craft a document in anger. Dale read everything that I wrote and he was always there to temper my judgment when I was simply wrong. After attending the July 8th City Council meeting, I wrote a column that impugned the characters of our Mayor and our City Council. My intention was to bring to the attention of the City Council how much our early morning swim class enjoys the pool. We had heard rumors that the pool might close and we wanted the Council to understand that the pool was not only enjoyed by the young, but by the 15-20 women who are in the water five days a week. I blew it! The column that I wrote was simply mean and incorrect. The Mayor’s comments were not directly an attack on my character, but simply his way of telling our group that we should not listen to rumors (which are wrong) and that there were no plans to close our pool. I have apologized several times to our mayor over the past week, and he assures me that he holds no animosity towards me, a noble gesture considering how I portrayed him in my previous column. If you want a true account of what transpired at that meeting, please read the City Council minutes for July 7th, as published in THE ADVOCATE.
Jon Winkel is a true gift to our community. For his entire adult life, he has worked tirelessly to build the community of Sergeant Bluff, both as an employer and also as a community member. Jon is a strong Christian, a wonderful husband, father and grandfather and a man of vision for our community. As the wife of the previous Mayor, I know that that position requires action on a daily basis and Jon meets every challenge with kindness and competency, I apologize with all my heart to the people that I offended in my column and I can guarantee that I will never write such a column again. I am ashamed by my actions.
We had some interesting events in our community last week. The first was a video presentation about our original school building (located where Floyd House exists today.) sponsored by the Sergeant Bluff Historical Society that meets in the Public Museum. In the early nineties, a group of teachers and men of interest toured the old school, documenting its earlier days when it educated all of the children in the community. Joe Trotzig and Leah and Don Woodford led the tour that was video recorded by Mary Ruble. The tour included video of the various classrooms, locker rooms, the gym, the cafeteria, the stage and the bathrooms on each level. When the building was completed, (the third such building on that spot) it was state of the art, but by the late 1980s was too small to accommodate the growing number of children moving to Sergeant Bluff. I remember my stepson, Aaron, talking about stopping at Lindberg’s Variety Store for a snack on the way home from school. It was quite a trek for Aaron as he walked from his home in Camelot to the C Street school building. We now face many of the same problems encountered by our “old building” as our community continues to grow and we are now desperate for more space for the many children who attend school in Sergeant Bluff. The Sergeant Bluff Historical Society presents a program once per month with subjects interesting to people who want to learn more about our community’s past. The City Museum is open on Saturdays from 9-1 and the number of artifacts displayed there is mind-boggling. If you haven’t been in in a while, I encourage you to go, as exhibits change frequently.
Another highlight of last week was a presentation by the magician, “Easton the Extraordinaire” at the Sergeant Bluff Library. Easton Boetcher, the son of Brian and Beth Boetcher and the grandson of Scott and Sherry Boetcher is a rising freshman at Sergeant Bluff. Easton has a passion for magic that began at an early age and has given numerous presentations over the years. For the past two summers, Easton has flown to Philadelphia to attend a camp for burgeoning magicians. The Library was filled to capacity for young children as well as some interested adults there to attend Easton’s show. An entire preschool was in attendance, challenging Easton to create a presentation for children between the ages of 3-10. Mary Torgerson counted 72 bodies in the room where Easton fascinated all who were there. Easton Boetcher presented a program that had many on the edge of their seats and he handled small disruptions with aplomb. If you are in need of entertainment for a birthday party or other event, contact Easton Boetcher to do a magic show for your guests. Easton is definitely “Extraordinaire.”
Our summer is quickly moving towards the beginning of school, but be sure to check THE ADVOCATE for more excitement during the rest of the summer.
