Barb and Doug Murra of Buffalo Center had the honor of serving as Grand Marshals for the 2026 Bison Days Parade last Friday evening in Buffalo Center. The Murras spent 15 years running prominent businesses in downtown Buffalo Center, including Murra Hardware from 2009-2023 and Main Street Market from 2017-2024.

The State of Iowa will allow eighth graders to participate in all high school sports beginning this fall, pending approval from their schools. The North Iowa School Board established eligibility guidelines for North Iowa eighth graders during its July 20 meeting.

The Winnebago County Community Foundation (WCCF) held its 2026 grant awards celebration on Wednesday, July 23, at the Forest City Community Center, announcing the distribution of $144,194.34 to 16 local nonprofit organizations through its 2026 grant cycle. Grants were awarded to projects improving quality of life and creating long-term impact in Winnebago County communities.

Buffalo Center hosted a patriotic parade last Friday evening, July 24, to help kick off the annual Bison Days celebration and to commemorate America’s 250th birthday in 2026. The parade was well attended and featured dozens of entries that took almost an hour to complete the route from Bison Field to Lion’s Park. (Photo by Andrew Shaw)

The last big celebration of the summer in Winnebago County is this weekend in Buffalo Center, with the annual Bison Days hosted by North Iowa Betterment.

The celebration kicked off early on Thursday, with Old Fire Liquor hosting a food truck and bags tournament in the evening to support the Dalton Cooper Memorial.

Wesden Wooge of the Forest City FFA won the trophies for Grand Champion Market Steer as well as Grand Champion Rate of Gain at the Winnebago County Fair Beef Show on Friday, July 17. Look for more photos and full 4-H and FFA results from the 2026 Winnebago County Fair in an upcoming edition of the Tribune. (Photo by Andrew Shaw)

Brinley Miller of Forest City and Maverick Ray of Thompson won the titles of Little Miss and Mr. Winnebago County Fair during last week’s fair in Thompson. Brinley is the daughter of Ross and Chelsea Miller, and Maverick is the son of Kelli Hill and Jacob Ray.

All 15 contestants made an impression on the judges, with each of the kids receiving a special title.

Aubrey Olson is living out a longtime dream after taking the crown as the 2026 Winnebago County Fair Queen. Olson was crowned on the first evening of the fair, Wednesday, July 15, by 2025 Fair Queen Emma Eichenberger.

“It’s really exciting,” said Olson. “I am so happy, because this has been a goal of mine for a long time to be up here standing in front of everyone.”

It’s a milestone year for Forest City’s Puckerbrush Days celebration, which kicks off its 40th annual event on Friday, July 17. 

Buffalo Center’s annual Bison Days community celebration is next weekend, July 24-26, and most of the activities will be held in Lions Park this year.

About 90 runners and walkers came out on an already warm morning at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 11 for the annual July Jubilee 5K in Lake Mills. The contest featured medalists in 14 divisions, as well as the overall winner, which was Gavin Grunhovd with a time of 16:29. He was followed across the finish line by Knute Rogne in second and Justin Rygh in third.

Siblings Ami’jay and Alanna Unseld are the 2026 July Jubilee Little Mr. and Ms. in Lake Mills, as the pair was crowned during the downtown community night on Friday, July 10. Ami’jay, age five, completed 4-year-old preschool this spring, while his sister Alanna, age seven, recently completed first grade. They are the children of Allen Unseld and Chelsey Adams and Anna Zarro.

Brad Evenson will get to sit back and enjoy a leisurely ride as a passenger in the July Jubilee parade in Lake Mills this weekend, after spending decades behind the steering wheel of a school bus. He will serve as the Grand Marshal for the parade on Saturday, July 11, beginning at 10:30 a.m.

Troop 418 is celebrating 100 years of Scouting in Forest City this year, and all troop members and leaders past and present are invited to be recognized as Grand Marshals of the Puckerbrush Parade on Saturday, July 18. The Puckerbrush Committee is honoring the Scouts for the lasting impact they have made on Forest City over the past century.

The 2026 Winnebago County Fair kicks off next Wednesday, July 15 at the Winnebago County Fairgrounds with a five-day lineup that includes new and returning acts.

The fair will welcome a new carnival this year, Get R’ Fried, who is known for their fried food in addition to their carnival rides. The carnival will run all five days of the fair, July 15-19.